The ALCS between the and continues Thursday with Game 5. The Astros extended the series George Mikan Jersey with a Game 4 victory on Wednesday night. The Rays are still in the proverbial driver's seat here, holding a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and are one win from the pennant.Let's check out the pertinent details for Game 5.Date: Thursday, Oct. 15 | Time: 5;07 p.m. ET Location: Kyle Kuzma Jersey Petco Park -- San Diego, California TV: TBS| Live stream: TBS app Odds:TB -140 | HOU +130 | O/U 9.0 Pitchers: RHP vs. RHP Follow: The Rays were in control throughout most of the first three games of the series, but in Game 4, the Astros finally responded. A two-run shot tied the game, but the Astros jumped right back with a two-run homer from . They held on, even despite a Rays' rally in the ninth. The Rays are still fully in control of this series, needing to Dennis Schroder Jersey win just one of the final three games of the seven-game set.The Rays have announced righty John Curti s will start the game. The gue s here is he's simply an opener it'll be lefty giving them length into the game. He was 5-0 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings in the regular season. He's on James Worthy Jersey the ALCS roster but hasn't been used yet this postseason. Their big guns at the back end of the bullpen aren't overworked, either.As for the Astros, it might resemble a bullpen game. It's to start. He had a good ERA in his five outings in the regular season. He is, however, prone to the walk and the Astros haven't even used him all postseason, which doesn't lend a ton of confidence to his prospects for Lonzo Ball Jersey a great outing.The Astros' pitching is really up against it. The team did well to get out of this series without a sweep, but they really needed to grab one of the first three games to have a shot in this series. The Rays close it down.

Rays take on the Bernard King Jersey Blue Jays in first of 2-game series August 2 sharefacebooktwitterredditlink Toronto Blue Jays (57-45, second in the AL East) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (54-48, third in the AL East)St. Petersburg, Florida; Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Blue Jays: Kevin Gausman (7-8, 3.30 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 122 strikeouts); Rays: Drew Rasmu sen (6-3, 3.17 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 70 strikeouts) LINE: Blue Jays -143, Rays +122; over/under is 7 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Rays host the Toronto Blue Jays to start a two-game series.Tampa Bay is 54-48 overall and 32-20 in home games. The Rays have a 24-10 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Toronto has gone 23-24 in road games and 57-45 overall. The Blue Jays have hit 132 total home runs to rank third in the AL.The teams play Tuesday for the ninth time this season. The Rays are ahead 5-3 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: David Peralta has 19 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs for the Rays. Brandon Lowe is 10-for-39 with two doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.Vladimir Guerrero Jr Earl Monroe Jersey . has 20 doubles and 21 home runs for the Blue Jays. Matt Chapman is 16-for-33 with three doubles and five home runs over the past 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: Rays: 3-7, .238 batting average, 4.19 ERA, outscored by 11 runsBlue Jays: 8-2, .293 batting average, 3.00 ERA, outscored opponents by 39 runsINJURIES: Rays: Matt Wisler: 15-Day IL (neck), Francisco Mejia: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Harold Ramirez: 10-Day IL (thumb), Shane Baz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kevin Kiermaier: 60-Day IL (hip), Mike Zunino: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Josh Fleming: 15-Day IL (oblique), Wander Franco: 10-Day IL (wrist), J.P. Feyereisen: 60-Day Willis Reed Jersey IL (shoulder), Manuel Margot: 60-Day IL (knee), Andrew Kittredge: 60-Day IL (elbow), JT Chargois: 60-Day IL (oblique), Brendan McKay: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Glasnow: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Anderson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Yonny Chirinos: 60-Day IL (elbow)Blue Jays: Alek Manoah: day-to-day (elbow), Julian Merryweather: 60-Day IL (side), Tayler Saucedo: 60-Day IL (hip), Hyun-Jin Ryu: 60-Day IL (forearm), Andrew Vasquez: 15-Day IL (ankle), Nate Pearson: 60-Day IL (mono)___The A sociated