National League

After Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers hold a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.

While the team's offense has been solid over the first two games, scoring nine runs, the bullpen has made history to start the series. Prior to the 2017 NLCS, no bullpen in MLB history had ever opened a playoff series by retiring 24 consecutive batters, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com). 

During the first two games of the series, Dodgers relievers have combined to pitch eight innings and faced 24 batters. Over those frames, they haven't surrendered a single hit or walk and have struck out nine batters.

The entire bullpen has been integral to the team's success, but closer Kenley Jansen has been in a class of his own. He's appeared in both games of the NLCS and pitched 2.1 innings, fanning six batters and collecting both a save and a win. 

Over the course of the 2017 postseason, Jansen has pitched six innings in five games, giving up just two hits.

Jansen's postseason dominance should not come as much of a surprise. During the regular season, he posted a 1.32 ERA and 0.75 WHIP while converting 41 of his 42 save opportunities. This marked his second consecutive season with a sub-2.00 ERA and 40-plus saves. 

The Dodgers, who are 5-0 this postseason, will look to extend their lead over the Cubs and add to their bullpen's record in Game 3 on Tuesday night in Chicago (9:01 p.m. ET). 

Could the Chicago Cubs' World Series defense be coming to an end?

After battling to edge the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series, the Cubs have gone down two games in the 2017 NLCS against the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers. Now they will need to rely on the comfortable confines of Wrigley Field to break out of their slump and get back into this series.

Want to catch the action? Check out how you can tune in for Game 3.

   

NLCS Game 3 Viewing Schedule

When: Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. ET

Television: TBS

Live Stream: TBS Live

    

Game 3 Preview

The Cubs had no problems scoring runs after the All-Star break, leading MLB with a whopping 423 runs in that span. Yet the bats have gone cold this postseason.

The team is averaging under three runs a night in seven games, with nine of those coming in the ALDS Game 5 triumph over Washington. Granted, a decrease in scoring is expected when facing aces like Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, but Chicago's current pace simply is not going to cut it.

Not when the Cubs' pitching has been down all season. After leading baseball with a 3.15 team ERA a year ago, Chicago's pitching dropped to a 3.95 mark in 2017. In the postseason, the team's ERA is 4.01.

The Cubs need several key guys to start hitting, including Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, who are both batting below .200 in the playoffs. Javier Baez is the most floundering Cub at the moment, per ESPN Stats and Info:

Javier Báez: 0-19 in 2017 postseason

Only longer Cubs hitless streak to start postseason: Jimmy Sheckard 0-21 (1906) (via @EliasSports)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 16, 2017

On the other hand, the Dodgers have been excellent this postseason with five straight wins. 

They will trot out Yu Darvish in Game 3, which is a testament to the team's rotation depth. In a limited sample size, Darvish has been great against the current Cubs lineup. Bryant is 0-for-3, as Willson Contreras, Jason Heyward and Addison Russell are also hitless. Ben Zobrist is a brutal 2-for-12. Rizzo is the only Chicago hitter with much success, having smacked a two-run double off of Darvish.

That is not a good sign for Chicago, especially since it has yet to score a run off of Los Angeles' bullpen. 

Yet Kyle Hendricks will look to lift the Cubs back into this series. 

The righty has an exceptional playoff resume, which typically makes him a surefire option to boost this Chicago team. However, he was lit up for nine hits and four runs in just four innings in Game 5 against Washington. That is not normal for Hendricks, who entered the game with sick numbers, per MLB Network:

.@kylehendricks28's last four #Postseason starts = 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/7PE4ZGaiDD

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 12, 2017

Was his last start simply an anomaly? Perhaps, but he will have to take care of Justin Turner in order to shut down the Dodgers lineup, as the third baseman is turning in an MVP-type postseason performance.

He is batting .429 in October, hitting two homers and driving in 10 runs in the process. Need clutch hits? Turner is fresh off of a three-run walk-off shot to end Game 2, as he is hitting .375 in the NLCS. Per Sporting News' Ryan M. Spaeder, Turner is actually one of the best playoff hitters of all time:

Highest career #postseason OPS, minimum 90 plate appearances:

1. Lou Gehrig - 1.214
2. Babe Ruth - 1.214
3. Justin Turner - 1.115 pic.twitter.com/vrDDAC1PUu

— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) October 16, 2017

Turner is 2-for-7 lifetime against Hendricks, including a homer and three RBI. 

Chicago was pretty solid at home, 48-33, which was good for third-best in the NL. They have run into the league's top two road teams during the regular season, though, in Los Angeles and Washington. The Dodgers were 47-34 away from home in 2017, which could neutralize Chicago's home-field advantage.

