MLB Playoffs

In a best-of-five series, teams that lose the first game find themselves on high alert.

There is little margin for error, and especially in the case of the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants, there is plenty of work to do.

Los Angeles at Washington, Game 2 (Los Angeles leads series 1-0)

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't receive a sterling performance from starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Friday, but a couple of home runs and a strong bullpen effort allowed the NL West champions to sneak out a 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.  

A pitcher's duel between Johnny Cueto and Jon Lester was likely to come down to one mistake, and Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez was the one capitalize on that lone slip-up.

Baez's solo home run with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning was the only scoring in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, a 1-0 win for the Cubs over the visiting San Francisco Giants.

The Toronto Blue Jays moved within one victory of reaching the American League Championship Series with a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the division series on Friday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer in the second inning, and the Jays never relinquished the lead, though there was plenty of drama over the final three innings. J.A. Happ, who went 20-4 in the regular season, picked up the win after giving up just one run over five innings of work.

FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles Dodgers 4 - 3 Washington Nationals

Although Clayton Kershaw didn't exude his usual excellence Friday, the Dodgers still seized Game 1 of the National League Division Series road matchup against the Nationals.

Kershaw carefully navigated his way through five innings. He allowed three runs, but the Dodgers tagged Nationals ace Max Scherzer for four behind early home runs from Corey Seager and Justin Turner.

It's Friday, baby, which is great news on its own, but it's also a Friday with a full slate of MLB postseason games, which basically makes it the best Friday possible.

Rejoice, my friends, and watch baseball all day.

Below, we'll break down the schedule, viewing options and make a few predictions for all the day's action.

Following a tight Wild Card Game, the 2016 National League Division Series is set to kick off Friday with a doubleheader featuring a quartet of legitimate aces.

The Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox are in fairly urgent situations. Both lost their American League Division Series openers and know that dropping a second straight game would not be good for their postseason aspirations.

The Texas Rangers won more games than any other team in the American League this season, but after losing 10-1 at home to the Toronto Blue Jays they suddenly have their backs to the wall. Winning Game 2 of the American League Division Series just became an absolute must, and the Rangers are turning to a pitcher who was just getting hot as the regular season ended.

The National League Division Series field is set after the San Francisco Giants knocked off the New York Mets in the Wild Card Game, setting up the Giants for an NLDS meeting with the Chicago Cubs.

Madison Bumgarner put the Giants on his shoulders once again in the elimination game, twilring a four-hit shutout to improve his already legendary postseason resume.

Now the Giants will have to take on baseball's best team, as the Cubs wrapped up the regular season at 103-58 with a staggerling plus-252 run differential.