Pre s created this story using technology provided by and data from . in this topic Toronto Blue Jays American League Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball Brandon Lowe Andrew Kittredge Josh Fleming Julian Merryweather Hyun Jin Ryu Matt Wisler Manuel Margot Mike Zunino Alek Manoah Tyler Glasnow Matt Chapman J.P. Feyereisen Brendan McKay Yonny Chirinos Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Kevin Gausman Drew Rasmu sen Kevin Kiermaier Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays share World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar's 1 liquor store Frank Ntilikina Jersey Qatar's strict rules regarding alcohol have drawn attention as it hosts the World Cup 40 MINS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Sterling leaves England World Cup camp after home break-in England forward Raheem Sterling has left his teams World Cup camp in Qatar and returned to the U.K. after a break-in at his home 43 MINS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Ronaldo looks to shine like Mbapp and Me si at World Cup Cristiano Ronaldo has been overshadowed by the brilliance of Lionel Me si and Kylian Mbapp so far at the World Cup 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Ottawa hosts Los Angeles after Giroux's Jacob Evans III Jersey 2-goal game The Ottawa Senators host the Los Angeles Kings after Claude Giroux's two-goal game against the San Jose Sharks in the Senators' 5-2 win 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Penguins host the Blue Jackets following Kapanen's hat trick The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Columbus Blue Jackets after Kasperi Kapanen's hat trick against the St. Louis Blues in the Penguins' 6-2 win 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS

The have traded left-handed reliever to the , the Cubs announced after their win over the Reds Monday night. The Cubs are getting two minor leaguers in the deal, corner infielder/outfielder and right-handed pitcher Daniel Palencia.Chafin, 31, has a 2.06 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 37 strikeouts against 11 unintentional walks in 39 1/3 innings this season. He's served alongside righty as one of the two primary setup men for . Chafin's numbers took a huge hit in his last outing when he allowed three runs on two hits along Austin Rivers Jersey with two walks without recording an out. Before that, he had a 1.37 ERA and 0.74 WHIP. Prior to that meltdown, he had gone 26 straight outings without allowing a run.The A's mostly use as their closer with lefty and righties and in the setup roles. Chafin is sure to enter this mix in the late innings, especially if he Jacob Evans III Jersey throws the way he's thrown nearly all year for the Cubs, his last outing notwithstanding.Chafin isn't nece sarily a "rental," pitcher here, either. There's a mutual option for next season for just $5.25 million. At this level of production, he's absolutely worth that much. The question is, should he pitch well from here on out, whether he'd want to accept the option or test the open market now coming off what looks like his career year.The A's enter Tuesday in the John Starks Jersey second AL wild card spot, one game up on the . The Cubs have fallen out of contention and are clearly sellers. The biggest names are po sibly yet to be dealt, with at least Craig Kimbrel sure to go and po sibly even the likes of and/or .Deichmann, 26, was the A's second-round pick out of LSU in 2017. He's hitting .300/.432/.449 with 13 doubles, three triples, four homers, 34 RBI, 47 runs and seven steals in 59 Triple-A games this season. This past offseason, here's what CBS prospects expert R.J. Anderson wrote on him Walter Frazier Jersey :Injuries have prevented Deichmann, Oakland's second-rounder in 2017, from playing in more than 100 games in a season. He did have a nice run in last year's Arizona Fall League, homering nine times in 23 games. There's a good amount of risk here -- he's awfully prone to striking out, in addition to his physical woes -- yet he could be a nifty platoon bat so long as he stays healthy.Deichmann is having a quality season now and Patrick Ewing Jersey was considered a top-10 prospect in the A's system, so this is a nice get for the Cubs, considering they just re-signed Chafin on a cheap deal in February. Palencia, 21, is 0-2 with a 6.91 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 14 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings in Cla s A this season.

