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2014 Major League Baseball playoff schedule

September 28, 2014 5:59 pm ET


Here's the schedule, at least what we know so far.

* denotes "if necessary" games

American League wild card game

Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 8:07 p.m. ET

National League wild card game

San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 8:07 p.m. ET

American League Division Series

Wild card winner vs. Los Angeles Angels (home field advantage)

Game 1: Oct. 2
Game 2: Oct. 3
Game 3: Oct. 5
*Game 4: Oct. 6
*Game 5: Oct. 8

Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles (home field advantage)

Game 1: Oct. 2
Game 2: Oct. 3
Game 3: Oct. 5
*Game 4: Oct. 6
*Game 5: Oct. 8

National League Division Series

Wild card game winner vs. Washington Nationals (home field advantage)

Game 1: Oct. 3
Game 2: Oct. 4
Game 3: Oct. 6
*Game 4: Oct. 7
*Game 5: Oct. 9

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (home field advantage)

Game 1: Oct. 3
Game 2: Oct. 4
Game 3: Oct. 6
*Game 4: Oct. 7
*Game 5: Oct. 9

American League Championship Series

Game 1: Oct. 10
Game 2: Oct. 11
Game 3: Oct. 13
Game 4: Oct. 14
*Game 5: Oct. 15
*Game 6: Oct. 17
*Game 7: Oct. 18

National League Championship Series

Game 1: Oct. 11
Game 2: Oct. 12
Game 3: Oct. 14
Game 4: Oct. 15
*Game 5: Oct. 16
*Game 6: Oct. 18
*Game 7: Oct. 19

World Series

Game 1: Oct. 21
Game 2: Oct. 22
Game 3: Oct. 24
Game 4: Oct. 25
*Game 5: Oct. 26
*Game 6: Oct. 28
*Game 7: Oct. 29

Wild Card Matchups

September 28, 2014

Athletics at Royals – Tuesday, 8:00 PM EST

Oakland: 88-74 overall, 40-41 on road
Kansas City: 89-73 overall, 43-29 at home

Probable Pitchers:
OAK: Lester (16-11, 2.46 ERA)
KC: Shields (15-8, 3.21 ERA)

Season series: The Royals dominated the A’s by winning five of seven meetings, including three of four at Kauffman Stadium in mid-August. However, Oakland’s two wins came with Jon Lester on the mound, as the southpaw allowed six earned runs in those two starts, but the A’s outscored the Royals, 19-6 in those two victories. In the five losses, Oakland tallied just seven runs. James Shields beat the A’s twice, which included a magnificent eight-inning performance in a 4-2 victory at Oakland as a +150 underdog.

Season recap: Oakland was 57-33 on July 8, but stumbled to a 31-41 finish, which included a 10-23 stretch from mid-August through mid-September. Kansas City had a roller coaster season en route to its first playoff appearance since winning the World Series way back in 1985. The Royals were sitting below the .500 mark in the first week of June at 29-32, but pulled off a 10-game winning streak, which included a six straight road victories. Kansas City caught fire in August by winning 17 of its first 21 games, while coming down to the final day of the season with a shot to win the AL Central title.

Up next: The winner of this series will face the Angels in the American League Divisional Series. Looking ahead, the Royals split six meetings with the Halos this season as each team went 2-1 at home. Oakland and Los Angeles were pretty even as well, as the Angels went 10-9 in 19 matchups with the A’s, while L.A. won seven of the final eight meetings.

Giants at Pirates – Wednesday, 8:00 PM EST

San Francisco: 88-74 overall, 43-38 on road
Pittsburgh: 88-74 overall, 51-30 at home

Probable Pitchers:
SF: Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98 ERA)
PIT: Undecided

Season series: The Pirates went 4-2 in six matchups against the Giants, winning each series. The first three matchups at PNC Park in early May were all decided by one run, which included an 11-10 extra-innings victory by the Giants. The Pirates walked off past the Giants the next night in a 2-1 triumph on a Starling Marte triple in which he scored on an error. At AT&T Park two months later, the Pirates dominated the Giants in the first two victories by outscoring San Francisco, 8-1. The Giants avoided the sweep in the finale in a back-and-forth affair as both teams blew leads in a 7-5 San Francisco victory.

Season recap: San Francisco began the season on fire with a 43-21 record, which was capped off by a 15-3 run. The Giants stumbled to a 10-22 mark heading into the All-Star break, pretty much falling behind the Dodgers for good in the NL West race. The second half saw the Giants play around .500 baseball, but a key 6-1 stretch in early September, along with Milwaukee melting down, gave San Francisco the advantage in the NL Wild Card. The Pirates started slowly, putting together a 10-18 mark through 28 games. A 22-11 run by Pittsburgh through June and early July got the Bucs back on track, while the Pirates went 17-4 in September to clinch home-field in Wednesday’s Wild Card matchup.

