MLB Wild Card Picks: Division Rivalries on Display in AL

The playoffs are FINALLY here. It always feels like it takes forever, but of course we enjoy September baseball, and the drama was as good as it gets this year.

We now have two division rivalries taking center stage in the AL, and one David vs. Goliath matchup on the NL side. Let’s dive in:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

(3) Cleveland vs. (6) Detroit

Here we go again — Tigers and Guardians. They faced off last year in the ALDS. They faced off six times over the last two weeks of the season this year. And fresh off the biggest divisional collapse of all time — or biggest comeback, depending on your point of view — we get to see these two teams again.

Cleveland won the season series, 8-5, and of course took the ALDS in five last year. Detroit may have Tarik Skubal, but what else are they bringing to the table? The Tigers’ offense has been sputtering for the entire second half, it seems, while Cleveland’s pitching staff might just be the hottest in baseball. Gavin Williams has been particularly dominant this season against Detroit and figures to get the call in Game 1.

For all the people thinking that Detroit will magically just “catch itself” after such a massive fall, I think Cleveland is on too good of a roll right now. Pick: Guardians in 3.

(4) New York vs. (5) Boston

“The rivalry,” right? Eh, no one really cares outside of these two cities, but it does make for good TV, right? The Sox went 9-4 against the Yankees this year, but New York has taken three of the last four, and doesn’t it feel like the law of averages is starting to tip back in favor of the Bronx Bombers?

Lucas Giolito’s injury could loom large if the series gets to Game 3, but it feels like the entire series hinges on whether Boston can steal Game 1 with Garrett Crochet. Even if they do, the Yankees have a budding ace in the hole in Cam Schlittler in Game 3 to close it out. Pick: Yankees in 3.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

(3) Dodgers vs. (6) Reds

Boy, would this be “DODGER-ball: A True Underdog Story,” or what? The Reds squeaked in to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2013, and it’s about to show. The Reds are not a potent offensive team and even with Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo lined up for the first two games, Terry Francona’s team is about to see an awakened beast that underachieved all year but is starting to figure out this bullpen thing. Keep in mind the Dodgers won the World Series last year with a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, and Walker Buehler. Last year was the year to get LA, and no one did. Now, with Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow, the rest of the league is in serious trouble. Pick: Dodgers in 2.

(4) Cubs vs. (5) Padres

This is the hardest series to pick, mostly because I’ve gone back and forth on whether the Cubs are low-key a very good baseball team. I’m back on the positive side of the ledge, with some assistance from a weak Padres rotation and a lineup that generated the third-fewest home runs in MLB (the Cubs are sixth). While the Cade Horton injury hurts, Chicago will feed off the energy of the Wrigley Field fans, something the franchise hasn’t experienced in October since 2018. The Padres have a dominant bullpen, but because Chicago has the edge with Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, that will become neutralized. Pick: Cubs in 3.