MLB

After scoring a combined 11 runs over the first two games of the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets put on a show in Game 3, which saw 20 runs scored, 26 hits and the home team jump out to a 2-1 series lead.

But the series is far from over.

Fact: 61 runs across the MLB Monday was a single-day postseason record.

Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Fact of the day, presented by Coors Light.

It may be a small sample size, but slumps in October are often magnified. In the 2015 postseason, there are a handful of struggling MLB stars who must play better before their teams face an abrupt exit from the festivities. 

Obviously, an unattractive stat line will always catch the eye of fans and pundits alike. But the players on this list have more in common than a bad start to the postseason. Each player is crucial to his team's success, which makes his struggles an even bigger issue. 

The American League is taking the day off ahead of two decisive Game 5's, so Tuesday's MLB Playoff stage belongs exclusively to the National League, as the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets look to lock up their respective series. 

Monday's Home Run Derby at the Wrigley wind tunnel ended with the Cubs on top, giving them a 2-1 lead in their NLDS matchup. And the Mets broke the deadlock in their series in record-breaking fashion with 13 runs against the Dodgers. 

Through a season full of injuries and, at times, uncertainty, Jason Heyward was a constant.

April through September, Clayton Kershaw dwarfs the gorgeous San Gabriel Mountains backdrop at Dodger Stadium.

In October, those same mountains make him look small.

It has become one of the most inexplicable rituals of autumn, like Linus awaiting the Great Pumpkin and why so many people love candy corn. Kershaw, one of the greatest pitchers of our generation, steps into the postseason, and the Big Blue Train careens off the track.

The youthful Chicago Cubs are just one win away from the National League Championship Series, but the upstart squad is going to have to get past the most experienced postseason starter in baseball first.

John Lackey, who gets the nod for the St. Louis Cardinals in this must-win clash, has started 19 games in October. As Jayson Stark of ESPN.com notes, that makes Lackey the leader in that department among all active big league starting pitchers.

NEW YORK — Terry Collins worried, because managers are paid to worry.

He knew what this night was going to be like at Citi Field. He knew what this city had been like since Saturday night, since Chase Utley rolled into Ruben Tejada and the National League Division Series began feeling like a morality play.

"I've got to keep things under control," the New York Mets manager said.

The New York Mets offense exploded Monday night in Game 3 of the National League Division Series as it dropped double digits on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 13-7 win at Citi Field. With the victory, the Mets grab a 2-1 series lead, leaving them one game away from the National League Championship Series.

According to Bleacher Report Insights (h/t B/R's MLB account), the 13 runs are the most allowed by the Dodgers ever in a playoff game.

Based on recent headlines, you'd think the Chicago Cubs' rise to power has had everything to do with Jake Arrieta and little to do with, well, anything else.

In reality, however, the bats have also had a lot to do with that. And on Monday evening at Wrigley Field, they made that clear by upstaging none other than Arrieta himself.