The Division Series round is almost in the books, and the postseason picture is mostly set. Three teams have already punched their ticket to a Championship Series, and the fourth spot comes down to one more game tonight in Chicago. Here’s what our team is watching as the bracket tightens up.
Rays Sweep the Yankees — Without Aaron Judge on the Roster
Tampa Bay closed out New York in three straight, and the story of the series was as much about who wasn’t playing as who was. Aaron Judge was left off the Yankees’ ALDS roster entirely while recovering from a calf strain, and a lineup without its best hitter struggled to generate much against Tampa Bay’s pitching.
Game 1 set the tone. Drew Rasmussen threw eight scoreless innings, allowing just one hit — a two-out double by Austin Wells in the eighth that ended when Wells was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Rasmussen struck out 10, a Rays postseason franchise record, and generated 23 swings-and-misses, a career high, leaning on a changeup he threw at more than double his regular-season rate. The only run of the game came on Jonathan Aranda’s solo homer off Gerrit Cole. It was Rasmussen’s first postseason start since 2022, and he came into it with a 1.81 ERA in 11 career outings against New York — the kind of matchup history that makes a line worth a second look.
From there, Tampa Bay closed it out in two more one-to-three-run games. For a Yankees team that had Judge healthy enough to be considered for the roster but not healthy enough to help, this is about as clean a what went wrong as a series provides.
Dodgers and Brewers Both Advance — NLCS Set for Sunday
Los Angeles took care of Atlanta in four games, winning the clincher 4-1 to reach a third straight NLCS. Andy Pages has been a steady presence in the middle of that lineup through the series, and the Dodgers also got a timely piece of bullpen news: closer Edwin Diaz returned from the injured list and struck out two in a scoreless inning, his fastball sitting a healthy 97-plus miles per hour. Diaz has had a rough year by his standards, and getting him back right as the Championship Series starts matters for how manager Dave Roberts can shape the back of his bullpen.
Milwaukee’s path was bumpier but ended the same way. The Brewers took the first two games of their NLDS against San Diego, dropped a one-run Game 3, then closed it out with a 3-1 win in Game 4. That’s a team that didn’t need its best version of itself in every game to still be the team left standing.
The Dodgers and Brewers now meet in the NLCS starting Sunday, October 11, in Milwaukee — two teams with real pitching depth and, on the Dodgers’ side, a bullpen that just got healthier at the right time.
White Sox-Guardians Still Alive, Winner Gets the Rays
The only series still being played is on the American League side, and it’s been a genuine back-and-forth. Chicago took the first two games by scores of 3-0 and 4-3, low-scoring, pitching-forward wins that had the White Sox one win from the ALCS. Cleveland answered with a 9-3 blowout in Game 3 to push the series to a Game 4 tonight in Chicago, with the White Sox still holding the 2-1 series edge.
Whoever wins tonight — or in a potential Game 5 Saturday in Cleveland — gets a quick turnaround into the ALCS against a Rays team that’s playing its best baseball of the year, starting Monday, October 12.
What’s Next
The Championship Series round kicks off this weekend: Dodgers-Brewers starts the NLCS on Sunday, and the ALCS follows Monday once the AL side is finally settled. Our team will be digging into the matchups and the numbers as both series get underway — check back for that coverage as the bracket narrows toward the World Series, which opens October 23.