A Twins Fan's Guide to the Wild Card Round
10/02/2024 01:29 PM
Twins are out, but some fun teams are in. Here's what to look for in the first four series.
The season is over in Minnesota but for 12 other teams they trudge forward in hopes of winning the World Series. Luckily, there are some old friends, fun storylines, and division rivals for Twins fans to watch out for.
Tigers vs Astros: It should have been us!
The Twins fell out thanks to their historic collapse, but also a remarkable late season run by the Detroit Tigers. They did it largely on the backs of their pitching, which is especially impressive given that their rotation consists of likely Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and basically no one else. Even Tigers manager AJ Hinch has described their pitching strategy as "Tarik Skubal and chaos the rest of the way." Skubal looked great in Game 1, we'll see if the chaos can win them a few more.
Speaking of Hinch, the former disgraced Houston manager also makes his triumphant return to Houston after being ousted in the wake of the Astros cheating scandal. Very few members of those Astros teams are still in Houston, but it's notable nonetheless. The Tigers are a fun upstart team and the Astros are the villains. As much as it pains me, go Tigers!
Old Friend Watch
Tigers: Kenta Maeda, Akil Baddoo, Sawyer Gipson-Long (all not on the WC roster)
Astros: Ryan Pressly
Royals vs Orioles: Young stars, slumping lineups
The Orioles started hot and have been ice cold since then. Injuries have decimated their pitching staff, missing starters John Means, Grayson Rodriguez, and Tyler Wells along with All-Stars Kyle Bradish and Felix Bautista. Their lineup has been healthy, but the young guns that carried them early have faltered of late (sound familiar?). Since September 1, their only regulars hitting at above-average levels are Gunnar Henderson, Cedric Mullins, and Colton Cowser. Adley Rutschmann, in particular, has had a rough go of late, though his struggles go back to almost exactly when he got hit in the back of the head on a back swing if you want to put two and two together.
The Royals, on the other hand, haven't been a good offense all season outside of MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. We know the Royals well, and any deep postseason run will be on the backs of their starting pitching and Witt going supernova, both of which are very possible. It's essentially the 2019 Nationals formula with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, and Juan Soto. Though that Nats rotation is quite a bit stronger than the Royals' trio of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha.
Old Friend Watch
Orioles: Yennier Cano, Danny Coulombe, Cade Povich, Matt Bowman (inactive), Tyler Wells (IL)
Royals: Robbie Grossman (inactive)
Mets vs Brewers: Moneyball vs Money
The Brewers traded Corbin Burnes, lost Brandon Woodruff and Christian Yelich for the season, and somehow still easily won the NL Central. That came, largely, on the backs of Willy Adames, William Contreras, their always stellar bullpen, and the breakout of 21-year-old phenom Jackson Chourio. Chourio struggled in his first MLB action, which makes sense given his age and experience, but he has surged in the second half with a .310/.363/.552 batting line and the 10th-most fWAR in baseball. He essentially became Yelich after Yelich went down for the season.
The Mets surged to the postseason after a strong end to the season, winning the most exciting game of 2024 in Game 1 of Monday's makeup doubleheader with Atlanta. Francisco Lindor is still quietly one of the best players in baseball and the rest of the team is built on good but not great pitching, Grimace, and the power of friendship. A funny place to be for a team that spent hundreds of millions on Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and others over the past couple years. You also can't forget the pure, raw emotion of infielder Jose Iglesias' hit song "OMG" which has become a staple after wins. I'm not joking either, it's a legitimate banger.
Old Friend Watch
Brewers: Gary Sanchez, Trevor Megill, Tyler Jay (inactive), Frankie Montas ("where frankie?" spiritual Twin)
Mets: none
Braves vs Padres: Go Luis Arraez!
The Braves scratched and clawed their way into the postseason after losing All-Stars Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Spencer Strider for the season and both Ozzie Albies and Reynaldo Lopez for extended stretches. Now down likely NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale as well, they'll have to piece things together if they want to make another miracle run like in 2021.
The Padres, on the other hand, are nearly at full strength after welcoming back Fernando Tatis Jr. a few weeks ago. Tatis, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts are the stars in the lineup, but breakout seasons from rookie Jackson Merrill and 10-year veteran Jurickson Profar have brought a balance to the lineup that San Diego needed after last season's collapse. That puts former Twin Luis Arraez as their (likely) sixth most important hitter, a role in which he can thrive given his other limitations. Don't discount San Diego's pitching either. Michael King, Dylan Cease, and Joe Musgrove make up as strong of a playoff rotation as anyone, while Tanner Scott, Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, and Jeremiah Estrada give them plenty of legitimate weapons out of the 'pen. This team has all the makings of a World Series contender.
Old Friend Watch
Braves: Gio Urshela, Huascar Ynoa (IL), Sandy Leon (inactive)
Padres: Luis Arraez, Donovan Solano, Martin Perez (inactive)