It's the Rockies world, and we're all just living in it.At the trade deadline, 29 of the 30 MLB clubs made a trade in some capacity. The outlier? The ever-confusing Colorado Rockies.At some point in the season, teams have to make a choice. Are we buying and trying to win this year? Or are we selling and hoping to retool in the offseason? The Rockies decided neither was an acceptable answer, signing 37-year-old closer Daniel Bard to a two-year extension and otherwise standing pat, despite being 46-60 and seemingly out of playoff contention.Rockies GM Bill Schmidt had the stock-standard explanation for why the Rockies didn't do anything at the deadline with a dishonest twist.We made attempts to try to get better," Schmidt said when asked about the players on expiring contracts, . "And at the end of the day, we Brooklyn Nets T-Shirts werent able to match up with clubs."RIVERA:When he was asked about being the only team to not make a trade, Schmidt added:We were also the only team, too, that signed a player to an extension at the deadline. Twenty-nine other clubs didnt sign anybody to an extension at the deadline.That is entirely untrue, with the Atlanta Braves signing Austin Riley to a 10-year contract worth $212 million and the Padres signing Joe Musgrove to a five-year extension worth $100 million.It's just the latest example of Rockies baseball seeming to boil down to hanging out with friends. They Nicolas Claxton Jersey exist on an island, neither buying nor selling, just taking in vibes watching other teams ebb and flow around them.It's been like this for a long time for the Rockies, but in the past year and a half or so it's especially present. Here's a quick timeline of the Rockies since they controversially traded Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals last year. Feb. 2, 2021: Rockies trade Nolan Arenado to Cardinals for prospectsLast winter, the Colorado Rockies baffled the baseball world, trading Nolan Arenado before what was effectively the second year of an eight-year, $260 million contract for five Cardinals prospects. Those prospects were Austin Gomber, Mateo Gil, Elehuris Montero, Tony Locey, and Jake Sommers.MORE:For whatever reason, the Rockies felt their hand was forced because they had built opt-outs into the deal for Arenado after 2021 and 2022. Why they did this continues to confuse. The hope was they would use the money saved from this contract to re-up with Trevor Story. More on that later.April 26, 2021: Rockies GM Jeff Bridich resignsToward the beginning of the 2021 MLB season, Rockies GM Jeff Bridich abruptly resigned after being with the franchise since 2004 and the GM since 2014.Bridich was coy in describing why he was leaving. "After recent conversations with Dick and Greg Feasel regarding the organization and its future, it became abundantly clear that ushering in a new leadership structure was critically important. With that in mind we arrived at this decision to part ways, and ultimately it will be what is best for the Rockies and for me."That full statement reads like a resignation disguised as a firing, but of course that's speculative and should be treated as such. Feasel was named team president in short order, and Schmidt was named the interim GM.July 30, 2021: Rockies enjoy quiet trade deadline, only make one moveBy the trade deadline last season, the Rockies were 45-59 and had been inconsistent throughout the month of July.They made just one move at the deadline, trading perennial deadline piece Mychal Givens to the Reds for Case Williams and Noah Davis.MORE: Garrett Temple Jersey While that's ultimately a bit of a nothing-burger move, it is a move all the same. The Rockies, however, were still sitting on expiring contracts for Jon Gray and C.J. Cron, and Story. Ultimately, however, they decided to stand pat.Oct. 2, 2021: Rockies strip interim title promote Bill Schmidt to GMThe Rockies continued their "all-in-the-family" vibe, naming interim GM Bill Schmidt to the role permanently shortly after the season.Schmidt has been with the Rockies organization since 1999, and he hadn't done much of note when the Rockies gave him the full-time role.He had a lot of time scouting within the Rockies org, but there was a small sample size to go off of from him in the GM role."After five months as our interim general manager, it became increasingly clear that Bill was the right person to lead this franchise forward," Rockies president and CEO Greg Feasel said in a statement when they hired Schmidt full-time. "We already knew Bill as a trusted and respected baseball profe sional within the game. He came into a challenging situation and quickly impacted the play on and off the field."March 17, 2022: Rockies sign Kris Bryant to stunning contract after extending C.J. CronThe Rockies came into free agency after the lockout having already extended first baseman