Major League Baseball’s Wild Card round has come and gone in the blink of an eye with many upsets to reflect on. With the exception of the San Diego Padres, road teams managed to take the spotlight in the first round of the playoffs, creating a ruckus in the process.
Now, Wild Card series winners are looking to challenge the division leaders in this series as division winners work to defend their titles. Here are things to watch out for in each Division Series…
Detroit Tigers (6) vs Cleveland Guardians (2)
Pitching
The Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians have been neck and neck in their pitching performances throughout the regular season. Both teams recorded a 3.61 earned run average (ERA) after 162 games. While Detroit has an edge in walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) with 1.16 and innings pitched with 1,447, Cleveland has an edge with 1,410 strikeouts and 12 shutouts during the season, according to ESPN.
Starting pitching-wise, the Guardians and Tigers are mostly even but the bullpen is where the main difference is. Cleveland had the number-one bullpen in the league this season with foolproof role players like Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Eli Morgan and Cade Smith. The Tigers also have one of the better bullpens, but clearly lack a definite closer or well-known flame throwers as it stands.
Offence
Both the Tigers and Guardians are not known for their offensive powers. The two teams hovered around the bottom of the league’s pitching ranking in 2024 as the Guardians rank 22nd and the Tigers rank 24th.
However, that didn’t prevent each team from stepping up offensively when it mattered. Both teams have a young core they can rely on. For Detroit, players like Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Colt Keith, Jace Jung and Spencer Torkelson have taken a step forward, while Parker Meadows has been a revelation. In Cleveland’s dugout, José Ramírez has been the backbone of the offence and Steven Kwan, Bo Naylor, Josh Naylor and Jhonkensy Noel have contributed to the magical division run.
In the end, the offensive performances will depend on which offence is peskier and savvier and which role players will step up to carry the game. There are many young players in this series, but the caveat is that they have to step up when it matters.
New York Mets (6) vs Philadelphia Phillies (2)
Pitching
Here is the bad news: the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies reaped similar pitching records from the regular season, more or less. Overall, the Phillies have a slight edge in pitching as they ranked 11th in the league after 162 games compared to the Mets, who were at 15th.
Despite the Phillies’ lacklustre second-half win-loss record, they still virtually hold the advantage against the Mets because they were off to a lockdown start with their pitching also. According to Fangraphs, the Phillies rank sixth in relief pitching and third in starting pitching – that’s compared to the Mets’ 13th ranking both in relief and starting pitching.
Because of these stats, each team must set the tone for the first game with solid starting pitching while meticulously calculating the match-up for the bullpen match-ups as the games go on. If there is anything that stands out, the Phillies have clear aces in the starting rotation, like Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler, but the Mets don’t necessarily have a go-to ace in the rotation. But pitchers like Sean Manaea, Tylor Megill, David Peterson, and Luis Severino have all lived up to their expectations largely and have contributed to the team’s good fortune.
All in all, the pitching match-ups are going to be an underrated factor that could shape the narrative of this particular division series.
Offence
Even on the offensive side of the game, New York is clearly the underdog out of the two. The Phillies have stood out offensively for the past few years and this year wasn’t an exception either. With powerhouses like Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, the Phillies have run away with the division in the first half of the season despite their gradual slide into some mediocrity.
The Mets, on the other hand, have less prominent names in the lineup. But players like Pete Alonso, Franciso Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos have performed to their potential and have created more success for the team. Funny enough, the Mets also have recorded more home runs (207) than the Phillies (1908), proving that they are capable of generating chaos.
New York has always been underrated because of their less gaudy stats on paper, and Philadelphia is the clear favourite in every way for now. Yet, it’d be a mistake to write this game off in Phillies’ favour because the Mets have had some wilder comeback stories throughout the season and even in the Wild Card series.
Kansas City Royals (5) vs New York Yankees (1)
Pitching
Surprisingly, the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees are extremely close in their pitching performances, at least based on the regular season performance. Performance-wise, New York’s starting pitching has become a bit more volatile as the season went on. The main contributors in the rotation have been Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodon, and Marcus Stroman. Apart from Cole, all pitchers have gone through roller coasters full of unpredictability at times.
