MLB Playoffs

The Tampa Bay Rays will travel to take on the Cleveland Indians in the 2013 American League Wildcard Game on October 2.

While both teams are evenly matched in many ways, Tampa Bay's pitching—both their overall rotation and bullpen—will prove to be the difference in the one-game showdown.

After a 28-game turnaround from 2012, 97 victories and an American League East title, the Boston Red Sox have earned home-field advantage throughout the postseason and the right to sit back and watch Tampa Bay and Cleveland battle for the right to arrive at Fenway Park for the ALDS on Friday.

The 2013 MLB playoff schedule became clearer when the Tampa Bay Rays topped the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Monday evening in a tiebreaker game, earning a spot in the official American League Wild Card Game.

Joe Maddon's bunch will be on the road again in traveling to Progressive Field to take on the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday in another win-or-go-home scenario.

The 2013 MLB postseason gets underway on Tuesday night, with the Cincinnati Reds facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card Round. The winner advances to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Divisional Series.

With teams allowed to change their rosters following this one-game playoff, both rosters will likely be heavy on position players and thin on pitchers.

The Cincinnati Reds will travel to Pittsburgh tonight to take on the Pirates in the National League wild-card game. 

The Pirates swept the Reds to end the regular season and finished with an impressive 94-68 record. The season marked the Pirates first winning season since 1992. 

The Tampa Bay Rays have picked a horrible time to hit a snag. The team came into its final series against the Toronto Blue Jays needing to win just one game to ensure a berth in the AL Wild Card Game.

After dropping the first two games of this all-important series, the Rays have to win on Sunday to have a shot at playing in the AL Wild Card Game. They are now 90-71 and tied for the second wild-card spot with the Texas Rangers.

With one day remaining in the 2013 Major League Baseball regular season, one race is undecided. Heading into play on Sunday, the Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers all control their respective destinies on the path to an American League Division Series date with the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park late next week.

The St. Louis Cardinals, having won their division for the seventh time in the past 14 years, head into the playoffs facing some fierce competition.

They don’t call it the wild card for nothing.

This year’s American League Wild Card race has three teams left fighting for two spots in the Wild Card Game. The Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays currently sit one game above the Texas Rangers, but anything can happen in the closing days of the season.

Even if a team loses in the division series, it was worth it just to make it to the MLB postseason.

That's what four teams are going to be saying in a couple of weeks after they're bounced out of the playoffs in the opening series.

Since it's decided over five games rather than seven, the division series offers a much greater chance of seeing the better teams making quick exits.