Brewers or Padres? Yankees or Rays? Previewing every MLB division series matchup — SkimNews
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- Milwaukee Brewers open as 64% simulation favorites over the Padres in the NLDS after leading MLB in wins with a franchise-record 103 games and posting baseball's best home record by a wide margin in runs per game.
- Jacob Misiorowski anchored Milwaukee with a major-league-leading 1.80 ERA, 252 strikeouts, and a record .157 opponent batting average for a starting pitcher, forming what ESPN called the playoffs' best one-two punch with Logan Henderson.
- New York Yankees hold a 55% simulation edge over the Rays in the ALDS, dropping to roughly 52% if Aaron Judge remains sidelined or limited by a fractured rib he suffered before the regular season's end.
- Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice emerged as franchise cornerstones in the wild-card round, joined by George Lombard Jr. (21), Anthony Volpe (25), Spencer Jones (25), and Austin Wells (27) as a young Yankees core filling the Judge void.
- Xander Bogaerts is the Padres' must-deliver player in the NLDS after slashing .315/.425/.479 in the season's final month and going 2-for-4 with a home run in San Diego's playoff opener.
- The White Sox, Yankees, and Padres all advanced out of the wild-card round Wednesday, with the Phillies and Braves playing Thursday for the final Division Series spot.
Why it matters: With Jacob Misiorowski potentially matching up against the Padres' late-inning duo of Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon in the NLDS and Aaron Judge's status uncertain for the ALDS, the Division Series pits a record-setting ace against baseball's deepest bullpen and a Yankees team leaning on rookies to survive a superstar's absence.
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