MLB

If the Oakland Athletics are able to beat the Kansas City Royals and advance to the American League Division Series, they may have to proceed without catcher Geovany Soto.

The 31-year-old veteran, who was acquired by the A's in August, was forced from Tuesday night's Wild Card Game with a thumb injury, per Fox Sports' MLB Twitter feed:

Oakland Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss hit a two-run home run during the first inning of the American League Wild Card Game against the Kansas City Royals.

Moss wasn't done with just one. He went deep again, this time a three-run shot in the sixth inning to give Oakland a 5-3 lead. 

[TBS, Vine]

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There might not be a better opening-round series in the MLB playoffs than the St. Louis Cardinals against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While all eyes will be on the marquee players like Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner in Wednesday's National League Wild Card Game at PNC Park, there are a few players who may steal the spotlight and have huge games to help their team advance into the division series. 

One of them is Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison.

With two stud pitchers on the mound in Jon Lester for the Oakland A’s and James Shields for the Kansas City Royals in the American League Wild Card Game, it can be expected that runs will come at a premium for either side on Tuesday in Kansas City.

Unfortunately for both teams, that has already been the theme for quite some time.

One thing that defines Major League Baseball's postseason is the unpredictable nature of the short series. Even though the regular season is built on three- and four-game series, it's harder to pin down what happens now because the separation between the best and worst teams is minimal. 

After logging 2,001 regular-season games, Oakland Athletics designated hitter Adam Dunn is finally set to make the first postseason appearance of his career in Tuesday's American League wild-card game against the Kansas City Royals. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Dunn will no longer sit atop the list for most games without a playoff appearance among active players.

Tuesday's American League Wild Card Game will feature two extremely different teams as the Kansas City Royals host the Oakland Athletics.

Both teams will be backed by excellent starting pitchers, with "Big Game" James Shields going for KC and former Boston Red Sox star Jon Lester taking the hill for Oakland.

Aside from that, though, each club will rely on a unique set of strengths in order to move on and face the Los Angeles Angels in the AL Divisional Series.

New York Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran underwent surgery to repair an elbow injury that limited him to 109 games in 2014. 

The Yankees announced the news:

Beltran's first season as a member of the Yankees was a huge disappointment. The 37-year-old hit .233/.301/.402 in 109 games. His recovery timetable means he should be ready for spring training in February, barring any setbacks.