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After 162 games, the 2014 MLB regular season is finally in the books, which means it’s time for the playoffs. Before the start of the National League Divisional Series and the American League Divisional Series begin, four Wildcard teams will play each other on Tuesday and Wednesday, to determine which teams move on to their respective division series.
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In the American League, the Oakland Athletics will play the Kansas City Royals, who are making the playoffs for the first time since 1985, when they won the World Series.
Oakland Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, September 30, 8:07 PM. TBS.
The Oakland A’s made some trades during the season to solidify their starting rotation, and help them compete with teams like the Detroit Tigers in the playoffs, but will have to get past the Royals in Kansas City first.
Pitching Matchups
The A’s will go with Jon Lester as their starter in this game, while the Royals will go with James Shields.
Lester finished the season with a 16-11 record, and had a 2.46 ERA. He is 6-4 since he was traded to the A’s from Boston, but has been very sharp lately, and has allowed only 4 runs in his last three games.
James Shields has a 14-8 regular season record, with a 3.21 ERA and 180 strikeouts. Kansas City has won four of his last five starts, and are confident he can help them get the win against Oakland.
Oakland has made it to the playoffs three years in a row, and know what to expect on the road against Kansas City, they scored the 4th most runs in baseball this season, and they should be able to get some runs off Shields.
Kansas City has to avoid getting distracted by the fact that they are in the playoffs for the first time in 29 years, and they need to find a way to score runs on the A’s, whose pitching staff has the 4th best ERA in baseball.
Personal Pick: The A’s have a very good pitching rotation, and will be able to stifle Kansas City’s offense, and get the win.
In the National league, the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants are the two Wildcard teams, and will play each other on Wednesday, for a chance to play the Washington Nationals in the NLDS.
San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, October 1, 8:07 PM. ET. ESPN.
The Giants had a big lead in the NL West earlier in the season, but couldn’t hold off the Los Angeles Dodgers, who turned things around after a slow start to the season, and won the division.
The Pirates started the season slowly, but eventually turned things around to make it to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since they made three straight appearances from 1990-1992.
Pitching Matchups
The San Francisco Giants will send Madison Bumgarner to the mound, while the Pittsburgh Pirates will counter with Edinson Volquez.
Madison Bumgarner finished the season with an 18-10 record, with a 2.98 ERA. He also had 219 strikeouts, with 43 walks, and was the best pitcher for the Giants this season. Bumgarner won 5 of his last 7 starts, and the Giants won 6 of the last seven games he started, so they are very confident with him on the mound to start the playoffs.
Edinson Volquez led the Pirates with 13 wins this season, and was also the team leader with a 3.04 ERA. Volquez has not lost a decision since July 21, which is very impressive, but the Pirates have won only 2 of his last 5 starts.
The last time the Giants were in the playoffs, they won the World Series against the Texas Rangers, and they will try to do the same thing this year, as long as they can get past the pirates. They will need to rely on their offense and playoff experience to get past the Pirates, who have struggled lately.
The Pirates lost in game 5 of the NLDS last season, which was a disappointing end to their best season in 21 years, but they have gained some experience from the disappointment, and hope it will help them when they face the Giants.
Personal Pick: The Giants turn up their intensity when they get into the playoffs, and will be too much for the Pirates.
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