MLB division series play got rolling Thursday with an American League doubleheader, but Friday's slate will include showdowns between all eight teams that were lucky enough to qualify for action.
So, without wasting any more time, let's check out when and where you can view Friday's full schedule:
Additionally, Odds Shark passed along series-long odds, which were listed prior to the start of division series play on Thursday:
- Kansas City Royals (-150) vs. Houston Astros
- Los Angeles Dodgers (-200) vs. New York Mets
- Toronto Blue Jays (-255) vs. Texas Rangers
- Chicago Cubs (even) vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays, 12:30 p.m. ET
The Toronto Blue Jays are still searching for their first playoff win since 1993 after dropping Game 1, 5-3, to the Texas Rangers Thursday afternoon, but a bounce-back performance should be in order when Marcus Stroman heads to the mound Friday.
Since returning from a knee injury on Sept. 12, Stroman has gone 4-0. The Blue Jays outscored the opposition by an average of 6.25 runs per game over that span, including a 15-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles in Stroman's final start of the regular season.
The task for the Blue Jays will be solving Rangers ace and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels, who went 7-1 with a 3.66 ERA after he was shipped to Arlington by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Here's the good news: According to ESPN.com's Gordon Edes, star third baseman Josh Donaldson passed his concussion test after exiting Thursday's game following a collision at second base. His status will be reevaluated Friday, but the concussion test was the biggest hurdle he needed to clear.
Sportsnet's Shi Davidi also reported Thursday that slugger Jose Bautista "will be fine tomorrow" after departing Thursday's game in the ninth inning with minor hamstring cramps.
Thursday's loss briefly dampened hopes, given the excitement that's permeated through Toronto over the past few weeks. But now that nerves have calmed down and the Blue Jays know what to expect, Game 2 should culminate in a happier ending for the AL East champs.
Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays def. Texas Rangers, 4-2
Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals, 3:30 p.m. ET
Two days after they defeated the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game, the Houston Astros downed the defending AL champion Kansas City Royals, 5-2, in Game 1 of their AL Division Series matchup Thursday night.
What's frightening is Houston didn't play close to its best ball in the triumph. While the Astros racked up 11 hits, they batted just 2-of-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners on base.
If the Astros can push a few more of those runs across the plate against Johnny Cueto—who's 3-4 with a 4.40 ERA at Kauffman Stadium this season—while getting a quality start from Scott Kazmir, an upset will officially be in the works.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the last three teams to win Game 1 of an ALDS on the road have won the series. Don't be surprised if the Astros take a step toward adding to that streak with a Game 2 win.
Prediction: Houston Astros def. Kansas City Royals, 7-5
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, 6:30 p.m. ET
Considering early odds have this series pegged as the most even of the division series round, the Chicago Cubs are in position to knock off this season's only 100-win team.
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester provided insight into Chicago's collective mindset following Wednesday's 4-0 Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to the New York Times' Tyler Kepner:
We’ve got to beat the best team in baseball and we’ve got to go from there, so we’ll see. But really, from February, everyone was excited, but they didn’t really know what would happen. And I’m seeing more and more people cheering us on, more and more people in the streets just excited to be Cubs fans again. That’s exciting.
Make no mistake about it: The Cubs possess the pieces necessary to stun the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals—especially if their bats show up against the league's deepest and most statistically dominant pitching staff.
The Cardinals allowed a league-low 478 earned runs this season—54 fewer than the second-ranked Pittsburgh Pirates. St. Louis relievers also allowed a league-low 152 earned runs while posting a 2.82 ERA that ranked second among all NL teams behind the Pirates.
Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant have the ability to frustrate even the most prolific pitching staffs, but expect the Cardinals to take Game 1 before Chicago makes things interesting over the weekend.
Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals def. Chicago Cubs, 5-3
New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:30 p.m. ET
The New York Mets are slated to make their first postseason appearance since 2006 on Friday night, but they won't get any breaks in their return to the game's grandest stage.
NL Cy Young favorite Clayton Kershaw is the Los Angeles Dodgers' probable starter for Game 1, and New York's streaky bats could have trouble catching up with his pristine repertoire of pitches.
According to MLB.com, current Mets batters have combined to accrue seven RBI against the three-time Cy Young Award winner over the past five years. Yoenis Cespedes has come up empty in all three of his at-bats against Kershaw, while Curtis Granderson has batted .143 in seven plate appearances against Kershaw.
In other words, chances will likely be few and far between for the Mets as they attempt to steal Game 1 on the road.
Jacob deGrom will help hold things down for a spunky Mets team, but Andre Ethier and Adrian Gonzalez have both batted in excess of .330 against the young phenom. If that trend holds, L.A. will run away with Game 1.
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers def. New York Mets, 6-2
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