paths to reach the first two games of the Major League Baseball postseason.The Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs suffered defeats in divisional tiebreakers Monday to set up a winner-takes-all game at Wrigley Field Tuesday.In the American League http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics put together tremendous seasons, but neither team came close to challenging Boston and Houston for their respective divisional crowns.The winner of Tuesday's National LeagueWild Card Game begins the NLDS Thursday against Milwaukee, while Wednesday's victorious side in the American League heads to Boston to begin the ALDS Friday.Wild Card Game ScheduleTuesday, October 2Colorado at Chicago Cubs (8 p.m. ET, ESPN, live stream on WatchESPN or ESPN app)Wednesday, October 3Oakland at New York Yankees (8 p.m. ET, TBS, live stream on Watch TBS app)Rockies, Cubs Face Difficult TurnaroundThe Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs enter Tuesday's NLWild Card Gamein less-than-ideal positions.Both teams lost in divisional tiebreak games Monday to force them to play for their respective playoff lives Tuesday at Wrigley.The Rockies appear to be in a worse situation than the Cubs because they had to travel to Los Angeles Monday for the NL West tiebreaker with the Dodgers and then hop on a plane east to Chicago after their loss.The Rockies and Cubs split their six-game series, but it's hard to use those games as indicators for what will occur Tuesday since they were played in April and May.In addition to holding home-field advantage, the Cubs possess the upper hand in the pitching matchup on paper, as Jon Lester is set to make his 22nd postseason start, while Rockies starter Kyle Freeland will make his first-ever postseason appearance.Chris Coduto/Getty ImagesWhile Freeland isn't as experienced as Lester, he enters the NLWild Card Game with victories in six of his last seven starts.During that stretch, Freeland has allowed fewer than seven hits in six starts, with the outlier coming Friday in a 5-2 win over the Washington Nationals.Although he's one of the most experienced players entering the 2018 postseason, Lester hasn't gotten past the sixth inning in his last four postseason starts.The Cubs might ask Lester to get them through the seventh inning against the Rockies since six relievers appeared in Monday's NL Central tiebreaker.Nick Wass/Associated PressConversely Orlando Cepeda Jersey , four Rockies relievers trotted out to the mound after starter German Marquez in Monday's loss to the Dodgers, but with a day off for the winner ahead of the NLDS, every measure will be taken by each coaching staff to have the right pitchers on the mound in certain moments.The X-factor at the plate for the Rockies could be outfielder Matt Holliday, who is 10-for-27 in his career against Lester.Even though he'll be facing a left-handed starter, Anthony Rizzo will be the X-factor for the Cubs, as he's recorded seven hits in his last four games and has nine multihit games in September.Yankees Looking To Set Up Heated ALDS With Red SoxThe 100-win New York Yankees weren't good enough to beat out the 108-win Boston Red Sox for the AL East title, but they do have a chance to set up a best-of-five series with their rival.Michael Dwyer/Associated PressIn order for that to occur, the Yankees must conquer the one-game challenge presented by the Oakland Athletics.The Yankees captured three of their last four regular-season games, with two of those wins coming against the Red Sox.On the other hand, the Athletics alternated between a win and loss in their final seven games and fell in their regular-season finale to the Seattle Mariners.With two days between the end of the regular season and the AL Wild Card Game, both teams are taking their time naming a starting pitcher.Regardless of who starts on the mound for the Yankees and A's, they'll face a difficult test against each batter.The Yankees led the majors in home runs with 267, while Oakland ranked third with 227.Five different Yankees hit 27 or more home runs, with Giancarlo Stanton leading the way with 38 dingers. Oakland had five players reach 23 home runs, led by major league leader Khris Davis' 48.Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated PressSince both teams will be well-rested, almost every player on the two rosters will be available in some capacity, with the potential ALDS Game 1 starters being the only exception.The Yankees have a slight edge because of their home-field advantage and experience from winning the ALWild Card Game over Minnesota a year ago, but that's about all that separates the two ballclubs from each other.Follow Joe on Twitter Keith Hernandez Jersey , JTansey90. John Mozeliak watched how the St. Louis Cardinals were galvanized following a managerial change midway through last season, then made a spirited run toward the playoffs that came up just short.He decided a couple of pieces were all it would take to push the Cardinals over the top.Welcome to St. Louis, Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew MillerThe longtime Diamondbacks slugger arrived in one of the marquee trades of the offseason, and one of the top relievers in baseball arrived as a free agent. Together with a returning core that made huge strides under skipper Mike Shildt, the Cardinals believe they have the pieces to contend with the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers in what should be a stacked National League Central.“In the offseason, we feel like we did the things we needed to put a successful club out on the field,” said Mozeliak, the team’s president. “We knew we just couldn’t have a stagnant offseason. We knew we had to make some changes to our club because even though we felt we had a good team last year, we still weren’t good enough.”Goldschmidt got off to a slow start last season but went on a tear in June, and he wound up with the same kind of consistently stellar numbers that he put up with the Diamondbacks.He joins a lineup that includes Marcell Ozuna, Dexter Fowler, Yadier Molina and Paul DeJong, who combined for 76 homers last season. Throw in third baseman Matt Carpenter and the Cardinals have the ability to score plenty of runs with very few swings of the bat.“I’m ready to go. Let’s do this,” said Carpenter, who is moving from first base to clear space for Goldschmidt. “I mean, I’ll play wherever to accommodate that.”The starting rotation took a hit this spring when Carlos Martinez experienced shoulder trouble that could keep him out well into the season. But with Miles Mikolas coming off a breakout year, Jack Flaherty posting huge strikeout numbers and veterans in Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright, there is enough depth in the starting rotation to keep the Cardinals in games.Miller and the bullpen are expected to take it from there.There are plenty of questions http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , of course. Will outfielder Dexter Fowler bounce back, especially after a less-than-inspiring spring? Can the young arms live up to the hype? Will the Cardinals continue to respond to Shildt now that he’s in charge for a full season?The season opener is March 28 at Milwaukee.MORE ON DEXFowler is expected to start in right field, but he might be on a short leash after hitting .180 last season. He dealt with injuries and is finally healthy, but his Grapefruit League numbers hardly reflected it.“We’re clearly committed to Dex,” Shildt said. “He’s in a real good spot.”OTHER REBOUNDSOzuna arrived in St Louis on the heels of back-to-back All-Star selections, but he produced a solid if unspectacular season. He hit .280 with 23 homers and 88 RBIs, but they weren’t near the 37 homers and 124 RBIs he produced in his final season in Miami.FLAHERTY’S ARMOne of the unsung heroes of last year’s run was Flaherty, who struck out 29 percent of opposing batters during his rookie year. The only other rookies to log those kinds of numbers have been Dwight Gooden (1984), Hideo Nomo (1995) and Kerry Wood (1998). Now, can the 23-year-old Flaherty translate those numbers into wins? He was 8-9 with a 3.34 ERA in 28 starts last season.NEW FACESGoldschmidt and Miller are a pretty good place to start. Both will shoulder huge expectations, a byproduct of their track records of success. The 34-year-old Miller was an All-Star two years ago in Cleveland, and he had a 4.24 ERA in 37 appearances last season.“I think with the additions of Paul and Andrew and really thinking about the health of the club as well and the depth we have on the pitching side and our everyday club, we feel like we’re going to be competitive team,” Mozeliak said.ROOKIES TO WATCHKeep an eye on right-hander Dakota Hudson, who was solid in relief last season. The injury to Martinez coupled with Wainwright’s age could give him an opening in the rotation. Otherwise, his solid ability to induce groundballs will continue to play well out of the bullpen.