The Kansas City Royals are in the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015, the Tigers are ending a playoff drought that started that same year, and the Baltimore Orioles have an eight-game postseason losing streak that began after beating Detroit in a 2014 series.
At least one of those three teams will be playing in the American League Division Series this weekend.
Baseball’s playoffs start Tuesday with four wild-card games — two in the AL and two in the National League — in a best-of-three round.
The sixth-seeded Tigers will visit the third-seeded Houston Astros, a playoff regular, in the day’s first game. The fifth-seeded Royals meet the fourth-seeded Orioles, a talented squad due for a postseason breakout, in the second game.
In the NL, the third-seeded Milwaukee Brewers host the sixth-seeded New York Mets, and the fourth-seeded Padres clash with the fifth-seeded Atlanta Braves in Southern California in the last game of the day. San Diego is the hottest team since the All-Star break with a 43-20 record.
The Braves and Mets both got into the field by splitting a doubleheader on Monday. That left the defending NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks as the odd team out.
Four teams get the first round off: The top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers and second-seeded Philadelphia Phillies in the NL, and the top-seeded New York Yankees and second-seeded Cleveland Guardians in the AL.
Here is a look at the pairings:
Tigers (86-76) at Astros (88-73)
Detroit traded away right-hander Jack Flaherty, outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha and left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin at the trade deadline, then released infielder Gio Urshela a few weeks later due to its season seemingly going nowhere. But a stunning 31-11 run, combined with the collapse of the Minnesota Twins, led to the Tigers ending their long playoff drought.
Detroit has the probable AL Cy Young Award winner in left-hander Tarik Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA), but the rest of the rotation is shaky. Outfielder Riley Greene (.262 average, 24 homers, 74 RBIs) is the top position player, and manager A.J. Hinch has expertly mixed and matched his roster all season to find timely production.
The Astros are the seasoned postseason squad and are part of the playoffs for the eighth season in a row. They won the World Series in 2017 (the sign-stealing group) and 2022 and finished this regular season strong with 11 wins in 16 games. Left-hander Framber Valdez (15-7, 2.91) is the ace, while legendary right-hander Justin Verlander might not make the playoff roster against his former club.
Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez (.308-35-86) is one of the most powerful hitters in the sport, and infielders Jose Altuve (.295-20-65) and Alex Bregman (.260-26-75) have been the core of the franchise’s dynasty. The Astros failed to reach the 90-win mark over the course of a 162-game season for the first time since 2016. Houston went 4-2 against Detroit this season.
The winner faces … the Guardians (92-69), who were surprisingly potent in Stephen Vogt’s first season as manager. Jose Ramirez (.279-39-118) might be the most unsung six-time All-Star in the history of the sport, but he has just two homers in 32 postseason games.
Royals (86-76) at Orioles (91-71)
One of the top players on Kansas City’s back-to-back World Series teams in 2014-15 is one of the top performers for this club. Catcher Salvador Perez (.271-27-104) was MVP of the 2015 Fall Classic and is the backbone of the organization. However, the club has a big-time star in shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (.332-32-109 plus 31 steals), the AL batting champion who will finish near the top of AL MVP voting.
The Royals hadn’t even had a winning campaign since 2015 prior to this season. The free agent signing of right-hander Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00), the possible Cy Young Award runner-up to Skubal, provided a big boost, as did the development of left-hander Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14). Both pitchers made the AL All-Star team.
Baltimore got swept by the Texas Rangers in the ALDS last season and badly craves a postseason breakthrough. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson (.281-37-92) is one of the best players in the game, Anthony Santander (.235-44-102) supplies power and catcher Adley Rutschman (.250-19-79) is the poster boy of the turnaround from one of the majors’ worst teams to one of its best.
The Orioles have a top-flight No. 1 starter in right-hander Corbin Burnes (15-9, 2.92) but are piecing together a makeshift rotation due to several injuries. Grayson Rodriguez (13-4, 3.86) is done for the season after a right lat/teres strain sustained in early August and fellow right-hander Kyle Bradish (a 12-game winner in 2023) underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-June. Baltimore went 4-2 against Kansas City this season.
