New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) defends the net during the second period of a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, N.Y.
DETROIT — So, Dylan Garand will be the Rangers backup goalie in October after all.
Among the last round of cuts from training camp less than a week ago, the rookie netminder was in Hartford for just two practices before he was summoned back to New York for the Blueshirts’ home opener at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night and his fourth NHL start Friday night in Detroit.
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“Dylan and I have had a lot of conversations along the way,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “I had a number of conversations with him when the decision was made to send him to Hartford. He knows that we believe in him. I don’t know that I have to say anything else. He’s a good, solid goalie. And we believe in him, and we know he’s going to make saves for us.”
It’s crystal clear now that Korpisalo was slated for the No. 2 job since the Rangers acquired him from Boston on July 1.
Devils center Nico Hischier (13) scores a goal past Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) in the second period of a Rangers-Devils pre-season hockey game in Newark, N.J., Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Bill Kostroun for NY Post
With a 24-year-old homegrown goalie in Garand pushing his way out of the pipeline, however, the Rangers called it a competition heading into training camp. Garand maximized his first NHL opportunity last season in the form of a 2-0-1 record and a .948 save percentage, but management believes he needs to be getting starter’s reps in Hartford to continue developing.
That led to the Rangers putting Garand on waivers just a few days after the Canucks claimed 24-year-old goalie Leevi Meriläinen from the Senators.
“I’m sure he was disappointed,” Sullivan said. “He’s a fierce competitor, and he wants to play in the NHL. That’s part of his personality that we love.”
Concerns over the possibility of Garand getting claimed may have been overblown, but they weren’t unwarranted. On the same waiver wire last weekend, the Jets claimed Clay Stevenson and the Devils picked up Remi Poirier.
It’s true, Garand’s sample size in the NHL isn’t quite big enough to take a flyer on, but young and untapped goalies were hot commodities this preseason. It sure worked out for Brandon Bussi and the 2026 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) defends the net during the second period of a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, N.Y. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Waiving Garand ultimately worked out for the Rangers too, but only because he cleared.
Had Garand been claimed, this Korpisalo injury could’ve been a devastating blow to the Rangers. After Garand, the Rangers have a shallow pool of netminders in Spencer Martin (primarily an AHL journeyman) and Callum Tung (split last season between the ECHL and AHL).
Whether you believe Garand should’ve been tabbed as the backup in the first place, Korpisalo came to New York on the heels of a volatile couple of seasons. He has finished with a save percentage above .900 just once in the past six seasons, when he split the 2022-23 campaign between the Blue Jackets and the Kings.
Still, the Rangers naturally went with the bigger body of work than the unproven rookie.
The NHL opportunity for Garand was always going to come at some point this season, especially given Igor Shesterkin’s injury history.
It may be earlier than expected, but it’s here now.
Garand said he never wanted to go back to the AHL, and Friday night was his first chance this season to make his case.
It would be foolish to condemn the Philadelphia Flyers two games into a young 2026-27 season, but in those two games, against divisional opponents looking to take charge, the Flyers looked completely unprepared, outmatched, and disinterested in it all.
Through two games, the Flyers have, according to Natural Stat Trick, allowed the most shot attempts in the NHL at 5-on-5 (125) and rank 18th in the league in expected goals generated (1.92), which is the fewest amongst all teams that have played two games thus far, and still ranks below 11 teams that have played only one game, including their two opponents: Pittsburgh and New Jersey.
Starting their season winless at 0-1-1, the Flyers have already dropped points to two divisional opponents, with the 7-0 loss in their home opener against Pittsburgh especially egregious.
The actual on-ice play aside, the most concerning part of it all is that nobody has an actual answer as to what is going on with the Flyers. Not head coach Rick Tocchet, not the leadership group, not Christian Dvorak, and not Joseph Woll.
"I'm not sure. If it keeps happening, I guess we got bigger issues, and so we need to clean it up. Need to get back to playing the way that we know we can, and we know that works," Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim said after the 3-2 overtime loss to the Devils on Thursday night.
"I'm not sure why we're kind of straying away from that when it's worked in the past."
Added Tocchet a short time later: "We got to really buckle down here, and the problem is we don't have much practice time, so we're going to have to do it on the fly here. ... I have no idea. We just talked as coaches, like, we'd have to maybe change some practices. We need more skill work. Unfortunately, we've only had five or six practices, but I don't know. I don't know, over the summer... but we are choppy with the puck."
Astute Flyers fans will recall that the reference to a lack of practice time was a common refrain repeated by Tocchet's predecessor, John Tortorella, throughout his rollercoaster tenure with the Flyers.
From Tortorella's time in Philadelphia, many things remain the same. The Flyers look most competitive when they have superb goaltending behind them, and they rely on a large volume of blocked shots and spontaneously manufactured offense to stay competitive.
Most of all, the power play is still the team's Achilles heel.
"Offensively, I think that some guys are squeezing it, too. And it's only our second game. I don't know why we're squeezing it," Tocchet added. "We got to relax if there's a play to be made."
On social media, it's become a bit of a source of consternation amongst fans how often Tocchet refers to players as "nervous" before or after games, and leading up to the season, Tocchet felt that his group was both anxious and excited to follow up their performance last season.
It's unflattering to the second-year coach, but also unflattering to a group of players - the veterans in particular - that's already been through this song and dance with Tortorella in 2023-24.
What happened to player development?
Porter Martone has been stuck on the end of the Flyers' bench in each of the team's first two games this season. (Photo: James Guillory, Imagn Images)
The one thing the Flyers have been able to hang their hats on in recent seasons is their player development, though that has stalled out in a major way at the beginning of the season.
Top prospect Porter Martone has been effectively benched in each of his first two regular season games of the year, and Alex Bump played just one shift in the third period against New Jersey and finished that game with a team-low 8:18 of ice time... in a game that went to overtime.
Meanwhile, Christian Dvorak, Tyson Foerster, and Trevor Zegras led the forwards in ice time; Dvorak made the turnover that sprung the Devils on Luke Hughes's game-tying goal halfway through the third period, and Zegras finished the game playing left wing next to Sean Couturier and Noel Acciari. He and Sanheim also combined for the turnover that led to Jack Hughes's game-winning goal in overtime.
