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    News — 2020 Playoffs

    ALCS & NLCS Have Been Set Here Is a Preview

    ALCS & NLCS Have Been Set Here Is a Preview

    The Tampa Bay Rays found a way to beat the Yankees in the do-or-die game five match-up and now find themselves in the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros.

    After brutal offense all year long, the Astros have caught fire. There are questions without answers, but this team is hitting lights out right now. The Astros finished off the Athletics in four games with 33 runs in four games and before that, the Astros slid past the Minnesota Twins in the Wild Card Series with seven runs in two games.

    The Rays were able to save Blake Snell in their game five against the Yankees and he’ll absolutely get the first start on Sunday against the Astros. The Rays have three aces that can be called upon and relied on Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Charlie Morton and a bullpen that can throw heat. This bullpen has swagger that’s unmatched.

    But it’s not just the pitching that got the Rays in this position. The Rays do all of the little things right. Whether that’s hitting with runners in scoring position or fielding bad throws around the diamond on the hop and getting outs, like Ji-Man Choi did plenty of in the fifth game of the ALDS.

    The little things matter, especially in tight games. That’s why, even though the Rays don’t have that crazy star power in their lineup, they’re still able to win ball games. The Rays have been fantastic in tight games and that’s why they’re the first seed and will have “home field advantage” in this series, meaning they’ll be the home team in more games than the Astros in this series. 

    If you like offense, this is the series for you. The Los Angeles Dodgers boast a deep and powerful lineup that led baseball in runs scored, while the Atlanta Braves scored just one fewer time than L.A. this season.

    There are few teams in baseball that match the Dodgers group highlighted by Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger in terms of offensive star power, but Atlanta's combination of Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr. sure can.

    Both of these teams got timely hits, but the Dodgers look to have the inside track with a strong pitching staff that can shut any team down. The Braves starters will have to keep the team in the game going up against a very strong Dodger lineup that works the count and makes it really tough on pitchers to get outs.

    If the Braves bats can get hot and feed off one another so they’ll need to take advantage of situations with runners in scoring position and 2 out hitting. The key is scoring in those situations as you won’t see many. Should be a great series.

    MLB announces 2020 postseason schedule

    MLB announces 2020 postseason schedule

    A year that has looked like no other will have a similarly unique finish.

    Major League Baseball announced its schedule for the 2020 Postseason, highlighted by the first neutral-site Fall Classic in modern history.

    Not only will the Division Series, League Championship Series and World Series all be played at neutral-site locations, but the schedule for these series has been altered in terms of off-days, meaning teams will have plenty of decisions to make when it comes to pitching.

    The best-of-three Wild Card Series, best-of-five Division Series and best-of-seven League Championship Series will each take place without any off-days in between games. Teams will have to decide whether to use the traditional five-man rotation, or utilize four starting pitchers, with the potential for as many as three of them pitching on short rest.

    Each series will be preceded by at least one off-day, though more are possible depending on when other series are completed.

    The 116th World Series is slated to start with Game 1 on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Globe Life Field in Arlington. A potential Game 7 is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28.

    The postseason is scheduled to commence with the top four seeds in each league hosting a best-of-three Wild Card Series, which are presented by Hankook, in their regular-season home ballparks.

    The inaugural Wild Card Series are set to begin in the American League on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and in the National League on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

    Beginning with the Division Series, all teams will shift to neutral-site locations in Southern California and Texas for the duration of the Postseason due to health, safety and competitive considerations.

    All games in the AL Division Series, which are presented by Utz, will be played in San Diego and Los Angeles, while the NL Division Series, which are presented by Doosan, will take place in Arlington and Houston.

    In the AL, the winner of the 1 vs. 8 matchup will face the 4 vs. 5 winner at Petco Park in San Diego, while the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 matchups will square off at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

    Both best-of-five ALDS will be scheduled for Monday, Oct. 5 through Friday, Oct. 9.

    In the NL, Arlington’s Globe Life Field will host the Division Series featuring the winners of the 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 NL Wild Card Series, while the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 series will play their NLDS at Houston’s Minute Maid Park.

    Both best-of-five NLDS will be scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Saturday, Oct. 10.

    San Diego will then host the AL Championship Series, which is presented by GEICO and will air exclusively on TBS, beginning Sunday, Oct. 11. A potential Game 7 would take place on Saturday, Oct. 17.

    The NL Championship Series, which is presented by Camping World, will begin in Arlington on Monday, Oct. 12, with a potential Game 7 taking place on Sunday, Oct. 18. The NLCS will air exclusively on FOX or FS1.

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