MLB Playoffs

MLB division series play got rolling Thursday with an American League doubleheader, but Friday's slate will include showdowns between all eight teams that were lucky enough to qualify for action. 

So, without wasting any more time, let's check out when and where you can view Friday's full schedule:

After besting the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card Game 4-0 behind a four-hit shutout from ace Jake Arrieta, the Chicago Cubs are set to take on the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series.

Game 1 will take place Friday night at 6:30 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, with former Boston Red Sox teammates John Lackey and Jon Lester squaring off and looking to set the tone for the rest of the best-of-five series.

Home runs are supposed to be left in September. Those things are not supposed to transition into the fall, when the weather gets crisp, the leaves get brown and the pitching depth gets dense.

Pitching and small ball win in the Major League Baseball playoffs, or so the saying goes. If you are a team reliant on home runs, that reliance will be the death of you. That is what the myth tells us.

With Clayton Kershaw and Jacob deGrom on the mound, runs will be at a premium in Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets.

During the regular season, Kershaw and deGrom were two of the nastiest starters in the Senior Circuit, ranking third and fourth, respectively, in ERA.

After digging through the numbers, we've zeroed in on the two biggest keys for each club, as Kershaw aims to avoid turning in another October dud and deGrom looks to make a memorable October debut.

The playoffs have featured underdog wins in each of the first three games, highlighting the parity running rampant in baseball.

On Thursday, the World Series favorite Toronto Blue Jays fell 5-3 at home to the second-half-surging Texas Rangers while losing MVP candidate Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista in the process.

The first postseason baseball game in Canada since 1993 did not go according to plan, as the Texas Rangers knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the American League Division Series. 

Yovani Gallardo was tremendous for the Rangers, breezing through the potent Toronto lineup early and limiting the damage in the fourth and fifth innings before giving way to the bullpen. The right-hander allowed four hits and two earned runs in five innings. 

Playoff baseball is finally in swing.

Each of the eight teams in the MLB Division Series have earned a spot in the tournament for one reason or another, and now it's time for them to fight forward en route to the World Series.

The following list highlights keys to victory for each team—and an aspect that will potentially hold each of them back. 

As always, feel free to defend your colors in the comments section below. 

Let's do this.

Two of the hottest lineups in baseball are slated for a showdown Thursday, as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Division Series starting at 3:37 p.m. ET.

The Jays used a consistent attack and a successful trade deadline as fuel to skyrocket themselves to the top of the AL East for the past several months. Toronto accounted for a 48-23 record in the second half. Its offense averaged 5.5 runs per game and led the majors in home runs (232).

The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers have been slated to clash in the National League Division Series for a few days now, but the St. Louis Cardinals' first postseason opponent was finalized Wednesday by virtue of the Chicago Cubs' 4-0 Wild Card Game win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

With MLB's Wild Card Round in the books, the playoffs will kick off in a more traditional sense Thursday as just eight teams remain in contention for a World Series berth.

Both the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs kept their hopes alive by winning wild-card games, but things won't get any easier as both the American and National Leagues are stacked with quality teams that are all capable of making a deep run.