What happened: Taylor Walls, who snapped a 96-game homerless stretch with a two-homer outing in August, anchors the middle infield as the postseason championship round begins.

Why it matters: Reliable range and throwing accuracy at shortstop take on added weight in October, when limiting extra outs often swings low-scoring playoff games.

What to watch: Game 1 of the World Series starts Friday night to open the best-of-seven title matchup.