I’ve been using “Embrace the Weird” as my unofficial slogan this year. And why not?
No, this season did not go how we wanted it to go. No, we didn’t have enough games. Yes, we were robbed of a real Opening Day, an All-Star Game, September callups and all the other fun things that come with a normal baseball season. But we did have a season of sorts, and that is better than no season at all. So embrace it.
And now here we are, entering the postseason after an abbreviated sprint. There are some changes from past years, some of which might leak into permanent usage (Check our discussion on The Warehouse), including a much larger field of teams, changes to first-round series and neutral sites, too.
But aside from some minor surprises, the teams we expected to be good were good, the teams we expected to be bad were bad, and Mike Trout (though not the Angels) remains excellent.
The playoffs start off with four AL matchups on Tuesday, then they are joined by four NL matchups on Wednesday. Yes, that’s eight playoff games in one day. We’ll be bathing in baseball, and it will be glorious.
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Let’s take a look at the matchups.
AL
No. 1 Rays vs. No. 8 Blue Jays
I thought the Rays would be the best team in the AL this season, and what do you know I got one right. The Rays were 21-9 against .500-or-better squads, have a dynamic set of starters at the top of the rotation and a solid offense to go with it.
They were only 6-4 against the Blue Jays this season, though, and were actually outscored by them. If Hyun Jin Ryu can deal in Game 1, anything can happen. It’s only a best-of-three series after all. Too bad Buffalo won’t get to see any playoff games, though.
No. 2 A’s vs. No. 7 White Sox
We’ve tried to figure out how Oakland has kept winning all season long. Seems to be a whole lot of Robbie Grossman and Chris Bassitt, just like everyone predicted. Right?
Of course the A’s doesn’t seem to care about our puzzlement, they just keep winning. I can’t help but think that the powerful Chicago offense, along with a rotation topped by Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel will be too much for them. I suppose they will prove me wrong … again.
No. 3 Twins vs. No. 6 Astros
The Twins finished strong, winning five of their last seven to avoid playing the Yankees in the first round. Wise move. Not because the Yankees are actually that good, but just because Minnesota has a history of making them look that good.
Instead, Minnesota draws Houston, a briefly-proud franchise that cheated its way to a championship and now has little left to fuel it aside from its own arrogance. Even with Justin Verlander this was a mediocre team, and the injured right-hander won’t be pitching for the Astros this fall, if ever. The Twins will ride the ageless Nelson Cruz and a great pitching staff into the next round.
No. 4 Indians vs. No. 5 Yankees
This is a battle of two shockingly mediocre teams, but they enter the playoffs on decidedly different notes. Cleveland finished strong, winning nine of its last 11, including a four-game sweep of the White Sox. They’ve got AL Cy Young favorite Shane Bieber and the best rotation in baseball. On the other side of things, the Yankees finished meekly, losing six of their last eight. They’ve got an extremely busy training staff.
Despite all the injuries, the Yankees are dangerous with Luke Voit, DJ LeMahieu and company. And with Gerrit Cole facing Bieber in Game 1, the series should have an exciting start. I like Jose Ramirez and Cleveland in the end, though.
NL
No. 1 Dodgers vs. No. 8 Brewers
The Dodgers were supposed to be the best all-around team this year. And in this sprint of a regular season, they were. Mookie Betts is the star everyone thought he was and worth every penny the Red Sox didn’t want to pay him. Corey Seager (remember him?) has a .943 OPS and is a borderline MVP candidate, making up for Cody Bellinger’s relative struggles. Even Clayton Kershaw looks like an ace again.
All of this is unfortunate for the Brewers, who have been outscored by their opponents this season and will have to endure a throng of cardboard cutouts at Chavez Ravine who are ravenous for the franchise’s first championship since 1988.
No. 2 Braves vs. No. 7 Reds
I feel bad for the Braves, I really do. They came into the season an excellent team, sporting a lineup filled with young stars and an MVP candidate in Freddie Freeman. But despite the greatness of Max Fried, their pitching staff was beset by injuries and ineffectiveness, and never came together. Still, they battled their way to the third-best record in the NL and the No. 2 seed.
Then they went out and drew the short straw, which I guess will be my nickname for the Reds, a team you don’t want to play in a short series. Cincinnati has Trevor Bauer and Luis Castillo set to start the first two games of this best-of-three, with Sonny Gray sitting in reserve. Looks like Atlanta’s record streak of postseason series losses will increase to 11.
No. 4 Padres vs. No. 5 Cardinals
I would guess this is a series where everyone outside of St. Louis wants the Padres to win, while expecting they won’t. San Diego is young and fun to watch, and they showed some spunk in giving the Dodgers a run for their money in the West. The Cardinals, on the other hand, missed two weeks early in the season due to a rash of positive COVID-19 tests, then limped their way to the five seed by clinching second place in a weak NL Central on Sunday.
Of course, St. Louis residents will probably end up the happy ones by the time this is over, especially with the Padres potentially being without star pitchers Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger.
No. 3 Cubs vs. No. 6 Marlins
When I look at this series, all I really see — once I get past the shock of seeing the Marlins listed in the postseason — is Steve Bartman. Is that wrong?
The Cubs never looked particularly dangerous this season. Their offense ranks in the MLB’s bottom third and the only regulars with an OPS over .800 are Ian Happ and Jason Heyward. Their pitching is solid, though, thanks mostly to a rejuvenated Yu Darvish.
The Marlins are here by virtue of finishing second in an oddly bad NL East, a division in which the Phillies, Mets and defending-champ Nats all badly underperformed. The Marlins’ offense is nothing to write home about, being led by journeyman shortstop Miguel Rojas, a nice enough fellow whose OPS+ of 141 is 55 points higher than his career average. The pitching staff is young, but it is solid, with 21-year-old rookie Sixto Sanchez leading the way. They could win this series.
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.