9/29/25
The 2025 regular season has come to an end but after an off day on Monday, the MLB Playoffs begin on Tuesday with the still fairly new Wild Card Series. Four best-of-three series, each one in a single location to decide who will move on to the Divisional Series starting later this week. Four teams have earned byes into the ALDS and NLDS with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners earning the American League byes while the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies are through in the National League.
Each league has a very different feel to it. The American League feels completely wide open with all six teams having a very legit argument at being able to make a World Series run. The big surprise is Houston not making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, marking an end to a dynasty. You have the favorites that have been there and done that like New York and Boston that have recent success. Cleveland and Detroit don’t have to go too far back to their last World Series appearances but neither have won the big one this century. The same can be said for Toronto who won the World Series in 1992 and 1993 but have lost 10 of their last 11 playoff games dating back to 2016. Then there is the Seattle Mariners who are the only team in the sport yet to even make a World Series appearance.
The National League feels like the much stronger league. A vast majority of experts and fans alike see the World Series champions coming from the Senior Circuit. Of course there are the defending World Series champions in the Los Angeles Dodgers who had a bit of a letdown of a regular season with injuries and bullpen issues, but remain a terrifying problem in the NL. Philadelphia is the trendy pick with their tremendous rotation although missing Zack Wheeler is a big blow. The Phillies have a tremendous lineup led by Kyle Schwarber and strengthened their bullpen to make a run. Milwaukee just continues to win division title after division title with small ball. Bunts, putting the ball in play, and stolen bases are a throwback to the old days but the Brewers used those tactics to earn homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Throw in San Diego, Chicago, and Cincinnati and it feels like any of these teams would give the AL pennant winner fits. The shocking collapse of the New York Mets changed this picture but the NL should still be considered the heavy favorites regardless of who wins the pennant.
We are going to breakdown all four Wild Card series and take a look at lineups, rotations, bullpens, strengths, and weaknesses and who each team’s X-factor could be. With all that being said, let’s get into it.
Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees
This is without question the most intriguing series of the Wild Card round. Is there a better matchup? Absolutely. But this rivalry condensed into a three-game series with both teams seasons on the line is going to be cinema. Two franchises at very different spots in terms of where they are as an organization and both wanting to knock out the other and send their rivals on an early vacation.
Lineups
We can’t start talking about lineups in this series without talking immediately about Aaron Judge. The MVP candidate is having a historic season and of course will be #1 or #2 in the AL MVP race. New York has some other dangerous bats like Giancarlo Stanton who was the star of the show in last season’s playoff run for the Yankees. However, a lot will be on the shoulders of those other guys like Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt. New York added Ryan McMahon and Jose Caballero at the deadline which definitely lengthened their lineup. New York is going to put up runs and might have the best lineup in the American League.
Boston on the other hand has been streaky with their offense. To be fair, a lot of the downs were a result of injuries and when they are healthy, this team can hit. A top-ten offense, the Red Sox do it in a different way than the Yankees. New York hits homers (274) while Boston strings hits together. Alex Bregman and Trevor Story are dangerous, middle of the order bats for the Sox and they have a ton of speed with guys like Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela. Boston has a ton of youth and guys that don’t have postseason experience. The lineup edge without question goes to New York.
Starting Rotations
Boston got a big blow to their rotation on Monday as Lucas Giolito will not be able to go in the Wild Card series. The Red Sox do have the best starting pitcher in this series in Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet. The lefty was outstanding in his first season in Boston and led the Red Sox to a win in each of his four starts against the Yankees this season with quality starts in three of them. Brayan Bello gets the ball in game 2 and threw 14 scoreless innings against the Yankees this season. Game 3 is the big question with guys like Kyle Harrison and Connelly Early as possibilities.
New York has their own ace in Max Fried. Another lefty in his first year with the club, Fried won 19 games this season and posted a 2.86 ERA in his first year in the Bronx. Fried went 1-1 with a no decision against the Red Sox this season, but four runs total in those three starts. Carlos Rodón will be the game 2 starter with the veteran lefty settling into the City that Never Sleeps. Rodón went 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA this season and is always hunting for the strikeout. Game 3 will go to rookie Cam Schlittler if needed. The flamethrower was tremendous in August (1.60 ERA) but had mixed results in September (3.65 ERA) but earned this opportunity. The injury to Giolito makes this even easier as the Yankees have the edge in the rotation.