C.J. Cron ostensibly looking to make a move to a suage trading Arenado for basically peanuts.They found their guy in Kris Bryant, who had been traded from the Cubs to the Giants during the 2021 deadline. The Rockies signed Bryant to a shocking seven-year, $182 million deal -- seemingly well above-market -- on a contract that would have extended past the end of Andre Roberson Jersey Arenado's.The Rockies had already moved on from Trevor Story by signing Jose Iglesias, and signing Bryant would have been the move of a team that felt it needed a temperamental power bat to compete. The Rockies, however, indicated they were going to build around Bryant, who has battled injuries in the first year of his ma sive deal.MORE:Bryant, to his credit, has done his part when he can play. He is batting over .300 on the year and has an OPS over .850, but with just five home runs, there are some justified concerns over the effect his back is having on his swing.March 23, 2022: Red Sox sign INF Trevor StoryIn addition to the Rockies Reggie Perry Jersey signing Bryant, they also let franchise mainstay Trevor Story walk to the Red Sox for a six-year, $140 million.By signing Iglesias, it was apparent the Rockies were moving on from Story. But it only makes the decision to not trade him at last year's deadline more confusing.Aug. 2, 2022: Rockies become only team to not make a deadline moveSo we come to Tuesday.The Colorado Rockies aren't competing this year. They undoubtedly had interested suitors for Bard, and instead signed him (again, at 37) to a two-year extension. They also didn't appear to field many calls for Cron, which is somewhat surprising given his two-year deal doesn't fit with the Rockies timeline.Alex Colome was another player who could have been moved but wasn't.Ultimately, the Rockies plans either don't make sense or don't exist. They seem to be a team twisting in the wind, desperately wanting to say they aren't in a rebuild when it's clear they have to be.Their farm system is in the bottom half of MLB teams, their front office seems horribly confused and blinded by team loyalty, and they're trying to shed payroll while simultaneo

Here at Best Bets Central (that's not actually a thing; I just made it up and probably won't stick with it), we got off to a good start on Tuesday night. Thanks to the efforts of several sluggers, including with a backdoor cover in Brooklyn Nets Hats the ninth, we hit on two of our three prop bets.It's now time to keep the good times rolling with the at National League Wild Card Game. I've already posted my ( ), so here we'll be digging in on more prop bets, mostly focusing on the good ol' home run. It worked on Tuesday Wilson Chandler Jersey , so we gotta stick with what works.Props and lines are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.This one actually didn't work on Tuesday night, but we're going back to the well, regardle s.Cardinals starter has been amazing down the stretch, posting a 0.95 WHIP in his last 14 starts. Dodgers starter has posted a 0.82 WHIP since joining the team. For those unfamiliar with WHIP, it's e sentially baserunners allowed per inning and those numbers are stellar. I fully expect both to be in tip-top shape Wednesday evening, which means baserunners will be at a premium. As such, the most logical conclusion here is that nearly any home run we Rodions Kurucs Jersey see all night will come with the bases empty. All we have are logic and gut feelings on bets like this, so we'll go with it.Turner had a career year at the plate, putting up a career-high 28 home runs and he's had some big ones of late. He actually hit six in his last eight games. He's also 5 for 14 with a pair of doubles in his career against Wainwright. Truth be told, it was mostly a gut feeling to grab this one, but the Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot Jersey numbers on Turner add up.If interested, you can get Turner homering in a Dodgers win for +450. That seems pretty enticing. If you want a bit better odds with le s of a pay off, let's loop in Seager. Is Seager gonna go into postseason killer mode again? In the Dodgers' 18 playoff games last year, he hit .328/.425/.746 with eight homers. He's 2 for 7 with a double in his career against Wainwright.The Dodgers were 13th in the majors in strikeouts this season. Above average, sure, but it's not egregious or anything. The point is that you can't say they are tough to D'Angelo Russell Jersey strikeout. They aren't. They were also one of the worst teams in baseball against the slow curve this season and that's a feature with Wainwright, notably as an out pitch.Wainwright is not a strikeout artist -- hence the low total here -- but he's averaging nearly seven innings per start during his current run (14 starts). Given that volume, I like him to get at least five punchouts against this Dodgers team.