The winner faces … the Yankees (94-68), who have a potent offense featuring probable AL MVP Aaron Judge (.322-58-144) and Juan Soto (.288-41-109). New York hasn’t won the World Series since 2009 and has lost in the AL Championship Series five times since.
Mets (89-73) at Brewers (93-69)
New York split a doubleheader with the Braves on Monday to reach the postseason field for just the second time in the past eight seasons. However, the team is a scorching 65-38 since June 3. The Mets have starting pitching depth, with four hurlers with 10 or more wins, but closer Edwin Diaz (3.52, 20 saves) has struggled and had his seventh blown save on Monday.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor (.273-33-91) may be the NL MVP runner-up, and he hit a big homer in the first game of Monday’s twin bill. First baseman Pete Alonso (.240-34-88) always looks ready to hit the ball a country mile, while third baseman Mark Vientos (.266-27-71) broke out this year.
Milwaukee has reached the postseason in six of the past seven seasons, with its lone NL Championship Series appearance during that time coming in 2018. The Brewers have an average starting rotation, with right-hander Freddy Peralta (11-9, 3.68) being the best of the bunch. But their bullpen is strong, particularly with Devin Williams (1.25, 14 saves) back in top shape.
Milwaukee sustained a major blow when All-Star Christian Yelich (.315-11-42) was lost for the season in late July due to a back injury. Rookie Jackson Chourio, 20, became the youngest player in major league history to produce a 20-homer, 20-steal season, while shortstop Willy Adames exploded with career highs of 32 homers and 112 RBIs. The Brewers won five of the six regular-season meetings with New York.
The winner faces … the Phillies (95-67), who lost in the 2022 World Series and the 2023 NLCS. Philadelphia is a top World Series possibility behind right-handers Zack Wheeler (16-7, 2.57) and Aaron Nola (14-8, 3.57) and offensive forces such as Kyle Schwarber (.248-38-104), Bryce Harper (.285-30-87) and Trea Turner (.295-21-62).
Braves (89-73) at Padres (93-69)
Atlanta spilt a doubleheader with the Mets on Monday to advance to the postseason for the seventh straight season, a stretch that includes its 2021 World Series title. The Braves are a beat-up squad with season-ending injuries to 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) and Austin Riley (broken hand) while recently getting back three-time All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies, who had a fractured wrist. Marcell Ozuna (.302-39-104) and Matt Olson (.247-29-98) pace the offensive attack.
Left-hander Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38) is the possible NL Cy Young Award winner, but his status is in question after he was unavailable for Monday’s doubleheader due to back spasms that he felt in his previous start. Left-hander Max Fried (11-10, 3.25) is battle-tested but is a spotty 2-4 with a 4.57 ERA in the postseason.
The Padres racked up the second-most victories in a single season in franchise history, standing only behind the 98-win team that lost in the 1998 World Series. The starting rotation is strong behind no-hit man Dylan Cease (14-11, 3.47) and fellow right-handers Michael King (13-9, 2.95), Joe Musgrove (6-5, 3.88) and Yu Darvish (7-3, 3.31). All-Star right-hander Robert Suarez (2.77, 36 saves) struggled in September with a 6.00 ERA and three blown saves.
The offense has four 20-homer hitters. The outputs from third baseman Manny Machado (.275-29-105) and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (.276-21-49) were expected. The surprises are rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill (.292-24-90) and journeyman left fielder Jurickson Profar (.280-24-85). Infielder Luis Arraez (.314) sets the table and won his third career batting title. The Padres went 4-3 against the Braves in the regular season.
The winner faces … the Dodgers (98-64), who fell two victories short of a fourth straight 100-win season. Shohei Ohtani (.310-54-130 plus 59 steals) enjoyed one of the top seasons in baseball history and became the first 50-homer, 50-steal player. This is Ohtani’s first trip to the playoffs after spending six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
–Field Level Media
