Baseball

The New York Mets are one win away from advancing to World Series for the first time since 2000, and in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series the squad will be calling on yet another rising ace.

After the trio of Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom hammered the Chicago Cubs in the first three games of the set, Steven Matz will be looking to slam the door on the NL wild-card winners.

With the season on the line, the Cubs will call on Jason Hammel, who didn't even make it through the fourth frame in his lone outing during the NL Division Series.

For the perfect postseason run, each team has its necessary list of ingredients. Compiling a lineup fit for the postseason is an ongoing process—one in which each team tries to find the right concoction.

With four teams left in the Major League Baseball playoffs, it seems no other team has found a more ideal mix of pitching, hitting and baserunning than the New York Mets.

The New York Mets took a 3-0 National League Championship Series lead and moved to within one win of their first World Series appearance since 2000 with Tuesday night's 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The San Diego Padres spent big money last offseason to acquire legitimate talent, but, after a wildly disappointing season, it's clear the team was and still is missing a large piece.

That piece is leadership.

It was also clear at the beginning of the season that manager Bud Black was in over his head with his new group of players. Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and other big-name acquisitions failed to produce early, and Black suffered for it. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ postseason run ended in the National League Division Series against the New York Mets, and catcher Yasmani Grandal will reportedly undergo left shoulder surgery with an eye on returning to health next season. 

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Seeing the season recently end, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner continues to deal with a left knee injury. 

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Turner to Have Surgery

Tuesday, Oct. 20

The Dodgers announced on Tuesday that Turner will be having arthroscopic surgery on Thursday to "clean up loose bodies" in his left knee.     

The American League Championship Series, as advertised, has showcased a potent, high-scoring offense. The surprise? It's been the Kansas City Royals, not the Toronto Blue Jays, who've done the bulk of the mashing.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals combined for 19 runs in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday. The Royals did all the slugging on their own in Tuesday's Game 4, a dominant 14-2 victory that gave them a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Kansas City is now one win away from its second consecutive World Series appearance.

FINAL SCORE: Mets 5 - 2 Cubs

The New York Mets moved one win away from a trip to the World Series with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.

The Mets wasted little time in getting on the board in the top of the first. Though Curtis Granderson was caught stealing after reaching on an error, David Wright followed with a single and scored on an RBI double from Yoenis Cespedes.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has suffered a right elbow injury. 

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