Cnotes Major League Baseball ALCS & NLCS Chamionship Division Series Picks/Trends/News !!

Volquez, Estrada set for ALCS Game 1
October 15, 2015


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Royals are sending Blue Jays antagonist Edinson Volquez to the mound for Game 1 of their AL Championship Series while Toronto is countering with Marco Estrada.


The opening game is Friday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.


It was Volquez whose inside pitching drew the ire of the Blue Jays in early August, eventually leading to a pair of bench-clearing incidents during their game at Rogers Centre. After the game, he called Blue Jays star Josh Donaldson ''a little baby'' for complaining about his pitching.


The Royals will start Yordano Ventura in Game 2 on Saturday, while Johnny Cueto will pitch the third game in Toronto. The Blue Jays will put David Price on the mound in Game 2, followed by Marcus Stroman and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

Cubs' SS Russell ruled out for NLCS
October 15, 2015


CHICAGO (AP) Cubs shortstop Addison Russell will not play in the NL Championship Series because of a strained left hamstring.


Manager Joe Maddon also says Jon Lester will start the series opener on Saturday night, followed by Jake Arrieta in Game 2 on Sunday. Lester is 6-5 with a 2.66 ERA in 15 career postseason games, including 13 starts.


The Cubs will find out their opponent for the next round when the Dodgers host the New York Mets in Game 5 of their division series on Thursday night.


Russell left Game 3 of the NLDS against the Cardinals due to tightness in his left hamstring. Maddon says it's a moderate strain, and the team will be pragmatic with the injury.


Javier Baez, who replaced Russell after he left in the previous round, will be the starting shortstop in the NLCS.

RECAPPING THURSDAY'S ACTION:


MLB: 2 - 0


CFL: 0 - 0 - 0


CFB: 2 - 4 - 0


NFL: 2 - 0 - 0


NHL: 6 - 3- 0



MLB PLAYOFF RECORD:


*****.....................................2 - 5
double plays.............................8 - 5
triple plays...............................4 - 6
grand slam...............................2 - 0
double grand slam....................4 - 1
total.........................................6 - 5




CFL SEASON RECORD:


Single play.................................35 - 29
double play................................18 - 23
triple play..................................21 - 101- 1
blow out.....................................5 - 3

A capsule look at the Blue Jays-Royals playoff series
October 15, 2015


A look at the best-of-seven American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals:




---


Schedule:


(All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Kansas City (8:07 p.m.);


Game 2, Saturday, at Kansas City (4:07 p.m.);


Game 3, Monday, Oct. 19, at Toronto (8:07 p.m.);


Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Toronto (TBA);


x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Toronto (TBA);


x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 23, at Kansas City (TBA);


x-Saturday, Oct. 24, at Kansas City (TBA). (All games on FOX or FS1).


x-if necessary.


---


Season Series: Blue Jays won 4-3.


---


Projected Lineup:


Blue Jays:


LF Ben Revere (.306, 2 HRs, 45 RBIs with Phillies and Blue Jays), 3B Josh Donaldson (.297, 41, AL-best 123 RBIs), RF Jose Bautista (.250, 40, 114), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.277, 39, 111), 1B Chris Colabello (.321, 15, 54), SS Troy Tulowitzki (.280, 17, 70 with Rockies and Blue Jays), C Russell Martin (.240, career-high 23 HRs, 77), CF Kevin Pillar (.278, 12, 56), 2B Ryan Goins (.250, 5, 45).


Royals:


SS Alcides Escobar (.257, 4, 32), 2B Ben Zobrist (.276, 13, 56 with Athletics and Royals), CF Lorenzo Cain (.307, 16, 72), 1B Eric Hosmer (.297, 18, 93), DH Kendrys Morales (.290, 22, 106), 3B Mike Moustakas (.284, 22, 82), C Salvador Perez (.260, 21, 70), LF Alex Gordon (.271, 13, 48), RF Alex Rios (.255, 4, 32).


---


Projected Rotation:


Blue Jays:


RH Marco Estrada (13-8, 3.13 ERA), LH David Price (18-5, AL-best 2.45 with Tigers and Blue Jays), RH Marcus Stroman (4-0, 1.67 in 4 September starts), RH R.A. Dickey (11-11, 3.91).


Royals:


RH Edinson Volquez (13-9, 3.55), RH Yordano Ventura (13-8, 4.08), RH Johnny Cueto (11-13, 3.44 with Reds and Royals), RH Kris Medlen (6-2, 4.01) or RH Chris Young (11-6, 3.06).


---


Relievers:


Blue Jays:


RH Roberto Osuna (1-6, 2.58, 20/23 saves), RH Aaron Sanchez (7-6, 3.24 in 40 games, 11 starts), RH Mark Lowe (1-3, 1.96 with Mariners and Blue Jays), RH LaTroy Hawkins (3-1, 3.26 with Rockies and Blue Jays), RH Liam Hendriks (5-0, 2.95, 71 Ks, 64 IP), LH Aaron Loup (2-5, 4.46), RH Ryan Tepera (0-2, 3.27, 1 save in 32 games).


Royals:


RH Wade Davis (8-1, 0.94, 17 saves), RH Kelvin Herrera (4-3, 2.71), RH Ryan Madson (1-2, 2.13), LH Franklin Morales (4-2, 3.18), LH Danny Duffy (7-8, 4.08), RH Jeremy Guthrie (8-8, 5.95), RH Luke Hochevar (1-1, 3.73).