Up next: The Nationals are waiting in the wings, which would make for some interesting travel if the Giants were to win on Wednesday. Washington dominated San Francisco this season, winning five of seven matchups, including three of four at AT&T Park in June. The Pirates took three of four from the Nationals at home in their first series, but Washington swept Pittsburgh in D.C. in September, which included a pair of walk-off victories.

Giants' Bumgarner will start NL wild card

September 28, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Giants manager Bruce Bochy has announced the worst-kept secret in San Francisco's clubhouse: left-hander Madison Bumgarner will start Wednesday's wild-card game against Pittsburgh or St. Louis.

Bochy said before Sunday's regular-season finale against San Diego that he felt comfortable with Bumgarner or Jake Peavy on the mound. But given Bumgarner's success the last few years, he said ''I don't think there was any question who you pitch that game.''

Bumgarner was 18-10 with a 2.98 ERA this season. He has a 3-2 record with a 3.79 ERA in six postseason starts, all during San Francisco's runs to the 2010 and 2012 World Series titles.

The winner of the wild-card game will face the Washington Nationals in a best-of-five division series.

Wild Card format offers pitching mismatches in MLB playoffs

It’s playtime in the major leagues. The intensity of both players and fans goes up a notch. Heck, in some cities you’ll even see the first sellout game of the season. How bout that?! Playoff baseball is as good as the game gets. It’s also when I slow down my betting.

The first obvious thing with the MLB playoffs is there are less games being played each day. Less games played means that there are less opportunities to find mismatches to bet. In fact, the matchups can be as tight as any you’ll see all year in baseball.

These are the best teams in the league playing one another. We're not looking for mismatches when the Minnesota Twins play the Detroit Tigers. Having said that, the Wild Card games offer some mismatches during the Division Series.

In the past, each team was able to set their pitching staff exactly the way they wanted matchups to play out. All games in the first series would start with team ace versus team ace and so on down the line. That's still the case with the first series but the recent addition of Wild Card games mean that matchups in the following series aren’t exactly as those teams would like.

No matter who the Wild Card playoff teams start in their games, their pitching rotation for the next series will be out of whack. Eventually, there is potential for a large mismatch if the Division Series go long enough.

If the Oakland A’s make the playoffs as a Wild Card team, the chances are good that they’ll pitch John Lester in that game making him less available for the AL Division Series if they win. Likewise if the Kansas City Royals win the game they won’t have James Shields available to matchup against Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels in the first game of the AL Division Series.

Mismatches will continue for the next couple of games but should get back to normal for the World Series. I don't claim to be the smartest gambler around and look for obvious mismatches when I bet baseball. I'd rather bet a team that's +150 to +175 than a team that's plus or minus 110. This is why baseball betting is so attractive to me. I can win less than I do in football or basketball but win more money.

I rarely find value with series bets, so I've kept my MLB betting to a minimum during the playoffs. For a change, I watch the games as a fan. We'll see how things develop with the individual games but I'm happy sitting back and rooting for the Washington Nationals to cash my World Series futures bet from before the season.

2014 Playoff Outlook

September 29, 2014


AMERICAN LEAGUE

Unlike the past two seasons, one team we are not fearing is the Oakland A's (5/1) , who had MLB's best record as of Aug. 8, but proceeded to lose 30 of their next 46 and had to wait until the final day of the regular season before clinching a postseason berth. It looks like GM Billy Beane made one move too many at the trade deadline, as dealing OF Yoenis Cespedes to the Bosox in the Jon Lester trade would significantly hamper the offense and remove its most-intimidating element; after leading MLB in runs scored prior to the Cespedes trade, Oakland has been the AL's lowest-scoring team. Midseason rotation additions Lester and Jeff Samardzija make it hard to dismiss the A's in a short series, but the offense has been too easily shackled minus Cespedes.

We are more wary of Oakland's wild card opponent, the Kansas City Royals (7/1) , who also have a parade of arms and an overflow of quality in the rotation led by James Shields and recently-dominating Danny Duffy. Though Kansas City is apt to slump at the plate, it has enough pitching to cause serious problems for any foe in a short series and gets to host the A's in Tuesday's wild card game at the Big K.

We do not believe the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2/1) have a smooth ride awaiting to the World Series despite their home-field edge as long as they stay alive in the postseason. Mike Scioscia has hinted that he could go with a three-man rotation (Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, and Hector Santiago should rookie Matt Shoemaker's oblique strain not heal in time) in the playoffs. But it's the Angels' win percentage vs. playoff-quality foes, hovering around .400 all season (compared to near-.700 vs. also-rans), that is a postseason red flag. Mike Trout's propensity for strikeouts (a whopping 183) is also too easily dismissed by his many supporters. Without the Astros, White Sox, Rangers, or Twins to knock around in October, the Halos might be more vulnerable than many believe.

