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Takeaways from full slate of division series games

Alex Trautwig / Major League Baseball / Getty

The stakes were high entering Monday's full slate of division series games. With respective seasons hanging in the balance, four teams needed to push forward if they hoped to play another day.

All four series were facing the possibility of ending, but only the New York Yankees managed to move on with a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins.

Here's a breakdown of some of the key storylines that developed over the course of a packed schedule of postseason ball.

1st inning primed for postseason pop

The initial three games of Monday's full slate opened with a first-inning home run. The early long ball has been a theme during these playoffs. Justin Turner, Jose Altuve, Marcell Ozuna, Paul Goldschmidt, Juan Soto, Jorge Polanco, Yandy Diaz, and Yasmani Grandal have all started things off with a bang. In fact, there have been nine round-trippers in the opening frame from the 15 contests.

ALDS: Astros vs. Rays

Correa is a defensive wizard

It seems Carlos Correa is a bit of the forgotten man in Houston. It's understandable, to an extent. He's missed 90 games due to injury this season and hasn't played in more than 110 contests in a campaign since 2016. However, he's incredible when he's on the field, and while his bat gets plenty of attention, it's his glove that has really shined in October. Having already made one of the finest defensive plays of the postseason in Game 2, Correa followed up in Game 3 by converting another jaw-dropping out.

Morton gives Rays just what they need

With Tampa Bay receiving abbreviated starts from Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell in back-to-back games (due in part because neither had enough time to get fully stretched out heading into the postseason), Morton's five innings in Game 3 were exactly what the Rays needed. He threw only 93 pitches, too, which allows manager Kevin Cash to bring the right-hander out of the 'pen later in the series amid concerns about how much Glasnow or Snell have in the tank.

NLDS: Braves vs. Cardinals

Cards finally get production outside Ozuna, Goldschmidt

Dilip Vishwanat / Major League Baseball / Getty

It appeared the Cardinals weren't going to get an ounce of offense from anyone other than Goldschmidt or Ozuna, and then the eighth inning came. Trailing by a run with the pressure on, veteran catcher Yadier Molina hit an RBI single to tie the game.

Tommy Edman led off the ninth with a single to apply some pressure, though the Braves escaped unscathed. Kolten Wong then blasted a ground-rule double to kick off the 10th and was later driven in by Molina's sacrifice fly to win it.

Braves struggle with RISP

Hunter Martin / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Braves had plenty of chances to break the game wide-open, but the Cardinals were able to repeatedly limit the damage. Atlanta went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and had the bases loaded on two occasions. It stranded nine baserunners in the loss.

It's been a theme for the team throughout the entire series, as Atlanta has gone 4-for-34 (.118) with runners on second or third.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals went a paltry 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the victory. They were lucky the Braves were just that little bit worse.

NLDS: Dodgers vs. Nationals

Belli's back

Rob Leiter / Major League Baseball / Getty

NL MVP candidate Cody Bellinger's second-half malaise continued into October when he went hitless in the first two games of this series at Dodger Stadium. That all changed once the series moved east, as he tallied a pair of hits in Game 3 (both coming during the Dodgers' seven-run sixth) and another Monday.

Bellinger's slow start to this series lent more credence to the storyline of his postseason struggles. But if you looked closely, the signs of a resurgence have been there. He's been hitting the ball hard for a couple of weeks, including during the Dodgers' final regular-season series in San Francisco. Even in those first two hitless contests of the NLDS, he smacked a 106-mph groundout, and has barreled 13% of his balls during the series.

It's a good thing for the Dodgers that Bellinger has woken up since they now travel back home for Game 5. His bat could prove to be the difference in the winner-take-all contest.

Mr. Nat

Ryan Zimmerman was the Nationals' first-ever draft pick after the team moved from Montreal and debuted for them that same summer. He has just about seen it all in his 15 years and authored so many of the team's memorable moments, too. He got one more on Monday when he brought Nationals Park - the stadium he christened with a walk-off shot 12 years ago - to its feet with a majestic three-run homer off Pedro Baez in the fifth inning.

Zim's not the All-Star cornerstone he once was, of course. The 35-year-old is now a part-time player in the final year of his $100-million contract, and it seems a foregone conclusion that the Nationals will decline his $20-million option for 2020. He might get to play at home again if things break Washington's way in Game 5, but that's no guarantee. Monday could have been his last stand in D.C.

Whatever happens from here, Mr. Nat authored one last memorable moment in Washington. Baseball is the most beautiful game because of times like these.

Scherzer's legend grows

Many of baseball's big-money contracts have turned into unmitigated disasters for the teams that handed them out. In Max Scherzer's case, the Nationals might have found themselves a $210-million bargain.

Pitching on short rest after his relief appearance in L.A., Scherzer saved the Nationals' season with a remarkably gutsy seven-inning performance. Oh, sure, he bent quite a bit - Justin Turner tagged him for a first-inning homer and the Dodgers loaded the bases in the seventh - but Scherzer wouldn't break on this night, getting out of that bases-loaded jam with virtually nothing left in the tank. The Nationals might end up going down once again, but Scherzer has done everything in his power to prevent it from happening.

ALDS: Yankees vs. Twins

Sevy saves the day

Adam Hunger / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Luis Severino only went four innings in Monday's start, but that was more than enough with the Yankees' bullpen being as sharp as it is. It could have gone much worse. Severino loaded the bases before registering an out in the second inning, and he was having trouble locating his pitches. With the bases juiced, he buckled down and forced Miguel Sano to pop up before striking out Marwin Gonzalez and Jake Cave to escape unscathed.

Severino labored, throwing 83 pitches in his four innings of work, but it was enough to preserve the three-game sweep.

Chapman is ready and rested

When Zack Britton exited in the eighth with a possible ankle injury, the Yankees turned to closer Aroldis Chapman to finish off a five-out save. No problem.

Chapman has expressed some frustration with how little he was used by Aaron Boone in September, according to Randy Miller of NJ.com. Chapman threw only 70 pitches in the entire month. He's fresh, he's rested, and he's going to be a problem for opponents.

Twins' bats no-showed when it counted

Mark Cunningham / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Despite a late solo home run from Eddie Rosario, the Twins' offense left a lot to be desired in Game 3, and the series on the whole. This is a team that plated 939 runs in the regular season - second only to the Yankees (943) - and was limited to just seven over the three-game sweep. In contrast, Monday's win was the only time the Yankees scored fewer than eight times in the series.

The Twins have lost 16 straight playoff games dating back to 2004 and are now facing some major changes. While most of the offensive core will return, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda, and Jonathan Schoop are among their impending free agents.

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