---


Matchups:


These teams met in the 1985 AL Championship Series, the first year the format was expanded from five to seven games. The Royals rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to win in seven games, including road victories in Games 6 and 7, and went on to beat St. Louis for their only World Series title. ... When the Royals ended a 29-year playoff absence last season, they handed the distinction of longest drought to the Blue Jays (21 years). ... Toronto dropped two of three at Kansas City before the All-Star break. The Blue Jays rallied from a seven-run deficit with an eight-run sixth in the series finale on July 12, only to lose 11-10. ... Toronto won three of four at home from July 30 to Aug. 2, right after a busy week of trade-deadline deals transformed the team. The benches cleared during a testy series that included pitchers throwing at hitters. ... The Blue Jays outscored the Royals 39-33 in the season series. ... Price took the loss in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Rangers and has dropped six straight postseason starts. He earned a win with a three-inning relief stint in Game 4 at Texas. ... Price faced Kansas City in back-to-back May starts with Detroit, going 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA. He's 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in six career games against the Royals, including five starts. ... After facing left-handers in four of their five games against Texas, the Blue Jays are likely to face mostly right-handers against the Royals. Toronto hit .266 against righties this season, tied with Kansas City for fourth-best in the majors. ... Toronto lost lefty reliever Brett Cecil to a torn left calf in Game 2 of the ALDS and replaced him with Tepera. Loup missed the final two games of the ALDS because of a personal matter. His status for the ALCS was unclear.


---


Big Picture:


Blue Jays:


Toronto (93-69) was 50-51 after losing to lowly Philadelphia on July 28, the same day GM Alex Anthopoulos acquired Tulowitzki and Hawkins from the Rockies. Two days later, Price arrived from Detroit, and Anthopoulos capped a busy trade-deadline flurry by landing Revere from the Phillies and Lowe from the Mariners. The deals beefed up an already-prolific offense, overhauled the shaky bullpen and added a true ace to the top of the rotation. The Blue Jays went 43-18 the rest of the way under manager John Gibbons, erasing a seven-game deficit to overtake the New York Yankees and win the AL East by six games. ... Toronto ended the longest active playoff drought in the majors, a slump that stretched back to 1993 and the second of the club's consecutive World Series titles. ... Finally back in the postseason, the Blue Jays rallied past Texas in the ALDS and became the third team to win a best-of-five series after dropping the first two games at home. The 2001 Yankees also did it against Oakland, and the 2012 Giants did it against Cincinnati. Both those clubs went on to reach the World Series. ... In the deciding Game 5 at Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays took advantage of three straight Rangers errors in a wild seventh inning to overcome a 3-2 deficit. Bautista launched a tiebreaking, three-run homer that sent Toronto to a 6-3 win. Encarnacion had a tying homer in the sixth. ... Toronto led the majors with 891 runs, 127 more than the next-best offense, the Yankees, who had 764. ... The power-packed Blue Jays led the majors with 232 homers. Donaldson, Bautista and Encarnacion combined for 120, most by any trio of players in Toronto history. ... Toronto finished with a 3.81 team ERA, good for fifth-best in the AL. ... The Blue Jays went 15-28 in one-run games, the worst record in the majors.


Royals:


The defending AL champions went 11-17 in September before holding off the Blue Jays for home-field advantage throughout the postseason. ... Kansas City (95-67) won the AL Central by 12 games for its first division title since taking the AL West in 1985. Then the Royals overcame a 2-1 series deficit to beat the wild-card Astros in the best-of-five ALDS. Kansas City has rallied from four-run deficits in the eighth inning of elimination games each of the past two seasons, including Game 4 in Houston. ... Even without closer Greg Holland, who recently had Tommy John surgery, the bullpen remains among the best in baseball. Davis has become a dominant closer in his own right. ... Morales had three homers and six RBIs in the ALDS. Perez had two homers and four RBIs. Cueto, acquired midseason to win big games at the top of the rotation, did just that in Game 5. Brushing off his late-season struggles, he pitched eight effective innings and finished strong in a 7-2 victory. ... Kansas City had three players hit 20 or more homers after none reached that plateau last season. ... Cain was fourth in the AL in wins above replacement (WAR) behind the Angels' Mike Trout, Donaldson, and the Rays' Kevin Kiermaier. ... Kansas City had the third-best team batting average (.269) in baseball and 10th-best ERA (3.73). ... The Royals had seven All-Stars this season, not counting manager Ned Yost and the entire coaching staff. ... After falling just short of a World Series championship last year with a Game 7 loss to San Francisco, the resilient, never-say-die Royals are trying to take this run one step farther.


---


Watch For:


- Bad Blood. Tempers boiled over in the final regular-season meeting between the teams, a 5-2 home win for Toronto on Aug. 2. Sanchez was ejected for hitting Escobar with a pitch, leading to both benches and bullpens emptying. Toronto was upset after Volquez plunked Donaldson and later threw high and inside to the MVP contender. Madson also threw high and tight to Donaldson, and hit Tulowitzki on the arm. Gibbons and Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale also were ejected. Volquez later accused Donaldson of overreacting, calling him ''a little baby.''


- Pitching In. Cueto came through in the Division Series when it mattered most, but the rest of the Royals' rotation was merely average against the Astros, as was the bullpen outside of Davis.


- Opposites Attract. While the Blue Jays often pummel their opponents with the long ball, the Royals still rely on speed, defense and making contact at the plate. They made several dynamic fielding plays in Game 5 of the ALDS, including a great catch by Zobrist and a sliding grab in foul territory by Gordon.

