Jon Heyman says that the Padres are doing “due diligence” on Braves third base coach Ron Washington as a possible candidate for their vacant manager job. Washington managed the Texas Rangers from 2007 into 2014, winning two pennants and compiling a record of 664-611 (.521). Throughout that time current Padres general manager A.J. Preller was in the Rangers front office, so he is familiar with Washington and his work.

Veteran right-hander Charlie Morton looks to go 2-0 in potential postseason elimination games in the last six days, this time against his former team, when the Tampa Bay Rays try to stay alive in the American League Division Series in Game 3 against the visiting Houston Astros on Monday afternoon. The Astros (2-0), top-seeded in the AL playoffs, have suffocated the Rays (0-2) with brilliant starting pitching in the first two games of the series, getting a combined 14 2/3 innings of five-hit, shutout ball from Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole in 6-2 and 3-1 wins. Houston's third top-notch starter, right-hander Zack Greinke (18-5, 2.93), will get first crack at clinching the best-of-five series and sending the Astros to the AL Championship Series for the third straight year.

Manager Bob Melvin knows the Oakland Athletics might need to find a way to win the AL West to guarantee themselves a long playoff series. Pulling past the powerful Astros is the next aim for the A's, daunting as it might be. Two straight AL wild-card losses following 97-win seasons have left the A's going into the offseason again wondering what it will take to finally get over the hump in a tough division dominated by Houston the past three years.

The MLB playoffs have begun as the Washington Nationals won a dramatic wild-card game over the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Oakland Athletics convincingly. Meanwhile, the NHL season started and another NFL star appears keen to change teams. The best part of the baseball season is upon us as the divisional round matchups are set.

The American League Division Series are set. After the Tampa Bay Rays' convincing 5-1 win in the wild-card game over the Oakland Athletics, they will begin their clash with the Houston Astros on Friday. The other teams battling it out for a place in the Championship Series will be the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins, and we have previewed both match-ups.

The Tampa Bay Rays did Wednesday night, and largely because of it, they'll get at least three more chances to do it this postseason. Yandy Diaz hit two home runs, one on Sean Manaea's fifth pitch of the game, as the Rays overpowered the host Oakland Athletics 5-1 in the American League wild-card game. The wild-card loss was the second straight for the A's, who dropped their ninth straight winner-take-all playoff game dating to 1973.

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