There is something to be said about postseason experience, particularly since the Cubs have now played in the NLCS for three straight years. The Dodgers have been snakebitten in the playoffs, but this year just feels different.

Chicago is hanging on like never before, while Los Angeles is surging and finding ways to win games with offense and pitching. Until the Cubs can prove they can hit this postseason, it is hard to pick them over Darvish and the Dodgers. Expect a close one, but look for the road team to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Statistics are courtesy of MLB.com unless noted otherwise.

Turns out Yasiel Puig—the bat-licking, tongue-wagging, arm-flapping, electricity-generating, sensation-creating, Los Angeles Dodgers-igniting superstar-turned-bust-turned-superstar again—is just like you and me.

"My mom told me, 'You need to listen to people'," Puig told B/R during a recent, quiet conversation at his locker. "They want to help you."

Five years into his MLB career, finally, his ears are wide-open as his mouth and his mind is (mostly) in tune with that of the Dodgers.

When manager Dave Roberts and teammates reach out, Puig (mostly) reaches back.

The results have been stirring, right down to his drawing a leadoff, bottom-of-the-ninth walk before Justin Turner crushed the Chicago Cubs with a walk-off homer to give the Dodgers a 4-1 Game 2 win and a 2-0 advantage as this National League Championship Series heads back to Chicago.

Puig this season remained a citizen in good standing long enough to play in a career-high 152 games. And following the best all-around season of his career (28 homers, 74 RBI, consistent Gold Glove-caliber defense), he is absolutely crushing it in October.

He batted a scorching .455/.538/.727 to help the Dodgers sweep Arizona in the National League Division Series, then added a double, a homer and two more RBI in the first two games against the Cubs in the NLCS. He now has six RBI in six games this postseason after producing just five RBI in 27 postseason games entering this year. In leading the Dodgers into the NLCS, the way in which he battered the Diamondbacks may turn out to be his most lasting mark on this postseason.

He punctuated plate appearances with gyrating legs like something out of a Michael Jackson video and turned a Game 1 triple into an indelible moment the Dodgers can market from here to eternity: After sliding safely headfirst into the bag, he remained on the ground long enough to soak in the deafening Dodger Stadium roar while staring straight ahead into the Dodgers dugout, sticking out his tongue, lizard-like, and shimmying it back and forth.

The place went nuts.

"That's the first time I've seen that one," pitcher Ross Stripling told B/R, chuckling. "I'm anxious to find out who taught it to him.

"We were saying, next year's Yasiel Puig bobblehead, it's gotta be one where his head is still and his tongue is the only thing that moves."

Said Dodgers starter Alex Wood: "He's the best. He does some dumb things sometimes, but we love him."

How Puig worked his way from exile back into relevance is a tale that covers most of the past 24 months, a change in managers, ongoing English lessons, a timeout in Triple-A Oklahoma City last summer and an analytics-heavy Dodgers front office that goes beyond numbers to understand the human condition.

Since Puig's debut in 2013, the Dodgers have exercised Herculean doses of patience with him and, even at that, Puig consistently pushed both his teammates and the front office to the brink. Early on, he earned the nickname "Wild Horse."

But by Andrew Friedman's second season as the club's president of baseball operations in 2016, however, he was beginning to understand something essential: Baseball, Friedman told B/R in the spring of 2016, was failing its Cuban players.

Maybe the way to do things, Friedman argued, wasn't to simply bring in players from other countries and assume they would understand the American way, or force them to understand it. No, there had to be a better way. And that way was better, more personalized communication.

That's where the hiring of Roberts, who replaced Don Mattingly, came in. There were many reasons why Roberts was a great match in Los Angeles, his communication skills chief among them. Roberts checks in with each of his players daily, and maybe none of these individual mini-meetings is as important as those with Puig, whose relationship with Mattingly was, according to B/R sources, broken beyond repair.

Maybe Puig saw something in Roberts. Perhaps Roberts, who was hired in 2016 and was named NL Manager of the Year last season, simply arrived at the right time. Whatever the case, the Japanese-born manager has been able to reach the Cuban-born prodigy in a way that others haven't.

What has impressed Roberts most this year, the manager told B/R, is Puig's "understanding that when things don't go perfect, he's holding himself accountable. And he holds himself to a higher standard, and the way he plays the game on a daily basis reflects that."

Not that the Los Angeles education of Yasiel Puig was without its issues in the Roberts era. Effectively, Puig drained the club of most of its extra reservoir of patience by late last summer with nagging hamstring injuries and sluggish performances. Friedman and Co. tried hard to trade him at the deadline last July 31 and, when those attempts failed, they shipped him to Triple-A Oklahoma City last Aug. 4. He was hitting .260 with just seven homers in 81 games at the time.