Royals' Volquez, Blue Jays' Estrada to start ALCS opener


The Kansas City Royals have selected Edinson Volquez to be the Game 1 starter and the Toronto Blue Jays will counter with Marco Estrada when the teams open the American League Championship Series in Kansas City on Friday.


The Blue Jays announced that left-hander David Price will start Saturday's Game 2. Right-hander Yordano Ventura will start for the Royals.


The right-handed Volquez went 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA in the regular season. Volquez lost his lone start in the AL Division Series against Houston when he gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings while matched up against Astros ace Dallas Keuchel.


Estrada set a career best for victories by going 13-8 with a 3.13 ERA in the regular season. He defeated Texas in the ALDS when he gave up one run in 6 1/3 innings in Game 3.


Toronto and Kansas City had a benches-clearing brawl on Aug. 2 in a contest in which Volquez was one of the central figures. He hit Toronto star Josh Donaldson with a pitch in the first inning and threw another pitch high and tight in the third.

Cubs to open NLCS with Lester, then Arrieta


Jon Lester will start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series for the Chicago Cubs.


Manager Joe Maddon said the left-hander would be on the mound for the NLCS opener and tapped right-hander Jake Arrieta for Game 2.


Shortstop Addison Russell won't be included on the NLCS roster because of a moderate hamstring injury. Javier Baez will start at shortstop, as he did in Game 4 of the division series.


The Cubs are awaiting the winner of Thursday's National League Division Series finale between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.


Arrieta was 22-6 in the regular season with a 1.77 ERA and won the National League wild-card game at Pittsburgh. He battled control issues in his only NLDS start, allowing four runs on five hits.


Lester is in the first year of a $155 million deal he signed as a free agent and had a record of 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 205 regular-season innings.

Chippy history spices Jays-Royals matchup


TORONTO -- The Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays meet again.


When the teams squared off at Rogers Centre from July 30-Aug. 2, there was a playoff atmosphere to the series, and the Blue Jays won three of four games.


The series featured a bench-clearing incident and accusations of pitchers throwing at hitters.


The feeling was that it was a very good playoff preview.


And now here it is. The teams will open the American League Championship Series at Kansas City on Friday.


Both teams needed the full five games to clinch their American League Division Series. Both teams needed comebacks to win.


The Royals were down by four runs to the Astros in Game 4 on Monday entering the eighth inning. They pulled it out, then won the series Wednesday.


The Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 Wednesday thanks to a four-run seventh inning. Toronto became only the third team to win a best-of-five ALDS after losing the first two games at home. The others were the 2001 New York Yankees and the 2012 San Francisco Giants.


The Blue Jays were well into their celebration Wednesday while the Royals and Astros were playing, so the Toronto players didn't know their opponent in the ALCS.


They were still letting it soak in, literally, that they just pulled off an impressive comeback.


They left for Arlington, Texas, last weekend after losing two in a row, wondering if they would have another home game.


"We didn't know for sure when we headed to Texas," manager John Gibbons said. "But we were taking (batting practice) on the off day down there, and I just had a good feeling the guys were nice and loose and relaxed, and that's important with this group.


"Then for the first game I felt we looked like the old team, we were playing like we done all year. Then, of course, we had the big outburst the next day. Of course, this is our team. You've still got to win three in a row, but before that first game in Texas, Joe Torre was down there. Joe came up to me, he had texted me, this isn't insurmountable, because he did it with the Yankees.


"He said, 'Hey, take it one day at a time.' Great advice. Easier said than done, of course. He told Bruce Bochy that when they were down in Cincinnati and they went on. Coming from him, it's kind of a comforting thing. I know it's not easy, but kind of gives you (hope that), 'Hey, you know what, it could happen.'"


Now the ALCS matchup many awaited will happen.

Preview: Royals (95-67) at Blue Jays (93-69)
Game: 1
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: October 16, 2015 8:07 PM EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays promise plenty of fireworks in their AL Championship Series, and not just because one team features power arms and the other power bats.


The Royals and Blue Jays already have played a contentious set of games this season, including a matchup in Toronto marked by two bench-clearing incidents. And while both sides said during Thursday's workouts that previous rancor has been forgotten, the emotionally charged atmosphere of playoff baseball means there could be some short fuses in the opener Friday night.


'It's over with. We've got to move forward,' insisted the Royals' Edinson Volquez, who will start Game 1 and was arguably the biggest instigator when the teams met in August.


It was Volquez whose inside pitching drew the ire of the Blue Jays, eventually leading to the first of those bench-clearing moments. And after the game, he called Blue Jays star Josh Donaldson 'a little baby' for complaining about his inside pitching.


Asked whether he intends to pitch inside again Friday night, Volquez replied: 'Of course.'


Royals manager Ned Yost was one word more succinct: 'Absolutely.'


Even if it might mean more bad blood.


'I'm not a mind reader. I'm not a fortune teller. I don't know if it's going to be an issue,' Yost said. 'But we'll pitch inside aggressively. That's a power-laden club over there. We're going to formulate a really good game plan and try to go out and execute.'


The Blue Jays, who start Marco Estrada in the opener, won three straight elimination games against Texas to reach their first AL Championship Series since 1993. The last of those games Wednesday was as tense as they come.


After the Rangers took the lead on a fluke play, the Blue Jays stormed back thanks in part to three Texas errors. Donaldson's blooper tied the game, and Jose Bautista capped the comeback with a long three-run homer, emphatically flipping his bat nearly as high in the air.