If the Angels meet the Baltimore Orioles (3/1), it won't happen until the ALCS, and the Birds would have no fear of that matchup after taking 4 of 6 from the Halos this season. There has been some magic about this version of the O's, who have kept scoring runs and winning despite injuries to 3B Manny Machado and C Matt Weiters and the suspension of 1B Chris Davis. And while many wonder if the Birds have enough starting pitching (Bud Norris? Chris Tillman? Wei-Yin Chen?) to survive in the postseason, Buck Showalter has squeezed every possible ounce out of his versatile bullpen. If the relievers' arms haven't fallen off by now, they probably won't in October, either.

How about the Detroit Tigers (5/2)? Although having dealt with myriad bullpen issues in recent years, the problems seem especially acute this season as manager Brad Ausmus has shown less and less faith in erratic closer Joe Nathan as the season has progressed. Moreover, the staff seems a bit less menacing than recent years, with Justin Verlander having lost considerable velocity, and David Price proving inconsistent since his trade-deadline acquisition from the Rays. The Tigers need their offense clicking, because the rotation and bullpen have performed so inconsistently, which should give the edge to the Birds in the ALDS.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Sometimes, "addition by subtraction" really is meaningful in pro sports. And we suggest the injury to 3B Pedro Alvarez has in fact made the Pittsburgh Pirates (11/2) more of a postseason threat. It is no coincidence that the Pirates won 17 of 21 down the stretch with Alvarez sidelined and with do-everything Josh Harrison handling duties effectively at the corner. The Bucs have star power with Andrew McCutchen and a staff with plenty of momentum, as Francisco Liriano and Edinson Volquez have been two of the NL's hottest starters since the All-Star break. The Pirates just missed winning the NL Central, so they must go the wild card route, but they have postseason experience now after advancing from the wild card to the NLDS last season.

We suspect the Bucs are more of a threat than their wild card foe, the San Francisco Giants (7/1) , who have been playing sub-.500 ball (45-53) since early June, a far cry from their World Series winners of 2010 & '12 that hit stride following the All-Star break. The Giants must go on the road to PNC Park for Wednesday's wild card game.

We look forward to the rematch of last year's NLCS, this year a round sooner, between the Los Angeles Dodgers (2/1) and St. Louis Cardinals (7/1) . Interestingly, normally unhittable Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw was anything but in playoffs vs. the Cards last season. But even with Kershaw in untouchable form, the Dodgers performed in an uneven manner much of the campaign, barely getting above .500 at home until late in the season (though the Blue owns MLB's best road mark at 49-32), and there are depth problems in the rotation beyond Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Mercurial OF Yasiel Puig has also failed to smooth the many rough spots in his game that were exploited by the Redbirds last October. Considering the Dodgers' inside-out home-road pattern this season, perhaps it's a break for St. Louis to open the NLDS on the road.

If Adam Wainwright (1.62 ERA in five September starts) can outduel Kershaw in the opener, the momentum of the series shifts completely in St. Louis' direction. No team has fared as well in the postseason lately as the Cardinals, who can still manufacture runs effectively and own proven October forces in Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina. Mike Matheny also has more bullpen options than Don Mattingly, though closer Trevor Rosenthal did blow six saves this season.

But if it's not the Pirates emerging from the in the NL, we expect it will be the Washington Nationals (2/1), who like the Bucs also have had a recent taste of the postseason (2012), though they would rather not recall blowing a 6-0 lead in the deciding Game 5 vs. the Cards in the NLDS. There is more experience and depth on the roster than in 2012, though we wonder about the offense beyond reliable contact hitters CF Denard Span and 3B Ryan Zimmerman. Manager Matt Williams was also forced to realign his bullpen, where the Nats fortunately have several options and recently anointed Drew Storen the new closer after Rafael Soriano began to wobble in August. The pressure is also on flamethrower Stephen Strasburg, who missed the playoffs due to arm problems two years ago. But Jordan Zimmerman is certainly in top form after no-hitting the Marlins in Sunday's regular-season finale. And the Nats earned home-field edge in the NL mainly because of MLB's best ERA, the NL's third highest-scoring offense, and arguably best defense of any contender.

It would not surprise us to see a Beltway World Series. But if the Nats have to hook the Pirates in the NLDS, we might eventually be treated to a rematch of memorable 1971 and '79 Fall Classics between the Bucs and O's instead.

MLB announces umpiring crews for wild-card games and division series

September 29, 2014 5:42 pm ET


The postseason is set to begin with the AL wild-card game on Tuesday. The NL wild-card game will follow on Wednesday before the division series begin on Thursdayand Friday. Here's the full postseason schedule.