But Martone, Bump, Matvei Michkov, and Carl Grundstrom finished the night as the bottom-four in ice time for the Flyers. The irony was that Martone was on the ice for the Flyers' first goal, and Grundstrom for the second.
I asked Tocchet his perspective behind those personnel changes, to which he responded, "I needed some lines here to somewhat control Jack. He was caving some of our lines, and so I just tried to get the best nine, I thought, for tonight."
Player development can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, though, and players like Bump, Michkov, and Martone will never be able to handle playing against elite players if they don't learn at some point.
The Flyers drafted Michkov and Martone to be those players themselves one day, but it's not going to happen with the process going the way it is.
Twenty-two-year-old David Jiricek has yet to play a game for the Flyers this season, and Tocchet had said on the record he told the player he has to get Jiricek in the lineup in one of these games.
Is Game 3 against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes an appropriate time to turn to a young defenseman carrying high expectations with your team winless to start the season? Probably not, and that's another lose-lose situation right there, whether Jiricek plays or not.
Again, it is far too early to pull the plug on the 2026-27 Flyers, but how they show up and perform against the Hurricanes on Saturday night will give us a better idea of where they're headed, playing a third division rival in four nights.
Here are five things to know about the Rays as the Yankees get ready to open the 2026 ALDS in St. Petersburg:
1. Delicate balance
Drew Rasmussen, who will start Game 1, has posted an impressive 1.81 ERA in 10 career starts — and 11 games — against the Yankees. He also has overcome a number of major elbow injuries to get to this point. Rasmussen became an unlikely success story after two Tommy John surgeries (2016 and ’17), and he underwent an internal brace procedure in 2023.
2. Getting the boot
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nick Martinez throws a pitch during the fourth inning of game one of a split doubleheader against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Rays All-Star Nick Martinez (3.10 ERA in 31 starts) spent three years at Fordham as a relief pitcher and infielder, and he was actually kicked out of Yankee Stadium the last time Martinez went as a fan. The Rams’ practice had been canceled that day. “Might’ve had a few too many adult beverages,” Martinez told reporters earlier this year. Next time he went to Yankee Stadium, it was as a major league pitcher.
3. Other local ties
Kevin Cash might’ve had his first World Series ring as a manager if he left Blake Snell in six years ago, but he actually earned one as a player for the Yankees’ 2009 title despite appearing in just 10 games. Cash, who also got a ring in 2007 with Boston, had been released by the Yankees in September.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash speaks to the media ahead of the ALDS game against the New York Yankees Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Florida. ZUMAPRESS.com
4. Closing time
Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker tied for the MLB lead with 41 regular-season saves, and the Rays also might have been the league’s best closing team this season. They won 64 percent of their one-run games (25-14) — the best in MLB.
5. Second chance
Lefty Cam Booser (1.98 ERA in 42 appearances) might get some high-leverage matchups in the ALDS, but he actually initially retired back in 2017. In high school, he broke his femur and fractured a vertebra, according to The Athletic. He underwent Tommy John surgery in college, tore his labrum with the Twins and broke a bone in his back while biking when a car hit him.
He was also suspended for 50 games in 2015 after testing positive for marijuana. He reportedly joined a carpenters union and worked in construction following retirement before beginning to claw his way back with an independent team in 2021.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal set to take on Braves in extreme heat conditions. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Saturday is expected to be the hottest day of the heat wave. Temperatures are predicted to reach the high 90s during the rest of the week.
The harsh conditions aren’t expected to be as much of a factor in Game 2, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. Sunday.
But for Skubal, 29, the heat wave raises the question of low long he will be able to go.
According to a study by Jyh-How Huang, Yung-Chin Chiu and Chen-Kang Chang from the National Library of Medicine, when pitchers and hitters are playing in an extremely hot environment, there is an increase in slugging percentage, isolated power, walks and home runs.
The Brain Cooler wrote that extreme heat conditions can affect pitchers’ performances because they may struggle with grip and control of the baseball. They also added that players’ health can be affected because they may play with an increased heart rate, sweating and fluid loss — all of which can lead to dehydration.
Tarik Skubal is expected to pitch in extreme heat conditions against the Atlanta Braves. Wally Skalij for CA Post
Skubal’s play style could be a blessing and a curse this weekend. Known as one of the more prominent power pitchers in the game, Skubal could find himself exhausting early if he relies heavily on his fastball.
Last season, he threw it 38% of the time, topping out at 100 mph.
Aside from the challenging conditions, the Braves present another daunting task.
Atlanta finished the regular season fifth in the National League for slugging percentage (.409) and tied with the Dodgers at fourth for home runs (204).
The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to take on the Atlanta Braves in extreme heat conditions. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Matt Olson led the Braves with a .502 slugging percentage and 41 homers. Behind him in slugging were Michael Harris (.491) and Drake Baldwin (.459).
The Dodgers are expected to have an early advantage against the Braves, who used a lot of their rotation in a three-game NL wild-card series against the Phillies.
If Atlanta manages to knock out Skubal early, it might level the playing field.
Los Angeles’ bullpen has been the weakest link in its star-studded cast this season. FanGraphs had its bullpen finishing with a 3.74 team ERA, a 9.9 walk percentage and an HR/9 of 0.96.
Whoa, last night was fun, no? This playoff series win was at least five years in the making, which is exactly the last time the Braves won a playoff series. The Phillies have excelled at beating the Braves in October in recent years, but didn’t have a lot of luck with anyone else. I felt very confident in the 50-50 nature of this particular encounter, and felt Atlanta could pull this off if they don’t blow it. However that’s been the rub, nay a calloused blister formed over 35 years of (mostly) playoff disappointment. But Michael Harris and crew pushed through years of angst and pain into the next playoff round.
The Braves will have to refocus on the red-eye flight this morning and prepare for a much different encounter tomorrow. The Dodgers will be rested and preparing to kick off their run toward a third World Series title. This is not a team like the Phillies, who needed to scratch and claw to advance and brought a jumbled and rest-deprived starting rotation. Let’s have a look at that Dodgers rotation and what will greet the Braves.