Bullpens
No playoff team has a worse bullpen ERA than the New York Yankees. New York’s bullpen ERA is 4.37 which is 23rd in all of baseball. Devin Williams was brought in via trade with Milwaukee in the offseason to give New York a lockdown closer. It didn’t work. Williams has been a disaster and Camilo Doval was quickly taken out of higher leverage situations after arriving from San Francisco. David Bednar has calmed the waters but we have seen him hit some turbulence in the past with Pittsburgh. It is no secret that the bullpen is the Yankees big weakness.
Meanwhile, Boston has the second-best bullpen ERA with a 3.41 this season. Aroldis Chapman was better than anyone could have imagined in the backend of the bullpen for the Red Sox, converting 32 out of 34 save opportunities and getting a contract extension in the process. Jordan Hicks was a nice get but will miss the Wild Card series. Liam Hendricks is done for the year but Steven Matz has stepped up in a huge way for the Sox, only allowing five runs in 21 2/3 innings with Boston. The injuries are a concern but anyone in the postseason will have the edge over the Yankees in terms of bullpen.
Strength
Boston’s strength is their pitching without question. There is not a team in the playoffs that allowed fewer home runs this season than Boston which is a big deal when it comes to playing the Yankees. They just don’t give up a lot of runs but walks can be a bit of an issue. It will be some guys that will be in the spotlight for the first time due to injuries so it will be very interesting if the unproven guys can come up big in a hitter-friendly park.
Power. Complete power is exactly what makes the New York Yankees so scary. New York hit the most home runs this season with 274 which is 30 more than the next closest in the Dodgers. New York lead baseball in runs scored and team OPS and they know how to take advantage of the park that they play in. Yes, they can go on cold spells. However, with a lineup this deep and this talented, the likelihood of at least a couple of those guys getting hot this postseason is very low.
Weakness
Both teams share the same weakness and that is defense. Both are in the bottom tier in most defensive metrics but the simple one is that both teams make a lot of errors. Boston led baseball with 116 errors while the Yankees were towards the top of that list with 94. Now New York fixed their big issue, replacing Anthony Volpe with Jose Caballero which has improved that aspect. Boston does have one of the better defenders in baseball in Ceddanne Rafaela but across the board neither team is good defensively. If either can just cut down on the errors, that could make the difference in this series.
X-Factors
The X-Factors will not be a massive star like Aaron Judge for these previews. For the Boston Red Sox, Jarren Duran is a vital piece of this team that needs to show up if they want to make it to the Division Series. Duran had a breakout year in 2024 but really struggled for the majority of 2025. He has all the tools needed to be a massive star. Great speed, solid power, excellent defense make him a real problem for opponents. Duran has led the American League in triples in each of the last two seasons but he has just a .189 average in 24 games at Yankee Stadium. If Duran shows up, the big bats in Bregman and Story can do some serious damage.
Of course all eyes will be on Aaron Judge and even Giancarlo Stanton. But ideally for the Yankees, their X-Factor will only play two innings this week. David Bednar is the guy to watch after being traded to New York from Pittsburgh at the deadline. New York’s bullpen has been a wild ride this season after Devin Williams did not work out. Since putting on pinstripes, Bednar has a 2.19 ERA and is 10-13 in save opportunities. These games should be tight and New York needs Bednar to step up late or else the 2025 Yankees will be remembered for their bullpen issues.
Prediction: New York’s experience and homefield advantage gets it done. Yankees in 3
San Diego Padres @ Chicago Cubs (Winner Plays Milwaukee Brewers)
If you are looking for the best series in terms of the highest level of baseball being played, then this is the one for you. San Diego pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers into the final week for the NL West while Chicago had a bit of a midseason hiccup that coincided with Milwaukee’s red hot run that ruined the NL Central race. Both of these teams are capable of long runs in the playoffs but one will be out before the playoffs really get going.
Lineups
Both of these teams have very good lineups. First, San Diego has a great core and strong supplemental pieces as well. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill are the guys that do the most damage for the Padres. However, players like Luis Arraez, Ryan O’Hearn, and Jake Cronenworth are the guys that make this lineup so dangerous. Interestingly enough, nobody reached 30 home runs this season for the Padres or 100 runs batted in. San Diego has been a team in a playoff spot for the entire season but has never looked like a top tier team since the first couple of weeks of the season. Of course this team can go on a run like they did in 2022 when they made it to the NLCS or last year when they took the Dodgers to game five of the NLDS. It is all about the timely hits for the Padres.