MLB announced the umpiring crews for the wild-card games and division series round on Monday afternoon. They are as follows:

AL wild-card game (Athletics vs. Royals): Gerry Davis (crew chief), James Hoye, Dan Iassogna, Bill Miller, Todd Tichenor and Bill Welke.

NL wild-card game (Giants vs. Pirates): Joe West (crew chief), Doug Eddings, Paul Emmel, Andy Fletcher, Brian Gorman and Mark Wegner.

ALDS A (Angels vs. A's/Royals): Ted Barrett (crew chief), Lance Barksdale, Chris Guccione, Paul Nauert, Jeff Nelson and Jim Reynolds.

ALDS B (Tigers vs. Orioles): Jeff Kellogg (crew chief), Scott Barry, Dan Bellino, Fieldin Culbreth, Paul Schrieber and Jim Wolf.

NLDS A (Nationals vs. Giants/Royals): Mike Winters (crew chief), Vic Carapazza, Laz Diaz, Tom Hallion, Brian Knight and Hunter Wendelstedt.

NLDS B (Dodgers vs. Cardinals): Dale Scott, Eric Cooper, Rob Drake, Jerry Layne, Jerry Meals and Alan Porter.

Additionally, the replay officials stationed in New York will be Phil Cuzzi and Tim Timmons for the wild-card games while CB Bucknor, Chris Conroy, Ed Hickox and Brian O'Nora will be the replay officials for the various division series.

From Dodgers to A's, ranking title chances of MLB's 10 playoff teams

September 29, 2014 4:03 pm ET


If MLB wanted parity, well, here it is.

Any of the 10 postseason teams can legitimately win the World Series, though it obviously will be quite a bit harder for the wild-card teams, which have to win an extra round and also have to use their ace to get past that wild-card game (or cross their fingers with a No. 2-type pitcher in Pittsburgh's case) and contend with less rest.

The Dodgers, by virtue of having all-time great Clayton Kershaw in his peak, plus a superb second guy in Zack Greinke , are a World Series favorite. As are the Nationals, who topped off a spectacular finish for their rotation (an ERA under 1 over the final 13 starts) with Jordan Zimmermann's franchise-first no-hitter in the season finale.

It's still close to a crapshoot, with any of the 10 being at least something of a World Series threat -- though the A's obviously will have to snap out of their six-week offensive funk to have a realistic chance. Here's how I see the fabulous final 10 (with odds to win the World Series included).

1. Dodgers: If Hyun-Jin Ryu's shoulder is OK, and LA says it thinks it will be, the Dodgers have the best rotation. They may also have the best closer in the playoffs in Kenley Jansen, who features the best cutter this side of Mariano Rivera. Manager Don Mattingly helped get all the egos on the $230 million payroll into October, and it's unlikely to be as big of an issue in the playoffs, where the games mean more. It will, of course, help if Yasiel Puig can get back to his first-half heroics, but the Dodgers, who still scored more than anyone in September (156 runs), should have enough offense with Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp and a hot Adrian Gonzalez. Last year's playoff experience should help, too. Odds to win the World Series: 4-1.

2. Nationals: Zimmermann's gem put a bow on a spectacular finish for an extremely solid, sound team. Stephen Strasburg finally gets his chance at the postseason, and Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez round out an excellent rotation that posted an MLB-best 3.04 ERA. The one issue was at closer, where rookie manager Matt Williams tabbed Drew Storen to take over for struggling Rafael Soriano and is doing well. The bitter taste from 2012 could provide extra impetus. Odds to win the World Series: 5-1.

3. Angels: There is no question LA2 was the best team in the regular season, and it kept right on going after losing ace Garrett Richards, so the hope for a Freeway World Series is very real. C.J. Wilson is a playoff worry, and so is the rotation depth (Hector Santiago is the fourth starter if they decide to use one), but this team is a rare one in 2014 with such a dangerous offense (their 773 runs topped MLB) that it could blow teams out. Mike Trout is the best position player in the game, and the rest of the lineup isn't bad either. They can't count on the oft-injured Josh Hamilton, but Kole Calhoun is a not-so-secret weapon. Odds to win the World Series: 6-1.

4. Tigers: As usual, they didn't seem to quite play to their potential in the regular season, but their rotation of stars makes them a serious threat. There are issues, most prominently the bullpen, which has struggled (Detroit's 4.29 pen ERA was 27th) and doesn't have a dominating closer (though veteran Joe Nathan saved an above-average 83 percent of chances despite diminished stuff). If Miguel Cabrera isn't quite 100 percent, he's still a threat, and along with Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez, they give the Tigers a strong middle of the order. Their 757 runs trailed only the Angels. They're not as strong in center field without Austin Jackson, and now Rajai Davis has a leg issue. The young left side of the infield is only serviceable. One of these years they're going to win it all. Odds to win the World Series: 7-1.

