If pitching does indeed win championships, the Houston Astros are well positioned to make a run at their second World Series title in three years. With a formidable rotation featuring two 20-game winners and a pair of former Cy Young Award recipients, the Astros are prohibitive favorites as they host the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday afternoon in the opener of the American League Division Series.

Paul Goldschmidt rediscovered his home-run swing in the last week of the season and flexed his muscles once again in the opener of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves. Goldschmidt aims to continue his power display on Friday afternoon as the St. Louis Cardinals face the Braves in Game 2 of the best-of-5 set at SunTrust Park.

The New York Yankees have enjoyed a one-sided postseason rivalry with the Minnesota Twins over the years, a trend they hope to continue when the teams begin the American League Division Series with Game 1 at Yankee Stadium on Friday. The Yankees are 13-2 against the Twins in the playoffs since 2003, claiming four division series and the 2017 Wild Card Game, and Minnesota has lost 13 straight playoff games overall, although some in New York don't see any correlation to this year's matchup.

Clayton Kershaw was bypassed as the opening-game starter but has a chance to pitch the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 lead when they host the Washington Nationals in Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Friday night. The decision worked well as Walker Buehler pitched six shutout innings in a 6-0 victory Thursday of the best-of-five set and now Kershaw gets the call against Washington standout Stephen Strasburg.