MLB Playoffs: ALDS Preview

The American League Central doesn’t get much respect. Some of this is due to its history as one of baseball’s “new” divisions. There are only two in the AL Central world Series The champions in the game’s 30 seasons are the 2005 White Sox and the 2015 Royals. Neither were part of any permanent dynasty, and apart from them, it has ceased to exist altogether.

I think the neglect is partly because it can be easier to overlook the AL Central clubs in favor of the more big-name teams in the AL East and West. there are Yankees And the Red Sox of course, but Astros Has been baseball’s primary rival over the past decade, and the Rangers won last year’s World Series. He is just naming some teams; Even relatively anonymous Rays sometimes get more attention than similarly savvy organizations like the Guardians.

The 2024 White Sox played their part in taking the division to a new low with a modern record 121 losses. However, not even those nightmare pale hoses collapsing twins This year’s AL Central could sink completely. Give them credit! Consider the following facts with the American League Division Series on deck:

• The division champion Guardians (92–69) finished with a better record than the AL West-leading Astros (88–73), giving them a first-round bye.
• Two of this year’s three AL Wild Card teams came from the AL Central, with the Royals and Tigers (both 86–76) defeating teams with very high preseason expectations such as the Mariners, Rays, and defending champion Rangers. Boston had a better record than KC and Detroit at the All-Star break, but both trailed the Red Sox.
• Detroit sent Houston home for the winter much sooner than any team since 2016. The Astros had made the American League Championship Series seven consecutive years, but the Tigers, led by former Astros captain AJ Hinch, kicked them out With back-to-back wins in the Wild Card Series – both in Houston.
• The Astros were more of a prestige upset, but the Royals beating the Orioles on the road was also a surprise. Baltimore is one of the leading organizations in the game and actually had a better record than Houston (91–71). No matter!

So is this the year of the AL Central? Should we stock up on Gates barbecue, rectangular pizza, and, uh, whatever Browns fans consume at tailgates? Three of the four remaining teams on the junior circuit come from the Midwest, but there’s one juggler left who might just spoil the party – and it’s the one Hollywood always picks as the villain.

New York Yankees (1) vs. Kansas City Royals (5)

Vincent Carchietta-Imagen Images

Game 1: Saturday, October 5, 6:38 pm ET, Yankee Stadium
Game 2: Monday, October 7, 7:38 pm ET, Yankee Stadium
Game 3: Wednesday, October 9, TBD, Kauffman Stadium
Game 4*: Thursday, October 10, TBD, Kauffman Stadium
Game 5*: Saturday, October 12, TBD, Yankee Stadium

*if necessary; All games will be broadcast on TBS

Don’t expect the Yankees and Royals to struggle like they did in the playoffs when they really hated each other In the 70’s. New York and Kansas City competed in four of the five ALCS between 1976 and 1980, a quartet of memorable series in which the Yankees captured the first three from 1976–78, before KC had the last laugh with a sweep in 1980. Found. From Chris Chambliss run it for the pennant As Yankees fans stormed the field to drop the hammer on George Brett With a huge homer from Goose Gossage That silenced the Bronx, these were truly tremendous performances. Now, for the first time in 44 years, the Yankees and Royals are back, this time to determine who advances to the 2024 ALCS.

The Yankees were not a juggernaut this season, but their 94–68 record was enough to lead the American League and earn a first-round bye in the ALDS. Looked like they were going to face the Orioles, but it’s the Royals had other ideasKansas City had not made the playoffs since winning it all in 2015, and with captain Salvador Pérez the only holdover from that championship club, a new group of Royals flourished in their first postseason (besides a few imported veterans). Used to be.

Pérez and ascending superstar Bobby Witt Jr. anchor Kansas City’s lineup, which has been a weak point over the past month. They were missing first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who was sidelined with a broken thumb, and Casey suffered an MLB-worst .577 OPS in September. Pasquantino returned for the ALDS but honestly the Royals advanced despite their offense. Corbin Burns and the Baltimore pitching staff held him to three runs in 18 innings. (Naturally, two were driven in by Witt, both game-winners.) To beat the Yankees they would need more up and down the lineup than asking the pitching staff to record a 0.50 ERA in a series. Again the task may be a long one.

At the same time, the Royals at least have starters to step up. Co-aces Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo have already discussed More Game 2 and Game 3 in this spot will have to wait, but Michael Wacha makes for an intriguing Game 1 matchup with reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole.

Although head-to-head statistics can be vague as lineups change over the years, Wacha is familiar with the primary Yankees from his two years in the AL East with the Rays and Red Sox from 2021-22. The 33-year-old has held the Yankees to a 1.94 ERA in 41.2 innings since the start of ’21, and notably got success Against both Aaron Judge and leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres. Ragans and Lugo have also taken over for the Yankees this year; Lugo in particular shut him out more than seven times in the Bronx on September 10, with 10 strikeouts. The KC bullpen should feel good about itself after shutting out the O’s in the 7.2 Wild Card Series frame, as Lucas Erceg has recorded close saves in both contests.