Starting Rotation
The Dodgers healthy starting pitching options look like this: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Justin Wrobleski, and Emmet Sheehan. Is that all they have and no Shohei Ohtani, huh Dodgers? They aren’t the Evil Empire 2.0 for nothing, folks. The best option to start Game 1 will be Yoshinobu Yamamoto. After him the Dodgers can run three left-hand starting pitchers at Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Michael Harris II. Let’s walk through Yamamoto first.
Those are some menacing red bars there. The other menacing part is the arsenal, which includes a 96 MPH fastball, split-finger, cutter, curveball, sinker, and slider. The four-season fastball usage has gone down season, and so have the strikeouts. But he has back-to-back 4.6+ WAR seasons, so it’s a pick-your-poison type of encounter.
I would expect the Yoshinobu to dial up the fastball some more in Game 1. There’s no reason to ration the fastballs or the MPH. He will enter Game 1 after 10 days of rest. The rested bullpen will be able to pick him up later in the game. If you’re looking for green shoots, Michael Harris is 2-6 lifetime versus Yamamoto. Drake Baldwin has a home in 3 plate appearances. All of NLWCS starters have hits off him except Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubon. But combined they’re 8-44 with 1 home run and a .182/.250/.333 line.
Next up will be the two lefties: Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell. Let’s grudgingly look at these lefty options.
If you don’t know Tarik Skubal, you may wish that you haven’t. He was the prize trade deadline target this July, and of course the Dodgers with their army of talent were able to get his services. He’s a back-to-back Cy Young award winner. He’s accumulated 1075 strikeouts in his age 29 season and 24.7 WAR. There’s no telling what it would take to sign him in the offseason. But right now, he’s bearing down on the Braves.
His fastball touches 100, works a devastating changeup off it, a sinker, slider, and why not a curveball as well. He’s also never faced the Braves as a team. Neat. For Game 3, Blake Snell has 28.3 career WAR, but has been limited to 104 innings over the last few years. He exited a game on September 16th after 1 inning with a groin issue. But it’s apparently okay now.
Tyler Glasnow might be waiting in Game 4. He’s been back after a back injury that warranted a 60-day Injured List stint. He’s put up a 4.46/2.14/2.88 line since. He struck out 7 Braves in five innings in a game that the Braves would eventually win on August 25th.
Dodgers Heavy Hitters
The Dodgers are second in position player WAR at 26.9 WAR and feature nine hitters with at least 10 home runs. Shohei Ohtani will not be pitching, but he brings a team-high 30 HRs and 139 wRC+. Mookie Betts has a .780 OPS at short. Max Muncy has 29 home runs and a .830 OPS. Old friend Freddie Freeman has been merely pretty good with a 120 wRC+. Then there’s Andy Pages and Will Smith as well, and Teoscar Hernandez with his torture devices. It’s a deep lineup, everybody.
Dodgers bullpen
Lefty Tanner Scott brings a 100 MPH fastball and 25 saves into this series. However the Braves victimize him for two losses to August. Those would be the Ha-Seong Kim game and another featuring Ozzie Alibes with an 8th-inning RBI single.
I’m deeply concerned about Game 1
Yesterday these guys were dumping champaign on each other deep into the night. Since June, the Braves are 5-10 in the first game of a road series when they don’t get a travel day. They appear to arrive in new cities rather flat. This time they will have Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Tarik Skubal waiting on them. Now, they do get a travel day this time. But they will also arrive with their starting rotation in a mess.
Chris Sale bookended the previous series. Starting him on Sunday for Game 2 would keep him in line to pitch Game 5, or perhaps be the fireman in a Game 4. But what does Walt Weiss do for Game 1? It’s too early for Tyler Mahle, Grant Holmes just pitched almost 1 turn through the order. No one knows yet if Bryce Elder will be available (at time of writing, at least). Martin Perez won’t be eligible to return until Game 3. And hero Ray Kerr just picked up 10 outs. So what can Walt Weiss do?
There’s Didier Fuentes, Brent Suter, Dylan Dodd and Robert Suarez as multi-inning options. JR Ritchie and AJ Smith-Shawver are also available. Weiss has limited options here. They might not have a starter and they may not score.
Are the Dodgers going to pitch to Ronald?
Ronald Acuña Jr went 1 for 9 in the NL Wild Card Series. However, he needed to be super patient. There were 4 walks, with one of those intentional in a Game 2 big spot. Overall, he had a very good .385 OBP versus the top end of the Philadelphia pitching staff. But it won’t fit The NarrativeTM and only the 1 for 9 will be remembered. However, look what he was served.
This is a classic Don Mattingly approach, especially as the Marlins manager. A heavy dose of inside pitches, and no fastballs in the healthy part of the zone. They dotted the upper inside corner, which is thankfully better than in his ear as in previous seasons. The walks definitely hurt the Phillies last night, mainly because of what Michael Harris would contribute. I’m not sure how the Dodgers will approach Ronald. But with some strong left handed pitching, they may not have to challenge him. Postseason games hinge on home runs, and they may elect to not give him that opportunity.
What happened to the outfield defense?
This was funny, but the play in right field overall in the Wild Card Series was bad, shambolic even. Even Michael Harris had trouble in the first inning of the series. But there’s a throughline between Ronald Acuña Jr and Bryce. Both have had numerous lower body injuries. Harper has been ailing since June. When Ronald would finally get comfortable at the plate this season, an injury would knock him off track.
While Harper has the offseason now to rest and perhaps consider options for his knee. The Braves will play again on Saturday afternoon. Designated hitter is an option for Acuña, but it’s also a position that Drake Baldwin needs while not behind the plate. Lane Thomas is returning, but I don’t know if this helps this particular situation. The Dodger Stadium’s right field has some nuance, so Ronnie will have to be on his toes.
So now, Ronald will be in a position where he may not have as many opportunities for power. And he may be hobbled in right field. Atlanta media is going to Atlanta media, and the national ones may pile on as well. So it’s essential for the Braves that Ronald make the most of this series. And it will save us a full offseason of hot takes.