5. Orioles: Although there's no ace, their pitching still is better than folks think. Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris and Miguel Gonzalez all threw well this year. The bullpen was excellent, with Zach Britton often dominating as closer and Darren O'Day and Andrew Miller providing a superb righty-lefty setup combo. There's a temptation to wonder what might have been with Matt Wieters, Manny Machado and Chris Davis (who can re-enter mid-ALCS), but the offense was still strong, thanks to surprise contributions from journeymen Steve Pearce and Caleb Joseph for a while, plus lots of home runs (MLB-best 211). Nobody did a better job than manager Buck Showalter. Odds to win the World Series: 9-1.

6. Cardinals: This is their usual time to shine, and perhaps they will do it again. But their offense looked a lot better last year when Carlos Beltran was going strong. Without Beltran (he was missed more than even Albert Pujols, as it turned out, though he wasn't the same player for the Yankees), they struggled at the plate, amassing only 619 runs, good for only 24th in MLB. The Jhonny Peralta signing proved to be a boon, and they obviously have a lot of playoff experience. Adam Wainwright had his usual superb year, and Lance Lynn got much better, but 2013 postseason sensation Michael Wacha's no longer a secret (and his health situation is a bit of a question mark this time). Odds to win the World Series: 10-1.

7. Giants: With Madison Bumgarner going Wednesday, they have a slight pitching advantage in the wild-card matchup at Pittsburgh, and they've surprised us before (twice, in fact, 2010 and '12). They'll have to do it without Matt Cain and a diminished Tim Lincecum. But they helped themselves in the second half by adding a rejuvenated Jake Peavy and calling up rookie second baseman Joe Panik. Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey are veteran October contributors, and it's a good sign Hunter Pence has become an inspirational leader. Odds to win the World Series: 20-1.

8. Pirates: Nobody is hotter lately than Pittsburgh, though of course the extra game without Gerrit Cole starting against the clutch Giants doesn't help. Andrew McCutchen, Josh Harrison and Russell Martin all had superb seasons, they work counts (.330 on-base percentage, third in MLB) and they seem to have something special going again. A tough out. Odds to win the World Series: 20-1.

9. Royals: What a story it would be if the Royals could win the World Series after not making the playoffs 28 straight seasons. But that will be a tall task, of course. They rely on defense, speed and an excellent bullpen, so if they have the lead after six, they are exceptionally tough. James Shields is a great ace, Yordano Ventura is a big-time talent and Alex Gordon is much better than his raw offensive numbers, but this team has trouble scrounging up runs. Mike Moustakas seems like an automatic out at times, and Salvador Perez has been that way for some of the second half. Both players are keys to the excellent defense, of course. Odds to win the World Series: 22-1.

10. Athletics: They still have baseball's best run differential, and they have a very fine rotation. However, they've been having trouble coming by runs for weeks and had to go right until game No. 162 to lock down the spot over Seattle following an August and September slump. It's a good thing they made that trade for ace Jon Lester, as Yoesnis Cespedes wouldn't have been able to spare them from their offensive funk and Lester gives them a decent chance to win at least the wild-card game. But they are going to need someone from among Brandon Moss, Jed Lowrie and Coco Crisp to start hitting if they are going to get very far. Odds to win the World Series: 25-1.

Preview: A's at Royals in AL wild-card game

September 29, 2014 2:41 pm ET

Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:07 p.m. ET. TV: TBS

The 2014 MLB playoffs begin Tuesday night, when the A's visit Kauffman Stadium. It will mark the first postseason game in said venue since 1985. So, first and foremost, expect the crowd to be rocking all night long, assuming their Royals give them something to cheer for.

There is a historical oddity at play: The Athletics played in Kansas City from 1955-67.

Of course, that likely will have zero impact on the game, so let's focus on that.

Pitching matchup: Jon Lester (16-11, 2.46) vs. James Shields (14-8, 3.21)

Lester vs. Royals hitters: Lester went 8-5 with a 3.07 ERA on the road this season. He has only made five career starts in Kauffman Stadium, going 2-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. In 29 innings, he has not allowed a home run.

The Royals roster has a career line of .251/.336/.390 against Lester with 14 doubles and five homers in 258 plate appearances. Of the likely starters, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Omar Infante, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have seen Lester at least 15 times.

Butler (.143/.273/.179), Gordon (.160/.214/.240) and Infante (.150/.190/.150) have struggled, but Escobar (.353/.429/.471), Cain (.313/.353/.500) and Hosmer (.308/.471/.538) have fared well.

Bench player Jayson Nix is 8 for 26 (.308) with two doubles and three homers against Lester, so he could factor in late as a pinch hitter, should Lester still be in the game.

In 76 2/3 career postseason innings, Lester has a 2.11 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Last postseason, he was dominant for the Red Sox.

