The Cardinals and Dodgers have traveled from Los Angeles to St. Louis for Game 3 of the National League Division Series (9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1), set for Monday night at Busch Stadium. Here is a breakdown of the starting lineups.

James Shields will start Game 1 of the American League Championship Series for the Royals on Friday at 7:07 p.m. CT (watch on TBS). Probably.

Nationals manager Matt Williams decided not to start slugger Ryan Zimmerman and catcher Jose Lobaton in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Giants on Monday.

Taijuan Walker is scheduled to pitch the opening game of the Arizona Fall League season on Tuesday for the Surprise Saguaros as the young Mariners right-hander gets some extra work in after missing the first half of 2014 with shoulder problems.

After six historic relief innings, a red-eye plane trip home and a mandatory day off Sunday with the rest of his Giants teammates, Yusmeiro Petit arrived at work Monday ready to do his thing. That is, he showed up ready to pitch, as always.

The O’s, fresh off a sweep of the Detroit Tigers, watched the Royals do the same to an Angels club that had the best regular-season record in baseball. So, what can be expected in the series? If early October is any indication, it’s impossible to predict postseason baseball. Still, there are some questions that can be answered right now.

When Twins general manager Terry Ryan described his ideal candidate to replace Ron Gardenhire as manager, he left the door open on bringing in a fresh voice from outside of the organization. But he also hinted that finding a manager from within the organization would be a preference.

The Orioles and Royals in the American League Championship Series should be a beautiful contrast of styles. The Orioles led the Majors in homers, the Royals ranked last. The Royals led the Majors in steals, the Orioles ranked last. To win, the O’s will need to take advantage of their unique strengths while taking Kansas City out of its game.

The Royals got home runs from Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas and six innings of two-run ball from James Shields, and that formula helped Kansas City to an 8-3 victory that sealed a three-game sweep over the Angels in the ALDS.

Deep postseason runs have been a long time coming in Baltimore and Kansas City, and now the two organizations collide in what promises to be an exhilarating American League Championship Series, which begins Friday at 8 p.m. ET at Camden Yards on TBS. Here’s a look at how these clubs match up at each position.

Royals designated hitter Billy Butler, regarded more for his exploits with his bat then his legs, swiped second base successfully in the third inning off unassuming Angels reliever Hector Santiago, startling and thrilling the crowd.

Even before Lorenzo Cain preserved a 7-2 fifth-inning lead with back-to-back sliding catches in Game 3 of the ALDS, Royals pitchers owed their gratitude to the outfield defense.

The Royals eliminated the Angels, 8-3, to the immense delight of the 40,657 full-throated fans at Kauffman Stadium and an entire Missouri-Kansas community on Sunday night. Now they will take on the Orioles in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series starting on Friday night at Baltimore.

Every time Ned Yost was asked how his Royals would approach the Angels, he had the same basic answer: Count on pitching and defense, then manufacture some runs. He wasn’t playing possum, either. This was truth as he knew it. After all, the Royals are the first AL team to reach the postseason after finishing last in home runs since the 1959 White Sox. Turns out they were saving their strength.

Jarrod Dyson did backflips in the infield grass. His Kansas City teammates leaped for joy in the middle of the diamond at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals beat the Angels, 8-3, to complete the three-game sweep in the ALDS and kick off the biggest party in almost three decades at this stadium.

This first week of postseason baseball has been spectacularly good. It has delivered on every level.

They’re two teams with rich histories and passionate followings, yet they haven’t played deep into October since a current generation of fans was in preschool, if even that. That leads you to believe we’re in for a refreshing and entertaining American League Championship Series.