Ray Kerr is not a playoff one-off
Kerr was acquired by the Atlanta Braves in exchange for the Braves assuming 4 million of Matt Carpenter’s contract over the 2023 offseason. I remember being very excited about this move. I saw a lefty with a 96 MPH fastball, 3 option years, and a 38/13 K/BB ratio. I thought at the very least that the Braves would have a bullpen arm in the prime of his playing years that they could bring up and down as needed. So upside would be 2024 Dylan Lee, and baseline a helpful arm. With Bryce Elder and Martin Perez possibly unavailable, he may be employed as a multiple inning option again this series.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Fangraphs is guessing Didier Fuentes versus Tarik Skubal in Game 1. They give the Dodgers a 62% chance to win. I think Brent Suter is more likely, though we may see both. And we may see Yamamoto first, because Suter versus Skubal feels like overkill.
Game 2 will feature Chris Sale versus Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Again, the Dodgers might flip the first too. But Fangraphs gives the Dodgers a 56% chance in this matchup.
Game 3 will be a battle of Tylers. Glasnow for the Dodgers will meet Mahle for the Braves. Fangraphs puts 56% Dodgers again.
I don’t feel comfortable guessing any deeper for this series. And I would argue with Fangraphs’ odds, but honestly those numbers feel slightly favorable. The Braves did win 5 of 6 matchups this season. So maybe these are okay.
Dodgers in 4?
In any other regular season scenario, I wouldn’t be worried about Los Angeles. The Braves tended to play up for good teams this year more than any other year. They have the second best winning percentage versus over-.500 teams. However, they will enter this round with depleted starting pitching, a sagging offense, and perhaps a metaphorical (not physical, please) hangover. But we might as well win now that we’re past the first round.
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One of the few areas where the Buffalo Sabres did not excel last season was on the power play. In spite of a unit that has one of the best offensive blueliners in Rasmus Dahlin, and one of the most consistent scorers in the NHL in Tage Thompson, the Sabres finished last season 21st in the league on the man advantage.
In spite of some changes to the unit’s personnel, Buffalo continued to struggle on the power play in the season opening 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, as the Sabres went 0-for-4 on the night, including a full two-minute two-man advantage.
“We had our opportunities. I mean,.... just after the one expired, (Konsta) Heleinus scored, but (we had) a big opportunity with the five-on-three that we missed an opportunity," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. " I thought some of the puck decisions, five-on-four, we did have a couple good looks. Five- on- three, there were a couple times that I just thought, we deferred to the play that wasn't there. I thought our whole game, we tried to be a little bit too fancy."
Noah Ostlund signs extension with the Sabres
The special teams struggles were also apparent on the penalty kill, where the club finished in the top five of the NHL last season. Columbus scored twice on the man advantage in three opportunities, something that Ruff blamed on some new personnel getting utilized on the short-handed units.
The Sabres will hope to get a win against the Chicago Blackhawks in the home opener on Saturday. The Hawks have opened the season with two lopsided losses against Vegas and Utah without star center Connor Bedard, and have allowed 11 goals, while scoring only twice.
Hosts made to fight all the way in 11-try thriller
Bath went to the top of the Prem after beating Exeter Chiefs in a pulsating West Country derby at the Rec but they were made to fight all the way in an 11-try thriller.
Exeter trailed 26-10 at the interval but rallied to lead 33-31 midway through the second half before a yellow card for scrum-half Stephen Varney eventually proved decisive.
Well, that was not the Wild Card round we wanted. This Cubs team provided the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in 2026. We’ll think of this as the year of the walkoff, brought to you in no small part by a pitching staff that was decimated by injuries. Pete Crow-Armstrong notching the first 40-40 season in the history of the franchise is clearly the defining highlight of the season, and we’ll all celebrate his MVP award when it’s official. But at the end of the day this team hit one of their down stretches towards the end of September and really just never turned it around. It’s disappointing, but baseball is gonna baseball.
Without the Cubs cheering interest in the Division Series this guide will return to its original vibe: a slightly snarky, but hopefully informative, look at all of the divisional action that kicks off tomorrow in Cleveland. Most of the former Cubs in the field were eliminated in the Wild Card round. So unless you’re really pulling for Cody Bellinger and the Yankees for some unfathomable reason, might I propose jumping on the bandwagon of the world’s most famous Chicagoan: Pope Leo XIV and cheering for the White Sox?
White Sox vs. Guardians: The choices of Master Samwise
To cheer for Chicago or to cheer against Chicago? That is a deep question many Cubs fans face today. As a Cubs fan who grew up far away and moved to Chicago in 2015, I’ve just really never had the animosity for the Sox that many native Chicagoans profess. Cheering for Cleveland, Tampa Bay or San Diego over the Sox really just feels ridiculous. There is no world where I’m taking Atlanta or Milwaukee over a team from Chicago and don’t make me laugh by suggesting I cheer for either coastal Death Star, have we met?
The Sox won their first playoff series since 2005 taking out the Astros in Houston. They’ll return to Chicago with a flawed, but scrappy team. Manager Will Venable will send Hagen Smith, the Game 1 opener from the Wild Card round, to the mound for Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series. Hey, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it [VIDEO].
To advance to the American League Championship Series, the Sox will need to thwart the Guardians. The Guardians have won the AL Central for the last three seasons, although they’ve only posted 90+ wins one time in that period. They’ll send Parker Messick, Gavin Williams and (likely) Foster Griffin to the mound.
On the position side Cleveland is still led by José Ramírez, although the future Hall of Famer had a down year this season only slashing .235/.320/.368 with 12 home runs with a wRC+ of 92 in 544 plate appearances. To put that in perspective, his 2025 slashline was .283/.360/.503 with 30 home runs and a wRC+ of 133 in 673 plate appearances. Savvy readers will note that 130 plate appearance difference, it seems pretty clear J-Ram was dealing with injuries this year. It’s worth keeping an eye on whether the drive all players destined for Cooperstown have will kick in in October transcending whatever issues hamstrung him in 2026. It’s worth noting he seemed to tap into that for his 1,000th RBI, which came on this solo home run in September [VIDEO].
The bullpens are closer in raw talent than you might think, with the Guardians rostering one of the best closers in the game in Cade Smith and the White Sox countering with Grant Taylor (who I discussed at length in the Wild Card Series guide). The Guardians relievers put up a 3.54 ERA off a 3.70 FIP with 46 saves in 63 opportunities this season. By fWAR their bullpen ranked second in the American League behind Boston. Meanwhile the White Sox relievers put up a 3.70 ERA off a 4.10 FIP with 41 saves in 71 opportunities. They ranked fifth by fWAR in the AL.