Pirates host the Marlins to open 3-game series July 22 sharefacebooktwitterredditlink Miami Marlins (43-49, fourth in the NL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (39-54, third in the NL Central)Pittsburgh; Friday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Braxton Garrett (0-0); Pirates: TBDBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates start a three-game series at home against the Miami Marlins on Friday.Pittsburgh is 39-54 overall and Skylar Mays Jersey 20-23 at home. The Pirates have a 20-37 record in games when they have allowed at least one home run.Miami has a 43-49 record overall and a 21-26 record on the road. The Marlins have gone 25-11 in games when they did not allow a home run.The teams match up Friday for the fifth time this season. The season series is tied 2- Solomon Hill Jersey 2.TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Chavis has 10 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 32 RBI for the Pirates. Jake Marisnick is 10-for-25 with four doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.Garrett Cooper has 21 doubles, a triple and seven home runs while hitting .282 for the Marlins. Jesus Aguilar is 9-for-33 with a double and a home run over the past 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 5-5, .236 batting average, 3.99 ERA, outscored by three runsMarlins: 3-7, .190 batting average, 3.64 ERA, outscored by 25 runsINJURIES: Pirates: Chase De Jong: 15-Day IL (knee), Bryan Reynolds: 10- Steve Smith Jersey Day IL (oblique), Max Kranick: 60-Day IL (elbow), Canaan Smith-Njigba: 60-Day IL (wrist), Roberto Perez: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Greg Allen: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Blake Cederlind: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Mears: 60-Day IL (elbow)Marlins: Elieser Hernandez: 15-Day IL (undisclosed), Jimmy Yacabonis: 15-Day IL (groin), Jon Berti: 10-Day IL (groin), Jazz Chisholm: 10-Day IL (back), Edward Cabrera: 15-Day IL (elbow), Cole Sulser: 15-Day IL (lat), Jesus Luzardo: 60-Day IL (forearm), Paul Campbell: 60-Day IL (elbow), Anthony Bender: 15-Day IL (back), Sean Guenther: 60-Day IL (arm)___The A sociated Pre s created this story using technology provided by and data from . in this topic National League Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball Miami Marlins Max Kranick Blake Cederlind Braxton Garrett Jazz Chisholm Jr. Michael Chavis Jess Luzardo Greg Allen Bryan Reynolds Jon Berti Paul Campbell Jess Aguilar Garrett Cooper Edward Cabrera Pittsburgh Pirates Miami Marlins share World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar's 1 liquor store Qatar's strict rules regarding alcohol have drawn attention as it hosts the World Cup 47 MINS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Sterling leaves England World Cup camp after home break-in England forward Raheem Sterling has left his teams World Cup camp in Qatar and returned to the Atlanta Hawks Jeresy U.K. after a break-in at his home 51 MINS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Ronaldo looks to shine like Mbapp and Me si at World Cup Cristiano Ronaldo has been overshadowed by the brilliance of Lionel Me si and Kylian Mbapp so far at the World Cup 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Ottawa hosts Los Angeles after Giroux's 2-goal game The Ottawa Senators host the Vince Carter Jersey Los Angeles Kings after Claude Giroux's two-goal game against the San Jose Sharks in the Senators' 5-2 win 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Penguins host the Blue Jackets following Kapanen's hat trick The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Columbus Blue Jackets after Kasperi Kapanen's hat trick against the St. Louis Blues in the Penguins' 6-2 win 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS

