It’s hard to count this team out because the offense is so talented, Trent Grisham is playing superbly on both sides of the ball and they already won two of three games against a 101-win team in a hostile environment. It’s as daunting as it looks: Win three of five games against the game’s greatest team with a hand (or two) tied behind your back. Louis is probably too streaky to pick up any pitching hiccups. Meanwhile, an offense shut out for 15 of 18 innings in St. As great as Wheeler, Nola and the revamped bullpen were, those performances tend to depreciate over October’s long haul. Louis. Just not sure there’s enough of it to keep going beyond what looks like the most favorable wild-card draw this year. If they can grab a game – or two – in Houston, watch out. It’s too soon to say they’re built for the playoffs, but with Castillo, untouchable reliever Andres Munoz and strangely clutch performances from the likes of Cal Raleigh and Adam Frazier, it’s starting to feel that way. Their two-game toppling of Toronto was a 1-2 punch of precision and persistence, from Castillo’s near-perfect outing to the stunning rally from a seven-run deficit in Game 2. Folks, you best get to know these Mariners. Winning a World Series is all about who’s playing well, right now. It would help if Seattle could do the dirty work and upset the Astros – ensuring Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium. Keeping their pitching aligned and their relievers underexposed will be paramount for the Yankees, whose desultory play for much of the second half and a rash of season-long injuries to the bullpen has left them vulnerable. They need to sweep the Guardians – and they may.

636 ball (35-20) against playoff squads this season. Yet even if the Astros beat back the Mariners, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where ace Justin Verlander avoids a Game 4 ALDS start – and thus isn’t available until Game 3 of the ALCS. freshly minted Mariners ace Luis Castillo, who shut down a Toronto lineup as deep and dynamic as Houston’s. There may be no more important battle in these playoffs than Game 2 against Seattle: Quality start machine Framber Valdez vs. They’re the best and most complete team in these playoffs – but danger lurks for the next two weeks. But while Jesus Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez and Zach Eflin have spun a nice redemption tale, the overall depth of Atlanta’s bullpen will be too much. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola did not yield a run in 13 innings of wild-card series work and give Philly more than a puncher’s chance. Ranger Suarez in Game 1 and possibly 5 is a huge advantage. Seem a little counterintuitive to rank clubs from the same league 1-2? Well, the Braves should enjoy their share of overmatches in their Division Series against Philadelphia, too. After that? Probably an NLCS rubber match against Atlanta. While the notion of Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove in Games 2 and 4 is daunting on paper, the Dodgers' 14-5 record against the Padres – they've won 23 of the last 28 meetings – is no accident. That should only accentuate the advantage of a rested Julio Urias or Clayton Kershaw ready for Games 1 and 5, probably against Mike Clevinger.

DodgersĪs if the 111 wins, the Mookie Betts-Trea Turner-Freddie Freeman troika and a 13-headed monster of a pitching staff weren’t enough, the Dodgers will be gifted a Division Series opponent forced to slog through a third and decisive wild card game. Still, the top four clubs will retain significant advantages as the playoffs move to the traditional – well, since 1995 – Division Series, followed by the league championship series and the big dance.Ī look at the remaining World Series contenders, ranked by the likelihood they can reach – and win – the 2022 championship: 1. With three of the four new wild-card series ending in two-game sweeps, the damage was certainly minimized by lower-seeded teams in this bracket. And after Major League Baseball expanded its postseason field to 12 teams, opponent circumstances and the calendar probably matter more than ever. While talent always matters most, there’s no underestimating positioning and path when it comes navigating a World Series trip. Watch Video: Should Aaron Judge be considered the true (clean) single-season home run king?

Dodgers world series schedule