The regular season between these two teams was about as even as it gets with the White Sox holding a 7-6 edge over the course of the season.
Braves vs. Dodgers: Out of the frying pan into the fryer
The Phillies gave the Braves a real run for their money coming back to win Game 2 of the Wild Card round before ultimately succumbing in Game 3. The Braves won handily, and probably feel a bit of swagger heading to LA. They’ll need every ounce of that swagger to take on the defending World Series Champion Dodgers.
There are not probable pitchers announced for either team beyond the Dodgers Game 1 hurler, Tarik Skubal. FanGraphs Roster Resource currently projects Game 1 as a bullpen game for the Braves followed by Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow following Skubal for the Dodgers [VIDEO].
Starting pitching seems like a definitive edge to the Dodgers, if only because L.A. will line up three aces and Atlanta will counter with a future Hall of Fame ace, a solid guy and their bullpen. It’s a similar story on the offensive side of the equation where the Braves are led by first baseman Matt Olson who hit 41 home runs in 2026 plus catcher Drake Baldwin, former MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and Cubs killer Ozzie Albies. But the Dodgers are sporting the second best offense in MLB behind the Chicago Cubs. It turns out even relatively down years from guys like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman is still utterly dominant relative to the rest of the league [VIDEO].
Even the bullpen, which had given the Dodgers some trouble down the stretch, shows a large edge for LA. While some of their relievers struggled at times this season, they righted the ship in the final two weeks of the season. Closer Tanner Scott had a 2.69 ERA off a 2.10 FIP with 26 saves in 63.2 innings. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias compares favorably to Scott head-to-head with a 2.55 ERA off a 3.17 FIP and 34 saves in 60 innings, however the remainder of Atlanta’s pen just isn’t in the same league as the Dodgers [VIDEO].
For what it’s worth, despite all of the statistical indicators pointing in the direction of the Dodgers, Atlanta won this series handily in 2026 taking five of six meetings between the two teams.
Yankees vs. Rays: The steward and the king
All due apologies to the Tampa Bay Rays with the title here, but until the sabermetrically inclined little front office who could can hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy they are going to have to live with looking like the underdog against the Yankees. Yes, that’s even true when the Rays won 98 games to their division rival’s 93. Yes, even when you’ve narrowly beaten the Yankees head-to-head in seven of 13 games.
Admittedly, the Rays will likely get a shot at the king playing without their best hitter. Aaron Judge was left off the Wild Card roster due to a calf strain that has kept him from fulling engaging in baseball activities. As of Friday afternoon, it seems probable he’ll be left off the Division Series roster as well. Ben Rice did an excellent job filling Judge’s size 17 shoes. The Yankees first baseman went five for ten with two home runs and six RBI in the Wild Card round. Meanwhile, the Rays best hitter is absolutely 23-year-old Junior Caminero who hit .276/.360/.524 with 42 home runs and a wRC+ of 142 in 702 plate appearances. Caminero is in the PCA tier of outstanding young MLB talent as evidenced by the fact that it was the second 40-home run campaign of his young career [VIDEO].
The Rays were actually ahead of the Yankees offensively this season, pacing the American League in position player fWAR with the Yankees 2.6 fWAR behind (admittedly, in one fewer game).
The Yankees hold the edge in pitching, however, and you don’t need to look further than Cam Schlittler’s performance against the Red Sox to see why. While both the Rays and the Yankees have excellent starting and relief pitching the Yankees just edge out the Rays in both categories. While the Rays will send Drew Rasmussen and his 2.67 ERA off a 2.82 FIP in 172 innings to the mound in Game 1 followed by Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez, the Yankees will counter with Gerrit Cole, followed by Wild Card hero Schlittler and (probably) Max Fried. You can marvel over what a weapon Schlittler can be reliving his 10 strikeouts against the Red Sox below [VIDEO].
The day before the Cubs began their unceremonial march to being swept out of the Wild Card round by the Padres I wrote about my concerns regarding the way they were limping into the Postseason on the back of a difficult schedule. Part of my concern was also how hot the Padres were finishing the season with a 16-2 mark in their last 18 games. Well, now make that an 18-2 mark in their last 20 games as they head into Milwaukee to take on the team who posted the best record in baseball this season: The Brewers.
To be clear, the Brewers aren’t exactly limping into the playoffs. They won their last five games and went 15-5 in their last 20. This is truly two teams at their peak colliding. It should be an incredible series for baseball fans.
The Brewers will hand the baseball to likely NL Cy Young award winner Jacob Misiorowski while the Padres will counter with veteran Robbie Ray. Baseball is prone to the strangest outcomes, so it is entirely possible that Ray will outduel Misiorowski just because, however it’s hard to fathom they guy who’s thrown more than 1,000 pitches over 100 MPH as a starter flopping in early October [VIDEO]:
In game two, Logan Henderson will take on Michael King in a matchup that is sure to give Cubs fans flashbacks to unhittability, and while things are unannounced for Game 3, it certainly seems like a Brewers bullpen situation led by some combination of Dustin May, Shane Drohan and Robert Gasser going toe-to-toe with Nick Pivetta.
The bullpens are probably comparable with maybe a slight edge to the Padres? The question mark is deliberate, it’s hard to know how it will play out in reality but the San Diego bullpen can basically shut a game down after the sixth inning with some combination of Mason Miller, Bradgley Rodriguez, Adrian Morejon, Yuki Matsui and Jason Adam. Frankly, that list is deep enough you can imagine it shutting down two games played on back-to-back nights with that crew [VIDEO].
That’s no shade to an excellent bullpen in Milwaukee. Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby are a fierce trio at the end of games, but you’d absolutely rather be the team wielding the five-headed monster than the three-headed monster to close out games in October.
It’s probably more important that both of these teams are the hottest versions of themselves than anything that came before. That said, it is worth noting that the Padres won the season series four games to two.
Around the sport, however, not everyone is so sure.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, greets designated hitter Shohei Ohtani before a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
In a surprise, both tabbed the Braves to pull off an NLDS upset.
Ahead of Saturday’s series-opener, here’s why:
Father time
The Dodgers’ biggest battle this postseason might be less against the Braves, or the Brewers or Padres, or whoever emerges out of the American League side of MLB’s playoff bracket.