Chicago’s lineup is a bit of a question mark right now. Kyle Tucker was the big fish acquisition for Chicago last winter but he is just coming off the IL. How healthy is the key bat in the lineup? That will determine how far the Cubs can go. They have plenty of other guys to help carry the load. Seiya Suzuki drove in 103 runs, Michael Busch hit 34 homers, and Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ just get big hit after big hit. If the Cubs are going to go on a run, they need Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong. PCA was an MVP candidate for the first half of the season but has gone ice cold the last couple of months. He has just four homers and 17 runs batted in since August started. PCA has to step up and get back to his first half self for the Cubs to even win a series.
Starting Rotations
Starting pitching is a question mark for both of these teams. For San Diego, Yu Darvish was supposed to be the guy but has had a very rough year since returning from injury. Nick Pivetta will start game 1 and has been Mr. Reliable for the Padres this season. He won’t go out and go eight scoreless, but you can expect a quality start almost every time he goes to the mound. Dylan Cease goes in game 2 and wasn’t even supposed to be a Padre after the deadline. His September run is the reason he is getting a playoff start as he had a 3.12 ERA in five September starts. Yu Darvish would go if game 3 is necessary, but San Diego will look to avoid that for multiple reasons.
Chicago’s rotation is very similar to San Diego’s. Justin Steele is the ace of the staff but had Tommy John in April which left a huge hole for the Cubs. Matthew Boyd was massive for them and he will look to continue his home dominance in the opener. Chicago has not announced their starters for game 2 or 3 but Shota Imanaga will make one of those starts. Imanaga had a really bad September but the injury to Cade Horton gives the Cubs no choice. Horton was on his way to NL Rookie of the Year before a broken rib will keep him out for the first two rounds of the playoffs. Game 3 is wide open but the edge in terms of rotation I give to the Padres.
Bullpens
This is a no-doubter. San Diego has the best bullpen in baseball and has had the best bullpen from the beginning of the season to the end. Robert Suarez, Mason Miller, and Jeremiah Estrada is something you put together in a video game. A 3.06 bullpen ERA is far and away better than every other team. Even if Suarez isn’t available for a game, they have flamethrower Mason Miller who can step in. They just don’t blow leads late. To beat the Padres, you have to already have the lead by the time the 7th inning rolls around.
Chicago’s 3.78 ERA is not bad at all either. They have a more “piece it together” bullpen but when it works you can’t knock it. 12 different pitchers have at least one save for the Cubs so there is no need to force one specific pitcher into the 9th inning role. Wrigley Field is different in October so that will add some extra pressure when those guys take the mound in the late innings. This is the easiest call out of all the previews as San Diego has the edge over everyone in terms of bullpen.
Strength
A few different teams have the same strength as the Chicago Cubs, but base stealing is such a weapon especially in the postseason. Chicago is tied with Seattle for the third most stolen bases in 2025 with 161. Chicago is also tied for fourth in triples. This team has speed and they have a lot of it. Taking an extra 90-feet is a massive deal and can turn a walk into a double or just put pressure on the defense and force mistakes. Expect Chicago to put the game in motion constantly.
San Diego’s strength is without question their bullpen. San Diego has a save percentage of 75% this season and have three different guys that can end a game. I won’t be too repetitive, but the Padres bullpen will make life miserable for lineups late regardless if they are at home or on the road.
Weakness
Ironically enough, San Diego’s weakness is they struggle cutting down base stealers. Now, they don’t allow a lot of stolen bases as teams don’t run against them often. However, when teams do run on them, they are successful. Martin Maldonado and Elias Diaz both are below average catchers in defensive metrics. Chicago was 8-11 in stolen base attempts in six games against the Padres this season so San Diego needs to be very alert when the Cubs put runners on.
Chicago’s biggest issue is allowing home runs. Chicago allowed 202 total home runs this season, the eighth most in baseball. San Diego does not hit an absurd amount of homers with just 152, the third fewest in baseball. The resistible force vs. the moveable object in terms of this stat will make it very interesting as San Diego seems to flip a switch in October.