Bautista's reaction wasn't taken well by the Rangers, who essentially called it bush league, and the entire affair touched off a wide-spread debate about decorum.


'You look at all professional sports in general, everybody celebrates more so than they used to,' Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. 'In our particular sport, if it's happening for your team, your guy gets a big hit, nobody minds it. If you're on the other side, nobody likes it.'


It's not just what has gone on this postseason, or even in the regular season, that makes this ALCS matchup so juicy. It's also the history the two franchises share.


They met once before in the ALCS, with the Royals rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the first year of seven-game series. The last two wins came in Toronto, providing the Royals with so much momentum that they went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals for their only World Series triumph.


There was plenty of emotion in that series, too.


'I think you just see so much drama at times because it's the postseason,' Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. 'Obviously, that series in Toronto (earlier this year) was two competitive teams. I think that's why we're here right now, because it's two teams that really take pride in doing things to protect their teammates, to show that the team has a better club.'


The two best teams in the American League go about things in different ways.


Much like that '85 Royals team, this one is built upon pitching and defense - hard-throwing starters and relievers, and enough speed to track down just about anything that stays in their park.


That was a big reason why they were able to down the Astros in their divisional series.


'A big part of their success is they flag the ball down, because a lot of teams can't, because the outfield is so big here,' said Gibbons, a former bench coach in Kansas City. 'We're built a little bit differently. I think a lot of it has to do with where we play.'


The Blue Jays play in hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, so naturally they're among the best in baseball at scoring with a single swing. Bautista's shot against the Rangers was proof, but so were the major league league-leading 232 homers that Toronto hit during the regular season.


That's why the Royals intend to pitch the Blue Jays inside, to mitigate their power. And also why there could be some testy moments when the teams begin their best-of-seven showdown.


'We all know Toronto is a better team than Houston. They've got more veteran guys and more power hitters,' Volquez said. 'We're going to play our game. We're going to stay with the plan and do it. Like I said, do our best to win the game.'




MLB HEAD TO HEAD


Aug 2, 2015 Score ATS Results
KAN 2 Under: 7
TOR « 5 Cover: +100
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps


Aug 1, 2015 Score ATS Results
KAN « 7 Cover: +115
TOR 6 Over: 13
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps


Jul 31, 2015 Score ATS Results
KAN 6 Over: 13
TOR « 7 Cover: +100
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps


Jul 30, 2015 Score ATS Results
KAN 2 Under: 7
TOR « 5 Cover: +100
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps


Jul 12, 2015 Score ATS Results
TOR 10 Over: 21
KAN « 11 Cover: +100
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps


Jul 11, 2015 Score ATS Results
TOR « 6 Cover: +100
KAN 2 Push: 8
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps


Jul 10, 2015 Score ATS Results
TOR 0 Under: 3
KAN « 3 Cover: +105
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps

Jays play at Royals in ALCS opener
October 16, 2015


A look at what's happening around the major leagues today:


STARTING AT HOME


After starting the AL Championship Series at Baltimore last year and sweeping the Orioles, the Kansas City Royals start at home this year on Friday night. Edinson Volquez starts for the Royals and Marco Estrada for the Blue Jays, who are in the postseason for the first time since winning the 1993 World Series.


BAD BLOOD

The Royals and Blue Jays already played a contentious set of games this season, including a matchup in Toronto marked by two bench-clearing incidents. Volquez's inside pitching drew the ire of the Blue Jays, eventually leading to the first of those bench-clearing moments. And after the game, he called Blue Jays star Josh Donaldson ''a little baby'' for complaining about his inside pitching. Asked whether he intends to pitch inside again Friday night, Volquez replied: ''Of course.''


ANOTHER RED EYE


The New York Mets had their second overnight cross-country flight in six days after winning 3-2 at the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to the NL Championship Series against the Cubs. While Chicago planned to work out at Citi Field on Friday, the Mets did not schedule a practice. New York's Matt Harvey and Chicago's Jon Lester were slated to talk ahead of their starts in the opener.


DONNIE BASEBALL


After another disappointing postseason, Don Mattingly could be in trouble with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite spending more than $780 million on payroll in the last three years, the Dodgers have not reached the World Series since winning the title in 1988.


POLICING THE STANDS


Major League Baseball will review security at Toronto's Rogers Centre in an effort to prevent a repeat of the fan disturbance during Game 5 of the Blue Jays' AL Division Series win over Texas. Spectators littered the field with debris during an 18-minute delay Wednesday. Toronto catcher Russell Martin hit Texas batter Shin-Soo Choo with his seemingly simple return throw to the pitcher, which resulted in a go-ahead run for the Rangers after several conferences and an umpire's review. Toronto scored four runs in the bottom of the inning and went on to win 6-3. Toronto hosts the Royals for Games 3-5 of the ALCS starting Monday.

Bautista's bat flip right at home
October 16, 2015


CHICAGO (AP) Anthony Rizzo was waiting for his turn for batting practice when he mimicked a big swing, and then flung his bat into the top of the cage and glared out at the field.


Oh yes, the Chicago Cubs were watching when Toronto slugger Jose Bautista unleashed his epic bat flip, and it was met with mischievous grins in the home clubhouse at Wrigley Field. For fans of celebratory flying lumber, this has been quite the postseason.


Asked Thursday about Bautista's memorable display, Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber chuckled and said, ''I thought it was awesome.''


The playoffs are in full swing, and baseball's long-running debate about the appropriate amount of on-field celebration is jogging alongside the postseason like an intriguing subplot of a best-selling novel. As the bat flips go higher and higher into the air, the conversations pick up in frequency.