In contrast, Kansas City has had a more stable rotation, especially after the trade deadline. Some of the main contributors to the rotation are Michael Lorenzen, Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, Brady Singer, and Michael Wacha. Cole Ragans has continued his magical performance from last season and has solidified himself as an absolute steal of a trade deadline acquisition and Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have sharpened their skills as members of the Royals’ pitching staff.
By and large, the Royals do have a slight edge in pitching with more consistent performers. Nevertheless, the Yankees have managed to win the division even when their pitching crumbled at times. This should be an interesting pitching match-up to watch, and it’ll certainly be interesting to keep an eye out for which school of pitching prevails.
Offence
Here is where the two teams really bring different flavours to the series. New York has been the classic offensive team that relies on power, while Kansas City almost exclusively depends on small ball and pesky-ness.
New York has heavily depended on their duo, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, to carry the team, but aside from those two players, most players haven’t contributed significantly to the team’s red-hot offensive performance. However, Jazz Chisholm does still have the swagger and has also been an important part of the team. That doesn’t take away the concerns about this top-heavy offence but so far, that hasn’t hurt the team in any way, given their hot start to the season.
Kansas City serves as a stark contrast to New York as it doesn’t have many standout names other than Bobby Witt Jr. That’s not to minimize Witt Jr.’s performance – he has been the speediest and one of the more powerful players with amazing defensive skills. But aside from Witt Jr., the lineup has consisted of players who rely on speed and hits rather than becoming reliant on powers. In other words, the Royals’ offensive lineup is a collection of misfits but this odd cast has done the impossible so far by successfully securing a playoff spot while sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card series.
The offensive games between the Yankees and the Royals will be determined by one hit or one steal. Would home run power win the game or will savvy, underrated plays succeed? That’s the compelling story of this series.
San Diego Padres (4) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (1)
Pitching
This is a more precise picture than most would consider: The San Diego Padres have the upper hand in pitching. This wouldn’t have been a possible answer even up to a year ago, but the Los Angeles Dodgers lost many pitchers to injuries in the 2024 season. The team saw Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, River Ryan, and Emmet Sheehan all go down with injuries. While important pitchers like Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have returned to the pitching staff, trade acquisitions like Jack Flaherty and Michael Kopech have helped the staff immensely with their contributions.
The Padres have had fewer injuries on their end compared to the Dodgers and have benefitted from incredible performances from Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish and Michael King throughout the year. San Diego also has a lockdown bullpen with a cast of Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, Tanner Scott and Rober Suarez. They have helped San Diego to rank sixth in relief pitching, which shows their clear advantage against the Dodgers as they rank tenth.
Pitching match-up-wise, the Padres will try to force the Dodgers to get to their bullpen, as the team sorely lacks some depth due to a myriad of injuries this season. It’ll also be determined by how consistent starting pitching is on both sides for this series.
Offence
For too long, the Padres have been labelled as the Dodger’s little brother who can’t escape their shadow. But oh, how the tables have turned. The Padres rank first in the league for batting while the Dodgers rank fourth. However, that doesn’t give San Diego the complacency to take Los Angeles easily.
The Dodgers still have a star-studded lineup with a brilliant cast of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith and they have been key performers all throughout the year. Even players like Enrique Hernandez, Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages and James Outman have played their roles exceptionally well and have written success stories of their own.
Similarly, the Padres also have standout players like Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado, Jurickson Profar, and Fernando Tatis Jr. leading the team to success. Another notable part of the Padres’ offence has been rookie Jackson Merrill’s unbelievable performance. Merrill has been in the Rookie of the Year discussion for a long time and has created special playoff moments for the team. Even unlikely players like Kyle Higashioka are also on a hot streak.
The clash of two impactful offences will be a show to watch and this offensive lineup teases a potential for high-scoring games. Power won’t be an issue for this series. This will possibly be the most offensively electric throughout the series.