It was then that the words from Puig's mother—You need to listen to people! They want to help you!—really, finally began to sink in.

"The last couple of seasons, I don't want to listen to nobody," Puig told B/R. "I only wanted to listen to myself.

"This year is a new year. I'm listening more to the coaches. I'm listening to Dave Roberts and guys like Adrian Gonzalez, who are trying to help me. That's the reason I'm having a better year than the last two years."

Being shipped out got his attention.

"Last year, when the team put me in Oklahoma City for a couple of months … I never listened to nobody, but when I go down there and hang out with the players in the minor leagues, the coaches, they helped me a lot," Puig said. "That's the reason I came back and I do my best.

"Bad things happened last year. And I don't want these things to happen again."

The Dodgers did not and could not know how Puig would react, and there was a thought that perhaps he would never see Dodger Stadium again. After their attempts to deal him fizzled last summer, many expected them to push again for a trade over the winter.

It was a wakeup call, Roberts said of Puig's demotion to Oklahoma City. "All the credit goes to him. We optioned him last year, and he made the most of the opportunity, learned from it, grew from it.

"Even from last year when we recalled him, he's been a different person. I think his care for his teammates and doing the right things is a priority now. And it's good to see him getting rewarded with a tremendous season."

Some of Puig's relationships are coming easier, too, as his English continues to get better and better. Through the Dodgers, he started language lessons shortly after he signed with them and worked extensively with a man named Tim Bravo, a teacher in Las Cruces, New Mexico. "He's the best," Puig raved.

He furthered Bravo's lessons and learned more English by watching movies, especially the Transformers and Fast and Furious series. He's nimble enough now to conduct some media interviews in English, which reveals his playful side even more.

His interplay with teammates, whether it's the daily give-and-take with Wood and others or social media moments with Justin Turner, can be highly entertaining. Roberts regularly kids him. Radio broadcaster Charley Steiner is fond of telling Puig he's going to knock the outfielder "into next week," and Puig feigns boxing.

"I'll be ready," Puig joked regarding Steiner's threats. "I need to [bob and weave]."

This is just a joke,because life is fun, and we should enjoy it,until our day https://t.co/2Z4MvX7fbz in Pittsburgh we had our own #puigmoon pic.twitter.com/zjizGXr5pL

— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) August 22, 2017

Said Roberts: "You know what? He's a very lovable guy. And now his true character and heart are starting to come through. Not only on the field with his play, but with people close to us."

Throughout the organization, the Dodgers are noticing.

"I do think going through some of the adversity he's gone through over the past couple of years has changed his outlook," Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi told B/R. "He has an appreciation for getting to play baseball for a living, and on a winning team."

Zaidi senses that Puig has taken pride in how many games he's played this year, and he thinks that during July and August Puig produced some of the "best at-bats of anybody on the team, and we've had some guys put up some good at-bats." Roberts said the same thing last week, noting that Puig's Game 2 at-bats were the best he'd seen, and added after Puig walked three times in Sunday's NLCS Game 2 win over the Cubs that Puig is "as focused as I've ever seen him."

Now, the man who often has displayed a surly side, getting into spats with everyone from opponents to his own teammates, is the center of fun again in Dodger Stadium.

"This year everything is different," Puig said. "I come to the park and have fun with my teammates. This is my best year because it's not just about baseball. I'm talking with teammates, having fun with teammates, and that helps me feel better."

He hasn't just opened up to teammates. Zaidi noted how much time Puig has spent on community events, with kids, and how much the children of the team's coaches love hanging out with him.

I still don’t know why my bats are so slippery 😝😝😝😇 pic.twitter.com/uHVT2d9gke

— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) October 15, 2017

"There's a certain energy and spirit there," Zaidi said. "What's happened over the last couple of years has impacted the way he goes about his business, and he should be really proud of the results."

In the moment after Game 1 last weekend, he was quite proud of the attention his tongue was getting.

"I don't know why, I feel maybe ice cream in front of me or something like that," he quipped.

Roberts, chuckling, said it was "no surprise. … He's called the Wild Horse for a reason."

Roberts, in fact, has developed such a good relationship with Puig that when his mother comes around, she makes a point to say hello to him, too.

"She tells me, 'You better take care of my son,'" Roberts said. "And I do."

            

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs met in last year's National League Championship Series, it was easy to envision both rising powerhouses writing the first chapter of a rich postseason feud.

For all of MLB's volatility, they will once again battle for the NL pennant.

This time, however, the Dodgers wield home-field advantage and the larger title drought. After the Cubs and Dodgers respectively won 103 and 91 games last season, they entered this postseason with 92 and 104 victories.