Shields vs. A's hitters: Shields was 4-6 with a 3.51 ERA at home, 10-2 and 2.97 on the road in 2014. Still, he has had plenty of good outings in KC.

Of the expected A's starters, only Adam Dunn, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Josh Reddick have at least 15 career plate appearances against Shields. They have a collective .217/.268/.309 slash line with five homers in 224 plate appearances.

Dunn has one of the homers, but overall he's hitting .200/.300/.286 against Shields. Crisp (.214/.241/.214) and Lowrie (.143/.136/.143) also have struggled. Reddick, though, has hit .318/.318/.864 with a double, triple, three homers and five RBI in only 22 at-bats against Shields. Josh Donaldson is only 2 for 9 (.222) against Shields, but has a home run.

In six career postseason starts, Shields is 2-4 with a 4.98 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Regular-season series: The clubs squared off seven times this season, with all seven games coming in August. The Royals won five of the seven, though they were outscored by two thanks to the two Oakland wins being blowouts (11-3 and 8-3).

What's interesting to note is that the two games the A's won were the two games Lester started. Of course, Shields started twice against the A's and the Royals won both of those. So something has to give here.

What to watch

• The long ball. Runs will be at a premium, so timely hitting is probably going to be what wins the game. A well-timed homer could be the difference. The A's have three players (Dunn, Donaldson and Brandon Moss) that have a good chance to run into one during any given game. The Royals, though, have zero 20-homer players.

• Can the A's score? Neither team is offensively strong at this point, but both pitch and defend well. The A's were once a great offensive team, but they hit just .228/.302/.316 in September and .223/.300/.345 in August. They averaged just 3.59 runs per game in those two months, scoring zero or one run 13 times.

• Bullpen management. It's do or die, so managers shouldn't stick to the book and should instead be creative. If there's a huge jam in the sixth inning for the Royals, for example, shouldn't Ned Yost bring in Wade Davis or Greg Holland? You want to win or lose with your best, not holding them back. Of course, Yost has made some arguably dubious decisions on this front of late, so the guess here is he doesn't stray from his gameplan of waiting for the eighth for Davis and ninth for Holland. It could come back to bite him, too.

Prediction: Lester dominates the Royals while the A's find a way to scratch and claw for two runs. 2-0, A's advance to the ALDS to face off against their division rival Angels.

Tuesday, September 30

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Oakland - 8:00 PM ET Kansas City -102 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Kansas City - Over 6.5 500 *****

A's at Royals AL wild card game rosters, lineups

September 30, 2014 2:15 pm ET

Jason Hammel and Danny Duffy are available out of the bullpen in the AL wild card game.Jason Hammel and Danny Duffy are available out of the bullpen in the AL wild card game. (USATSI)

Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:07 p.m. ET. TV: TBS

The rosters are set and we'll have the lineups included in here once available for the AL wild card game between the A's and Royals Tuesday night.

Here are the bare bones.

*-denotes left-handed pitchers

Visiting A's

Lineup

1. Coco Crisp, CF
2. Sam Fuld, LF
3. Josh Donaldson, 3B
4. Brandon Moss, DH
5. Josh Reddick, RF
6. Jed Lowrie, SS
7. Stephen Vogt, 1B
8. Geovany Soto, C
9. Eric Sogard, 2B
LHP Jon Lester

Pitchers

Fernando Abad*
Ryan Cook
Sean Doolittle*
Luke Gregerson
Jason Hammel
Jon Lester*
Dan Otero
Drew Pomeranz*

Catchers

Derek Norris
Geovany Soto
Stephen Vogt

Infielders

Alberto Callaspo
Josh Donaldson
Adam Dunn
Nate Freiman
Jed Lowrie
Brandon Moss
Andy Parrino
Nick Punto
Eric Sogard

Outfielders

Billy Burns
Coco Crisp
Sam Fuld
Jonny Gomes
Josh Reddick

Home Royals

Lineup

1. Alcides Escobar, SS
2. Nori Aoki, RF
3. Lorenzo Cain, CF
4. Eric Hosmer, 1B
5. Billy Butler, DH
6. Alex Gordon, LF
7. Salvador Perez, C
8. Omar Infante, 2B
9. Mike Moustakas, 3B
RHP James Shields

Pitchers

Wade Davis
Danny Duffy*
Brandon Finnegan*
Jason Frasor
Jeremy Guthrie
Kelvin Herrera
Greg Holland
James Shields
Yordano Ventura

Catchers

Erik Kratz
Salvador Perez

Infielders

Billy Butler
Christian Colon
Alcides Escobar
Eric Hosmer
Omar Infante
Mike Moustakas
Jayson Nix

Outfielders

Norichika Aoki
Lorenzo Cain
Jarrod Dyson
Alex Gordon
Terrance Gore
Raul Ibanez
Josh Willingham

Obviously, what jumps out is the weird roster construction with just nine pitchers available on each squad. That's because this is a one-game "series" and rosters can be changed prior to the ALDS.

