Wild Card game will help Cubs in NLDS

On the 7th we have game 2 of Boston at Cleveland, as well as game 2 of Baltimore/Toronto at Texas. Other possible opponents include two division rivals, as the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays qualified for the wildcard spots. It is the participants that drive the ratings.

The station is selling the World Series broadcasts to Chicago advertisers as if the Cubs are in it, Welsh said, with half of the local commercials already booked.

The Cubs will have to best the Wild Card team in the five-game series to advance to the National League Championship Series.

National League Rookie of the Year: The easiest ballot to cast – the Dodgers’ Corey Seager in a runaway. Previous year the Cubs eked into the playoffs, scored a win over the Pirates and upset the rival Cardinals to advance to the NLCS. San Francisco does not have a good bullpen, period. And why not? It’s an even-numbered year. Loser goes home. It’s a cruel punishment for two teams that just finished playing 162 games, but it makes for terrific television. Is 2016 another year for them? The Cubs, who led all of baseball with 103 wins, have had weeks to set up their rotation for a NLDS matchup between the victor of Wednesday’s wild card game between the New York Mets (+1600) and San Francisco Giants (+2000).

On Wednesday, all eyes will be on Citi Field in NY as the Mets will host the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wildcard.

Ultimately, Wrigleyville residents accused Emanuel and his City Council allies of going too far by giving the Cubs the go-ahead to put up two video scoreboards, four other outfield signs, extend the Wrigley footprint onto public streets and sidewalks without compensating Chicago taxpayers and play more night games. For those thinking the Mets are still the poor step children of the Yankees, think again.

While the Cubs will attract viewers just due to their history, a rematch with NY would generate big ratings – at least when compared to recent years.

Is it because it is fun to watch for fans so it increases viewership? The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals are threats to derailing the greatest story ever told. Get there and lose, come back the next year and win it all. The American League is awesome. (ET)/12:08 p.m. (CT). TBS will then air Game Two of Red Sox-Indians at 4:38 p.m. (ET).

The Red Sox have been in position to make the playoffs for a while, but they officially clinched the American League East on Wednesday despite a loss to the New York Yankees. Numerous Rays’ fans are card-carrying members of the latter. There is reason to believe in the Cubs this year, there was reason to believe in them in 2015 and that was the first time in seven years that fans had cause to celebrate. Now they are perennial contenders. The main questions concerning the Red Sox chances of winning it all center on their pitching. Or maybe a rematch of the 1986 classic between the Red Sox and the Mets?

Texas Rangers. Originally the Washington Senators from 1961-71 (with no World Series titles), the Rangers have been in Arlington, Tex., since 1972 (with no World Series titles). The Red Sox are the more “healthy” team and have the momentum going their way.

The good news, a commodity in short supply, is that Americans are about to get a respite from the inundating Niagara of candidates’ blather.

Another opportunity for baseball is the falling National Football League ratings. It feels nearly like a civic duty to tune in to a baseball game. For so long it’s been safe to assume that the Cubs are about as likely to win the World Series as Wile E. Coyote is to catch that damn roadrunner. Key parts of the lineup are batting under.200, so the likes of Russell Martin and Melvin Upton need to pull out of their slumps if they want to survive the Orioles on the October 4 matchup.