Much like the 2020 MLB regular season, the playoffs have been brief, interesting and filled with twists and turns. We’ve had plenty of surprises to go along with the unusual setup, thanks in part to an enlarged field of teams, neutral site games and a lack of off days within the series.

And yet here we are with two of the preseason favorites – the Rays and Dodgers – on a potential collision course in the World Series. First, though, they’ll have to get past the Astros and Braves, two teams that have taken different courses to get here.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

The ALCS begins Sunday at San Diego’s Petco Park, the NLCS on Monday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

We talked about the neutral site games on “The Warehouse” and we were unanimous in declaring our distaste for them – we just miss the uniqueness of the parks as well as the intensity of the fans.

But I will say there is one thing I like about them: No off days. We’ll have playoff baseball every day this week, including two games every weekday until a series ends. How nice is that?

Let’s take a look at the two series.

ALCS: Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays

This would not have been a surprising matchup if you were tossing out playoff predictions coming out of spring training. Most people expected the Rays to be good behind their defense, starting rotation and the mental acuity of their front office. And the Astros, while expected to take a step back after losing Gerrit Cole to the Yankees, were still the team to beat in the AL West.

But then COVID struck, the season went on hold and the hiatus made Houston’s cheating scandal seem like ancient history. Then, when we returned, the Astros played as if they had just been aroused from one of those sleeping chambers in “Alien.” They didn’t hit particularly well, they didn’t pitch particularly well and they didn’t seem particularly interested. Then, when Justin Verlander went down, you (meaning I) kind of figured they were done. How wrong you were (I was).

Once the playoffs arrived, the Astros bats woke up. They made short work of the Minnesota Twins, discarding the AL Central champs in just two games. Then they battered the A’s in four afternoon games at Dodger Stadium, taking advantage of the drier, warmer air to bash 12 home runs in a 3-1 ALDS triumph.

Now it’s on to San Diego, where these two teams face off in a rematch of last year’s ALDS. Houston outlasted the Rays 3-2 in a five-game series in that one, humbling Tyler Glasnow in an anticlimactic Game 5.

Things are different this time around. The Rays are more seasoned, play excellent defense, have solid-if-unspectacular bats at every position, and even found an emerging force in Randy Arozarena through an offseason deal with the Cardinals. They also have a great pitching staff that is as led by the rotation of Snell-Glasnow-Morton, but also have a wealth of strong bullpen arms.

As far as the Astros go, their bats awakened just in time for the games to really start mattering. No more sleep-walking here! You also have to give credit to Dusty Baker, who has expertly handled a sub-par pitching staff that has been plagued by the struggles of Zack Greinke, Lance McCullers and Ryan Pressly. He may have found a star in Framber Valdez.

That being said, it’s hard to see this staff holding it together in a best-of-seven series with no off days. I guess we’ll see. That’s why we play the games.

NLCS: Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

On our latest episode of “The Warehouse,” which we recorded shortly before the Dodgers took on the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the NLDS, I said something along the lines of “even if the Dodgers complete the sweep tonight, it won’t illustrate how close these two teams are.”

The Dodgers then went out and showed how far apart the two teams are, winning 12-3 despite having only four extra-base hits and no home runs. And honestly, the big difference at this point between the Padres and Dodgers is the depth and health of their respective pitching staffs. San Diego was holding that group together with rubber bands and duct tape and it simply didn’t make it through.

The Braves will have a similar issue to overcome when they take on the Dodgers, the consensus team to win the World Series from the moment they acquired Mookie Betts way back on Feb. 10.

The offenses are very similar. The Braves and Dodgers both scored 5.8 runs per game during the regular season. They finished 1-2 in home runs (Dodgers 118, Braves 103) as well as in OPS (Braves .832, Dodgers .821). They tied for first in slugging percentage (.483). And they both have talented, skilled, likable MVP candidates in Betts and Freddie Freeman.

Like with the Padres, pitching depth could be the separator here. Max Fried is awesome and could win the NL Cy Young award, Ian Anderson looks like an emerging star, and even Kyle Wright had a strong showing in the NLDS. But after that it gets dicey, and it’s hard to see this group holding up over a best-of-seven series with no off days. Imagine if they had Mike Soroka. Alas, they don’t.

One other interesting wrinkle for this series: Texas’ new ballpark Globe Life Field has been playing like an extreme pitcher’s park. The Dodgers recognized this pretty quickly and changed their approach accordingly.

From the L.A. Times:

… the Dodgers adjusted and scored 23 runs with 20 walks, 20 singles, seven doubles, one triple, and just one home run during their three-game sweep of the Padres. They faced 14 different pitchers in three nights and struck out 22 times.

“Everyone wants to be the hero and get the hits,” Roberts said. “But taking what the pitcher gives you and taking your walks and creating stress — when we’re at our best, we do that. And that’s what we’ve done all throughout the lineup.”

Will that trend continue? Will the Braves manage to do something similar? I’ll be curious to find out.

Bob Harkins
Bob Harkins

Orioles Analyst

Bob Harkins is a veteran journalist who has worked as a writer, editor and producer for numerous outlets, including 13 years at NBCSports.com. He is also the creator of the Razed Sports documentary podcast and the founder of Story Hangar, a network of documentary podcasters.

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