won his third career Cy Young Award Wednesday night after a season that saw Dominique Wilkins Jersey him post a career-best 220 ERA+ in 28 starts. Verlander, who put forth that effort as a member of the , just so happens to be a free agent now. Tomorrow's price, you can rest a sured, is not the same as today's price.Of course, Verlander was already slated to be one of the winter's most sought-after free agents in our estimation. :Verlander had a most remarkable season. Remember back in the spring, when it was unclear how well or how much he'd pitch after mi sing most of the last two seasons because of Tommy John surgery? He put those concerns out to pasture in a hurry, starting 27 times and performing well enough to compete for a third career Cy Young Award. And he did this at a time when he's nearing his 40th birthday. Verlander has lived a charmed life in many respects, no doubt, but it's admirable that he's maintained this kind of work ethic and pa sion for the game despite having accomplished almost everything that a pitcher can accomplish. He could've walked away and waited on his call from Cooperstown. That he instead put in the effort to come back this good is an impre sive feat, and one that helps to explain the succe s he's had throughout his career. He declined a one-year option worth $25 million. He should net more money.In anticipation of Verlander's latest accomplishment, we figured we'd do the thankle s work of ranking his po sible landing spots. (You could argue it's also pointle s work, but we're in favor of whatever keeps the existential dread at bay.) Anyway, this exercise is, as always, highly subjective and for entertainment purposes only. Keep that in mind should you feel your blood pre sure tick up while reading. With all the nece sary couching and caveating out of the way, let's get to it.30. 29. 28. 27. 26. 25. 24. 23. 22. 21. 20. Verlander is presumably looking for an AAV valued at more than $40 million, similar to the deal signed last winter with the . Can you even imagine how Pirates owner Bob Nutting would react if Ben Cherington suggested they give that much money to a single player, let alone a soon-to-be 40-year-old? Verlander is going to get paid and he's not going to play for a non-contender. One or the other (and in some cases both) parts eliminate these teams, in our opinion.19. We're suckers for players returning to their original teams Dikembe Mutombo Jersey ahead of the end of their careers, la last season with the Kansas City Royals. Alas, we don't think Verlander is all that likely to consider the Tigers for the reasons listed above.18. 17. 16. 15. 14. 13. 12. 11. These teams are all contenders or close to it, but we're skeptical that they're a match with Verlander for one reason or another. The Rays, for instance, aren't going to pony up for what it would take to get him in town. The Phillies, for another, are probably not spending their money on another veteran starter when they have (one of the ) en route. And so on and so forth.10. The Rangers, the belle of the ball last winter, have a clear and present need for pitching that newcomer alone won't solve. As an added bonus, signing Verlander away from the Astros would allow the Rangers to feel good about themselves in relation Danilo Gallinari Jersey to their in-state rivals for the first time in a long time. Even with those facts established, we're highly doubtful that the Rangers land Verlander. They would have to outbid everyone else by a fair margin. It's po sible, but unlikely.9. The Red Sox are losing most of their rotation to free agency, making them an obvious candidate to take a swing at a veteran starter or three. The quantity aspect makes us think the Red Sox are probably more likely to target downmarket types, be it , Jos Quintana or someone else in that range, rather than Verlander. It would be nice to see the Red Sox behave like a big-market behemoth again though.8. Speaking of behaving like a big-market behemoth, we fully expect the Giants to chase and throw coin around elsewhere this winter. Verlander could well be part of their plans, though we suspect they won't be the only National League West team making a run at adding him to their rotation. The other team happens to have superior World Series odds, too, making it hard to put the Giants much higher on this list.7. The Braves still have to resolve their shortstop Bogdan Bogdanovic Jersey situation, be it by re-signing or adding one of the other top free agents to the mix. Until that's figured out, it's hard for us to see them spending what it would take to nab Verlander. That said, Alex Anthopolous works quickly and aggre sively, so who knows for sure.6. We're wishcasting for this to happen because it would be fun to see the upstart Orioles land a premium free-agent