3 starter? Besides their deep lineup, New York has the depth, experience and pitching needed to make a World Series run this year. With half of the 2020 postseason field remaining in the wake of the first-ever Wild Card Series round, 16 possible World Series matchups are still on the table as we head into the American League and National League Division Series this week. Shortstop Cory Seager (155), catcher Will Smith (171), outfielder AJ Pollock (125), utility man Chris Taylor (136) and 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger (102) make up an absolutely lethal offense in L.A. While Ian Anderson has just seven career starts, his 50 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings – including nine in six against the Reds – create the impression he’s going to join Livan Hernandez, Michael Wacha and others who followed abbreviated rookie years with dominant postseason runs. To get there now -- and to bring arguably the most entertaining lineup in MLB up to bat against Cole in a high-stakes environment -- would be a treat. The Padres had the highest slugging percentage with the bases loaded in history (.902) and had an MLB-high 22 comeback wins. If Chicago keeps up their massive success, they could potentially beat out traditional powerhouses like the Dodgers and Yankees on their way to a World Series title. It would be the record 12th World Series pairing of these two iconic franchises but the first since 1981 -- nine years before Gerrit Cole and 11 years before Mookie Betts was born. The bats looked a little tight in a two-game sweep of Milwaukee, save for Mookie Betts, who socked three doubles and is playing with the security of a man with a $365 million contract and a World Series ring already in tow. Astros. First off, they made it look way too easy going into Target Field and thoroughly submitting a good Twins team, playoff history aside. The combined .500 winning percentage for these two clubs would be the lowest of any matchup in World Series history. There’s a path for the Marlins, but it’s narrowed considerably. Additionally, L.A.’s bullpen ERA (2.86) is more than a run better than the Padres’ (4.00), which gives them an advantage. Both would be looking for their franchise’s first title, and they both would have slayed the behemoths in their division -- the Rays vs. the Yankees, the Padres vs. the Dodgers -- to have gotten to this point. The Braves were decimated by injuries (Mike Soroka and Cole Hamels) and ineffectiveness ( Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb) and Félix Hernández electing not to play. 5. Still counts! https://www.instagram.com/p/CFLh6bxnfAW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link. Gerrit Cole was worth every pro rata penny, no doubt about it. Yet it will always come down to a starter such as J.A. And while there’s so many things that will go right with this team, there’s just too many spots things can go sideways – especially over a potential 12 games in 13 days. And Cole vs. Max Fried in a Game 1 sounds fun. Will anyone among Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May seize a role as a No. Dodgers. You get the idea. 3. Or '57. Despite the rival Yankees starting to surge recently, the Rays have beat them in eight out of 10 games this season. We are down to 16 scenarios. Whatever. From a baseball standpoint, watching the electric Sixto Sánchez try to tame that deep Yankees lineup would be interesting. Running this gauntlet should put to rest any notions of an asterisk for the team left standing. Anthony Castrovince has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2004. Sorry, no Kirk Gibson and Dennis Eckersley this time. With that, let’s break down the remaining octet and their chances at holding aloft the trophy in Texas’ Globe Life Park three weeks from now: Collectively, they may be Sisyphus, but Sisyphus never had a pair of MVPs helping him push that boulder up the hill. Walker Buehler’s blister remains disconcerting. Along with Betts (161 OPS+), the Dodgers have a stacked lineup. That was two relocations ago for both franchises (the A’s to Kansas City, then Oakland, and the Braves to Milwaukee, then Atlanta). The back-end starters – some combo of Pablo Lopez and Trevor Rogers, most likely – shouldn’t be slept on, either. They can afford to push the $200 million guy back a bit. Oakland finished in the bottom half of the big leagues in almost every offensive category and survived the wild card round only because the White Sox walked nine batters in eight innings in Game 3. They won 10 straight for the first time since 2012 and set an MLB record for most runs scored (43) in a three-game span. We didn’t get a definitive answer in the regular season, as the two teams split the four-game season series (with the Rays outscoring the Braves, 24-16), but we would get one now. It should be a little disconcerting to opponents that Zack Greinke is starting Game 3 of the ALDS. Or '58. 1 seeds and the Andrew Friedman Bowl. 1. MLB playoffs: Which teams have the clearest path to a title? But if the heroes are ultimately Kyle Tucker and Michael Brantley and Valdez and Javier, do you even get a decent hate-watch out of it? Anyone out there still foolish enough to bet against America’s Team? Why? The A’s went on to win it all in '89 but are on their 13th trip since and have also come up empty, to date. And here’s another fun theme for this Astros run: How unsatisfying is it to root against players who weren’t even around for the 2017 sign-stealing scandal? 