The 2019 MLB regular season is officially over and the playoffs are gearing up to start. Starting on October 1st we will see the first of two wildcard matchups, in the National league we have the Brewers vs. the Nationals, then on Wednesday October 2nd we will see the Rays vs. the Athletics in the American league wildcard.
Every single team in the MLB postseason fought their way into the position that they are in and we are now in store for a great final month of the season where a champion will be crowned. These teams have been great all season and now get to prove their worth in one of the greatest playoffs in all of the sports.
First, let’s start off with the National League game between the Brewers and the Nationals.
NL Wildcard: Brewers vs. Nationals
Coming out of the NL Central we have the Brewers, who have been one of the hottest teams over the past month, finishing the regular season with a 20-7 record in September. Most of this was without their star outfielder Christian Yelich, who went down for the season due to a knee injury suffered on September 10.
At this point the Brewers sat at 76-68, third place in the division and third place in the wildcard standings, one game back of division rival Chicago Cubs. In their final 18 games the Brewers went 13-5 to lock up the second wildcard spot and a game in Washington against the Nationals to further their postseason.
The Nationals finished the season hot as well with a 17-11 record in September to help lock up the number one wildcard spot and earn themselves a home game in the wildcard game. Luckily, the Nationals got their ace Max Scherzer back in time for the final playoff push. Scherzer went down in mid-July with a back injury but came back to start on July 25th. That start proved to be his last start for almost a month, going on the Injured List on July 29th and not returning until August 22nd.
Over this time the Nationals relied on the likes of Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin to carry the load for the starting pitchers. They did a decent job with that, but their biggest contributor was third baseman Anthony Rendon, who went on a tear over the month of August. In August, Rendon had a .394 average with eight homeruns and 29 RBIs, leading the offensive surge that the Nationals would need.
Since then Rendon has cooled down, but the Nationals are back at full strength for their upcoming match against the Brewers. The Brewers are also at mostly full strength, without the presence of their leader Christian Yelich.
Prediction
The Nationals announced that Max Scherzer will be the starter in the wildcard game, which is good news for Nationals fans. However, Scherzer hasn’t been the same pitcher that we have known since his return from injury. Since his return Scherzer has a 5.16 ERA in five starts with 43 strikeouts to six walks. The strikeouts to walks seem like typical Scherzer numbers, but the ERA is not the norm for Scherzer.
Since this is a win or go home game it is very possible that Strasburg and Corbin will be ready if Scherzer gets into trouble early. Scherzer is not foreign to the playoffs and usually pitches pretty well in the playoffs, expect the Cy Young level Scherzer to return in this game to give the Nationals their best chance.
Brandon Woodruff will take the hill for the Brewers, Woodruff is having the best season of his young career thus far. He has a 3.62 ERA with 143 strikeouts and 30 walks. In a limited playoff career Woodruff is 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA and a .81 WHIP. Woodruff has been the team’s best pitcher all season long so it is understandable that they will use him in their wildcard matchup.
Without Yelich in the lineup the Brewers will have to rely on the same squad that got them into the playoffs against “Mad Max”.
This could prove to be too much for the Brewers as they go against a stacked lineup in the Nationals who have Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Trea Turner, and Brian Dozier.
The Nationals have so much fire power in their offense, add that with one of the best pitchers of the past decade and the Nationals will meet up with the Dodgers in the second round of the Playoffs.
Prediction: Nationals 5, Brewers 2
AL Wildcard: Rays vs. Athletics
This game will be a matchup of two different styles, the Rays made it popular to use an “opener” and play the pitching matchups for the rest of the game. The Athletics are built on offense and defense. Defense comes in when you look specifically at their third baseman, Matt Chapman who is one of the best fielders in the league.
The Athletics have a little more star power in their lineup, but they do not have a pitching group nearly as strong as the Rays. This will be a matchup between pitching and offense.
The Rays finished the season at 96-66, clinching their first postseason berth since 2013. No one on the offensive end will truly stand out for them, with their top hitter blasting 33 home runs with 89 RBIs, both leading the team. Pitching is where they stand out, posting a 3.65 team ERA to lead the American league while allowing the fewest home runs of any team with 181.
Their bullpen is a big reason for this, but their starters have not been bad at all. They are holding opposing teams to a .230 average, second in the American league. They will also have their top pitcher going against the Athletics in Charlie Morton.
There was a point in the season where it would have been completely possible to see Morton win the Cy Young, he will not win because of great seasons from Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, but Morton put up the best season of his career. Morton is 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 240 strikeouts, and 57 walks on the year. The Rays couldn’t have a better player to take the mound in a win or go home game.
The Athletics lineup is one you could only hope of, they are not the best average team, but they have a ton of power spread out through the lineup. Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, and Marcus Semien all have 30+ homeruns and 90+ RBIs on the year. If Mike Trout and Alex Bregman were not having great season at the plate, then Marcus Semien could be a serious contender for AL MVP. Even though he is not, he is still having a tremendous year for the Athletics.
The Athletics also have Khris Davis and Mark Canha who can provide any amount of power needed with just one swing of the bat. With all the power bats the Athletics finished with 257 homeruns, good for fourth in the American league.
Prediction:
The Athletics will be playing at the Coliseum for this game, which is huge, the Athletics are 52-29 at home this season, good for fourth in the MLB. The Athletics, like the Rays also have a great bullpen. Even without top performers from 2018 in Blake Treinen and Lou Trivino, the A’s still had one of the top bullpens with the emergence of closer Liam Hendricks.
Hendricks finished the season with a miniscule 1.8 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 85 innings. The A’s also restocked their starting staff this season by acquiring Homer Bailey and Brett Anderson. However, they will be without top performer Frankie Montas who is suspended for performance-enhancing drugs.
Due to this they have yet to name a starter for the wildcard matchup, either way they will rely on their power to keep them in the game no matter who is on the mound for the game.
Charlie Morton will be taking the mound for the Rays in this game. Morton is having a great season, possibly better than last season and is looking to lead the Rays to their first postseason win since 2013.
Offensively they are not as much of a juggernaut as the A’s are, but they are well balance between power and speed. Oakland is dominantly righty heave which could help some of the Rays power hitters in Willy Adames and Ji-Man Choi.
The biggest lefty threat the Athletics have on the staff is Sean Manaea, Manaea is a real candidate to start the game and could lead the Rays into some trouble.
Although the Athletics have a great lineup to match up with the Rays pitching staff, Morton is pitching lights out this season and will continue to pitch well in this game. Even if he doesn’t the Rays aren’t new to bringing the bullpen in very early, because of this the Rays will be going to Houston to match up with the Astros in the second round.
Prediction: Rays 4, Athletics 3