2013 MLB Playoffs

If St. Louis Cardinals fans partied it up on Thursday night in celebration, it’s likely that on Friday night they’re hitting the bottle.

What happened at Busch Stadium Friday afternoon was the polar opposite of Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Boston Red Sox rolled over the Tampa Bay Rays to kick off the American League divisional round with a bang on Friday.

Game 1 was a nightmare for the Rays, as they were battered, 12-2, behind 14 hits by the Red Sox and sloppy defensive play. They posted a grand total of four hits against Jon Lester and Co. while allowing seven different Red Sox players to register at least one RBI.

The Tigers traveled to Oakland to take on the A's in Game 1 of this ALDS matchup. The A's sent Bartolo Colon the hill with Max Scherzer on the bump for the Tigers.

The Tigers got to Colon early tonight, striking for three runs in the top half of the first inning. Colon has settled in since then, but three runs could be enough for Max Scherzer and the Tigers.

The Boston Red Sox took advantage of some defensive miscues by the Tampa Bay Rays to grab an early ALDS lead with a dominant 12-2 win at Fenway Park on Friday afternoon. 

Rays youngster Matt Moore was cruising to start Game 1, giving up zero hits the first time through Boston's formidable lineup. After getting solo home runs from Sean Rodriguez and Ben Zobrist, Moore carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning. 

How a player performs when the games matter most could have an affect on his overall value, which is of greater importance to those who are eligible for free agency at season's end. 

While a majority of these players will not stand out in a good or bad way, there are a handful of them who will. As a result, the price tag could rise or fall, at least slightly. A pair of 2012 postseason stars, Marco Scutaro and Anibal Sanchez, each cashed in after boosting their value greatly with strong playoff performances. 

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton is only 23 years old and has just 13 games of MLB experience under his belt.

In spite of that, manager Dusty Baker should utilize the youngster as much as possible in Tuesday evening's National League Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While this would normally sound like a rather reckless strategy considering Hamilton's lack of proven ability at pro baseball's highest level, the matchup and situation make a strong case for Hamilton to play a lot.

Bring on the playoffs.

With a memorable baseball season in the books, eight teams still have dreams of World Series glory to chase, and the parity in this year's postseason is impressive. Just seven wins separates these eight teams, and just five wins separates the particularly tight American League. 

Let's take a closer look at how the wild card and divisional rounds will play out.

Wild Card Round

The 2013 MLB playoffs begin on Tuesday night in the National League with the Cincinnati Reds going to PNC Park to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first Wild Card Game at 8:07 p.m. ET on TBS.

The month-long journey to become World Series champions begins Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates will host the rival Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card Game. The winner advances to a best-of-five National League Divisional Series while the loser goes home.

The action continues on Wednesday with the American League Wild Card Game, which will pit the Tampa Bay Rays up against the Cleveland Indians.

Four weeks later, a champion will be crowned. 

The Tampa Bay Rays will travel to take on the Cleveland Indians in the 2013 American League Wildcard Game on October 2.

While both teams are evenly matched in many ways, Tampa Bay's pitching—both their overall rotation and bullpen—will prove to be the difference in the one-game showdown.