The 2014 Major League Baseball postseason is ready to begin.

The Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals will play a single elimination game Wednesday in the American League, followed by the Pittsburgh Pirates taking on the San Francisco Giants in the National League.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished the regular season at 88-74, good enough for second place in the National League Central standings behind the St. Louis Cardinals. After not making a postseason appearance since 1993, the Pirates have now made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

The Pirates ranked No. 10 overall in runs scored with 682 and No. 6 in home runs with 156 this season. As far as defense, this Pirates team ranks No. 8 overall in team earned runs against average at 3.47.

Andrew McCutchen is having another terrific season. The 27-year-old outfielder is batting an outstanding .314 at the plate with 25 home runs and 83 runs batted in. Josh Harrison and Neil Walker also had great seasons for the Pirates driving in a lot of runs.

The leading pitchers for the Pirates are Edinson Volquez, Gerrit Cole, Tony Watson, who all have double-digit wins this season. Dominican-born Volquez will start against the Giants.

San Francisco Giants

The Los Angeles Dodgers, led by pitching ace Clayton Kershaw, won the National League West. The Giants finished the season 88-74, just like the Pirates. Unfortunately for the Giants, they finished the season 2-4 against the Pirates this season, so the Pirates will be receiving home field advantage.

Hunter Pence and Buster Posey have been the two best hitters for the Giants this season. Pence leads the team with 180 hits and 106 runs scored. Posey on the other hand, leads the Giants with 222 home runs and 89 runs batted in.

The Giants best pitcher all year long has been Madison Bumgarner, who has an impressive 18-10 record. Bumgarner will get the start against the Pirates in the NL wild card game.

Where, When to Watch

The Pirates and Giants will face off in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night at PNC Park. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:07 p.m. EST.

Predictions

Both the Pirates and Giants have identical records, so we should get a very close game. The x-factor in this game might be home field advantage. Pirates win the National League wild card game for a second consecutive season.

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