After the opening day of the MLB playoffs featured two close games that provided interesting storyline and two blowouts that featured stellar pitching performances, it has become win or go home for several of the teams on the cusp of elimination.
The early slate of games on Tuesday saw NL East rivals Philadelphia and Atlanta go toe-to-toe. Atlanta wouldn’t pull off the victory until three runs scored in the bottom of the eighth inning thanks to Austin Riley’s three run blast that scored Micheal Harris II and Ozzie Albies. Atlanta won 8-5 in the end to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Down in Houston, the Chicago White Sox have continued their surge from the bottom of the league to a playoff victory. Chicago’s star-studded lineup hit well, but not including the power they’ve been known for this season. Colson Montgomery’s 432 foot mash was the difference maker in this one, where the White Sox’s Hagen Smith’s two-hit performance led Chicago to a 6-3 victory.
Rivalry renewed. Familiar result. The Yankees got the better of the Red Sox, this time in a 9-0 blowout that saw Cy Young candidate Cam Schlittler allow just two hits and strikeout 10 hitters in just six innings thrown. But you don’t just get nine runs on the mound — New York’s Ben Rice has continued his hot stretch with six, yes six, RBIs in game one of this series. Rice hit two homers, including a grand slam in the victory.
The final game on Tuesday night included another blowout where the Padres took advantage of subpar pitching from the Cubs to secure an 8-0 shutout win. Chicago elected to start Matthew Boyd in game one of the series, who let up three home runs to stars Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado and Xander Boegarts. The Cubs could only manage three hits in the ballgame and face a win or go home situation tonight.
2 p.m. ET: Philadelphia Phillies (0-1) vs Atlanta Braves (1-0)
Phillies ML: -118 Phillies -1.5: +155
Braves ML: -102 Braves +1.5:
5 p.m. ET: Chicago White Sox (1-0) vs Houston Astros (0-1)
White Sox ML: +122 White Sox +1.5: -191
Astros ML: -147 Astros -1.5: +157
8 p.m. ET: Boston Red Sox (0-1) vs New York Yankees (1-0)
Red Sox ML: +120 Red Sox +1.5: -185
Yankees ML: -144 Yankees -1.5: +152
10 p.m. ET: Chicago Cubs (0-1) vs San Diego Padres (1-0)
Cubs ML: +129 Cubs +1.5: -168
Padres ML: -156 Padres -1.5: +139
The MLB Wild Card series will either come to a close for a team today or go into tomorrow, before the division series turns over. With two renowned starters on the mound and powerful lineups, expect to see both the Phillies and Cubs extend their series to three games. The concern is that the Cubs lineup lacks consistency and may not be able to handle Nick Pivetta. With a 3.99 ERA, Philadelphia should be able to make some noise off the hands of Tyler Mahle.
The White Sox have a chance to win their first playoff series in over 20 years. This hungry, youthful group may just be the ones to do it. The Astros’ Hunter Brown has only made 10 starts this season, and Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami will undoubtedly make an impact in this game. Stadium Rant is picking the White Sox tonight.
Sonny Gray is on the mound for Boston tonight, and although what we saw from the Red Sox last night was not encouraging, Max Fried has also only made 10 starts this season. If Fried can return to form, the Yankees lineup will most likely produce enough runs for New York to advance to the ALDS. However if Gray pitches better, Boston might be able to keep their playoff hopes alive for another day.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