Instead, both scouts cited the team’s aging lineup, and the ample mileage that has come with their back-to-back championships the past two years, as perhaps their biggest impediment to winning it all again.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, right, warms up during practice ahead of a baseball NL Division Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
There is a benefit to the experience the Dodgers boast, of course, with Scout 1 noting that “in these series, I just think they draw from their experience and age … They grind out at-bats when they matter. That’s what makes them dangerous.”
“It’s tough to bet against those guys because of the track record,” Scout 2 said. “But at some point, they’re just not going to be able to overcome the age.”
The Dodgers were at their worst in July and August, when they struggled to generate power (ranking 25th in home runs and 23rd in slugging percentage over that stretch) or attack fastballs (ranking 20th in batting average and 26th in slugging percentage against heaters in that same period).
And while September was better –– both in overall production (they ranked fourth in the majors in scoring and second in OPS) and their ability to get back on heaters (fourth in batting average and second in slugging percentage against the pitch) –– their final-month schedule included only six games against teams that ranked better than 20th in team ERA this year.
Kyle Tucker of the Los Angeles Dodgers singles during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Getty Images
The Braves finished fifth in that category (3.63 team ERA), and limited the Dodgers to just 15 runs in six head-to-head matchups this season, going 5-1 in those games.
“The Dodgers have feasted for years on [when] you start walking guys and giving them free passes, that’s when they beat you … They lock in, those veteran guys, and that’s where they win,” Scout 1 said. “But the Braves play such great defense, they throw strikes and they’re just a really good team. That’s why I think they handled them pretty good this year.”
The Dodgers ranked fourth in team ERA this season, while the Braves finished more toward the middle of the pack in most offensive categories (eighth in scoring, 10th in batting average, 16th in OPS).
However, when everything is clicking at the plate, the Braves can still be dangerous, possessing plenty of proven balance and depth up and down their batting order.
Atlanta Braves’ Michael Harris II, third from left, celebrates his three-run home run with Mauricio Dubón (14), Matt Olson, second from left, and Ronald Acuña Jr., right, against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning during Game 3 of baseball’s NL Wild Card Series, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in Atlanta. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
For example, All-Star infielders Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies had career-worst regular seasons (by OPS+) this year, but belted key home runs in the wild-card round off star Phillies closer Jhoan Duran and longtime Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, respectively.
Middle-of-the-order mainstays Matt Olson and Michael Harris II also had big moments in the team’s defeat of Philadelphia, with each of them also going deep in Game 3.
It hardly even mattered that former MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and breakout star Drake Baldwin –– the Nos. 1 and 2 hitters in their order –– went a combined 3-for-22 in the series.
At their best, they can compensate with collective production.
“It’s not always the best guys that you need to come through,” Scout 1 said. “You need some of these other guys to overachieve a little.”
“They’ll be hoping they can chip away,” Scout 2 added. “Not necessarily wear the starters down. But the deeper lineup could allow them to get [the Dodgers starters’] pitch counts up a little bit, get them out of the game, and get into the bullpen earlier.”
“That’s the biggest weakness they have,” Scout 1 said.
“That’s probably the toughest question of the whole team,” Scout 2 echoed.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott throws against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in San Francisco. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Still, questions abound –– especially if their offense underwhelms and forces them to grind through a series of low-scoring games.
“In close games, offensively you love the Dodgers because of [their experience], but I still am not convinced of that bullpen,” Scout 1 said. “If I was the Dodgers, I don’t think they go into this thing going, ‘Hey, I love our club in a close game.’ I just don’t. I’m not buying it. And it doesn’t mean [their relievers] won’t do it, because the stuff says they can. Especially Scott. I can’t totally pinpoint it. But I know that’s a challenge for them.”
The Ohtani question
The biggest cloud hanging over the Dodgers, of course, is Ohtani’s health status.
He missed much of September with right arm and left knee problems. He looked good in his first two games back from the injured list, but then dreadful in the following three to close out the regular-season schedule.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout after striking out against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in San Francisco. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
But still, there is serious skepticism about how impactful the now 32-year-old slugger can be in the playoffs.
“[September] was as bad as anybody’s ever seen him,” Scout 1 said. “He’d have [past cold] streaks where he’ll hunt and he’ll look bad on things and you think, ‘We can get him out with this.’ But he looked different when he was bad this year. It looked like he wasn’t 100%. And I don’t think it’s 100% [now], whether it’s the knee or the arm or whatever.”
“He looked so great on the mound at the beginning of the year,” Scout 2 added. “But you have to wonder just at this point, with his age, did the effort at the beginning of the year come back to really bite him?”
The pitching caveat
The Dodgers did get one big advantage coming into this series.
While they enjoyed their bye week, and allowed their pitching staff to rest up, the Braves were forced to empty the tank on the mound in their three-game wild-card series –– most notably by starting staff ace Chris Sale in Game 1 and using him out of the bullpen to close out Game 3.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale points to the crowd after Game 3 of baseball’s NL Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in Atlanta. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
Sale’s wild-card round start was already going to rule him out of pitching Game 1 in the NLDS. But after Thursday’s relief appearance, his availability for Game 2 is suddenly in doubt as well. If he can’t go until Game 3, that would rule out the possibility of him being able to start a potential winner-take-all Game 5.
Given Sale’s importance to the Braves’ pitching staff –– and his complete-game shutout against the Dodgers in August –– that factor gave Scout 2 serious pause about his Braves’ prediction:
“If Sale doesn’t start Sunday, that changes a part of my feeling.”
Still, Scout 2 stuck with a Braves upset, while predicting the series going the full five games.
Scout 1 did the same, somewhat reluctantly, as well.
“I think this one goes five, and it’s going to come down to the bullpen,” he said. “Do I have to pick a winner? Atlanta in five. I like Atlanta.”
CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 28: Labaron Philon Jr. #00 of the Philadelphia 76ers poses for a portrait during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex on September 28, 2026 in Camden, New Jersey. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When Daryl Morey sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a draft pick package at last season’s trade deadline, it was not a widely praised move.
Quite the opposite, actually — amongst fans, media members and McCain’s former teammates alike.
With Morey gone and his replacement Mike Gansey having one of the greatest offseasons in Philadelphia sports history, Sixers fans no longer have to lament every productive performance from McCain for one of the NBA’s best teams.
