Good news and bad news for 5 playoff teams

Good news and bad news for 5 playoff teams

September 19th, 2019

Amid the scramble for the remaining postseason berths, the Astros, Braves, Dodgers, Twins and Yankees have the luxury of looking ahead. That is, lining up the rotation, resting the regulars and healing those pesky bumps and bruises. (Not all of them have officially clinched, but FanGraphs currently has each of them with playoff odds at or nearly 100 percent.)

Those clubs do not have to be reminded that the postseason is a completely different ecosystem. As Jim Leyland, one of the game’s all-time great managers and dispensers of wisdom, once said:

“Don’t tell me who the best team is. Tell me the team that’s healthiest and playing well.”

Let’s run down the five locked-in playoff teams and check out their optimism and their concerns. Teams are listed in alphabetical order.

ASTROS
Optimism: , and form what may be an impenetrable postseason rotation wall. The Astros are 51-18 in their starts. Rookie (26 home runs and 1.092 OPS in 78 games) has made baseball’s deepest lineup even deeper. Reliever , a 2016 All-Star, has had his best season.

Concerns: Closer has three blown saves and a 4.30 ERA since the All-Star break. All-Star setup man hasn’t pitched since Aug. 20 and is still making his way back from knee surgery. just returned from a back injury. He missed 79 of the Astros' first 151 games.

BRAVES
Optimism: The Braves are 27-11 since Aug. 6 and playing their best baseball in this closing stretch. and are both hot. and are at the front of a solid rotation, and has pitched his way into the postseason picture with a 1.83 ERA in his last six starts. Bullpen additions have been mostly solid.

Concerns: Leadoff man leads the Majors with 182 strikeouts and he is hitting .190 since mid-August. Depth is being tested by injuries to utility men (fractured cheek bone) and (shin fracture).

DODGERS
Optimism: Finishing strong. They've won 10 of 14 despite clinching the National League West with three weeks remaining in regular season. The pitching staff has MLB’s second-lowest ERA this month, and closer has alleviated concerns with a solid stretch.

Concerns: The offense has led the NL in runs, home runs and OPS this season, but the unit has slipped a bit this month (.232 average, .749 OPS). The club is still averaging 5.3 runs per game in September, which ranks as the seventh-highest in MLB. has gone from “best in baseball” in the first half (1.124 OPS, 30 homers) to merely “very good” in the second half (.895 OPS, 14 homers). In short, the Dodgers' problems aren’t what other teams would consider problems.

TWINS
Optimism: Home runs! Five Twins have hit at least 30 dingers, an MLB record. Also, the bullpen, the thing that worried Minnesota fans for so long, is finishing strong. , and have allowed two earned runs in 22 September innings. and give them two strong starters to begin the AL Division Series. Rookie has been an excellent addition, starting at four positions and hitting .441 this month.

Concerns: Other than injuries, not many. is dealing with shoulder pain and has a badly bruised thumb. Both will get days off to prepare for postseason. has just returned to the lineup from an abdominal injury.

YANKEES
Optimism: They’ve overcome a ridiculous number of injuries. The Bombers have hit 33 home runs in 15 games this month, including seven by , who is having his finest season at age 36. has strung together five solid starts and he could get the ball in Game 1. The bullpen may be baseball’s best.

Concerns: How much can contribute in the postseason after missing three months? Will and be ready for the postseason? Is the Achilles injury one too many to overcome? And now they are facing the potential absence of , their most consistent starter for much of the season, who was placed on administrative leave Thursday under the MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Agreement. There will be an investigation, and it’s unclear when he might pitch again.