Baseball

The 2013 MLB postseason kicks off this coming Tuesday with the NL Wild Card Game, with the AL Wild Card Game the following day before getting into full swing on Thursday.

The AL wild-card picture has yet to be sorted out, and there could still be some movement as far as seeding is concerned in each league, but for the most part the postseason picture has already taken shape.

As such, here is a look at my complete predictions for the 2013 MLB playoffs from the Wild Card Round all the way through the World Series.

A 7-0 rout of the Chicago Cubs on Friday night assured the St. Louis Cardinals of an NL Central title, their first since 2009.

Despite dominating for most of the regular season, they face a whole new set of challenges in their pursuit of the 2013 World Series Championship.

Here are three reasons why St. Louis may succumb to an early playoff exit.

One of the greatest regular-season pitching performances in recent memory has come to a close.

Friday night's scolding of the Colorado Rockies marked the end of Clayton Kershaw's 2013 regular season. The southpaw has now completed six sensational years at the major league level, and over the past half-century, few other pitchers have realized comparable success at such a young age.

With a 7-0 win over the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals clinched their first National League Central division title since 2009.

The Cardinals provided the news via Twitter:

For the first time since 2009, the St. Louis Cardinals aren't heading to the postseason as a mere wild-card team.

Nope, not this year. Meet your 2013 National League Central champions.

During the MLB postseason, the best of the best are pitted against each other. Not only are there interesting battles with the teams involved, but there are also a number of matchups between players that should be watched as well.

These games will pit power hitters against power pitchers as well as speedsters against top-flight catchers. Ultimately, these in-game matchups will be ones to keep an eye on as they could lead to some of the biggest moments of the postseason.

On deck is the season finale of the thrilling new drama that's gripped the nation: "Puigmania: The Puigtastical Journey of Yasiel Puig."

Chances are 38-year-old middle relievers don't usually become stars overnight, but due to injuries in the Boston Red Sox bullpen, Koji Uehara had the opportunity to become one this summer. After months of dominance, Boston and its new closer head to October as a candidate to reach the World Series. 

Andre Ethier was held out of the lineup again on Tuesday due to a sore foot, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers without one of their top outfielders.