X-Factors
Unless you are a diehard baseball fan, you are probably not too familiar with Jackson Merrill. He is the Padres young, superstar centerfielder that got a big extension in his rookie season last year but has dealt with some injury issues in 2025. In September, Merrill was finally healthy and we saw his resurgence in a big way. In the final month of the season, Merrill hit seven home runs and drove in 16 runs while having an OPS of .946. This kid is sensational and can become a household name if he takes pressure off of Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. this week.
Kyle Tucker’s health is a huge question for the Cubs but again we aren’t picking superstars. I am going to go with a feel-good story in 2025 in Matthew Boyd. The journeyman has been incredible for the Cubs who lost their ace Justin Steele in the first couple of weeks of the season. Boyd stepped in and went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA this season. He was nearly unbeatable at Wrigley Field where he is 12-1 with a 2.51 ERA this season. He will get the ball in game 1 and if the lefty can at least give the Cubs six strong innings, it will set the tone for the series. If he has a clunker, it could be a quick series for the Cubbies.
Prediction: San Diego’s bullpen is too good while questions remain for Chicago. Padres in 2
Detroit Tigers @ Cleveland Guardians (Winner Plays Seattle Mariners)
Two teams that are very familiar with one another will battle once again. Detroit and Cleveland have played six games against each other in the last two weeks where Cleveland won five of those meetings to complete a historic comeback. From 15 1/2 games behind the Tigers in the division, the Guardians went from sellers at the deadline to AL Central champions. Detroit has the best pitcher in the sport however and can really give fits if their lineup gets hot.
Lineups
Detroit’s lineup definitely leaves a lot to be desired. They played well above their baselines for the first half of the season but came crashing down to reality through the final couple of months. Now with that being said, there are still some very good players in this lineup. Riley Greene is a tremendous player at the plate and defensively with 36 home runs and 111 runs batted in. Gleyber Torres has also been solid this season with a .358 on-base while Spencer Torkelson can homer off of anyone when he is hot with his 31 bombs this season. The lineup is still then however and relies on a lot of players who have high ceilings but very low floors.
Cleveland does not have a lineup that jumps off the page at you either. José Ramírez is still the most underrated player in the sport and should be an MVP candidate every season. J-Ram leads the team with 30 home runs and 85 runs batted in and doubles with 34. Steven Kwan is about as pesky of an AB as you will find with just 60 strikeouts this season. Kyle Manzardo has also gone on some nice runs with 27 home runs this season but is a victim of the swing and miss quite a bit. There just is not a lot of pop or damage makers in this lineup, but they put pressure on defenses with high level bunting and bat to ball skills. I give the edge to Cleveland, strictly for José Ramírez.
Starting Rotations
Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in the game. Without hesitation this guy can go toe-to-toe with anyone, anywhere, anytime. He got a lot more help this season, but he is still 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts, the second best in ERA and strikeouts. The lefty is going to win his second Cy Young in a row but after him there is a bit of a drop off. Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize will likely start game 2 and 3 if necessary. Flaherty was outstanding in the Dodgers run to the World Series last season but has an ERA of 4.64 in 2025. Former #1 overall pick in 2018, Casey Mize has taken strides and shown glimpses of what can be if he reaches his full potential.
Cleveland does not have the fearsome ace after trading Shane Bieber at the deadline. Gavin Williams will go in game 1. He is 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA this season but had a 1.88 ERA in the Guardians miracle September run. Tanner Bibee is the #2 guy and like Williams, shrunk his ERA in September. Bibee pitched to a 1.30 ERA in the final month of the season but walks and home runs have been a problem for him. Game 3 is up in the air with Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi, and Joey Cantillo all possibilities. I give the rotation edge to Detroit and it could be bigger if Flaherty finds his postseason magic.
Bullpens
Bullpens can be funny with how streaky they can be. Detroit’s bullpen pitched to a 4.05 ERA which is very average. However, Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan are both coming off disaster months of September. Middle relivers Tommy Kahnle and Tyler Holton however had solid Septembers. Now the back end is obviously the most important part of the bullpen, but the bridge is there from the rotation to the back end for the Tigers. What happens when it gets there is up in the air.
Cleveland could have folded when they lost one of the best closers of the decade in Emmanuel Clase in a gambling investigation. In stepped Cade Smith and the bullpen has gotten somehow better. The third best bullpen ERA in baseball belongs to the Guardians with a 3.44 but it isn’t just one guy doing the work. Hunter Gaddis has been sensational while Matt Festa and Erik Sabrowski have eaten middle innings and done so dominantly. There is definitely a vibe around this team that it could all fall apart but with this bullpen they also could just never falter. The edge belongs to Cleveland.