So yes, the underdogs have a legitimate chance to beat the heavyweights. Is this part of the preview about trying to find a way to upset the Royals? A bit. Does it feel at least a little more likely that the big, bad Yankees are assembling a bunch of dingers with Judge and Juan Soto and going crazy at the Yankee Stadium crowd? Yes.

However, it may not all be star-driven. Cole can only make two starts, so Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil and the up-and-down bullpen will have to play their part. And if Kansas City works around Judge and Soto, someone else will have to step up. It could be Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Wells or perhaps Giancarlo Stanton, who has 11 homers and a .963 OPS in 27 career playoff games. Hell, maybe Alex Verdugo is having a moment after one season didn’t love her at all Loyal to the Yankees (but that made him a clubhouse darling).

The Royals have already exceeded expectations. All the pressure is on the Yankees, who have failed to even make the World Series in their last 10 playoff berths since 2009. The last five have come under manager Aaron Boone. The front office likes him a lot, but if New York suffers a loss one more When the postseason gets bounced with a gut punch and a pennant in the first round, the WFAN callers will be even more obnoxious than usual, I’ll tell you that much. And they can be justified.

Cleveland Guardians (2) vs. Detroit Tigers (6)

Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Game 1: Saturday, October 5, 1:08 PM ET, Progressive Field
Game 2: Monday, October 7, 4:08 PM ET, Progressive Field
Game 3: Wednesday, October 9, TBD, Comerica Park
Game 4*: Thursday, October 10, TBD, Comerica Park
Game 5*: Saturday, October 12, TBD, Progressive Field

*if necessary; All games will be broadcast on TBS

Unlike the Yankees/Royals, this Guardians/Tigers ALDS is a brand new matchup that has never happened before in the postseason. This is partly by design, as the wild card did not exist until the 1995 playoffs and these two teams had shared a division for several decades. But it’s also rare to see Cleveland and Detroit this good at the same time. They have overlapped in the postseason only once, in 2013 (a one-time wild card exit for Cleveland against Tampa Bay).

If Tigers was the surprise story of the second half, The Guardians was a perfect fit for the first half. The Twins were the favorites to repeat as AL Central champions and the Guardians finished 16 games worse in 2023, as they did during their own division champion run in ’22. With a fast start led by first-year captain Stephen Vogt, Cleveland took control from the jump and never let go. This allowed parents to watch the Tigers’ ascent by midseason with curiosity rather than fear of being overtaken by irrelevance. Cleveland finished its 7–6 season series with Detroit at the trade deadline on July 30, when the Tigers were dealing Jack Flaherty. They have not faced each other since Detroit’s debut surge in mid-August,

The funny thing about this showdown is that there aren’t really that many main characters on the mound. AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal is an obvious selection, although like the Ravens in the Yankees/Royals series, he won’t pitch until Game 2. As was the case with their wild card opener against Houston, any scrimmage will feel inevitable. -win forspreading anarchy“Gritty twigs. The Guardians have their own pitching hodgepodge to match Detroit’s, as they will have a whole bunch of bullpenning throughout the series after Game 1 starter Tanner Beeby. Even if Matthew Boyd or Alex Cobb gets the start, they won’t be there for long.

If you’re a casual fan and are confused about who Detroit or Cleveland is pitching at any given time, don’t despair. Even baseball players like us are only so familiar with our relievers. For your sake, here is a list of some names you can check out:

• tim herrin
• Leo D’Amato
• cad smith
• shawn guenther
• charlie stone
• ty madden
• Andrew Walters
• elli morgan

two are minors Veronica Mars The characters are mixed there. They get along very well.

Unknown or not, these bullpens are effective, and in the final two months of 2024, no one in al He had a better relief corps than Detroit or Cleveland. The Tigers’ pitching has been more reliant on their ‘pen than the Guardians, but given the urgency of the postseason, don’t be surprised if Vogt has a quick hook. All year long, the bullpen has been Cleveland’s strength, and this ALDS schedule offers them the day off to take advantage of. Vogt’s mission is to somehow get the ball to Emmanuel Klaas with the lead and let the guy with a 0.61 ERA and 0.659 WHIP slam the door.

With all due respect to Tigers All-Star Riley Green (not mentioned). andy ibanez And parker meadows‘Wild Card Heroics), the guardians have a better attack here. Jose Ramirez will probably secure his fifth career top-five MVP finish without winning the honors, Josh Naylor has 30-homer power, rookie Kyle Manzardo was on fire in September, trade deadline acquisition Lane Thomas has looked even better, and his At its best, the Steven Cowan plate has the definition of an insect. For Cowan, the only question will be how his back is doing as inflammation has caused him to miss all but two games since mid-September.

No matter what happens, a team that few expected to see will play for a spot in the World Series. According to FanGraphs, the odds of seeing the Guardians or Tigers win the pennant on Opening Day were a combined six percentThat probability has now increased to 41.4 percent, and for one of these teams, they will be even higher in a week. To paraphrase a certain pilot of sci-fi lore, never tell them about the odds!