The NL Central champions boast a healthy Kyle Schwarber, but the NL West conquerors welcome runaway NL Rookie of the Year favorite Cody Bellinger to the fold. Midseason acquisitions Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish also bolster each squad's rotation.

Will the Dodgers make their first Fall Classic since 1988, or will the Cubs become the first back-to-back NL pennant winner since the 2008-2009 Philadelphia Phillies? Let's break down their NLCS rematch after looking at the preliminary schedule and updated playoffs odds, courtesy of OddsShark. 

       

2017 NLCS Schedule: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. ET (at L.A.)

Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET (at L.A.)

Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. ET (at CHI)

Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 9 p.m. ET (at CHI)

Game 5*: Thursday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. ET (at CHI)

Game 6*: Saturday, Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. ET (at L.A.)

Game 7*: Sunday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET (at L.A)

All games will be televised on TBS. *= if necessary     

      

Updated Odds to Win World Series

Los Angeles Dodgers: 39-20

Houston Astros: 9-4

New York Yankees: 14-5

Chicago Cubs: 15-4     

          

Preview

For the second time this postseason, the Dodgers have watched a future opponent exhaust its starters to set up a showdown with the NL's elite club.

Using Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray in the NL Wild Card Game caused the Arizona Diamondbacks to open the National League Division Series with Taijuan Walker, who allowed four runs in the first inning. Zack Godley pitched five innings in relief, forcing Ray to start Game 2 two days after his relief outing.

Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester pitched a combined 7.2 innings in Game 4, which was delayed to Wednesday because of inclement weather. Quintana made a brief appearance in Thursday's Game 5, started by Kyle Hendricks.

So who's left for Saturday's NLCS opener?

Cubs manager Joe Maddon may have to counter a fully rested Clayton Kershaw with John Lackey, who did not pitch in the NLDS. Although the 38-year-old sports a career 3.27 ERA in the playoffs and has played for three different World Series champions, he surrendered a 4.59 ERA and 36 homers during the season.

Per CBS Chicago, team president Theo Epstein said Quintana remains under consideration because he threw just 12 pitches on Thursday.

"We'll talk to Q," Epstein said. "He's a candidate. It wasn't much more than a side (session) today. We'll see. If he's feeling good, he might be a candidate. We'll figure it out on the plane before we start drinking."

Maddon said during Friday night's press conference, per Sirius XM's Jim Bowden, that he is still deliberating his choice between Lackey and Quintana.

It won't matter if the Cubs don't start hitting. They scored nine of the series' 17 runs in Game 5, finishing with a .180/.285/.280 slash line. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo each went 4-for-20 with one walk, and the reigning NL MVP compiled 10 strikeouts.

Both squads ended the season with a .437 team slugging percentage, but the Dodgers posted an NL-best 3.38 ERA. Their lefty-heavy staff limited the high-powered Diamondbacks—fueled by right-handed superstars Paul Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez—to 10 runs in a three-game sweep despite Kershaw relinquishing four homers in Game 1.

Kershaw nevertheless gives Los Angeles an edge to commence the NLCS. As long as manager Dave Roberts doesn't overextend him again.

MLB.com's Mike Petriello detailed the ace's seventh-inning playoff woes after he yielded two blasts to Arizona during the problematic frame:

One last thing on this...

Kershaw, postseason career:

Innings 1-6: .203 BA, 3.31 ERA
Innings 7+: .425 BA, 18.25 ERA

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) October 8, 2017

Having followed a dominant season by allowing one run over three relief outings, Brandon Morrow provided the bridge to closer Kenley Jansen that Los Angeles missed during past playoff shortcomings. A deep rotation with Darvish, Rich Hill and Alex Wood also means Kershaw will not need to pitch on short rest.

Now the lineup must help. Last year, the Dodgers mustered 17 runs in a six-game series loss to the Cubs. Justin Turner holds a career 1.105 postseason OPS, but the Cubs contained him to one extra-base hit (a homer) in his only NLCS appearance.

Along with Turner, Yasiel Puig powered them past the Diamondbacks by reaching base seven times in 13 plate appearances. The 26-year-old unlocked his star upside after the All-Star break, when he batted .278/.374/.533.

A productive Puig will not be Chicago's friend.

      

Prediction

The Dodgers have improved since last year's encounter with help from a deeper pitching staff. The Cubs, meanwhile, have backtracked because of regressed pitching.

Arrieta and Lester can't absorb all the blame. After posting MLB's worst second-half walk rate (4.70 per nine innings), courtesy of FanGraphs, the bullpen's control problems persisted into the playoffs.

