Glory Days' Official MLB Wild Card Preview

With the Blue Jays sneaking into the MLB playoffs, we can't help but be excited for things to come in Toronto. The Wild Card Round, now a 3-game series since 2020, has proven to be a real test for teams in recent years, and the Jays are no different. Let's take a look at the Wild Card matchups around the league this week, and how we see them shaking out.

Texas Rangers @ Tampa Bay Rays

Two high powered offences pair together for the first round in a battle of well-managed clubs. This may be the series to watch for real baseball fans as Kevin Cash and Bruce Bochy are likely the two managers with the most playoff experience duking it out in the first round. Texas took a few hard losses this year with Jacob deGrom and newly acquired Max Scherzer now unavailable for the playoffs due to injuries. Tampa Bay took a few hard losses of their own, with their ace Shane McClanahan going down with elbow injury earlier in the year, and their superstar shortstop Wander Franco dealing with legal matters off the field. 

All in all, we think Tampa has the edge here. A stronger top of their rotation and home field advantage go a long way in a 3-game set. Tampa in 2. 

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Milwaukee Brewers

These two teams got here the same way, on elite front-of-the-line starting pitching and top notch defence. Fortunately for Milwaukee, the path for the Brewers was paved earlier than this past weekend - we can't say the same thing for the D-Backs. With Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly pitching over the weekend, the Snakes are forced to start Game 1 with young starter Brandon Pfaadt, and start Gallen and Kelly (if needed) on short rest versus a high-powered front end of the Brewers rotation in Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta. The Diamondbacks have a hell of a team, powered in large part by rookie Corbin Carroll's presence in the lineup, but while their offence has cooled in August and September, the Brewers have began to heat up at the right time.

In an evenly matched series, we gotta give it to the team that already has all their ducks in a row: Brewers in 3. 

Miami Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies were the Cinderella story of 2022, and they're here again after being in playoff limbo for much of the season. The Marlins have a chance to become this year's underdog story, usurping their division rivals at the same time, but they'll have their work cut out for them. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are an elite one-two punch at the top of the Phillies rotation, and the Marlins lost arguably their best two starters in Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez. Nevertheless, the Marlins have a solid lineup with plenty of playoff hero potential - Jorge Soler already did it in 2021 for the Braves, and Jake Burger has playoff hero written all over him. 

All in all, pitching wins Wildcard Rounds (that's the saying, right?). The Phillies have an elite top two, as well as a dangerous bullpen (keep an eye on this Orion Kerkering kid in the playoffs!). Throw in a banged up Luis Arraez for the Marlins, and we have our answer: Phillies in 2. 

Toronto Blue Jays @ Minnesota Twins

Yes, the Twins haven't won in the playoffs in 18 straight games. Yes, that's a Major League record. Yes, that's also a major four North American sports leagues record. No, we haven't forgotten about the Jays/Mariners series last year - we don't want to talk about it. 

Both teams have excellent front ends of their rotations. Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan are a killer 1-2-3. So are Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios (or Yusei Kikuchi, take your pick). One thing that the Twins have that the Jays don't have is home field advantage. One thing that the Jays have that the Twins don't have is a healthy lineup. Byron Buxton is unlikely to play. Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis may play, but they haven't played in weeks and are likely not 100%. It cannot be overstated how imperative it is to the Jays season that they have largely remained healthy for the season. 

Both teams are very good, and neither of them got enough credit this year. With three potentially very close games, defence is magnified, and the Jays have an edge on their defence. Give me Blue Jays in 3.