After an agonizingly lengthy two days with out baseball — two entire days! In October! — we’re again in enterprise at this time. And wow, are we ever!
All 4 Division Collection begin at this time, with probably a full 12 hours of baseball on faucet for us all. Whereas the sequence have expanded from best-of-three to best-of-five, they’ll be no much less demanding: The entire season comes down, for these eight groups, to the subsequent seven days. And it begins at this time.
This is a take a look at the important thing storyline for every crew heading into Recreation 1.
Rangers: Is that this the true Evan Carter popping out social gathering?
For all of the pitching accidents which have decimated this Rangers rotation — a rotation that also cruised them by way of the Wild Card Collection, it should be stated — the lineup has gotten wholesome at simply the best time.
Getting Josh Jung again the ultimate weeks of the season strengthened an already formidable lineup significantly, however the true revelation within the Wild Card Collection was the rookie Carter, who — after debuting with Texas on Sept. 9 — was a catalyst in opposition to the Rays, getting on base six occasions with two doubles and a homer within the two-game sequence. And he’ll probably be batting ninth.
With the Rangers’ pitching worries, they’re going to should slug their method to victory on this ALDS. Prime to backside, 1 to 9, they could have the blokes to do it.
Orioles: Can they hold the Splash Occasion going?
This season has been one not like some other for the Orioles, and the way in which the postseason has arrange for them — avoiding the vexing Rays, getting a Rangers crew that’s skinny on pitching — is especially superb.
The Camden Yards crowd, pushed into a day recreation due to a Billy Joel/Stevie Nicks live performance on Saturday night time at adjoining M&T Financial institution Stadium, goes to be vibrating with pleasure; this can be a sequence they’ve been ready for.
However any crew with the historical past of the Orioles goes to inherently be a bit on edge, honest to say. Their earlier postseason hopes have been dashed on a walk-off homer by the Blue Jays’ Edwin Encarnación within the 2016 AL Wild Card Recreation, and it has been a very long time with out significant October baseball since then.
For all of the success they’ve had this season, that is still the Orioles’ final postseason recreation, precisely the kind of recreation the franchise would love planted firmly up to now. A quick begin can be an amazing reminder — and a grand harbinger of issues to return — that these have been these Orioles … not these Orioles.
Twins: Can Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa be a 1-2 postseason punch?
When the Twins signed Carlos Correa — each occasions, earlier than final season and earlier than this season — a big a part of the thought was that he would mix with fellow top-two Draft choose Byron Buxton to be the superstars the remainder of the crew could possibly be constructed round. That has not labored out, to say the least: Buxton has been as damage as he normally is, and Correa had the worst season of his profession.
The Twins would like to steal Recreation 1 earlier than going to their 1-2 pitching punch that’s Pablo López and Sonny Grey. If these two hitters keep sizzling, they may steal that recreation by themselves.
Astros: Does Verlander restore Astros’ order?
It has been an odd season for the Astros, one through which (sans Verlander for many of it) they appeared to have a little bit of a post-championship hangover. It was the Rangers who led the AL West for a lot of the yr, and the Mariners who captured the late-season pleasure. And but the Astros saved hanging round, and hanging round, and subsequent factor you knew, they’d not solely received the AL West once more however they gave the impression to be peaking on the proper time … as they generally tend to do. (It is a crew going for its seventh consecutive ALCS look, in any case.)
Right here they’re, in that acquainted spot: Internet hosting Recreation 1 of the ALDS, with Verlander on the mound, and all these established Altuves/Alvarezes/Tuckers within the lineup. The Astros are attempting to firmly set up themselves as the dynasty of this period. On first pitch, with Verlander on the mound, they’ll completely appear to be it.
Phillies: Can they decelerate this Braves lineup in any respect?
You need to know what the Braves successful the division and the Phillies ending (distant) second price them? The flexibility to make use of one among their greatest benefits in any sequence — Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, two pitchers turning into October tv regulars — proper from the highest. As a result of the Phillies needed to dispatch the Marlins within the Wild Card Collection, Wheeler and Nola will solely be obtainable for Video games 2 and three, that means Suárez has to take the ball in opposition to what has confirmed to be top-of-the-line offenses in current reminiscence.
The Phillies proved final yr they may beat the large, unhealthy Braves. However Atlanta is larger and badder than it was a season in the past. Suárez has the unenviable job of determining what to do with them first.
Strider in all probability received’t win the Cy Younger Award this yr, however you possibly can definitely make an argument for him: He struck out 281 batters, for crying out loud, most within the Majors by far. He was terrific final yr too, which is why the Braves trusted him to start out Recreation 3 of the NLDS in opposition to the Phillies. However it went terribly, with Strider collapsing within the third inning, giving up 5 runs in a sequence through which the Braves would by no means maintain the lead once more.
Strider was coping with harm points final yr that he is not proper now — and it’s value noting he’s been terrific in opposition to the Phillies this season — however you possibly can’t blame Braves followers for having some uncomfortable flashbacks regardless.
The Braves’ offense might be their postseason engine, however Strider may provide the cherry on prime: A full-on shutdown playoff starter. However he has to slay these Phillies demons first.
D-backs: Can the bullpen hold pitching prefer it did in opposition to Milwaukee?
We get all caught up in matchups, beginning pitchers, platoon benefits and every little thing else once we’re previewing all these sequence, however oftentimes, it’s a lot less complicated than that: The crew with the bullpen that pitches the very best tends to win. You couldn’t pitch any higher than the D-backs’ bullpen did in opposition to the Brewers: 9 1/3 scoreless innings, primarily shutting down any comeback hopes the Brewers may have.
The Dodgers’ lineup is significantly more durable than the Brewers’ was, so it’s a more durable check, however the reality stays that the D-backs’ bullpen is the very best factor they’ve bought going proper now. Lesser groups than the D-backs have ridden their bullpen to a World Collection. Can this bullpen keep this sizzling? It might should.
Dodgers: How a lot can Kershaw give them?
The thinness of the Dodgers rotation has been well-documented: It’s mainly Kershaw, rookie right-hander Bobby Miller and throw-the-bullpen-at-them. That technique labored nicely down the stretch, because it tends to when you have got as many wonderful bullpen items because the Dodgers do. However it does put them in a possible bind if, say, their two starters can’t ease the strain on that bullpen proper from the beginning.
Kershaw has for probably the most half silenced any postseason doubters, however he’s nonetheless a 35-year-old pitcher who has had harm points all yr, misplaced lots of velocity, and hasn’t surpassed 90 pitches or 5 1/3 innings pitched since June. The Dodgers might be mixing and matching pitches all sequence, and any potential future ones.
However they’d positive like Kershaw to purchase them a little little bit of room … probably with Cy Younger contender Zac Gallen lurking for Arizona in Recreation 2.