When it comes to how much is too much, it seems as if a new generation of ballplayer is moving the needle toward time, place and circumstances rather than the practically outright prohibition of the past. And of course, the winners seem a lot more tolerant than the losing players.


''I don't know how long it's been going on. But it's kind of taken over baseball now,'' Toronto manager John Gibbons said.


The Blue Jays and Rangers were tied at 3 in Game 5 of their AL Division Series when Bautista crushed a three-run homer to left with two out in the seventh inning. After taking a quick look at where the drive was going, he tossed his bat off to the side as if he was angry that the ball wasn't traveling with even more velocity.


''I can't really remember what was going through my mind, to be quite honest with you,'' Bautista said. ''After I made contact, I just, you know, I didn't plan anything that I did and so I still don't even know how I did it. I just enjoyed the moment, rounded the bases and got to the dugout.''


Video of Bautista's moment Wednesday night spread quickly on social media, and Major League Baseball fanned the flames by tweeting the clip several times from its main account. But Sam Dyson, who gave up the homer, said Bautista needs to ''respect the game a little more,'' and Rangers ace Cole Hamels also was critical of the display.


Elsewhere, it seemed as if many players felt the situation justified the celebration. The home run was the big blow in a crazy game that put Toronto in the AL Championship Series for the first time since it won the title in 1993.


''It's a really exciting moment,'' Cubs infielder Starlin Castro said Thursday. ''I think every time you go up to the plate, you hit the ball hard and far, I think that the emotion will make you do something that sometime you don't even understand.''


Bautista has plenty of playoff company.


It started on the first day, when Houston outfielder Colby Rasmus flipped aside his bat after a homer at Yankee Stadium in the AL wild-card game. Schwarber got into the act the follow night, connecting for a long drive at Pittsburgh before discarding his lumber with authority.


''For me, you know, I'll do my thing. I'll be very cautious with it,'' Schwarber said. ''But it's nothing too over the top.''


Rasmus and Schwarber were merely warmup acts for New York Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who set the stage for Bautista's throw by elegantly lofting his bat high into the air after a three-run drive during a 13-7 win over the Dodgers in Game 3 of their NLDS.


''I think you look at all professional sports in general. Everybody celebrates more so than they used to be,'' Gibbons said. ''And I think in our particular sport, if it's happening for your team, your guy hits a big hit, nobody minds it. If you're on the other side nobody likes it. I think it's gotten past the point, personally, I don't like it, but I think we've all kind of moved on past that.''

Team Pitcher Open Line Movements Current Runline Scores


8:05 PM EDT


951 TORONTO BLUE JAYS (R) Estrada, M -120 -116 / -118 / -119 -115 -1.5(+140)
952 KANSAS CITY ROYALS (R) Volquez, E 8.5 7.5o20 / 7.5o15 / 8u15 8u20 +1.5(-160)


TV: FS-1, DTV: 219 | CLEAR, WIND IN FROM LEFT CENTER 2-7. GAME TEMP 57, RH 33%


-----------------------------


MLB Consensus Picks


SIDES (ATS)


Time Away Line Picks Pct Home Line Picks Pct Detail Odds


7:30 PM Toronto -113 703 61.72% Kansas City +104 436 38.28% View View




TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)


Time Away Total Over Pct Home Total Under Pct Detail Odds


7:30 PM Toronto 8 554 61.56% Kansas City 8 346 38.44% View View


--------------------------------


FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16


Game Score Status Pick Amount


Toronto - 7:30 PM ET Toronto -113 500 DOUBLE PLAY


Kansas City - Over 8 500 *****

RECAPPING FRIDAY'S ACTION:


MLB: 0 - 2


CFL: 1 - 1 - 0


CFB: 2 - 4 - 0 ( with late game UNLV pending )


NFL: 0 - 0 - 0


NHL: 4 - 2 - 0




MLB PLAYOFF RECORD:


*****.....................................2 - 6
double plays.............................8 - 6
triple plays...............................4 - 6
grand slam...............................2 - 0
double grand slam....................4 - 1
total.........................................6 - 5




CFL SEASON RECORD:


Single play.................................35 - 29
double play................................19 - 24
triple play..................................21 - 10- 1
blow out.....................................5 - 3

Preview: Cubs (97-65) at Mets (90-72)
Game: 1
Venue: Citi Field
Date: October 17, 2015 8:07 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) Matt Harvey bringin' heat, Kris Bryant goin' deep.


Noah Syndergaard firing 100 mph fastballs as Kyle Schwarber swings from his heels.


Jacob deGrom rearing back and going right after Anthony Rizzo.


In an NL Championship Series teeming with top young talent, it's a classic baseball confrontation: the New York Mets and their power pitching versus the Chicago Cubs and those potent sluggers.


'Strength against strength, in some respect,' Chicago executive Theo Epstein said Friday.


With the wild-card Cubs four wins from their first World Series in 70 years, Game 1 in the best-of-seven set is Saturday night at Citi Field. Harvey is scheduled to start for NL East champion New York against postseason pro Jon Lester.


But while the series features two of the country's largest media markets - the city that never sleeps against the city of broad shoulders - this savory matchup was grown down on the farm the last few years, sprouting up off dusty minor league diamonds at Double-A Tennessee and Binghamton, Triple-A Iowa and Las Vegas.


As both franchises (and their loyal fans) endured half a decade of consistent losing, Epstein and Mets general manager Sandy Alderson were stockpiling prospects.