talent. Moreover, the Orioles are managed generally by former Astros executives who are familiar with Verlander from their shared time together. Would the Orioles really pay Verlander what it would take? And would he be willing to link up with a team that hasn't made the postseason since 2016? We're not sure on either aspect, and that's what kept us from ranking the Orioles a little higher.5. The Yankees are losing to free agency, meaning they could use another reliable starting pitcher. Reuniting Verlander and reads like a win on paper, but Brian Cashman has to concern himself first and foremost with locking down Aaron Judge. We're not certain the Yankees would be willing to throw another $70 million (or so) onto their tax number, even if it was just for a year or two. We're listing them highly anyway, just in case they start to feel like Spud Webb Jersey the Yankees of old.4. New York MetsOn the topic of contingency plans, the Mets still have to figure out how to retain or replace ace and center fielder . That'll keep Billy Eppler busy enough, but might he view Verlander as Plan B if the deGrom bidding goes beyond his comfort zone? Heck, does owner Steven Cohen even have borders on his comfort zone? We'll find out soon enough, we reckon.3. The Cubs are, in addition to the Giants, one of the trendy underdog picks to land a top free agent or two. Most of their efforts seem focused on the shortstops, but wouldn't Verlander make for a nifty addition to the top of Chicago's rotation? He'd give the Cubs a legitimate frontline starter, and an invaluable resource for their young arms. We're probably overrating the po sibility, but it's nice to have dreams.2. We've joked before that we feel legally obligated to list the Dodgers near the top of these kinds of piec

Major League Baseball's 60-game regular season wrapped up Sunday, meaning baseball's 2020 playoff picture has been finalized. Two playoff spots in the NL remained up for grabs entering the final day, with the Cardinals, Giants, Kenrich Williams Jersey Phillies and Brewers vying for those slots. In the AL, the Central was the only division without a certain winner. All those threads tied themselves together on Sunday, giving us a clear view of the postseason picture.Here are the eight matchups from the Wild Card Series, which will begin on Tuesday with four Nickeil Alexander-Walker Jersey games on the AL side of the bracket. The NL side will begin play on Wednesday. There will be no days off during these rounds, meaning there will be eight games played on Wednesday and potentially that many on Thursday as well.No. 1 Rays vs. No. 8 Blue Jays No. 2 Athletics vs. No. 7 White Sox No. 3 Twins vs. No. 6 Astros No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 YankeesNo. 1 Dodgers vs. No. 8 Brewers No. 2 Braves vs. No. 7 Reds No. 3 Cubs vs. No. 6 Marlins No. Jarrod Uthoff Jersey 4 Padres vs. No. 5 Cardinals The top three seeds are the division winners and the next three seeds are the second-place teams. The final two spots went to the remaining teams with the best records. The first round (Wild Card Series) is a best-of-three series with all three games at the higher seed's ballpark. The second round (LDS) is a best-of-five and the final two rounds (LCS and World Series) are best-of-sevens. Aside from locking in home-field advantage in the Wild Card Round, there was no real benefit to winning the division this season. There's no one-and-done Wild Card Game to avoid, and because fans will not be allowed into ballparks during the postseason, at least during the early rounds. Jaxson Hayes Jersey Batting last is a real benefit, but that's about it for home-field advantage.It is important to note did not play any tiebreaker games this season to allow for an expedited postseason schedule. All ties were resolved mathematically, even if two teams finish with identical records for the No. 8 seed. : Head-to-head record (if applicable).Intradivision record.Record in final 20 division games (plus one until the tie is broken). . Christian Wood Jersey The American League bubble will be in Southern California (Dodger Stadium and Petco Park) while the National League bubble will be in Texas (Globe Life Field and Minute Maid Park). The World Series will be played at the ' Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.