Snyder
AL wild card preview

What we've yet to really see in these games to this point is managers actually going all out and treating this as the do-or-die scenario it is. That is, why not just pull the starting pitcher at the first sign of peril in a close game and then play matchups? Why not pinch run for lesser hitters that don't run well in big spots, even if it's only the fifth inning?

Of note is that the Royals actually have three starting pitchers rostered behind starter Shields, in Guthrie, Ventura and Duffy. I would speculate that they are planning to be creative, but it's Ned Yost, so the guess is there was no creativity in mind and it's just in case of a marathon extra-inning game.

Hammel is the lone A's starter that is in the bullpen.

Also, I have no idea why Adam Dunn's power bat isn't in the starting lineup. This game could turn on one home run.

I do like the inclusions of Gore and Burns, giving each team a pinch-running specialist.

Preview: A's at Royals in AL wild-card game

September 29, 2014 2:41 pm ET


Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:07 p.m. ET. TV: TBS

The 2014 MLB playoffs begin Tuesday night, when the A's visit Kauffman Stadium. It will mark the first postseason game in said venue since 1985. So, first and foremost, expect the crowd to be rocking all night long, assuming their Royals give them something to cheer for.

There is a historical oddity at play: The Athletics played in Kansas City from 1955-67.

Of course, that likely will have zero impact on the game, so let's focus on that.

Pitching matchup: Jon Lester (16-11, 2.46) vs. James Shields (14-8, 3.21)

Lester vs. Royals hitters: Lester went 8-5 with a 3.07 ERA on the road this season. He has only made five career starts in Kauffman Stadium, going 2-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. In 29 innings, he has not allowed a home run.

The Royals roster has a career line of .251/.336/.390 against Lester with 14 doubles and five homers in 258 plate appearances. Of the likely starters, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Omar Infante, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have seen Lester at least 15 times.

Butler (.143/.273/.179), Gordon (.160/.214/.240) and Infante (.150/.190/.150) have struggled, but Escobar (.353/.429/.471), Cain (.313/.353/.500) and Hosmer (.308/.471/.538) have fared well.

Bench player Jayson Nix is 8 for 26 (.308) with two doubles and three homers against Lester, so he could factor in late as a pinch hitter, should Lester still be in the game.

In 76 2/3 career postseason innings, Lester has a 2.11 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Last postseason, he was dominant for the Red Sox.

Shields vs. A's hitters: Shields was 4-6 with a 3.51 ERA at home, 10-2 and 2.97 on the road in 2014. Still, he has had plenty of good outings in KC.

Of the expected A's starters, only Adam Dunn, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Josh Reddick have at least 15 career plate appearances against Shields. They have a collective .217/.268/.309 slash line with five homers in 224 plate appearances.

Dunn has one of the homers, but overall he's hitting .200/.300/.286 against Shields. Crisp (.214/.241/.214) and Lowrie (.143/.136/.143) also have struggled. Reddick, though, has hit .318/.318/.864 with a double, triple, three homers and five RBI in only 22 at-bats against Shields. Josh Donaldson is only 2 for 9 (.222) against Shields, but has a home run.

In six career postseason starts, Shields is 2-4 with a 4.98 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Regular-season series: The clubs squared off seven times this season, with all seven games coming in August. The Royals won five of the seven, though they were outscored by two thanks to the two Oakland wins being blowouts (11-3 and 8-3).

What's interesting to note is that the two games the A's won were the two games Lester started. Of course, Shields started twice against the A's and the Royals won both of those. So something has to give here.

What to watch

• The long ball. Runs will be at a premium, so timely hitting is probably going to be what wins the game. A well-timed homer could be the difference. The A's have three players (Dunn, Donaldson and Brandon Moss) that have a good chance to run into one during any given game. The Royals, though, have zero 20-homer players.

• Can the A's score? Neither team is offensively strong at this point, but both pitch and defend well. The A's were once a great offensive team, but they hit just .228/.302/.316 in September and .223/.300/.345 in August. They averaged just 3.59 runs per game in those two months, scoring zero or one run 13 times.

• Bullpen management. It's do or die, so managers shouldn't stick to the book and should instead be creative. If there's a huge jam in the sixth inning for the Royals, for example, shouldn't Ned Yost bring in Wade Davis or Greg Holland? You want to win or lose with your best, not holding them back. Of course, Yost has made some arguably dubious decisions on this front of late, so the guess here is he doesn't stray from his gameplan of waiting for the eighth for Davis and ninth for Holland. It could come back to bite him, too.