Chicago rebuilt around rookie sluggers, while New York pinned its plan on lively arms.


And here they are in October, perhaps a year or so ahead of schedule.


The scouts saw it coming.


'The successful teams, whether they're big market, small market, large payroll, small payroll, you've got to develop your own players. That's the currency with which we deal,' Alderson said. 'Ultimately if you don't develop your own players, you're going to come up short at some point, either on your own team or in the trade market.'


One glance at the young studs on each club doesn't tell the entire story, though.


Chicago actually had a lower ERA than the Mets this year, while New York had more homers and a higher slugging percentage. So despite their obvious differences, this really isn't some head-to-head clash of baseball cultures and philosophies.


'We're not in it for the narrative. We're in it to go to the World Series,' said Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations.


Still, everyone involved is acutely aware of all the young talent that will be on display.


'We've kind of ascended. The Mets showed their muscle the latter part of the year like we did,' Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. 'It's really kind of like a renaissance going on right now with the youth in baseball.'


Maddon and Mets skipper Terry Collins go back a long way. When he was hired to manage the Angels before the 1997 season, Collins chose Maddon to be his bench coach. And when Collins resigned in September 1999, Maddon took over the team on an interim basis.


This season, Maddon got the best of his old friend as the Cubs won all seven meetings by a combined score of 27-11. It was the first time the Mets were swept in a season series of seven games or more - and the first time Chicago did it since 1885 against the Buffalo Bisons.


But the last time they played was July 2, weeks before the Mets revamped a scuffling lineup. Since then, New York added Yoenis Cespedes and rookie Michael Conforto, among others, while Travis d'Arnaud and David Wright returned from injuries. Tyler Clippard and Addison Reed were acquired to deepen the bullpen.


'I think we all believe that we're a completely different team,' Harvey said. 'I think we match up very well against them. I think we're excited to give them another run and have it be in this important of a series.'


Maddon agreed.


'They're an entirely different team,' he said. 'I take zero stock in that whatsoever.'


New York hopes to reach its first World Series in 15 years, the longest drought in franchise history. Cubs fans, meanwhile, scoff at such a wait.


With the city at a frenzied fever pitch, Chicago is trying to end a championship drought that dates to 1908. The Cubs haven't even captured a pennant since 1945.


'It's got to end sometime, right?' said Lester, who joined the Cubs as a free agent last offseason when he signed a $155 million, six-year contract. 'It's fun to think about, but we've got some games to go before we get there.'


Well rested after eliminating the NL Central champion Cardinals at home on Tuesday, the Cubs worked out Friday at Citi Field.


The Mets did not practice following a Game 5 victory at Los Angeles to clinch their Division Series on Thursday night. They flew back to the East Coast overnight, their fourth cross-country flight in 10 days.


'We're tired. I mean, I put my head on the pillow this morning at 9:30 and got to be here now. So that's hard,' Collins said Friday afternoon. 'But we've got a night off, and this place is going to be fueled with a lot of energy tomorrow night. I think we'll be able to use that as a little medicine to find some extra adrenaline.'

SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Cubs at Mets
Sat, Oct 17 - 8:07PM EDT


GAME 2
Cubs at Mets
Sun, Oct 18 - 8:07PM EDT


GAME 3
Mets at Cubs
Tue, Oct 20 - 8:07PM EDT


GAME 4
Mets at Cubs
Wed, Oct 21 - 8:07PM EDT


GAME 5
Mets at Cubs
Thu, Oct 22 - 8:07PM EDT


GAME 6
Cubs at Mets
Sat, Oct 24 - 4:07PM EDT


GAME 7
Cubs at Mets
Sun, Oct 25 - 8:07PM EDT

Superstitions hard to shed for Cubs
October 16, 2015


CHICAGO (AP) Billy Siegel doesn't want to hear any talk about a billy goat curse or a Steve Bartman hex afflicting his beloved Chicago Cubs. He dismisses as rubbish any suggestion that a little black cat had anything to do with the team's heartbreaking collapse down the stretch in 1969, too.


But when Kyle Schwarber hit a home run the other night at Wrigley Field that helped vanquish the hated St. Louis Cardinals, Siegel found it impossible not to see divine providence at work. After all, the ball landed on a videoboard advertising a beer synonymous with St. Louis - and it didn't come down.


''Look at that ball that hit the Budweiser sign,'' said the 67-year-old Siegel, a season ticket holder since 1970. ''Oh my god, that was a sign.''


Cubs fans can insist all they want that they are done with talk of curses and just plain bad luck, from goats to cats to Bartman. But this is not an easy habit to break for the devoted faithful of a team that has not won a World Series since 1908. Heartbreak and superstition are as much a part of Cubs lore as Wrigley Field itself.


As the Cubs take on the New York Mets in the hopes of getting to the World Series for the first time since 1945, fans swear that this team is different from all the teams that have tried and failed before. This team will win - and they will, fans will tell you - because of the way they play and not because a curse was lifted or just ran out of steam.


''I am so sick of billy goats, sick of Bartman, it's all a bunch of baloney,'' said Jim Kelly, a 62-year-old substitute teacher.


For some, it's just different rooting for a team that is so young the players have no connection to past failures. These fans seem willing to thumb their noses at those who worry about, say, jinxing the team by celebrating before a victory is secure.


''I was in Pittsburgh (for the wild card victory against the Pirates) and I got criticized because I was on Twitter saying there are 6 outs to go, 5 outs to go,'' said Al Yellon, who runs a Cubs fan site, bleedcubbieblue.com. ''But I was saying, no, we're not going to be slaves to history.''