As a reminder, one of the picks the Sixers received in that deal was a 2026 first-rounder, which the team used to select Alabama guard Labaron Philon, Jr. 22nd overall. If not for the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, Philon would’ve likely been unfairly compared to McCain all season. Now, Philon is free to be himself and play.
And so far, he’s made a strong impression.
Head coach Nick Nurse has been effusive in his praise for the 20-year-old guard. Earlier in the week, Nurse complimented Philon’s compete level after a couple defensive-heavy and physical practices. Nurse also said the young guard’s vision has stood out.
On Friday, Nurse spoke about Philon’s ability as a natural point guard to get his teammates organized.
“What’s showing more is his ability to kind of run an offense,” Nurse said at the team’s practice facility, “get guys where they need — like really, really takes command of getting people where they need to be, making a decisive play call or whatever it is, and getting it executed.
“And then also he’s got a bit of when things are getting a little haywire, and he’s got a little bit of ability to break away and get some space and get into the paint, and then create the offense that way.”
Philon showed off his two-way prowess at Alabama, but not during the same season.
As a freshman, he was the Crimson Tide’s guard stopper, picking up full court and hounding opposing ball-handlers, while All-American Mark Sears ran the offense. As a sophomore last season, it was Philon’s show as he averaged over 22 points a game and was named an All-American himself.
Now, it’s about Philon finding a way to meld those abilities at the NBA level. At his first pro training camp, he’s learning and earning praise.
“Teammates and coaches just encouraging me to be myself, really,” Philon said. “That’s one of the things Coach Rico [Hines] and the guys been telling me — just be yourself and be able to play great basketball, make plays for your teammates, and cheer on your teammates too, and just like be a great leader, be a great teammate. I feel like everybody’s been doing that so far, and that’s what we’ve been preaching.”
There’s no shortage of veteran teammates to learn from.
He asked Brown about his ability to make tough shots in traffic. He’s picked James’ brain about his longevity.
James also provided a fun “Welcome to the NBA” moment on the first day of camp.
“I would say the first play of training camp, LeBron was coming at me full speed,” Philon said. “I was backpedaling, and that’s when the moment really hit. I was like, ‘Alright, like it’s here now.‘”
A benefit of being surrounded by star teammates is getting to practice against them on a daily basis.
“But I would say just being able to stand my ground, like knowing that I can compete against these guys at high levels,” Philon said. “Jaylen’s been making me work every day, all day. So it’s like going against guys like that. I can build more confidence if I’m guarding my teammates in a great way. But those guys are trying to do their best to go at me, and just as a young guy, that’s what you want because if I can guard these guys, I feel like I’m gonna be able to guard anybody across from us or the next opponent.”
But what did he do when James, a physical specimen at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, came barreling towards him?
“I tried to go for the strip,” Philon said. “He passed the ball across [the court].”
Of course there’s probably no better player for Philon to learn from than Tyrese Maxey.
The Sixers drafted Maxey 21st overall and he was also joining a team with stars and championship aspirations. Even under Doc Rivers, who was notorious for not playing young guys, Maxey forced his way into minutes as a 20-year-old. While Nurse doesn’t have the reputation to the level of Rivers, he also doesn’t have the greatest track record with playing young players.
Philon has a great sounding board in Maxey.
“I would just say the one-on-one talks,” Philon said, “like during practice, like when I’m making great plays, he’ll probably pull me to the side and just like tell me the concepts and the reasons that if this is not open or I don’t have a shot, these are the reads we want to make and stuff like that. … He’s been helping me out pretty well. Ever since I got on the floor and stepped into this building, he’s been helping me.”
Philon has also learned a bit from a former Sixers nemesis — Rajon Rondo, who visited Mobile on occasion when Philon was there. Philon said he’s studied the retired point guard’s defense and wants to be to able get in passing lanes and create turnovers like Rondo once did.
In his second season, Rondo was surrounded by future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Much like Rondo in helping the Boston Celtics win a championship, Philon’s focus will be on keeping things simple.
“I feel like for me, the best decision is making the easiest play,” Philon said. “Right now, I don’t really need no showtime or kind of flashy plays. The position I’m in right now, it’s like making the right play every time, it’d be great for me.”
With James and Brown here, Sixers fans have largely forgotten about the Jared McCain trade.
Labaron Philon might make people remember it for all the right reasons.
Regardless of the outside noise and uncertainty surrounding the organization, the Detroit Red Wings still have business to take care of.
Detroit will host the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena on Friday evening, officially opening its 101st NHL season. However, the Red Wings will be without two key pieces of their lineup.
Forward Dylan Larkin will miss Detroit's first two games while recovering from an off-ice training injury, while unsigned RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson has returned to his native Sweden amid a contract stalemate.
But the NHL schedule doesn't stop for injuries or contract disputes.
Despite the challenges they're facing, the Red Wings will enter the season with the pride that comes with being the winningest American-based NHL franchise and an Original Six club.
"We're the Detroit Red Wings, and that means something," said head coach Todd McLellan, who has his name on the Stanley Cup as a Red Wings assistant coach in 2008. "We are an Original Six team; we have a lot of stuff going on around us, but we're still the Detroit Red Wings.
And if it doesn't mean anything to me, or to the players in the locker room, or the trainers, or anyone else in the organization, then shame on them. They shouldn't be part of it."
Pride can only go so far, as the Red Wings cannot rest on laurels.
They currently own the NHL's longest postseason drought at 10 years, which is also the longest in franchise history.
Despite having several top-notch talents, questions remain about whether this is finally the group that can get over the hump, especially after three straight March collapses. Larkin's situation remains unresolved, as is Edvinsson's.
Additionally, the Red Wings' executive leadership situation remains unsettled.
However, with a full regular season ahead, Detroit has no choice but to move forward and hope to recapture some of the magic that makes being a part of the Red Wings so special.
"We've got work to do; we know who we are, we know what we have to do, and things we have to overcome," McLellan said. "But we are the Detroit Red Wings, and that means something.
And we're going to approach it that way all year."
Younger generations of Red Wings fans have yet to experience the championship-level success the franchise once enjoyed.
With one eye on the past and the other on the future, it's up to the current crop of Red Wings to pull the club out of its prolonged slump and back into the NHL's upper echelon.