Carl Edwards Jr. relinquished four of the team's 25 NLDS walks in 2.1 innings. A reliable reliever during the season, he surrendered six runs and failed to record an out in each of his last two outings. At this rate, Maddon might need to eschew him entirely against Los Angeles.

That means Chicago will continue to tax closer Wade Davis, who yielded two hits and two walks in Game 5's seven-out save requiring 44 pitches. The same pitcher who did not cede a long ball in 2014 or 2016 watched Michael Taylor hit a go-ahead grand slam the previous day.

Superior pitching sends the Dodgers to the World Series, reversing last year's script with a six-game triumph. 

Stephen Strasburg didn't know if he would pitch Wednesday, but he and Michael A. Taylor saved the Washington Nationals' season.

Despite dealing with an apparent illness, the pitcher threw seven scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts while leading the Nationals to a 5-0 Game 4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Tuesday's rainout gave him an extra day to get back to full strength, and he made it count on another rainy night in Chicago.

Taylor then put the game away with an eighth-inning grand slam off Wade Davis.

The win ties the division series at 2-2 and sets up the all-important Game 5 on Thursday night with the Nationals trying to clinch at home.

Strasburg was the big story coming in due to the uncertainty of whether he would even start. Even after Game 4 was pushed back a day, the All-Star was reportedly too sick to pitch, leaving Tanner Roark to take the mound as he would have on Tuesday.

He eventually decided to pitch after being given anti-inflammatories and fluid IVs, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

The Nats starter responded with one of the best starts from anyone this postseason. Former pitcher Dallas Braden made a bold statement about the effort:

Strasburg “sniffles” game > jordan flu game. Don’t @ me

— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) October 11, 2017

There were no question marks once Strasburg got himself going:

https://twitter.com/DevanFink/status/918226526943969280

Strasburg has been unreal

— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) October 11, 2017

This is the Stephen Strasburg that was promised.

— Zachary D. Rymer (@zachrymer) October 11, 2017

He struck out three batters in three different innings, ending with a total of 12 strikeouts, and kept the Cubs scoreless through seven. 

The changeup was especially impressive throughout the start, which led to eight of those strikeouts, per Dan Cohen of WREX:

Touch Stephen Strasburg’s changeup. He dares ya. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/hIqgbKXzc5

— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2017

I'm not sure there's a single better pitch in baseball today than Stephen Strasburg's changeup. It moves like it's possessed.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 11, 2017

In two starts this series, Strasburg allowed zero earned runs in 14 innings with 22 Ks.

It was Cubs starter Jake Arrieta who wasn't sharp on the mound after dealing with hamstring issues, walking five batters in just four innings. He was fortunate to escape with just one unearned run allowed on a third-inning error by Addison Russell. 

The right-hander gave way to Jon Lester in the fifth inning, and the veteran did everything he could to keep the Cubs in the game. He was perfect through his first three innings and even picked a runner off in the eighth before leaving with another runner on first.

However, it unraveled from there as a pair of Carl Edwards Jr. walks loaded the bases for Taylor. The young outfielder took advantage of the opportunity with a two-out grand slam off Davis:

INSURANCE SLAM.#NLDS https://t.co/tHeozTFSMX

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 11, 2017

The big shot was certainly a surprise, especially considering the matchup:

In 24 previous postseason appearances as a reliever Wade Davis had never given up a HR. #Cubs #Nationals

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) October 11, 2017

Michael Taylor just hit a ball out the opposite way. On a cold, windy day. Against one of the best closers in the game. Attaboy, kid.

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) October 11, 2017

Although Davis entered with a 1-0 count, it was a game-changer not normally seen from the closer.

Washington's bullpen fared much better, keeping the Cubs at just three hits and zero runs for the game. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo combined to go 0-for-7 with a walk in the shutout loss.

The teams will now travel and play Game 5 without a day off, with the decisive battle set for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in Washington.

Game 1 starter Kyle Hendricks will likely get the ball for Chicago, while the Nationals will have Tanner Roark and Gio Gonzalez available, plus a lot of momentum.

Most people will never know the exhilaration of a major athletic achievement. Hell, the vast majority of the world won't even be able to say they failed miserably in a high-stakes, professional sporting environment. Pro athletes are statistical anomalies, human beings capable of so much more than we can dare to dream of—which is why we remain fascinated by the dual-sport athlete. It's hard enough to be elite at one discipline, let alone two.

Of the two-sport stars, Deion Sanders stands above them all. Unlike Bo Jackson and others, he did both on the same day.

