2013 MLB Playoffs

After a 28-game turnaround from 2012, 97 victories and an American League East title, the Boston Red Sox have earned home-field advantage throughout the postseason and the right to sit back and watch Tampa Bay and Cleveland battle for the right to arrive at Fenway Park for the ALDS on Friday.

The Tampa Bay Rays have a tough road ahead.

After 162 games, the Rays finished the season tied with the Texas Rangers for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. A tiebreaker Game 163 was required to answer the question of whether the Rays would even make the postseason in 2013.

Monday night the Rays answered the question by defeating the Rangers 5-2.

The road will only get tougher for the team that has not been home since September 23.

The 2013 MLB playoff schedule became clearer when the Tampa Bay Rays topped the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Monday evening in a tiebreaker game, earning a spot in the official American League Wild Card Game.

Joe Maddon's bunch will be on the road again in traveling to Progressive Field to take on the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday in another win-or-go-home scenario.

The 2013 MLB postseason gets underway on Tuesday night, with the Cincinnati Reds facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card Round. The winner advances to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Divisional Series.

With teams allowed to change their rosters following this one-game playoff, both rosters will likely be heavy on position players and thin on pitchers.

The Tampa Bay Rays have picked a horrible time to hit a snag. The team came into its final series against the Toronto Blue Jays needing to win just one game to ensure a berth in the AL Wild Card Game.

After dropping the first two games of this all-important series, the Rays have to win on Sunday to have a shot at playing in the AL Wild Card Game. They are now 90-71 and tied for the second wild-card spot with the Texas Rangers.

With one day remaining in the 2013 Major League Baseball regular season, one race is undecided. Heading into play on Sunday, the Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers all control their respective destinies on the path to an American League Division Series date with the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park late next week.

Even if a team loses in the division series, it was worth it just to make it to the MLB postseason.

That's what four teams are going to be saying in a couple of weeks after they're bounced out of the playoffs in the opening series.

Since it's decided over five games rather than seven, the division series offers a much greater chance of seeing the better teams making quick exits.

There's the slightest of chills creeping into the air, football is once again dominating Sundays and, at least in a few American League cities, the tension of a Wild Card race inserts itself into everyday living. 

The MLB postseason is nearly upon us, folks.

The 2013 MLB postseason kicks off this coming Tuesday with the NL Wild Card Game, with the AL Wild Card Game the following day before getting into full swing on Thursday.

The AL wild-card picture has yet to be sorted out, and there could still be some movement as far as seeding is concerned in each league, but for the most part the postseason picture has already taken shape.

As such, here is a look at my complete predictions for the 2013 MLB playoffs from the Wild Card Round all the way through the World Series.

A 7-0 rout of the Chicago Cubs on Friday night assured the St. Louis Cardinals of an NL Central title, their first since 2009.

Despite dominating for most of the regular season, they face a whole new set of challenges in their pursuit of the 2013 World Series Championship.

Here are three reasons why St. Louis may succumb to an early playoff exit.