NLDS Schedule 2014: TV Info, Preview and Predictions for Monday's Slate
A clutch home run and the longest game in MLB postseason history highlighted the last time fans saw the four participants in the National League Division Series.
Normally it would be a stretch to expect the teams to top Saturday's wild action, but this portion of the MLB playoff bracket has been anything but normal.
Cy Young Award and potential MVP favorite Clayton Kershaw got torched, Washington dropped two straight homestands and other strange occurrences have been the focal points of the action to date. Monday starts a new week of action with one elimination game on the NL side of things.
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Be sure to set aside the time to take in both contests, as the NL continues to put on a show most will not soon forget.
2014 NLDS Schedule
| 3 | WSH at SF Giants | Mon., Oct. 6 | 3:07 p.m. | MLB Network |
| 4* | WSH at SF Giants | Tues., Oct. 7 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | SF Giants at WSH | Thurs., Oct. 9 | TBA | FS1 |
| 3 | LAD at STL | Mon., Oct. 6 | 9:37 p.m. | FS1 |
| 4* | LAD at STL | Tues., Oct. 7 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | STL at LAD | Thurs., Oct. 9 | TBA | FS1 |
Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants
On the brink of elimination, Washington must find a way to recover after a loss in a record 18 frames Saturday night. As ESPN's Adnan Virk provides the details, it is clear one day of rest may simply not be enough with an entire season on the line:
MLB Network Radio's Grant Paulsen put it best:
If the Nationals are to succeed in staying alive, unheralded names must continue to thrive.
Third baseman Anthony Rendon is certainly one after five hits and an RBI in 11 plate appearances over the course of the two losses. Most important, though, is pitcher Doug Fister, who often gets lost in the conversation behind bigger names such as Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann.
The No. 3 in the rotation, Fister is 16-6 on the year with a 2.41 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 98 strikeouts to 24 walks. With half of his wins on the season coming on the road, Fister was the ideal man to trot to the mound in AT&T Park for Game 3, although the plan slightly backfired after two losses.
At home, first baseman Brandon Belt and the San Francisco lineup may do more damage than ever, though. Belt has three hits and two RBI in what has mostly been a pitcher's series so far, including the game-winning homer in the top of the 18th in Game 2.
It helps that Belt and Co. are insulated by a start from Madison Bumgarner, who has tossed 13 straight scoreless innings in the postseason after a season in which he went 18-10 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.
Fister can surely hold his own on the mound in another low-scoring affair, but the lackluster performance and momentum of the Washington lineup is surely not looking forward to an encounter with a red-hot Bumgarner in a hostile environment.
As Paulsen said, this series already feels like it is over. Just like that, expect the Nationals—owners of the NL-best record—to take a bow out of the postseason in a quiet manner.
Prediction: Giants 2, Nationals 1
Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
The Los Angeles Dodgers have shown great resiliency in the face of adversity.
After Kershaw struggled in the seventh frame of Game 1 that saw St. Louis push eight runs across the plate to eventually win, 10-9, the Dodgers rebounded with a Game 2 triumph Saturday to even the series up.
Of course, it took an unexpected hero in veteran Matt Kemp to belt a go-ahead homer to even things up. Or as fans remember him, the guy most figured would be wearing different colors right now after a bevy of trade-deadline speculation.
For his part, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly suggests health at the halfway point has led Kemp and the Dodgers to this point.
"I think it's been a tale of two seasons for Matt,'' Mattingly said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "The first half seemed to be a little bit more of a struggle. Then, the second half, the power came."
To make a series of it, though, the Dodgers have to score a minimum of one victory in St. Louis. As they say, there is no time like the present.
Los Angeles figures to trot Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound (14-7, 3.38 ERA) for a duel against John Lackey (14-10, 3.82 ERA).
The numbers suggest the road team touts a slight advantage, but remember that Ryu will be making just his fourth start since Aug. 13 after battling a back injury. It will be his first start in about a month, which is not a reassuring factor on the road against a lineup that includes Matt Carpenter (two home runs, six RBI this series) and Matt Holliday (one home run, three RBI).
Had Kemp not pulled off some late-game heroics at home after his bullpen gave up a 2-0 lead, this contest would have a slightly different air about it. There has been nothing to suggest the Dodgers' staff can slow the Cardinals when it matters, and the prospects of Ryu on the mound are shaky at best.
Add in home-field advantage, and those Cardinals bats are sure to stay alive.
Prediction: Cardinals 5, Dodgers 2
Stats and info via Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise specified.
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