SURPRISE http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , Ariz. (AP) — Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire 2019 season.The decision was made after Perez received a second opinion Tuesday from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ team physician. Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope that he might be able to play through it.Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday.“There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “Salvy was having no issues. He’s asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who’s been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning sign or anything like that.”Perez hit just .235 last season, but he had 27 homers and drove in 80 runs while providing a solid and calming presence behind the plate. The MVP of the 2015 World Series, Perez was being counted upon to help the rebuilding Royals take the steps necessary to return to the playoffs, particularly when it came to their young but promising starting rotation.Now, Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria are expected to share time behind the plate.“We’re fortunate to have two really good, young catchers that have tremendous upside,” Moore said. “Cam is a young guy that can really receive. We feel highly confident in his ability back there to call a game, and we like Viloria a great deal as well as an emerging guy.”Moore also said he would scour the remaining free agents — Martin Maldonado, is still available — and reach out to other clubs about potential trades. Perez has won AL Gold Gloves in five of the last six years, with Maldonado breaking that string in 2017.But Moore acknowledged the Royals tried to acquire a veteran backup for Perez earlier in the offseason and came up empty.“We’ll see how camp unfolds,” Moore said. “It’s hard to get a third-, fourth-type catcher or veteran major league backup to join Kansas City. Nobody wants to do that. They see Salvador and say Maury Wills Jersey , ‘Well, I’ll never get a chance to re-establish myself.”That’s not an issue anymore, but most of the veterans that were available are in camp elsewhere.One thing Moore did make clear is the Royals have no intention of rushing MJ Melendez, one of their top prospects, to the big leagues. Melendez spent last season at Class A Lexington.“We’ll play that out and see where he is in July or August and if indeed we need some help there,” Moore said. “But you have to look at this as a positive, that it gives others an opportunity.”The Royals have embraced a run-run-run style of play this season, signing such speedsters as Billy Hamilton and Chris Owings. But that also means they have very little power throughout their lineup, and Perez was expected to help provide the opportunity to change a game in one swing.His biggest value now will come as a cheerleader. He remained one of the most upbeat players in the clubhouse, even after the injury surfaced, and his experience is invaluable for a young team.“It’s definitely not ideal losing a captain, losing our best player. It’s going to hurt any team,” Gallagher said. “We have to come together as a group and fill those shoes a little bit.” Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesThe Chicago Cubs will host the Colorado Rockies in the National League Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN will televise the contest, with Baseball Tonight beginning at 7 p.m.This matchup will be a battle of southpawsbetween the Cubs' Jon Lester and the Rockies' Kyle Freeland, per Kyle Newman of theDenver Post. Lester is 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 181.2 innings, while Freeland is 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 202.1 innings.Lester has induced an inordinate amount of soft contact throughout his career, and this year is no exception: Per FanGraphs Fernando Valenzuela Jersey , hishard-hit rate is just 31.9 percent. He gives up just1.19 home runs per nine innings.The crafty 34-year-old has five pitches in his repertoire: a four-seam fastball, cutter, sinker, changeupand curveball.Freeland is an extreme ground-ball pitcher who induces them at a 46.0 percent rate, per FanGraphs. Like Lester, he doesn't get hit too hard (31.6 percent) or give up many home runs (0.76 per nine innings).The 25-year-old strikes out batters at a 20.5 percent clip. He throws a four-seam fastball, cutter, sinker, changeup and slider. Of note, he would be pitching on three days' rest, as Freeland started (and won) on Friday against the Washington Nationals after six innings of two-run ball. Lester has an extra day of rest, having made his last appearance Thursday (six scoreless innings versus the Pittsburgh Pirates).The two men faced off at Wrigley once this season, with the Cubs winning 3-2. Lester went 5.2 innings with two runs (neither earned), five punchouts and three walks, while Freeland tossed seven frames of three-run ball with five strikeouts.It could have been worse for both sides. Lester struck out Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta with the bases loaded in the fifth to wiggle out of a jam, and Freeland limited the damage to one run in the sixth after a leadoff triple from Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant.The lineups will be a little different this time around. Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu (15 home runs, 62 RBI http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , .278 batting average in 127 games) did not play, nor did Colorado outfielder David Dahl (16 home runs, 48 RBI, .276 batting average in 76 games).For the Cubs, second baseman Daniel Murphy (six home runs, 13 RBI, .299 batting average in 34 games with Chicago) was still a member of the Washington Nationals at the time.Freeland arguably had a better year than Lester, but the latter has started 21 postseason games and been part of three World Series champions. He also more than held his own en route to an All-Star season. The starting pitching matchup looks like a slight edge toward the Cubs simply because Lester has an extra day of rest.The Cubs would seem to have four other advantages, though.First, they are home, where they've gone 51-31 this season. Chicago has the added benefit of staying put, as the Cubs have been in town since starting a regular-season closing homestand on Tuesday.Meanwhile, the Rockies are going to be in three time zones in three days as they go from Denver to Los Angeles to Chicago. Colorado closed the regular season with a win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday before losing in the NL West tiebreaker Monday. Now it has to turn around in 24 hours and play a game in Chicago Tuesday.Colorado is respectable on the road (44-38) but that travel schedule may be tough to overcome.Second, as Newman noted, the Cubs will call on left-hander Cole Hamels if needed. The veteran has been fantastic for Chicago this year, going 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 76.1 innings. That's a big trump card in favor of the Cubs.Third, the Cubs bullpen has performed far better than the Rockies' this year Kenley Jansen Jersey , with Chicago's relievers sporting a 3.34 ERA (second-best in MLB) and the Rockies finishing with a 4.63 (26th).Lastly, Chicago simply has more postseason experience, having made the NLCS in 2015 and 2017 and winning the World Series in 2016. Granted, not every member of the team has been with the Cubs through that entire stretch, but some newer members of the team have played in October (Murphy for the Mets and Washington Nationals, for instance).Colorado played in the NL Wild Card Game last year (losing 11-8 to the Arizona Diamondbacks) after missing the postseason every year since 2010.The infamous Wrigley Field wind, which can blow home runs out at a record pace or keep towering fly balls in the outfield based on the direction, shouldn't be a factor Tuesday. Per Windfinder, the wind should be blowing anywhere from a harmless three to six mph, with game temperatures at around 59 degrees.Ultimately, this looks like a Cubs victory, but look for Freeland to keep Chicago at bay into the middle innings. Expect Chicago to pull away late in a low-scoring win.Prediction: Cubs 5, Rockies 2