Strength
Detroit is so incredibly banged up but there biggest strength is their manager. A. J. Hinch is one of the best skippers in the sport, winning a World Series* with Houston and quickly speeding up the Tigers rebuild. He knows how to get the best out of his players. Guys will step up for this team and you will have to beat Detroit because their manager won’t allow them to beat themselves. Hinch is probably already working on his spider web of pitchers he will use to trap Cleveland in what will be a mess to escape.
Cleveland really does most things good. They really don’t do anything great however. Their greatest strength is that they don’t really have one. They can beat you in multiple ways, whether it’s strong pitching or a pesky, chaotic offense. You never know what you’ll get when you take on Cleveland. Their defense has improved a ton over the course of the season and no team has more momentum than the Guardians. There isn’t one area that they are super reliant on which makes them very scary.
Weakness
Detroit strikes out…a lot. The only playoff team to strikeout more than Detroit is New York and only nine strikeouts separate the two teams. Unlike the Yankees, the Tigers don’t hit a ton of home runs. Yes they are top 10 in home runs hit, but 198 is a long way off from the Yankees 274 or even the Mariners 238. If you are striking out but hitting home runs, it evens out over the course of the year. Detroit just doesn’t hit enough long balls which makes that strikeout number worrisome.
Picking a weakness for a team that is so balanced is difficult. However, like the Tigers, the Guardians don’t really do a ton of damage with one swing. They rely on stringing hits together and have the second worst OPS in baseball at just a .670, only ahead of Pittsburgh. Too much resilience on walks is an issue because you will face a lot of pitchers that don’t walk guys in the playoffs. J-Ram is the outlier but Cleveland needs more pop to go on a sustained run.
X-Factors
Let’s get this out of the way. If Detroit loses game 1 with Tarik Skubal on the mound, the series is over. The Tigers do need offense and Spencer Torkelson needs to be the power hitter he can be. The #1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Torkelson looked like he wouldn’t even be an everyday player when the season started but injuries gave him a chance and Torkelson ran with it. His .738 OPS in September needs to improve though. Detroit doesn’t have a hitter that strikes fear into opposing pitching staffs unlike every other team in the playoffs. Torkelson needs to get hot for the playoffs to wake up this struggling offense.
Once again we go back to pitching. Cleveland is missing closer Emmanuel Clase due to a gambling investigation. The pressure will be on Tanner Bibee in game 2 since that could be an elimination game for Cleveland. The offense will score runs but won’t put up a ton of offense. Bibee has to keep the Tigers from building any early momentum. They will likely be riding high after a win in the opener so a hot start is a must have for Cleveland. Their Opening Day starter (or was supposed to be) must extend the series and stop any momentum Detroit could build in this series.
Prediction: Momentum means a lot in playoff baseball and nobody has it like Cleveland. Guardians in 3
Cincinnati Reds @ Los Angeles Dodgers (Winner Plays Philadelphia Phillies)
Baseball hasn’t seen a repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. The Los Angeles Dodgers will look for a repeat against a team in Cincinnati that hasn’t won a playoff series since 1995. While LA didn’t threaten the single season wins record of 116, they only care about the playoffs. Los Angeles is also getting healthy at the right time, making this a true David vs. Goliath matchup.
Lineups
Cincinnati has a good but not great lineup. They really need Austin Hays to be back for Tuesday and it looks like he will be. Gavin Lux will be looking to get revenge on his former team after a solid year with the Reds where he hit .269 with 33 extra base hits. The star of the show is still Elly De La Cruz. We will talk about his defense later, but Elly is still dangerous at the plate. While he strikes out a lot, the damage he does is worth it. Elly led the Reds with 22 home runs, 86 RBI, and 37 stolen bases. Walks turn into doubles and he is not afraid to take chances on the base paths. This could be a star making series for Elly if he provides the pop Cincinnati needs to spring the upset.
Wow. There is just nothing to dislike about the Dodgers lineup. Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts have an argument to be the greatest trio in the same lineup in the history of the sport. 99 total home runs between those three and 274 runs batted in is absurd from three teammates. But that isn’t all they have. They still have Teoscar Hernandez who mashes, Andy Pages is having a career year, and Will Smith is getting lost in the shuffle despite being without question the second best catcher in the sport. There are no easy outs in this lineup that was second in runs scored while striking out a lot less than the team in front of them. Without question, the edge goes to Los Angeles.