On October 11, 1992, Sanders and the Atlanta Falcons played the Dolphins at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, and then he flew to Pittsburgh to be with the Atlanta Braves for their National League Championship Series game against the Pirates. It remains one of the most talked-about accomplishments in sports history, so when I got a chance to speak to Sanders, I had to ask him about 10/11/92.

"You're really on to something. You don't understand how brilliant you are," he says in his classically self-assured cadence. He's right about that.

Sanders tells me he's working on a documentary about the day in question, a film he promises will expose the "mistakes that were made by various people who will be named." The mistakes he's referring to are the ones that involved his flying all the way to Pittsburgh (first on a helicopter to the airport and then a private jet to Pennsylvania) and suiting up for Game 5 against the Pirates, but not playing a single inning of baseball.

As with any notable sports memory, the legend ends up superseding the reality. Ask a random person on the street, and chances are good they will assume Deion played in both games. "It's a huge misconception. A lot of people really got it wrong. A lot of prominent people with a microphone in their face, with a lot of power, really got it wrong," he says.

It clearly irks Sanders that he didn't get to step on the field at Three Rivers Stadium that night, as he admits much of his planned documentary will focus on who is responsible for his healthy scratch: "You have to ask yourself, 'Why?' There had to be something behind that." He won't say who because, master pitchman that he is, he's saving the reveal for his movie. "I won't disclose what was behind it, but it wasn't on my behalf," he says, shooting down the question in the classiest way possible.

Speculation abounds that then-Braves manager Bobby Cox was upset at Sanders for his decision to play both games that day, but attempts to reach Cox or other former Braves were unsuccessful.

The standard critique directed at Sanders by pundits at the time was that he wasn't taking either game seriously enough to pick one, especially considering the Braves had a chance to clinch the National League pennant that night. To this day, Sanders is adamant that he took his responsibilities to both teams seriously: "Both of them were important. Both games were important. It's a game. There's fans. There's teammates. There's family. Everything. Every time you compete, it's important."

His voice gets a bit sterner as he drags out the hard feelings he still has from 1992. In his mind, the Braves' playoff matchup wasn't any more important than an early-season Falcons game, but was it worth not playing in Game 5 just so he could be in Miami? "You have an obligation," he says. "Why wouldn't your obligation be worth it?"

Knowing that any attempts to get Deion to open up would be squashed as though my queries were one of the three tackles he made in the Falcons-Dolphins game, I asked him who was working on his film with him. Anyone notable?

"It's not like that. I'm not working with [Steven] Spielberg on it," he responds, slightly narrowing the field of potential directors. "It's gonna be something we'll be proud of." What Deion is most certainly proud of is his remarkable feat, even if it didn't include a crucial at-bat or a stolen base, which the Braves could have used in the 7-1 drubbing they suffered at the hands of Barry Bonds and company.

The Braves went on to win the series in dramatic fashion thanks to Sid Bream's iconic slide into home plate in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7. Sanders wouldn't try to do both again, though the Braves and Falcons would play the same day again during the World Series. Rather than travel to San Francisco to play the 49ers on Oct. 18, Sanders started Game 2 in left field in Atlanta.

Here's hoping Prime Time is planning to write and direct his documentary when that comes to fruition so he can do both one more time.

Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker announced Stephen Strasburg as his Game 1 starter for their National League Division Series matchup with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.    

Baker did not make a commitment for Games 2 and 3. Nationals ace Max Scherzer is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in a Sept. 30 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Scherzer had an MRI that showed no structural damage. 

"Showed exactly what we thought," Scherzer told reporters. "Nothing major. More of a tool to help know how we need to treat it. We have a pretty good idea of what we need to be able to do to get back out there. The good news thing about this is, I can walk and run around on this. It's not a major strain or anything, where it's debilitating. So I'm pretty upbeat and positive about going forward here."

It's possible Baker would have started Strasburg in Game 1 regardless of Scherzer's status. Strasburg has been arguably the best pitcher in the National League since the All-Star break. He's 6-1 with a 0.86 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 62.2 innings since the break. The righty has also failed to give up a run in six of his eight starts since returning from the disabled list Aug. 19.

Scherzer went 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA and 0.90 WHIP during the regular season and is considered among the favorites for the NL Cy Young Award. The Strasburg-Scherzer 1-2 punch gives the Nationals perhaps the best staff in baseball heading into the postseason, provided they are healthy.

Gio Gonzalez will start either Game 2 or 3, depending on Scherzer's status. 

It's going to be hard to top the first playoff game involving National League teams, but with four quality teams competing in the National League Divisional Series, there will be plenty of excitement. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks survived a 19-run thriller at Chase Field to advance to the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have home-field advantage in the NL. The Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals have been locked in to play each other for a week, and now we only have to wait until Saturday for the hype to switch to excitement on the diamond. 

