NL West

The St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants will face off in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday with the series tied at two games apiece.

The matchup between the two Senior Circuit heavyweights figured to be an even one, and it’s lived up to that billing through two games so far.

The San Francisco Giants did it again on Friday, winning another October game they weren't supposed to. In a tightly contested Game 1 of the National League Division Series, the Giants beat the top-seeded Washington Nationals on the road, 3-2, and earned their ninth straight postseason victory overall, dating back to 2012.

An already rough 2014 season just got worse for Matt Cain.

The San Francisco Giants, via Amy Gutierrez of CSN Bay Area, announced that the veteran starting pitcher, who was already recovering from an elbow injury earlier in the year, had surgery on his right ankle:

Shortly after the hiring of Dave Stewart as the Arizona Diamondbacks general manager, it was clear changes were coming. On Friday afternoon, it was announced that manager Kirk Gibson was fired from his position.

The Diamondbacks' official account reported the news:  

The big-money stars just might be coming on at the right time.

For nearly the entire season, the Los Angeles Dodgers could not get health or consistent, steady production from the bulk of their highly priced core, especially the men whose primary job is hitting.

With playoff positioning and the top spot in the NL West still up for grabs, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Yasiel Puig kept the San Francisco Giants from scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning during Monday night's game.

Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig were caught on camera bickering at each other during Monday night's game, a clear sign that skipper Don Mattingly is losing the clubhouse and the NL West-leading <

With the minor league season over and several youngsters currently up in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, a few of the standouts from the minor league season are familiar to Dodger fans. However, not all of them are, and here is an opportunity to recognize a more diverse list of players.

After defeating the San Diego Padres on Monday night and notching his 18th win of the season, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has forced his way into the National League MVP discussion with just a little more than two weeks left in the regular season.

The San Francisco Giants are in the midst of a playoff push. If successful, their fans could be in for another magical postseason run.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy is a master of motivating his players and getting the most out of them when it counts. He led the Giants to two World Series titles, even though they were usually the underdog throughout the playoffs.

Although the focus should be on the rest of this season and rightfully so, it is never too early to look at what happens after the season is concluded.