Opinion

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.

It took a collapse aided by chicken and beer, two managerial changes, one blockbuster trade involving a couple hundred million dollars in contracts and an offseason of signing free agents known as much for their character as their play, but the Boston Red Sox made a statement in their first playoff game since 2009. 

What Gerrit Cole did Friday afternoon in Game 2 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals is what every organization dreams of from a No. 1 overall draft pick.

Congratulations, Atlanta Braves! You just won 96 regular-season games, won the National League East by 10 games and are in the postseason for the third time in four years. 

As a reward for all that hard work from April through September, you get to face Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the first two games of the National League Division Series starting on Thursday night. 

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.

Thanks to this bit of clutch hitting, the Milwaukee Brewers reached a League Championship Series for the first time since 1982. With his up-the-middle single, Nyjer Morgan helped propel Milwaukee to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks to earn a berth in the 2011 NLCS. 

Dustin Pedroia and the rest of the Boston Red Sox head into the MLB postseason as one of the hottest teams around. Win or lose, the star second baseman will have the support of wife Kelli and his wonderful family. 

The Detroit Tigers have set their playoff rotation, and according to Mike Axisa of CBS Sports, Max Scherzer is going to get the ball in Game 1.

Amid a bevy of young stars and Cinderella hopefuls, a familiar beard emerges in the MLB postseason. 

You either love him or hate him, but you certainly can't take your eyes off Brian Wilson or his beard that continues to build as big a legacy as the man hidden beneath it.