Both the American League and National League Championship Series looked extremely close on paper following the division series, but they have been anything but that thus far.
The Kansas City Royals hold a 3-1 advantage over the Toronto Blue Jays entering play Wednesday, while the New York Mets are just one win away from sweeping the Chicago Cubs at 3-0. It doesn't take much to shift momentum in a series, though, which is why both are far from over.
Since the 2015 regular season and postseason have been among the most wide open and unpredictable campaigns in recent memory, it won't be at all surprising if one or both of the trailing teams somehow manage to mount a comeback.
As the league championship series continue, here is a look at the remaining schedules, vital ticket information and predictions for how both will play out.
ALCS Schedule and Ticket Info
*Tickets available at ScoreBig.com.
NLCS Schedule and Ticket Info
*Tickets available at ScoreBig.com.
Predicting LCS Results
Blue Jays vs. Royals ALCS
With the most dangerous lineup in baseball and all kinds of momentum on their side after a dramatic win over the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, the Jays seemed prime for a run toward the World Series. The Royals have had other ideas, however.
K.C. took a commanding 3-1 lead Tuesday by virtue of a 14-2 lashing at Rogers Centre in Toronto. It was a historically dominant offensive performance for a Royals team that has enjoyed its fair share of postseason success over the years, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
The Blue Jays' backs are very much against the wall at this point, but manager John Gibbons believes his team has the mettle needed to battle back, per Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press (h/t CBC):
"It's a do-or-die game for us, but they do it all year," Gibbons said. "These guys will let this one go, and they'll show up to play tomorrow."
Toronto has a better chance to come back than perhaps any other team would in its position due to its ability to get hot and score runs in bunches. With Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki in the middle of the lineup, the Jays will go down swinging.
Also, as pointed out by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, there will be a certain amount of symmetry involved if Toronto manages to pull off the comeback:
The pieces are in place to potentially make it happen provided the Blue Jays can solve Edinson Volquez in Game 5. Volquez shut them down last week, but he lived dangerously with four walks. A Game 6 matchup of David Price versus Yordano Ventura would favor the Jays as well despite Price's meltdown earlier in the series.
Assuming Toronto can push the series to a Game 7, it would suddenly become a crapshoot. The penciled-in pitching matchup would be Marcus Stroman against Johnny Cueto, both of whom have struggled in the ALCS thus far.
Cueto was especially battered by the Jays, but he rose to the occasion when it counted in the ALDS, and he'll find a way to push the Royals into the World Series with a Game 7 victory on home field.
Cubs vs. Mets NLCS
For as dominant as the Royals have been in their series against the Blue Jays, the Mets have an even stronger handle on the NLCS with a 3-0 advantage over the Cubs.
Chicago's pair of aces in Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta weren't quite good enough to get the job done in Games 1 and 2, and the Mets compounded things by taking Game 3 Tuesday night. New York has been so good, in fact, that it has yet to trail during the series, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.
The Mets have enjoyed timely offense, especially from second baseman Daniel Murphy, who has homered in five straight games. The pitching of Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom has been the biggest difference-maker, though, as evidenced by these stats courtesy of MLB Network's Peter Gammons:
Chicago is in the deepest possible hole, and it will now need an all-time great comeback in order to vie for its first World Series title since 1908.
History may be on its side, though, as the Boston Red Sox ended a similar drought in 2004 by overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS, per SportsCenter on Twitter:
According to Marc Carig of Newsday, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo believes his team is capable of pulling off a similar feat:
"One New York team has blown a 3-0 lead," Rizzo said. "Let's make it the other New York team."
The Cubs will get a slight reprieve on the pitching front in Game 4, as they'll counter Steven Matz with Jason Hammel. After that, however, the Mets can throw out Harvey, Syndergaard and deGrom in succession in Games 5, 6 and 7.
Chicago has yet to make an announcement regarding its potential starters beyond Game 4, but one can safely assume that Lester will be on the hill if Game 5 comes to fruition.
The Cubs will find a way to extend the series, but with Harvey locked in, he'll end it in five games for the Mets.
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