VIDEO: Major League Baseball Playoff Update, Cubs, Dodgers, Indians Blue Jays Lead Series’

Red Sox Big Papi Needs Win to extend career

ABOVE VIDEO: The Toronto Blue Jays hit four home runs to take a 2-0 lead over A.L. favorite, the Texas Rangers on Friday.

(MLB.com) – The MLB postseason is in full swing, here is a quick look at what happened in the last game of each series and what’s up next. 

Toronto Vs. Texas (Toronto leads 2-0)

Last Game: Talk about a 1-2-3 punch for the Toronto Blue Jays in these playoffs. The wild-card Blue Jays have rediscovered their power stroke in October, and are going home with a chance to sweep the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series after a 5-3 win Friday.

Edwin Encarnacion capped a three-homer burst in the fifth inning off Yu Darvish, and Toronto won on a dreary, misty afternoon for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five matchup.  One important reminder, though: Last fall, Toronto lost the first two games of the ALDS at home against Texas, then rallied to win the series.

Next: The Jays can sweep the Rangers today at home in Toronto. One of the two losses this season by RHP Aaron Sanchez, the AL ERA leader at 3.00, was to Texas. He gave up six runs, matching his season high, and was the loser in that May 15 game with the bench-clearing brawl after Toronto star Jose Bautista was punched by Rougned Odor.

Boston Vs. Cleveland (Cleveland leads 2-0)

Last Game:  Any October nerves that may have existed for this upstart Indians squad appear to have calmed and disappeared. With ace Corey Kluber on the hill, and a series lead in hand, Cleveland settled in and pieced together a workmanlike win over the Red Sox on Friday night at a raucous Progressive Field.

With their 6-0 victory in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, the Indians put the pressure on the Red Sox, as this best-of-five heads to Fenway Park with the Tribe up two games to none. Kluber performed like a former Cy Young Award winner, while David Price’s old postseason woes persisted.

Next: David Ortiz could play for the final time in his big league career when the Red Sox face Cleveland at Fenway Park in Game 3 of the AL Division Series. The Indians lead 2-0 in the best-of-five matchup and are trying for a sweep. The 40-year-old Ortiz plans to retire after the season. Big Papi hit .315 with 38 home runs, 48 doubles and 127 RBI this season, but is 1 for 8 so far in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Vs. Washington (LA leads 1-0)

Last: Game 2 was rained out on Saturday but if you haven’t followed the Dodgers closely this year, the way they won Game 1 of the National League Division Series Friday night against the Nationals is pretty much how they won the National League West.

They overcame a short outing by their starter, who happened to be Clayton Kershaw, slugged a couple of home runs off a tough right-handed starter, 20-game winner Max Scherzer, and rode four shutdown innings from the bullpen to hang on for a 4-3 win over the Nationals.

Next: The Dodgers and Washington will meet at Nationals Park in Game 2 of the NL Division Series, then fly off to Los Angeles for Game 3 Monday. A rainout on Saturday took away the travel day for the cross-country trip. LA leads 1-0, with Rich Hill (12-5, 2.12 ERA) starting against Tanner Roark (16-10, 2.83).

San Francisco Vs. Chicago Cubs (Chicago leads 2-0)

Last: To beat the Giants, all the Cubs needed was their pitchers to hit. Thanks to Kyle Hendricks and Travis Wood, Chicago is now one win away from advancing to the National League Championship Series for the second straight year.

Hendricks, the Major Leagues’ ERA leader, smacked a two-run single and Wood added a solo home run to lift the Cubs to a 5-2 victory over the Giants on Saturday night in Game 2 of the NL Division Series at Wrigley Field.

Next: San Francisco will return home to AT&T Park, where it will put its nine-game winning streak in postseason elimination games on the line in Monday’s Game 3. The Giants have the ideal pitcher scheduled to work, as postseason hero Madison Bumgarner will take the ball for the 6:30 p.m. PT start, live on FS1.

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