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Winning the wild-card game doesn't guarantee postseason success in Major League Baseball Tyler Austin Jersey , but it does strike up important doses of confidence and momentum moving into the divisional series.Since the wild-card game was introduced in 2012, two winners have gone on to play in the World Series, with the 2014 San Francisco Giants being the only wild-card winner to win a championship.The wild-card winners from the past two years have experienced a mixed bag of results, as both American League winners advanced to the ALCS, while the victors out of the National League won one combined game in the NLDS.All four participants in the 2018 wild-card games have been at this stage before, but only the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees won the winner-takes-all contest in previous seasons. Wild-Card ScheduleTuesday, October 2Colorado at Chicago Cubs (8 p.m. ET, ESPN, WatchESPN or ESPN app) Wednesday, October 3Oakland at New York Yankees (8 p.m. ET, TBS, Watch TBS app) PicksCubs over RockiesOn paper, there are plenty of factors suggesting the Chicago Cubs will get another shot at the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.The Cubs have home-field advantage for Tuesday's NL wild-card game Clint Frazier Jersey , carry a plethora of postseason experience from winning the World Series in 2016 and have Jon Lester starting against the Colorado Rockies.In case you needed anything else to sway your pick, the Cubs have experience from winning a wild-card game in 2015, while the Rockies came up short a year ago in Arizona.However, it's that defeat from 2017 and the loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West tiebreaker Monday that could give the Rockies the necessary motivation to rally around each other and upset the Cubs at Wrigley Field.In order for the Rockies to achieve success, Charlie Blackmon must set the tone at the top of the order and stop Lester from getting into a rhythm on the mound.Rick Scuteri/Associated PressAlthough his regular-season batting average slipped under .300 for the first time since 2015, Blackmon recorded 314 total bases, 182 hits and scored 119 runs.It doesn't matter how Blackmon reaches base in the first inning, he just needs to be standing on first base with the opportunity to be advanced.If the Rockies are able to put a few runners on base in the first few innings, their power hitters like Nolan Arenado should drive in a run or two.The Cubs won't be facing a postseason legend, but they'll need to follow a similar game plan at the plate by placing runners on base early and often.Chicago is third in the MLB in batting average and on-base percentage, but it managed three hits against the Brewers Monday.Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated PressAs long as the top of the Cubs' order gets to Kyle Freeland, they should set up a rematch with the Brewers, but if things go the way they did Monday http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-mark-mcgwire-jersey , it might be a nervy nine innings for Cubs fans.Yankees over AthleticsThere's a decent chance the AL wild-card game turns in a home run derby in the first inning.The Yankees and Athletics were two of the top three home-run hitting teams in the regular season, as they combined to hit 494 balls over the fence.If Wednesday's game was just a home-run hitting contest between Khris Davis and Giancarlo Stanton, we'd be okay with that as well.Ben Margot/Associated PressGiven the quality of sluggers on each roster, Wednesday could be difficult on both pitching staffs, even if everyone available is on at least two days of rest.In the six regular-season meetings between the Yankees and Athletics, the victorious side scored at least five runs.In those contests, an average of 10.1 runs were scored per game, with the Athletics averaging 5.5 runs and the Yankees averaging 4.6 runs.Additionally, three of the last four AL wild-card games have featured seven runs or more, with the Yankees winning the 2017 iteration 8-4 over the Minnesota Twins.Oakland's formula for a victory Wednesday involves an all-around effort at the plate, a strategy that should allow Davis to see as many pitches as possible.In their two wins over the Yankees in Oakland at the start of September, the Athletics received 16 hits from the first five batters in their order.Oakland enters with no shortage of confidence, but the Yankees went 53-28 at home in the regular season and possess a tough collection of pitchers.As long as the Yankees starter can go six innings Stephen Piscotty Jersey , they should be in great shape as they hand the ball over to Dellin Betances, David Robertson, Chad Green and Aroldis Chapman.Omar Rawlings/Getty ImagesIf the Yankees hand Chapman a lead in the ninth inning, they should be packing their bags for Boston soon after, as the closer's struck out 41 batters in 28.1 career postseason innings and conceded a single home run in the playoffs.Getting to Chapman might be difficult at times, but the Yankees are more than capable of replicating their wild-card win from a year ago to set up an AL East showdown with the Red Sox in the ALDS.Follow Joe on Twitter, JTansey90.Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference. New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is going to use the offseason to take care of a nagging shoulder injury.According to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Sanchez will undergo surgery on the shoulder that has been an issue since 2017.TheAssociated Pressnoted the surgery will remove loose debris from the left shoulder and keep him out for approximately three months. That means he should be ready to go by Opening Day.Sanchez played just 89 games during the 2018 season, missing significant time with agroin injury. He slashed .186/.291/.406 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI in a notable dropoff from his breakthrough 2017 campaign.He was an All-Star and Silver Slugger winner in 2017 when he played 122 games and slashed .278/.345/.531 with 33 home runs and 90 RBI.Ideally for the Yankees, Sanchez will return to that form in 2019 once he gets the lingering shoulder issue taken care of during the offseason. He is just 25 years old and figures to have a bright future ahead of him, especially after he already helped lead the Bronx Bombers to the playoffs in back-to-back years.The timing of the procedure is ideal with the offseason just underway, as he should be back in plenty of time as New York looks to chase down the defending champion Boston Red Sox in 2019.