MLB Playoff Picture 2023: Hot Takes and Top Storylines for Wednesday Schedule
Wednesday marks the first opportunity for teams to advance out of the MLB wild-card round.
The Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies gained the early edges in their respective best-of-three series on Tuesday.
Minnesota and Philadelphia can close out at home in different types of pitching matchups. The Phillies have a significant edge with Aaron Nola on the hill, while the Twins will face one of their former stars in an even matchup.
Texas will try to keep the Tampa Bay Rays' bats quiet for the second straight day. Tampa Bay has not scored in its last two postseason games and has one run in its last three playoff contests.
Milwaukee may be in the best spot to bounce back from a Game 1 loss with Freddy Peralta on the mound, but for that to happen, he must outlast Zac Gallen.
October 4 MLB Postseason Schedule
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Game 2: Texas at Tampa Bay (3 p.m. ET, ABC) (Texas leads series 1-0)
Game 2: Toronto at Minnesota (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) (Minnesota leads series 1-0)
Game 2: Arizona at Milwaukee (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) (Arizona leads series 1-0)
Game 2: Miami at Philadelphia (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) (Philadelphia leads series 1-0)
Jose Berrios Tries to Keep Blue Jays Alive Against Former Team
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Jose Berrios' emotions should be running higher than a normal postseason game, as he tries to keep the Blue Jays alive against his former ball club.
Berrios was traded from Minnesota to Toronto at the 2021 trade deadline. Wednesday will be the fourth time he pitches inside Target Field since the deal.
The right-handed hurler posted a 3-1 record in his five starts against the Twins since the deal. He struck out 10 or more batters in two of those appearances.
Berrios could be in for a high-strikeout game against a Twins lineup that fanned the most in the majors in the regular season.
Toronto's Game 2 starter conceded 11 hits on 12.1 postseason innings, all of which came as a member of the Twins.
The Blue Jays need a strong start out of Berrios after Kevin Gausman was pulled after four innings in Game 1.
A strong performance is needed for Berrios to match Sonny Gray and for the Blue Jays to avoid two consecutive sweeps in the wild-card round. They fell twice at home to the Seattle Mariners in 2022.
Can the Rays End Their Scoreless Streak?
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The Rays enter Wednesday with a 27-inning scoreless streak in postseason play.
Tampa Bay scored a single run in 24 innings against the Cleveland Guardians in last year's wild-card round. The lone run came across in the sixth inning of Game 1.
The Rays failed to score in the final three frames of last year's Game 1, in 15 innings of Game 2 against Cleveland and in the first nine innings of their series with the Texas Rangers.
Nathan Eovaldi could be the saving grace for the Tampa Bay offense, as Texas' Game 2 starter gave up 12 earned runs in his final two starts.
Eovaldi gave up 21 earned runs in 20.1 innings of work in September after his return from the injury list.
Tampa Bay had mixed results against Eovaldi in the regular season. It got seven hits and four runs off the right-handed at home on June 10, but then managed just two hits in a July 18 meeting in Texas.
The Rays need a fast start against Eovaldi, which will likely be powered by Randy Arozarena.
The star of the 2020 postseason had a single and a double in Game 1. The Rays need him to once again get on base to provide a spark, and they hope that will translate to the rest of the lineup to end the scoreless streak.
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Freddy Peralta Must Shine for Milwaukee
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Milwaukee failed to take advantage of its pitching edge in its Game 1 loss to Arizona.
Corbin Burnes lasted just four innings some of the team's top bullpen arms were taxed in the five frames that followed.
Milwaukee needs Freddy Peralta to throw six or seven strong innings in Game 2 to keep it alive in the postseason and preserve some arms for Game 3.
The Brewers had their pitching depth suddenly cut when Brandon Woodruff was ruled out for the series on Monday with a shoulder issue.
Peralta pitched into the sixth inning in 10 of his last 11 regular-season starts. He allowed three or fewer earned runs in all of those lengthy outings.
A strong outing from Peralta is the minimum expectation for the Brewers, who also have to solve Arizona ace Zac Gallen.
The Diamondbacks taxed their bullpen more in Game 1 after Brandon Pfaadt did not get out of the third inning.
If the Brewers can find a way to chase Gallen early, they could thrive against Arizona's bullpen and tire out some of the D-Backs' top arms before Game 3.
Phillies Should Ride Aaron Nola to Series Win
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Philadelphia appears to be the team in most control of its 1-0 lead.
The Phillies faced little threat from the Miami offense with Zack Wheeler on the mound in Game 1, and the same could occur in Game 2 with Aaron Nola pitching.
Nola closed out the wild-card series versus the St. Louis Cardinals last year. He conceded four hits over 6.2 scoreless innings.
The right-handed hurler comes into Wednesday off consecutive quality starts and he could find some extra life in pitches from the crowd energy inside Citizens Bank Park. Wheeler experienced an uptick in velocity during his first few innings on Tuesday.
Marlins starter Braxton Garrett will be making his first postseason appearance. The left was much better on the road than at home in 2023, but he stumbled in his most-recent start at Citi Field, as he gave up four earned runs in four innings.
Garrett faces a Phillies lineup that saw every starter get a hit in Game 1. The confident bats in the Phillies order could get a few runs off the southpaw early, and that may be all Nola needs to close out the series.
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