Four games… four games! One of the many reasons why it’s great that there’s no sweep in the Division Series – after seeing three teams pulling out all the stops in the Wild Card Series – is that we get to enjoy a glorious day like today, with a day of four ball games. It is the last time we will have a day like this in the year. Enjoy it.
Two of these commitments are Games 3, but the other two have an even more important factor: For two clubs, there is a chance to advance, and for the others, they are win-or-go-home games. It doesn’t get any better than this, friends.
Here, the main stories for Wednesday’s Division Series matchday.
What will the Guardians get from Cobb?
It’s been a tough year for Cobb, who turned 37 on Monday. In 2023 he was called to the All-Star Game with the Giants, but he has been plagued with injuries this year, from elbow surgery to a nerve problem in his right shoulder, a blister and a broken nail. He only made three starts this year, but something should be said: They have been good starts. The best was his most recent, on September 1, when he pitched seven solid innings (two hits, one unearned run, six strikeouts) in a 6-1 win over the Pirates.
But some time has passed since that day, thanks to one of the aforementioned problems with the nail and blisters.
The Tigers are going to apply their well-known “pitching chaos,” as they usually do on days when Tarik Skubal is not on the mound. But if Cobb — who, again, hasn’t pitched in more than a month — isn’t ready to give Cleveland several innings, then we’ll also be seeing his own “pitching chaos.”
**Filis vs. Mets (NYM lidera 2-1)**5:08 pm ET
Openers: Ranger Suárez (PHI) vs. Jose Quintana (NYM)
Will this really be the end for the Phillies?
This was supposed to be the season of the Phillies who are in “win now” mode. They reached the World Series two years ago, but lost to the Astros. In 2023, they were one win away from returning to the Fall Classic, before being surprised by the D-backs in the NLCS. All of this puts a lot of emphasis on this year, for a veteran team that is behind the ring.
That’s particularly the case with Bryce Harper – a two-time MVP winner and possibly future Hall of Famer, who also left the Nationals the year before Washington won a World Series. Every star in this group, from Harper to Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and even Carlos Estévez, is at least 31 years old.
But now this team is one game away from being out.
**Yankees vs. Royals (tied 1-1)**7:08 pm ET
Abridores: Clarke Schmidt (NYY) vs. Seth Lugo (KC)
Will the superstars wake up?
It was almost a relief when we saw Aaron Judge have a hit in the eighth inning of Game 2. Yes, it was an infield single, but, look, it all adds up at this point. Judge, who is coming off perhaps the best offensive season in history for a right-handed hitter, was 0-for-6 (with two walks and four strikeouts) before that at-bat, and his postseason struggles are becoming commonplace. In his last 16 games in the playoffs, he is 9-for-63 (.143) with three home runs and 24 strikeouts.
On the other side, Bobby Witt Jr. is 0-for-10 with four strikeouts in two games in the ALDS. It is the first time he has gone blank in two consecutive games since August 29 and 30 – he only had two games in which he was 0 for 5 on the year.
**Dodgers vs. Padres (SD leads 2-1)**9:08 pm ET
Openers: TO BE DEFINED (LAD) vs. Dylan Cease
Already seen by the Dodgers?
The Dodgers have won the NL West in 11 of the last 12 seasons. They are one of the best sports organizations. They have three MVPs at the top of their lineup, including Shohei Ohtani.
But the truth is that they are in exactly the same position as in the last two seasons; in danger of being eliminated in the NLDS by a division rival. Last year, it was the D-backs. In 2022, the Padres, who recovered from a Game 1 setback to win the next three – a very similar picture now. And the worst of all is that Tuesday’s game was not all bad for Los Angeles, with Walker Buehler managing to pitch five innings – allowing runs in only one of those stretches – the relief was almost perfect and Mookie Betts and the Dominican Teóscar Hernández blew the fence.
But the problems they faced were familiar to the Dodgers, as they displayed a shaky defense, which contributed to a six-run rally by the Padres. Now, if the Dodgers want their season to last until at least Friday, they will have to rely on a solid performance from their pitching and battle injuries to Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas.