2-5 starters, compounded by the no-days-off format. Those free passes will be harder to come by when trying to topple the Astros, the Yankees-Rays winner and the NL champ. Yankees. San Diego went 4-6 against its northern nemesis this year, with Lamet striking out 11 in one of those wins. In other words, you wouldn’t want to turn off your TV mid-game. 16 potential World Series matchups, ranked. For one, the Rays were among the best at suppressing the home run, and Rays pitchers strike out three times as many batters as they walk. There’s no getting around it. So we meander into the more familiar and meritorious Division Series, eight teams each with a legitimate stake to reach the finals and perhaps claim a championship. You’d have Dave Roberts vs. the team he burned with that signature stolen base for the 2004 Red Sox. However, in this abbreviated season, some teams have elevated themselves above the rest with their high-level play. Or '96. You’d have Betts and Aaron Judge, who rank No. San Diego is at the beginning of its championship window, while Houston’s run of contention might be nearing its end. The offensively erratic Reds were a perfect match for their overwhelming bullpen and 1-2 starter punch. 4. You’d have Cole facing the other team that reportedly offered him $300 million last winter. With half of the 2020 postseason field remaining in the wake of the first-ever Wild Card Series round, 16 possible World Series matchups are still on the table as we head into the American League and National League Division Series this week. So fans of whoever wins this matchup would have extra incentive to celebrate ... perhaps even with a Gibson-like arm pump. Many experts questioned if they would even make the playoffs. The Astros lost their two Cy Young Award contenders from 2019 -- Cole to free agency and Justin Verlander to Tommy John. The Friars were simply overmatched when they suffered a sweep at the hands of the Yanks in 1998, and they haven’t been back to the World Series since. Mattingly would have a chance to get the World Series ring that eluded him in a great playing career, and Dusty Baker would have a chance to get the World Series ring that has eluded him in a great managerial career. We began with 16 teams. This has helped vault Tampa to first place in the AL East and to the AL’s best record overall. 2, respectively, in national jersey sales. But both right-handers remain doubtful for the NLDS, at least, with arm injuries. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. And interestingly, they’ve made an imprint on each other, with the Tommy Pham-Hunter Renfroe and Emilio Pagán-Manuel Margot swaps last winter and the three-team deal that sent Wil Myers to San Diego prior to 2014. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays were the two best teams in MLB in 2020 practically from wire to wire. This has been the Yankees’ exit plan the past two Octobers. Plus, the Astros just aren’t the same team they were in '17. The Sox do everything well, with one of baseball’s deepest lineups, a good rotation and a strong bullpen. Commissioner Rob Manfred says people love their brackets and we’ll say this for the Braves: They got a nice draw. A key storyline here would be the tremendous rotation adversity both teams would have overcome to get to this stage. If they require “piggybacking” with another arm, will that stretch the pitching too thin without off days for two rounds? This would be an absurd array of infield talent on the same field (Fernando Tatis Jr., Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Machado, Jose Altuve, Jake Cronenworth). Similar to Rays-Marlins in terms of the puny payrolls, but obviously without the intrastate stakes built in. This World Series would be played under a roof in a building with limited attendance and, well, both of these clubs had experience with that long before COVID-19. We began with 16 teams. It’s a question that seems to dog every A’s playoff team: Can they hit elite pitching? With any luck, baseball fans beyond Pinellas County will figure out which infielder is Lowe As in Woah (Nate), and Lowe As in Wow (Brandon). Let’s rank each of those potential matchups here in terms of how compelling they would be. It would be fun to watch Roberts and Kevin Cash match wits. Along with the White Sox, the Padres also are a surprise contender this season. Despite Clayton Kershaw’s Game 2 masterpiece, the pitching feels too unsettled for a pennant favorite. He seems unstoppable, and slowly, the other bats and well-placed platoon pieces will fall in place. With this in mind, here are the top five World Series contenders entering the postseason. Chicago White Sox. What happens when arguably the deepest pitching staff in the AL faces one of the most explosive lineups in the NL? The Expansion Era special. Let’s party like it’s 1999. The 2021 World Series Contenders Who Could Dethrone Dodgers or Rays. This would be the star-powered, history-soaked showdown that would attract the most eyes from coast to coast. This matchup would pack a lot of power.

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