On some nights, these New York Yankees look like noble inheritors of a triumphant tradition. They are poised, proficient, professional, superb in the clutch — everything you think of as the best of the Yankees. And then on other nights, they look old and average.

Wei-Yin Chen pitched a strong 6 1/3 innings en route to a 3-2 win in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, the third straight postseason game where an unheralded Orioles starter was matched up against a big-name opponent and held his own.

Andy Pettitte lived up to his reputation as a proven postseason performer on Monday night, but with the Yankees’ offense struggling to come through, it wasn’t enough in a 3-2 loss to the O’s in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

Raul Ibanez stepped in for Alex Rodriguez and delivered a game-tying ninth-inning home run, then slammed the game-winner in the 12th inning as the Yankees stunned the Orioles with a 3-2 victory in Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday night.

Having lost more than a year to Tommy John surgery and then the last two weeks of the regular season to an oblique injury, Brett Anderson will take the ball for Game 3 of the ALDS.

With an 0-2 deficit from which no NL team has ever arisen in the best-of-five Division Series format, the Giants’ hopes rests on the offense.

Not only does Avisail Garcia look a lot like teammate Miguel Cabrera, but he plays like the Triple Crown winner, too.

It’s not over yet, and that’s the message the A’s were sending before their Monday workout, on the eve of a potential elimination Game 3 against the Tigers.

Ichiro Suzuki has always treated baseball as a thinking man’s game, so it should come as no surprise that his mind went into overdrive during Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Monday night against the Orioles.

The A’s are hoping that a change in environment — and some quality innings from Brett Anderson — will help them turn this series around. Resilience has been one of Oakland’s strengths this season, and maybe that’s not surprising for a roster that includes 12 rookies.

Every postseason experience exists in its own time and place and carves its own path, so it should come as no surprise that the Giants’ October 2012 road so far doesn’t in any way resemble the one they traveled on their 2010 World Series run.

Not only will the Reds be battling a Giants club fighting for its life in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday, but they’ll also facing another foe that could potentially cause a stir — the bright Cincinnati sun.

The workload for right-hander Max Scherzer has been managed since he pitched in Detroit’s regular-season finale last Wednesday in Kansas City, but his status for Game 4, if necessary, Wednesday night is not in doubt.

An irregular heartbeat forced Dusty Baker to the hospital on Sept. 19, and a mini-stroke kept him there until the end of the month. When he finally returned to the dugout, he did so with a greater appreciation for life outside baseball.

A day after Al Alburquerque sparked a smidgen of A’s ire in Game 2 by fielding a ninth-inning ground ball off the bat of Yoenis Cespedes and kissing the ball before underhanding it to Prince Fielder, the pitcher apologized for his act.

Catcher Matt Wieters has already been named to two AL All-Star teams and has won a Gold Glove. But he has also won the trust of the Baltimore pitchers and the admiration of seemingly everyone in the Orioles’ organization.

The status of Reds ace Johnny Cueto remained largely unchanged during Monday’s National League Division Series off-day. General manager Walt Jocketty felt “cautiously optimistic” that Cueto could return soon.