The Dodgers appear to be the favorites to make it all the way to the World Series, but they're also playing with a ton of pressure and expectation on their shoulders, as are the Nationals. That could let the defending World Series champion Cubs or the wild-card Diamondbacks to ruin their respective seasons. 

Game 1	Friday, October 6	Cubs at Nationals	7:31 p.m. ET	TBS
Game 2	Saturday, October 7	Cubs at Nationals	5:38 p.m. ET	TBS
Game 3	Monday, October 9	Nationals at Cubs	TBD	TBS
Game 4 (if necessary)	Tuesday, October 10	Nationals at Cubs	TBD	TBS
Game 5 (if necessary	Thursday, October 12	Cubs at Nationals	TBD	TBS

Game 1	Friday, October 6	Diamondbacks at Dodgers	10:31 p.m. ET	TBS
Game 2	Saturday, October 7	Diamondbacks at Dodgers	9:08 p.m. ET	TBS
Game 3	Monday, October 9	Dodgers at Diamondbacks	TBD	TBS
Game 4	Tuesday, October 10	Dodgers at Diamondbacks	TBD	TBS
Game 5	Thursday, October 12	Diamondbacks at Dodgers	TBD	TBS

Odds to make World Series (via Oddsshark) 

Los Angeles Dodgers: +333

Washington Nationals: +700

Chicago Cubs: +800

Arizona Diamondbacks: +1400

       

Series Preview: Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals

The series that opens in Washington, D.C. on Friday pits the defending champions against a team looking to finally live up to expectations in the postseason. 

The Chicago Cubs, who ended their 108-year curse a year ago with a magical postseason run, come into the NLDS with less pressure than 2016. They'll hope Kyle Hendricks gets them off to a great start at Nationals Park.

The Cubs released their starting rotation up to Game 4 via their official Twitter account: 

Your #Cubs NLDS Game 1 starter: @kylehendricks28

Game 2: @JLester34
Game 3: @jose_quintana24
Game 4 (if necessary): @JArrieta34 pic.twitter.com/txCQ7DawyJ

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 4, 2017

On the other hand, the Nationals have not named their rotation for the entire series.

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reported that general manager Mike Rizzo expects the team to name the Game 1 starter at the least by Thursday, with Stephen Strasburg expected to get the ball for Friday's opener: 

Rizzo said he expects Nats to name Game 1 starter Thursday, and maybe 1-3. No update on Scherzer, who has not thrown yet.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) October 4, 2017

Sense continues to be Strasburg will pitch Game 1. Rizzo called it "not quite confirmed" when asked directly. So that's where we are.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) October 4, 2017

One of the biggest spotlights in the series will be focused on the bullpen, an area of the roster the Nationals improved immensely throughout the season with the additions of Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler. The Cubs have a strong relief unit of their own led by closer Wade Davis. 

If either offense is going to get anything going at the plate, it will most likely occur during the first five or six innings before the bullpens enter to shut down the games. While it may seem like every game in this series will be a pitching duel, that was not the case during the regular-season meetings between the two teams. 

During the most recent three-game series at Wrigley Field, the Cubs and Nationals combined for 30 runs, and the four-game series at the end of June at Nationals Park featured a combined 37 runs. Both teams have improved since their last regular-season meeting, but it feels like whoever has the lead entering the seventh inning should be able to close out the game. 

Series Prediction: Cubs over Nationals in 5.  

         

Series Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers appear to be set up for a deep run in the postseason thanks to the moves they made at the trade deadline and the development of their farm system over the last few years. It comes as no surprise that Clayton Kershaw will start Game 1, while Rich Hill and Yu Darvish are set for Games 2 and 3, per Dodger Insider on Twitter: 

Roberts confirms Rich Hill will pitch Game 2, Darvish Game 3, as expected.

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) October 4, 2017

With plenty of rest in hand and a tremendous rotation, the Dodgers could easily take the first two games of the NLDS from the Diamondbacks, but their divisional foe enters Friday with a boatload of momentum.

The Diamondbacks used their speed and the gaps in the outfield at Chase Field to hit four triples in their 11-8 win over the Colorado Rockies. They became the third team in postseason history to achieve the feat, per ESPN Stats and Info on Twitter: 

Diamondbacks: 3rd team in MLB history to record 4 triples in a postseason game.

They have never had 4 triples in a regular-season game. pic.twitter.com/mWIOO7BzFu

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 5, 2017

One of the biggest concerns for the Diamondbacks will the stability of the bullpen, with the shaky-at-times Fernando Rodney in the closer role and the unknown status of Zack Greinke, who might be used earlier than expected after a short outing on Wednesday night. 