Starting Rotations
The trio of starters that we could see from Cincinnati are extremely talented. Los Angeles got no favors with the Reds sneaking in as they face Hunter Greene, Zack Littell, and Andrew Abbott while Nick Lodolo is available out of the bullpen. Greene has a 2.76 ERA while Abbott owns a 2.87. The team WHIP is one of the lowest in baseball because hitters just can’t get on base against this staff. Now it is questionable to save Abbott for a game 3 that might not happen, but if it does, it is hard to find a better game 3 starter in the Wild Card round.
Los Angeles has not been healthy in terms of pitching all season. Blake Snell will start game 1, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto goes in game 2, and Shohei Ohtani in a possible game 3. That tells you one thing, the Dodgers are healthy at the right time. LA struck out more batters than any other team in the sport while constantly shuffling their rotation. Now they are healthy (starter wise) with Tyler Glasnow available if any starters are slow out of the gate. I like the way the Dodgers lined up their rotation more, so I give them the edge.
Bullpens
Neither of these teams have great bullpens. Cincinnati has been so up and down with their bullpen but they do have some hard throwers back there. Chase Burns is a rookie to keep your eyes on but how he handles the spotlight is TBD. Emilio Pagan has blown six saves this season but did dial it in down the stretch. Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft are also solid relievers in the pen but there is not that terrifying force that can blow your doors off on a regular basis.
Disaster is an understatement to describe the Dodgers bullpen. A 4.27 ERA is putrid for a team that won the World Series a year ago with strong pitching. Injuries are a massive reason for that high ERA and 240 walks allowed is just…wow. Tanner Scott has been bad this month while Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen aren’t really helping. Now they can use their starter depth to close things out or at least help the bullpen. Shohei Ohtani has talked about pitching out of the bullpen and Roki Sasaki is another possibility. But I will give the edge to Cincinnati until I see things change for LA.
Strength
The big strength for the Reds is that they are playing with house money. They are free and loose and there is no pressure on them to get the job done. They aren’t supposed to win this series, or even a game in this series. They can take chances and roll the dice and Terry Francona will always put his team in a position to win. A team that has nothing to lose is so dangerous in October. Just ask the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks.
Depth. It is what every team strives for but it is so hard to obtain. Nobody has depth like the Los Angeles Dodgers. Outside of the Mets, no team is more willing to open up the checkbook to bring in good players in case something goes wrong. Somehow, every player the Dodgers bring in seems to work out except for maybe Michael Conforto. It does not matter who they roll out, LA is deep and poised to use that depth to make another run.
Weakness
Cincinnati’s biggest weakness is kind of the opposite of Cleveland’s strength. They don’t do anything great. You can get to their rotation if you control the strike zone and you can get them to chase at the plate. They don’t play great defense and Elly De La Cruz is due for an error it feels like every game. They are just an average team who put together enough nice stretches to get into the dance. There just isn’t anything to really be scared of when it comes to the Reds.
Bullpen issues could see the Dodgers knocked out before the NLCS. They will hit and the rotation will limit opposing damage. However, if it is a one or two run game late, I just don’t trust what I have seen from this bullpen. If they have an average bullpen, they likely win 100 games. Instead they won 93. Seven games is a huge difference in baseball.
X-Factors
Cincinnati is here for one reason and one reason only. The front end of their rotation is filthy. Los Angeles will have their hands full but Hunter Greene’s game 1 performance is the key to any upset bid. Greene went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA despite missing a couple of months with a groin injury. Greene only lasted five innings when he faced LA in Dodger Stadium in August and allowed five runs although only three were earned. Cincinnati likely won’t win this series, but if Greene can steal them game 1, they will be just 27 outs from a monumental upset.
It is hard to pick a non-superstar X-Factor for the Dodgers but the bullpen needs to figure it out. Tanner Scott blew two saves and had a 6.48 ERA in September. That is unacceptable. Los Angeles’ bullpen is without question their biggest weakness but if Scott can hit the reset button and save his best month for October, this team can look like the unbeatable juggernaut they were expected to be. If Scott keeps going at this rate, Goliath could fall just like the rest of the defending champions before them in this century.
Prediction: Cincinnati has a shot if their rotation can quiet LA’s potent lineup. They won’t. Dodgers in 2
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