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NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Austin Wells #28 of the New York Yankees looks on from the bullpen before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on August 28, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees made headlines with an unusual roster construction in the Wild Card. Confident in their starting rotation and recognizing the team’s extreme lefty/right splits, New York carried a Major League record 16 position players, carrying just ten pitchers for the three-game set with the Boston Red Sox. While the team did not, in the end, need that entire bench — only 14 players actually got in the games, with Giancarlo Stanton and Ali Sánchez riding the bench — the decision drew quite a bit of attention: the NBC broadcast routinely stressed the wide variety of buttons that Aaron Boone had at his disposal, while Michael Baumann of FanGraphs published an article on Wednesday titled, “Everybody Except the Yankees Is Doing Wild Card Roster Construction Wrong.”
The historic move worked out pretty much perfectly. The Bombers sent out two very different lineups in each of the two games against Boston, with only five position players — designated hitter Ben Rice, left fielder Cody Bellinger, shortstop George Lombard Jr., outfielder Spencer Jones, and catcher Austin Wells — slotted into the lineup both nights; furthermore, in each game, the team went to the bench early and often: Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt pinch hit in the games they didn’t start, and Ryan McMahon, Trent Grisham, and José Caballero came in for defense. While these moves were not, obviously, the reason the Yankees won the series (holding the Boston lineup to just two runs on seven hits across 18 innings gets top billing), this flexibility off the bench was a weapon that Boston manager Chad Tracy had to contend with.
Despite its success, though, conventional wisdom dictates that the Yankees surrender this advantage against the Rays in the ALDS. They carried 12 pitchers last year, 11 in 2024, and 12 in 2022: fewer than the standard 13 they carry during the regular season, but nonetheless more than the 10 they carried this week. The thing is, though…how often do teams actually need more than 10 pitchers in the Divisional Series? Can the Bombers avoid the position player roster crunch — or rather, even more of one than they’re going to have when Aaron Judge returns from injury?
To see just how far the Yankees can realistically push the oversized bench in the ALDS, I went back to every Divisional Series from 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (i.e., every year since the most recent CBA, when the Wild Card Game was expanded into the Wild Card Series) and counted how many pitchers each team actually used over the course of the series. I also documented how many different pitchers got the start, to see if that had any effect on the total (I did not record how many starting pitchers were used out of the bullpen, at least in this preliminary analysis).
Of these 32 teams, seven teams only used 10 pitchers, while one team — the 2022 Yankees, whose series went five games against Cleveland — used just nine. A full quarter of the time, teams were able to get away with the number of pitchers the Yankees had in the Wild Card Series, and while that’s much smaller than the 42 percent who used 12 or 13 pitchers, it suggests that entering the series with a skeleton bullpen is not exactly an impossible ask.
Since eight pitching staffs are a much more reasonable sample size, I then decided to take a deep dive into these staffs, looking into how many starting pitchers they used in relief.
The raw numbers don’t tell the whole story, of course — one of the five relievers on the 2022 Yankees was Clarke Schmidt, who did make a handful of starts that year between Triple-A and the Majors, and one on the 2024 Kansas City Royals was Kris Bubic, a starting pitcher who worked out of the bullpen while recovering from Tommy John surgery; both pitchers were capable of going multiple innings if needed. Even so, though, these numbers give some reasons both for and against the Yankees’ ability to carry just 10 pitchers.
The biggest reason not to carry a short bullpen is the fact that the Yankees are lined up to use four starters during the ALDS, with Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón likely to get the ball against Tampa Bay. Of these eight squads, only two were able to get by with 10 pitchers while using four starters — and in truth, only one had a “traditional” pitching staff, as the 2024 Detroit Tigers employed “pitching chaos” behind ace Tarik Skubal. In a five-game set, it’s already harder to keep the circle of trust completely closed without burning out the bullpen, and even more so when you’re only squeaking by with the bare minimum number of starting pitchers to begin with.
The Bombers, though, do have one trick up their sleeve: the number of starting pitchers and multi-inning relievers available out of the bullpen. Will Warren has already made his first postseason appearance of the season, coming on in relief of Fried on Wednesday night. Paul Blackburn has gone more than one inning in 32 of his 62 appearances. Long reliever Ryan Yarbrough and starter Ryan Weathers should be able to provide multiple innings, and it’s likely at least one (if not both) will make the roster. Brent Headrick, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to need much rest at all, having pitched in 81 games this season — a full half the season. And, if the rotation is lined up as I expect it will, with Schlittler getting Games 2 and 5, and Fried Game 3, either Cole or Rodón will get the ball in Game 4; given the amount of rest they’ve had, it wouldn’t surprise me to see whoever doesn’t get the Game 1 start come out of the bullpen in that game if the situation arises.
It might be theoretically possible, then, for the Yankees to get by with just 10 pitchers. In all likelihood, though, I doubt it’s going to be something they’re actually going to try: even with the extensive amount of rest built into the schedule (the Yankees have off-days scheduled between Games 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 4 and 5, only playing on back-to-back days once — and at home), the fact that the team lines up best with four starters makes it unlikely we’ll see them risk rolling with just a six-man ‘pen. Even so, I’d expect Aaron Boone to keep the circle of trust small and keep only 11 pitchers; assuming Judge doesn’t return from the IL (I will personally be surprised if he returns before the ALCS), that would mean the Yankees would only need to drop one position player, and thus can employ the deep and flexible bench they used so well against Boston.
After just a single game at the NHL level to start the season, Nashville Predators General Manager Chris MacFarland announced that Ryan Ufko has been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League on Friday.
"I thought his play tapered a little bit," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette told Brooks Bratten, the Preds' team reporter. "We're hoping for a little better effort last night from him, and he got overwhelmed a little bit in that hockey game. And I think we’ve got some things to figure out on the backend, and we don't really want him sitting out. We want him playing.”
Ufko, a 23-year-old defenseman out of Smithtown, New York, was Nashville's 115th overall pick at the 2021 NHL Draft. He's currently starting his third fully professional season, and although he's made appearances at the NHL level sporadically, he's been a regular in Milwaukee for the past two seasons.
The Admirals are set to start their season tomorrow night as they visit the Rockford IceHogs.
