MLB

Major League Baseball has released its full 2013 postseason schedule.

According to Mark Newman of MLB.com, the Wild Card games will be Oct. 2. The National League Divisional Series will begin the next day (Oct. 3), while the ALDS will begin Oct. 4.

Nearly five years ago, the character Mac from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia wrote a "love" letter to his favorite Phillies player, Chase Utley, asking if the two could "have a catch." He made sure to compliment Utley's hair and ask about the second baseman's relationship with his father while he was at it.

Now, given that Utley is really busy playing a lot of baseball for the Phillies, Mac has only just now gotten his response.

According to Mark Hale of the New York Post, the Yankees have sent representatives to Japan to scout Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.

The Washington Nationals are infamous for protecting Stephen Strasburg during the 2012 season, setting an innings limit on him.

While they were careful with Strasburg, it seems the opposite is true for their young offensive star, Bryce Harper.

Don't go reaching for the TV Guide or unloading your remaining Los Angeles Angels tickets to the closest person willing to take them just yet. The final month of the Angels' season has plenty of opportunity to provide must-see TV, with interesting scenarios, mini drama and difficult decision-making.

You just have to know what is what. Think of it as the final act: the beginning of the end, the end of the end, and the beginning of the new beginning.

It's all there, wrapped up in one, final month.

The 2013 Detroit Tigers are a month away from postseason baseball, an excellent bet to repeat as American League champions and a marquee attraction for Major League Baseball's broadcasting plan down the stretch of the season.

Part of that allure: Star power.

From Justin Verlander to Prince Fielder to Torii Hunter, the current version of the Detroit Tigers are one of the most recognizable groups in recent memory.

The deeper we get into the regular season, the harder it becomes for players to elevate their games.

Not only do months of wear and tear begin to take their toll on a player's body, but for those players who find themselves on teams that are out of contention for a playoff spot, the mental aspect of the game begins to wear on them as well.

Detroit's Austin Jackson stole his seventh base of the season against the Red Sox on Monday and decided to make lemonade out of lemons after tripping on the bag by getting a workout in.

Jackson's stolen base helped the Tigers notch a 3-0 victory. 

GIF courtesy of Cut4.

A month that began with the A's scuffling and ultimately losing their lead in the American League West ended with a 5-1 flourish that enabled the team to record its ninth straight winning month at 14-13. And don't be fooled, that record is indicative of how the A's played in the month of August: up and down and all around. 

Major League Baseball has a scheduling problem that shouldn't be an issue because the league holds all the power when it comes to deciding which teams will play each other and when. 

No one is denying that making a schedule of 162 games for 30 different teams is difficult and will lead to some late-season matchups that, frankly, are lacking in excitement or enthusiasm. That's understandable since we know not every team will be competing for a playoff spot.