Tim Lincecum

The 2010 MLB Playoffs are finally here!

And though several of the races came down to the final day of the regular season, the American and National League Divisional Series matchups have been set.

Now, it's time for the Rays, Twins, Rangers, Yankees, Phillies, Reds, Giants, and Braves to fight it out for the 2010 title.

And, of course, you'll want to watch each and every game, so follow along to get the 4-1-1 on each Divisional Series matchup.

MLB’s second season gets underway Wednesday. 

While the Yankees, Twins and Phillies have been postseason mainstays recently, the Giants, Rangers and Reds are back for the first time in years; the Braves are making their first appearance since 2005 and the Rays are looking to complete some unfinished business from 2008.

The grind of the Major League Baseball regular season has finally come to an end and for those fans that had the patience to stick with their favorite team over that 162 game marathon, they are now bracing themselves for the sprint that is the MLB playoffs.

Despite how entertaining it might be to watch your favorite team play a four game series against the Pirates, it's time for the playoffs to usher in a new brand of baseball where everything matters just a little bit more.

Well, it's official: the 2010 MLB playoff schedule is all set.

When the Braves and Giants won their games on Sunday, they clinched the final two postseason spots still up for grabs. 

Now, the real work begins. Regular season success is one thing; winning in the postseason is something decidedly different. Who has what it takes to win it all in 2010?

We're breaking down every matchup of the four division series, telling you not just who will win each game, but why. Let's begin with Wednesday's games.

It took until the last day of the season, but the Giants won the NL West. Their reward? A first round match-up against the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves will have a massive emotional investment in the postseason with Bobby Cox retiring at the year's end, and it gets no easier if they win. With a dynamic Reds offense and an uber-talented Phillies team waiting next round, a World Series victory seems a distant hope.

The San Francisco Giants are going to the playoffs for the first time since the ill-fated 2003 campaign.

Officially.

And the tortuous 2010 regular season really couldn't have ended any other way.

When the Giants swept the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this week, the clincher seemed like a formality.

They're back. After a seven-year absence from the postseason, the Giants hosting the wild-card wining Atlanta Braves in an upcoming Division Series. It has been a roller coaster of a season for the team by the bay.

In early July the Giants were in fourth place in the NL West and 4.5 games back. Then, after taking a three game lead, they dropped two to San Diego (SD was 12-6 this season against SF) and had to go to the final game of the season to clinch their berth. But they did it—and hope to follow it up with a World Series ring.

The San Diego Padres have been a thorn in the Giants side all year.

With the exception of the Giants winning three out of four against the Padres in San Diego last month, the Padres have an 8-2 record against the Giants in the other 10 games.

That's why it's not enough to just win the division and sit back while Atlanta drops three straight to the Phillies; letting the Padres sneak in as a wild card against a resting Giants.

With the MLB playoffs just around the corner, San Francisco Giants are on verge of eliminating the San Diego Padres from the divisional race and claim their first NL West crown since 2003. 

Barry Bonds isn’t the big bopper in the lineup anymore and Jason Schmidt isn’t the ace of the pitching staff. 

Instead the 2010 Giants have a young catcher by the name of Buster Posey leading the way on offense and a pitching staff led by two time NL CY Young Award winner Time Lincecum.

The San Francisco Giants crept closer to a postseason berth, while the San Diego Padres suffered another heartbreaking loss Thursday night to move towards the brink of elimination.

Madison Bumgarner worked out of several jams and the Giants blasted three home runs en route to a 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Meanwhile, offense was again the problem for the Padres, who tallied just three hits in the 1-0 loss to the Cubs.

Here's a look at the latest news from the top teams heading into the postseason, and some very early predictions for each playoff team.