The Diamondbacks certainly have the bats to keep pace with the Dodgers with a lineup led by Paul Goldschmidt, but holding a lead or playing catch up against the Dodgers pitching staff will be a tough task. 

Series Prediction: Dodgers over Diamondbacks in 4.

       

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

Two teams familiar with each other will square off in the National League Wild Card Game Wednesday when the Arizona Diamondbacks (93-69) host the Colorado Rockies (87-75) as large home favorites.

The Diamondbacks and Rockies finished second and third, respectively, in the National League West, and the winner will face the division champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Betting line: The Diamondbacks opened as -166 favorites (wager $166 to win $100); the total is at 8.5 runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

Why the Rockies can pay on the MLB lines

Colorado recently split a four-game set played at Arizona in the first half of September, taking the first two to end a five-game skid in the series. The Rockies edged the Milwaukee Brewers by one game for the second NL wild-card spot and made the postseason despite dropping two of three to the Dodgers last weekend.

Young righty Jon Gray (10-4, 3.67 ERA) went 2-1 in three starts versus the Diamondbacks this season with a 3.50 ERA, including a perfect 2-0 mark at Chase Field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrB1msLUP_o

Why the Diamondbacks can pay on the MLB lines

Arizona had the best record of any Wild Card in either league, tied with the Boston Red Sox and one game better than the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs, who won the NL Central for the second year in a row.

The Diamondbacks also have a viable ace in Zack Greinke (17-7, 3.20), and he has a definite experience advantage over Gray. Like Gray, Greinke was 2-1 against his opponent but with a slightly lower 3.41 ERA in five starts. The big difference with Greinke though has been his dominance at home this season as he went 13-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 18 outings at Chase.

Smart betting pick

Colorado was just an average road team this year at 41-40 while Arizona went 52-29 at home during the regular season. Only Los Angeles posted more home wins with 57, and that will likely be the deciding factor.

Gray was 5-3 in 12 road starts with a 4.06 ERA, and opposing batters hit .281 against him. Even though he went 2-0 at Chase, Greinke's numbers there are impossible to ignore. The Diamondbacks also won 11 of the 19 meetings in 2017, so ride with them on the MLB lines.

MLB betting trends

The total has gone under in 11 of Colorado's last 13 games.

The total has gone under in six of Colorado's last seven games on the road.

Arizona is 7-2 SU in its last nine games when playing Colorado.

All MLB odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.

The Los Angeles Dodgers (45-26) will look to extend their winning streak to five games Tuesday when they host the New York Mets (31-38) in the second of four games at Chavez Ravine as big home favorites.

The Dodgers pulled within a half-game of the Colorado Rockies for first place in the National League West with a 10-6 win over the Mets in the series opener Monday.

        

Betting line: The Dodgers opened as -197 favorites (wager $197 to win $100); the total is at 8.5 runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 6.6-3.8, Dodgers (MLB picks on every game)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42X032LsmdU

Why the Mets can pay on the MLB lines

New York managed to hit four home runs against Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw yet still lost for the fourth time in five meetings to start the series.

Prior to that, however, the Mets had won seven of the previous 10 meetings between the teams, including their five-game series victory in the 2015 NL Division Series.

On Tuesday, they will give the ball to 23-year-old Robert Gsellman (5-4, 5.50 ERA), who got pounded by the Washington Nationals in his last start, surrendering seven runs in five innings.

In his previous three outings, however, he had allowed just three earned runs and 13 hits combined over 19 innings, with New York winning all of them.

         

Why the Dodgers can pay on the MLB lines

Los Angeles has now won 10 of 11 overall and remains a solid favorite to take the division title for the fifth straight year despite sitting behind Colorado for much of the season so far.

The Dodgers will have the superior starting pitcher on the mound opposite Gsellman in Brandon McCarthy (5-3, 3.14), justifying them as big chalk in this spot.

McCarthy has given up two runs or less in each of his past five starts, and he also owns a 3-1 mark and 2.83 ERA in six games at Dodger Stadium this season.

          

Smart betting pick

The Mets have dropped five of seven since putting together a four-game winning streak, and they are on the first stop during a 10-game road trip.

They have surprisingly been a better team away from home this year, but that does not say a lot considering they are still under .500 at 14-15.

Los Angeles has one of the best home-field advantages at 26-10, with three of the last four wins decided by two runs or more.

Look for the Dodgers to continue their winning streak and do so in impressive fashion again while paying out at online gambling sites.

        

MLB betting trends

New York is 1-4 in its last five games.

The total has gone over in six of New York's last seven games.

The total has gone over in nine of Los Angeles' last 10 games.

            

All MLB lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.