The onus falls on the teams returning home in the 2015 MLB playoffs in a pair of league championship series, who both need wins to make something of their respective series.
The Kansas City Royals in the AL and the New York Mets of the NL both took care of business in their opening two home games, putting the onus on their opponents to do the same. Toronto did just that by taking Game 3, but it will be for naught if the Royals can take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5.
As for the Chicago Cubs, their playoff fate likely hinges on Game 3, needing a win at Wrigley Field to avoid falling into that insurmountable 0-3 hole. With that said, let's take a closer look into the details of the ALCS and NLCS.
2015 MLB Playoff Schedule
Live streaming available on Fox Sports Go (ALCS) and TBS.com (NLCS).
Available Game Odds
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
NLCS: New York Mets at Chicago Cubs (Game 3)
If you told the Chicago Cubs they'd have to negate the impact of one single player in order to have a shot in the NLCS, one would think that player would be a pitcher. Alas, Daniel Murphy has emerged as a thorn in the Cubs' side as he leads the Mets to the promised land.
The 30-year-old Murphy was an afterthought entering the postseason, one of the utility men in the Mets lineup that was around for his versatility in the field as much as his powerful swing. Nobody could have expected this sort of breakout from him.
Murphy's home runs in four straight games is one off a major league record, but more impressive has been his ability to go yard on the Dodgers' Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and now Jake Arrieta of the Cubs. As Jonah Keri of Grantland observed, Murphy joined elite company while ballooning his efficiency at the plate:
"Only two players had ever homered against all three: elite sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Carlos Gonzalez … and now Murphy, who’d homered just 48 times in the first 3,081 plate appearances of his major league career, makes it three," Keri wrote.
Tasked with stopping the Mets bats will be Kyle Hendricks, who has a chance to make the Cubs' latest ever calendar-year game at Wrigley field a memorable one as Carrie Muskat of MLB.com noted:
Chicago will have to hope its bats can get woken up in time for Game 3, and the pitcher on tap won't make things any easier as Jacob deGrom takes to the mound for the Mets in the hopes of putting his team up 3-0.
ALCS: Royals at Blue Jays (Game 4)
Could a return back to their home ballpark north of the border be just what the doctor ordered for the Toronto Blue Jays?
It certainly seemed like it in Game 3. After baseball's hottest offense went cold to start the ALCS in Kansas City, it heated up again rather quickly en route to an 11-8 victory in Game 3.
The Blue Jays will now aim to turn around and post a similar performance in Game 4, and doing so would tie up the series while giving them a chance to take the series lead before heading back to Kansas City. They get a favorable matchup on the mound, as knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey brings his hot streak into Tuesday as Sportsnet noted:
Dickey will put his 11-11 record and 3.91 ERA up against a pitcher who he knows quite well. Chris Young and Dickey combined for a great one-two combination with the Mets a few years back, but now they are dueling to move closer to an AL pennant.
It starts with the starting pitching, but both teams will need big days from the bullpen to stymie the other's bats. Royals manager Ned Yost explained as much, noting a two-day break allowed his bullpen much-needed rest, per MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez:
"Now we've got two more games here; we can go ahead and pour the coals on them," Yost said. "With the three games, you've got to make sure you don't overuse somebody. But two games in a row, we can utilize those guys in both games, which makes it better."
Folks won't have to wait long to find out which squad in the AL will make a surge Tuesday, as the first pitch is slated for 4 p.m. ET.
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