MLB Playoff Schedule 2014: Updated Bracket, TV Coverage and Day 4 Predictions
These MLB playoffs give both fans and teams little time to recover.
No complaints will be heard, though, especially from the spectators' department. Hardly 24 hours removed from a decisive late home run by Matt Kemp to lift Los Angeles over St. Louis and San Francisco vs. Washington, the longest game in MLB postseason history, four more teams are back in action and sure to deliver classics.
A pair of Sunday's participants happen to be on the brink of elimination, too.
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Desperation while hanging by a thread after 162 games of work breeds quality baseball, especially when managers trot out their best in an effort to stay alive.
Sunday, the desperation is palpable.
2014 MLB Playoff Schedule
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV Info |
| 3 | LAA at KC | Sun., Oct. 5 | 7:30 p.m. | TBS |
| 4* | LAA at KC | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBD | TBS |
| 5* | KC at LAA | Wed., Oct. 8 | TBD | TBS |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV Info |
| 3 | BAL at DET | Sun., Oct. 5 | 3:30 p.m. | TBS |
| 4* | BAL at DET | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBD | TBS |
| 5* | DET at BAL | Wed., Oct. 8 | TBD | TBS |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV Info |
| 3 | WSH at SF Giants | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBA | MLB Network |
| 4* | WSH at SF Giants | Tues., Oct. 7 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | SF Giants at WSH | Thurs., Oct. 9 | TBA | FS1 |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV Info |
| 3 | LAD at STL | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBA | FS1 |
| 4* | LAD at STL | Tues., Oct. 7 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | STL at LAD | Thurs., Oct. 9 | TBA | FS1 |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV Info |
| 1 | TBD vs. TBD | Fri., Oct. 10 | TBA | TBS |
| 2 | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 11 | TBA | TBS |
| 3 | TBD vs. TBD | Mon., Oct. 13 | TBA | TBS |
| 4 | TBD vs. TBD | Tues., Oct. 14 | TBA | TBS |
| 5* | TBD vs. TBD | Wed., Oct. 15 | TBA | TBS |
| 6* | TBD vs. TBD | Fri., Oct. 17 | TBA | TBS |
| 7* | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 18 | TBA | TBS |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV Info |
| 1 | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 11 | TBA | Fox |
| 2 | TBD vs. TBD | Sun., Oct. 12 | TBA | FS1 |
| 3 | TBD vs. TBD | Tues., Oct. 14 | TBA | FS1 |
| 4 | TBD vs. TBD | Wed., Oct. 15 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | TBD vs. TBD | Thurs., Oct. 16 | TBA | FS1 |
| 6* | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 18 | TBA | Fox |
| 7* | TBD vs. TBD | Sun., Oct. 19 | TBA | FS1 |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV Info |
| 1 | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Tues., Oct. 21 | TBA | Fox |
| 2 | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Wed., Oct. 22 | TBA | Fox |
| 3 | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Fri., Oct. 24 | TBA | Fox |
| 4 | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Sat., Oct. 25 | TBA | Fox |
| 5* | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Sun., Oct. 26 | TBA | Fox |
| 6* | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Tues., Oct. 28 | TBA | Fox |
| 7* | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Wed., Oct. 29 | TBA | Fox |
Visit MLB.com for an updated postseason bracket.
Day 4 Predictions
Baltimore Orioles at Detroit Tigers
Detroit, down two games and facing elimination, hinges its hope on the arm of David Price.
Price was brought on for this very reason at the trade deadline, although few would have predicted the Tigers would be down a pair of games when he took the mound, and even fewer would have thought so after drawing a hobbled Baltimore lineup in the American League Division Series.
Alas, these are the times for Detroit, a team that failed to make meaningful changes to its shaky bullpen. Despite trotting out two other former Cy Young Award winners—Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander —the Tigers have dropped both games, the latest being a 7-6 loss after Verlander left the game with a 6-3 lead.
"This is the time you want to be able to step up for your team, for your fan base, for the city of Detroit," Price said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "This is a special moment, to be able to go out there and throw my game, and that's what I plan on doing."
Price went 15-12 this season with a 3.26 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, but he may struggle with the Orioles lineup even at home.
Buck Showalter is entrusting the elimination-game duty to Bud Norris, who went undefeated in September, but the focus is on a lineup without top hitters such as Manny Machado and Chris Davis.
No problem, though, as Nelson Cruz is known for habitually beating up on the Tigers, as a note from ESPN Stats & Info details:
Underrated stars such as Steve Pearce (who at one point was cut this season only to be brought back when injuries hit the roster) and J.J. Hardy continue to etch out names for themselves and make it seem as if Davis has never been absent from the batter's box for this series.
It is hard to imagine the Baltimore lineup will post another 12 runs as it did in Game 1, but this contest comes down to just how long Price can stay on the mound. If he exits in the sixth inning like Verlander did in Game 2, the Orioles are once again going to crush that Detroit bullpen.
Prediction: Orioles 6, Tigers 4
Los Angeles Angels at Kansas City Royals
By now, fans are acutely aware of the Kansas City Royals.
Postseason dancing for the first time in 29 years, Ned Yost's team overcame a reeling Oakland squad for a wild-card win and now has two road wins against the Los Angeles Angels, encounters that both went 11 innings.
Yost's team is doing its best Moneyball impression with a small-ball approach that has dumbfounded the Angels.
"It's the way their team is built," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, per the AP, via ESPN.com. "One of their best tools is their ability to create on the base paths, and they do it as well as anybody I've seen."
The wildly effective approach, led by Eric Hosmer (who hit a two-run homer to seal Game 2), has the clutch Royals on a historic march, as ESPN Stats & Info once again brings to light:
To stay on course, the Royals will have to overcome Angels starter C.J. Wilson, who went 13-10 with a 4.51 ERA. The veteran is winless in his last seven playoff starts.
That stacked Angels lineup figures to come alive at some point, though. Kole Calhoun has been a bright spot with a pair of hits in each game out of the leadoff spot, although Mike Trout (no hits) and Albert Pujols (one hit) have yet to truly capitalize on the production in front of them.
Even if the big-name Los Angeles bats come alive, though, it may be too late considering it must happen against ace James Shields in Kansas City. Shields was seen last in the wild-card matchup, giving up four runs in five innings of work after a 14-8 season with a 3.21 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
So far, the Angels have been in a slumber at the plate and a deer in the headlights of a small-ball approach. Expect that to continue Sunday, this time with a dash of finality.
Prediction: Royals 5, Angels 4
Stats and info via Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise specified.
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