Still, to be safe ...


''I have a Jake Arrieta game-worn jersey that seems to be lucky,'' Yellon said. ''I wear that jersey every time he pitches.''


Years of watching a team snatch defeat from the jaws of victory have made it impossible for some other fans to shake the idea that if something bad can happen to the Cubs it will.


''There's no real curse,'' said Steve Rhodes, a longtime fan who runs beachwoodreporter.com. ''At the same time, (stuff) happens to this team that doesn't happen to anyone else.''


While Rhodes wonders if Schwarber's next home run might be blown back into play by ''a gust of wind,'' these Cubs have already exorcised the demons that are the Cardinals, at least for one year. Fans wonder if they can now exact revenge on the Mets, the team that overtook the Cubs in 1969 not long after a black cat strolled by Cubs third baseman Ron Santo at Shea Stadium.


''I think it would be fitting to go through the Mets after what happened in `69,'' said Jeff Santo, a son of the late Cubs great.


For their part, the Cubs are staying far away from all this talk. They have not, for example, invited Bartman back to Wrigley as a guest of honor - a gesture some fans have suggested would be appropriate for someone vilified after he deflected a foul ball just before the Cubs collapsed in the 2003 playoffs.


It is pretty much the same story with the goat.


Seventy years after the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern put a curse on the Cubs when they wouldn't let his pet goat attend the World Series, the tavern owners have asked the Cubs to let a goat back into Wrigley for a postseason game. On its blog, the Billy Goat reminds the team that the last time it refused to sell a ticket to a goat was in 2003 and everyone knows what happened then.


''We don't allow animals in the ballpark and we don't believe in curses,'' the team said in a statement.


Still, the Cubs have chosen to ensconce Schwarber's home run ball in a plastic box atop the videoboard for all to see. It presumably will be there next Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLCS against the Mets.


Kelly said he suspects that Santo and the late Ernie Banks are ''up there making sure nothing crazy happens'' to their team. And he also suspects if the Cubs win the World Series the celebration will extend to the great beyond.


''The cemeteries will be overloaded with Cubs fans telling their loved ones they did it,'' he said. ''I will be the first one out there, taking a (World Series) sweat shirt to my dad's grave.'

Questions surround future of Mattingly
October 16, 2015


LOS ANGELES (AP) Another early playoff exit by the Los Angeles Dodgers assures their absence from the World Series for 28 years.


The franchise that boasts six world championships - two each in the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s - and that had baseball's highest payroll of $289.6 million managed just two playoff victories before losing 3-2 to the New York Mets in a decisive Game 5 of their NL Division Series on Thursday night.


Who's to blame? The players are adamant it's not manager Don Mattingly.


''He had nothing to do with this,'' left fielder Kike Hernandez said. ''It's not even a question. Donnie is our manager.''


Veteran first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said, ''He's our guy and I believe in him.''


Mattingly is under contract for one more season, but the Dodgers could decide to put their massive payroll in the hands of someone new.


He was in no mood to consider his status after the season abruptly ended, testily dismissing a question about it and urging the moderator at a postgame news conference to move on.


Mattingly is 446-363 in five years at the helm, having led the club to a winning record in each of his five seasons, including three consecutive NL West titles. The 54-year-old former Yankees star ranks sixth all-time among winningest Dodgers managers.


The Dodgers have reached the playoffs three times during Mattingly's tenure, but they have won just one postseason series, beating Atlanta in the division series two years ago, while losing three. They haven't reached the World Series since 1988, when they won their last championship.


Mattingly is a holdover from the previous front office regime, having been manager Joe Torre's hand-picked successor in 2010 after he coached under the Hall of Famer for seven seasons.


He worked this season under the new tandem of president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi, who had greater hands-on management of the team than what Mattingly was used to under former GM Ned Colletti.


Between Zaidi's expertise in advanced analytics and Friedman's reputation for building a roster by crunching numbers, Mattingly had a plethora of data at his disposal this season.


But the end result was still the same.


''You come to spring training, you work all winter, you scratch, you fight, all year long to get into this situation and you have a chance. It comes to a crash,'' Mattingly said. ''I don't think there's any way to soften that blow.''


Los Angeles doesn't have any titles to show for more than $780 million in payroll over the last three seasons. In addition to this year's payroll, the Dodgers will owe about $40 million more in luxury tax.


Zack Greinke, who gave up a go-ahead home run to Daniel Murphy on Thursday, may have thrown his last pitch for the Dodgers. The right-hander, who turns 32 next week, has the option of voiding the last three years of his contract - worth $71 million - and becoming a free agent.


''It would be nice to be back,'' he said after the game. ''There wasn't any drama compared to the last couple years. Everyone got along pretty well. We played well together. This was a really deep team. We got a great situation here.''


Clayton Kershaw and Greinke managed two wins in their four playoff starts, hardly reflective of their success during the regular season. Kershaw was the major league strikeout leader with 301 and Greinke's 1.66 ERA led the majors, making both leading contenders for the NL Cy Young Award.


There were other bright spots, too.


The Dodgers' 187 home runs led the National League for the first time since 1983, with rookies contributing 51 of those. Joc Pederson hit 26 homers, second-most by a rookie in franchise history.


Rookie Corey Seager hit .337, with eight homers and 17 RBIs, in 27 games after being called up from the minors early last month.


Veteran Justin Turner won the starting spot at third base during the season, and he came up big in the playoffs. His 10 hits were the most by a Dodgers player in a division series, and his six doubles set a franchise record.