Prediction: Lester dominates the Royals while the A's find a way to scratch and claw for two runs. 2-0, A's advance to the ALDS to face off against their division rival Angels.

Playoff Record:

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

09/30/14 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail

Pirates host Giants

September 30, 2014


SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (88-74) at PITTSBURGH PIRATES (88-74)

First pitch: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line and Total: San Francisco -105, Pittsburgh -105, Total: 6

One game is all that separates the Giants and Pirates from moving on to the NLDS to face the Nationals, and the two 88-win clubs will meet Wednesday at PNC Park to determine which club extends its season.

San Francisco had a tough task in the NL West competing with the Dodgers, who have the highest salary in the majors, playing to their potential, but the Giants easily grabbed a Wild Card spot despite going 4-6 over their final 10 games. They did nearly equally as well on offense (665 runs, 12th in league) and in pitching (3.50 ERA, 10th in league) while finishing off the season on a high note with a 9-3 victory over San Diego. C Buster Posey (.311 BA) has been tremendous all year long and comes into this game after going 9-for-25 (.360) with a homer, 3 RBI and three runs over his final seven games.

Pittsburgh once again earned its way into the postseason after finishing with a 17-6 kick since Sept. 5, in which pitching reigned supreme by allowing a meager 1.7 runs per game in the victories. The Pirates had no trouble getting on base this year with the fifth-best average (.259) and third-best on-base percentage (.330) in the league. OF Andrew McCutchen (.314) has put together another phenomenal season and comes into this contest with an eight-game hitting streak in which he is 10-for-22 (.455) with two doubles, two home runs, 8 RBI and eight runs. The pitching matchup for this contest will peg LHP Madison Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98 ERA) of the Giants against RHP Edinson Volquez (13-7, 3.04 ERA) of the host Pirates.

San Francisco was solid on the road this season, going 43-38 (.531), but could have a lot of trouble against a Pittsburgh team that was 51-30 (.630) in the confines of its home ballpark. The Pirates have an 11-8 edge in this matchup over the past three seasons while going 6-3 at home and coming away victorious in 4-of-6 games this year. The Giants will be missing two of their veteran players for this one, as both 2B Marco Scutaro (back) and OF Angel Pagan (back) are out for the season, while Pittsburgh does not have any offensive players injured.

Madison Bumgarner has been extremely consistent over the past four years with at least 13 wins, 200 innings and an ERA below 3.40 each season. In 2014, he has struck out a career-high 9.1 batters per nine innings while posting a career-low walk-rate (1.8 BB/9) which has led to the most wins he’s had in a single season (18). The lanky left-hander has helped his team earn a win in six of his past seven starts, but did poorly his last time out against the Dodgers when he allowed four runs on six hits (3 HR) in 7.1 frames while striking out five (0 walks) in a losing effort. Over his four career starts against the Pirates, Bumgarner is 1-3 with a 3.24 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, and did not pitch well in his one outing against them this season (4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 K's, 2 BB's).

Both 2B Neil Walker (3-for-9) and OF Josh Harrison (4-for-5, 1 HR) have done well in this matchup over limited at-bats while stud OF Andrew McCutchen is a mere 2-for-10 with a couple of strikeouts against Bumgarner. The Giants’ bullpen has been outstanding this season, going 32-14 (.696) with a 3.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while converting 46-of-64 (72%) save chances. Santiago Casilla (1.70 ERA, 19 saves) has a low strikeout-rate (6.9 K/9) for a closer and is 19-for-23 (83%) in his save opportunities on the year.

Edinson Volquez was a welcome surprise for the Pirates’ rotation this season, as he recorded his most wins (13) since 2008 and had a career-best ERA of 3.04. To put into perspective how much of an improvement this was, consider that Volquez has had an ERA of 4.30 or worse in four of the past five seasons while walking at least 4.1 batters per nine innings each year. In 2014, he has allowed a career-low 3.3 BB/9, but may have benefited from some luck too, as batters hit a woeful .263 BABIP against him. Volquez has been torched by the Giants in his 11 career starts, going 2-2 with a 5.72 ERA and 1.59 WHIP, while striking out an impressive 9.5 batters per nine innings.

Both 1B Brandon Belt (8-for-18, 1 HR, 5 RBI) and 3B Pablo Sandoval (6-for-13, 3 doubles, 3 RBI) have done well in this matchup, while SS Brandon Crawford (3-for-20, 7 K's) has done poorly, and OF Hunter Pence (7-for-36, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 16 K's) is all-or-nothing. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been great this year, going 33-25 (.569) with a 3.28 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, but converting only 48-of-72 (67%) save chances. Closer Mark Melancon (1.90 ERA, 33 saves) has struck out one batter per inning while showing amazing control (1.4 BB/9). He has surrendered just two homers all year in his 71 frames (0.25 HR/9).