Top News:
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
A.L. Division Series Preview: Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals — Carlos Beltran is 38 years old, more than a decade removed from his early career with the Royals and the Astros, who meet in an American League division series starting Thursday at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City …
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports, Athletics Nation and Bluebird Banter
RELATED:
Blair Kerkhoff / Kansas City Star:
Breakdown of the Royals vs. Astros in the regular season … The Royals' season series with the Astros got off to a rough start. Joe Blanton started the opener in Houston and surrendered five runs in 2 2/3 innings as the Royals fell 6-1. The Astros went on to become the second team to sweep the Royals during the season.
Discussion:
Royals Review
Justin Tasch / New York Daily News:
Mets Insider: Matz says ‘I feel better’ after pen session — Things are looking up for Steven Matz. The southpaw threw a successful bullpen session on Tuesday at Citi Field and will fly to Florida to pitch in a simulated game on Thursday, Sandy Alderson said.
Discussion:
Inside the Dodgers
New York Daily News:
Matt Harvey misses Mets' mandatory workout at Citi Field, was boozing night before, has a few different stories — Embattled Mets ace Matt Harvey struck out with teammates Tuesday when he missed a mandatory pre-playoff workout — hours after sources say he downed a couple of cocktails and wine with friends.
Discussion:
Metsblog
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David Waldstein / New York Times:
Fans Can Enjoy the End of Blue Jays' 22-Year Playoff Drought — TORONTO — Adam Basque was not even a year old when the Toronto Blue Jays last played in the postseason. In 1993, the Blue Jays won their second consecutive World Series to establish a mini-dynasty, and Basque was an infant in St. John, New Brunswick.
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports
Craig Edwards / FanGraphs Baseball:
Arrieta-Cole, Objectively One of Best Playoff Matchups Ever — Individual performances tend to be magnified in the postseason, and that is especially true of pitchers. While 16-18 other players appear in the lineups and many others will have profound impacts on the outcomes of games over the next month …
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Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago:
Pirates' Cole on Arrieta: ‘You want to face the best’
Pirates' Cole on Arrieta: ‘You want to face the best’
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue, Bucs Dugout, Camden Chat, Viva El Birdos and MLB Daily Dish
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Brewers Claim Junior Guerra, Designate Nevin Ashley — The Brewers have claimed righty Junior Guerra off waivers from the White Sox, per a club announcement (hat tip to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, on Twitter). To create roster space, Milwaukee has designated catcher Nevin Ashley for assignment.
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
Associated Press:
Besides Lackey in Game 1, Matheny Mum on Rotation — ST. LOUIS — John Lackey gets the start in Game 1 of the NL Division Series for the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. — At the beginning of a two-hour workout for the NL Central champions on Tuesday, manager Mike Matheny said he was not ready …
Fox Sports:
Mets' Syndergaard: 'We're going to give it to the Dodgers anywhere' — FOX Sports — Noah Syndergaard finished his rookie season with a 9-7 record and a 3.24 ERA. — Noah Syndergaard may only be a rookie, but he's not afraid to speak his mind, and had some words to send along …
Discussion:
GammonsDaily.com
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Marc Carig / Newsday:
Kevin Long counting on Mets' lefthanded hitters to battle against Dodgers' southpaws
Kevin Long counting on Mets' lefthanded hitters to battle against Dodgers' southpaws
Discussion:
Metsblog
Jon Heyman / CBSSports.com:
Yanks better than we thought but not good enough; so what's next? — NEW YORK -Yankees general manager Brian Cashman stood in the hallway outside the team's quiet clubhouse and expressed a plain truth he hoped never to have to say. — “Obviously, we're not good enough right now.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Pinstripe Alley and CBSSports.com
J. Brady McCollough / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Could Pirates' window of success soon be closing? — Neal Huntington wants Pirates fans to be emotional about the team he's put together, and tonight he will get his wish. — The Pirates are one inspiring performance in this Wild Card playoff game against the Cubs from keeping the possibility …
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout and GammonsDaily.com
Owen Watson / Fox Sports:
Year of the rookie — OW — Every season is a great season of baseball. It's fair to say, however, that some seasons might be better than others. If unexpected teams succeed, records are broken and exciting rookies debut on the biggest stage, we can witness something that transcends …
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball and twinsdaily.com
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Walt Weiss To Return As Rockies Manager In 2016 — Walt Weiss will return to the Rockies as manager in 2016, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. There had been some uncertainty surrounding the situation, with Weiss himself even recently acknowledging the possibility that he could be dismissed at season's end.
Discussion:
Purple Row, SI.com, Bleacher Report, MLB Daily Dish and Yahoo Sports