Beyond Kershaw and Greinke, the starting rotation struggled with the absence of No. 3 starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, whose ailing left shoulder cost him the season. The bullpen rode a roller coaster of success and failure, and mercurial outfielder Yasiel Puig was limited to 72 games because of hamstring issues in both legs.


Still, Gonzalez believes the current roster and manager have what it takes to eventually win it all.


''We just need to keep working at it,'' he said. ''If the guys here this year are all back next year, we'll have the guys.''

Blue Jays' Price OK with playoff role
October 16, 2015


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The latest on the American League Championship Series between the Blue Jays and Royals, which began Friday night in Kansas City (all times local):


5:20 p.m.


There was some thought that David Price would start Game 1 of the ALCS for Toronto, but manager John Gibbons went with Marco Estrada on regular rest instead.


That's led to another round of questions about how Price has been used.


The former Cy Young winner has a shaky playoff record, and wasn't particularly good in his start against the Rangers. So rather than rest him to start a potential ALCS opener, Gibbons used him in a 50-pitch relief stint that made him unavailable for Friday night.


Price is scheduled to pitch Game 2 against Kansas City on Saturday.


Gibbons said it was simply a matter of circumstances, and while he acknowledged Price pitched longer than most people thought he would, ''that was a little bit of strategy, too.''


Asked about the way he'd been used, Price replied: ''It doesn't matter. Whatever the team wants me to do to help them win. I'm all about it.''


---


4 p.m.


Royals manager Ned Yost wishes he had listened a bit more to John Gibbons when his Toronto counterpart was on his staff a few years ago.


Maybe he'd have learned something to help the Royals in the ALCS.


After Gibbons was fired by the Blue Jays in 2008 in his first go-around as their manager, he was hired that October by then-Royals manager Trey Hillman as a bench coach. Gibbons stuck around when Hillman was fired in May 2010, working for Yost through the 2011 season.


Asked about those years together, Yost acknowledged before Game 1 on Friday: ''I didn't take full advantage of Gibby when he was here. At the time I was still a little on the hard-headed side and managed the game all by myself.''


Gibbons said he harbors no ill will over their time together.

LEADING OFF: Price-Ventura in KC, Cubs-Mets start NLCS
October 16, 2015


A look at what's happening around the major leagues Saturday:


ON TAP


Both Championship Series are in action, with the AL's Blue Jays and Royals playing Game 2 in Kansas City at 4:07 p.m. EDT and the NL's Cubs and Mets beginning their series in New York at 8:07 p.m. EDT.


ROYAL HEAT


Hard-throwing Yordano Ventura pitches for Kansas City, meaning some Toronto hitters might be reaching for lighter bats. Ventura led all qualified major league pitchers with an average fastball velocity of 96.3 mph, according to Fangraphs. That heat didn't help much in the ALDS, though, when Ventura gave up a pair of home runs and had a 7.71 ERA over seven innings vs. Houston. Ventura had closed out the regular season with four consecutive homerless starts, a span of 25 innings.


PRICE CHECK


David Price gets the nod in Game 2 for the Blue Jays after making a pair of appearances in the ALDS, including a relief outing in the team's Game 4 win over Texas. Price has a 7.20 ERA over 10 innings this postseason, a stark downturn from his 2.30 ERA over the season's final two months following his trade from Detroit to Toronto.


DANIEL IN DEMAND


Mets fans are calling for New York to bring back pending-free agent Daniel Murphy following his outstanding performance in the NL Division Series. Murphy hit three homers as the Mets knocked out the Dodgers, including a go-ahead shot off Zack Greinke in a 3-2 Game 5 win. The 30-year-old will be a free agent after the postseason following a season in which he hit .281 with 14 homers. According to Fangraphs, his 2.5 Wins Above Replacement tied for 10th among major league second basemen.


DARK KNIGHT'S NIGHT


The Batman masks will be out in force at Citi Field when Matt Harvey makes his second postseason start. Nicknamed ''The Dark Knight,'' Harvey has fallen into a love-hate relationship with New York that Bruce Wayne would appreciate. Harvey was one of the NL's better pitchers this season in his first year back following Tommy John surgery, and still he drew the ire of the fan base over a late-season kerfuffle regarding his innings limit and for showing up late to the team's first postseason workout. Love him or not, Mets fans have taken to sporting Batman masks when Harvey pitches at Citi Field.


BEEN THERE, DONE THAT


Jon Lester will be making his 14th start and 16th appearance in the postseason, where he owns a 2.66 ERA. He lost his only start so far in these playoffs to old friend John Lackey in Game 1 of the NL Division Series, allowing three runs over 7 1-3 innings. The left-hander signed a six-year, $155 million deal with the Cubs in the offseason, a move that signaled Chicago's attempted pivot toward contention.


SEASON SERIES


Chicago has won a team-record nine straight games against New York, including seven wins this season by a combined score of 27-11. The teams haven't played since July 2, though, and the Mets have overhauled their offense since with the additions of Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto, Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, as well as the returns of Travis d'Arnaud and David Wright from injury.


PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCES


The Cubs and Mets rebuilt their rosters over the past half-decade in contrasting styles, with Chicago stockpiling offensive prospects and New York loading up on arms. In the second half of this season, though, it was the Mets who led the NL in home runs (102) and runs (373), with Chicago ranked second in each category. Meanwhile, the Cubs ranked second in second-half ERA (3.42), while the Mets ranked seventh (3.72).