{"id":190719,"date":"2025-09-29T21:02:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T21:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/190719\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T21:02:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T21:02:08","slug":"wild-card-series-predictions-the-athletic-mlb-staff-picks-the-winners-for-each-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/190719\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild Card Series predictions: The Athletic MLB staff picks the winners for each series"},"content":{"rendered":"

We did it! The 162-game MLB regular season marathon is in the rearview mirror and now the sprint to crown a World Series champion is set to begin. Who will survive the best-of-three wild-card round to face the top two seeds in each league? We polled more than 20 of The Athletic\u2019s staff to get their predictions for the first round of the playoffs. Let\u2019s see what their crystal balls had to say \u2026<\/p>\n

Detroit Tigers (6) vs. Cleveland Guardians (3)<\/p>\n

This AL Central battle has seemingly been running for weeks. Now the stakes are at their highest, as the surprise division winner takes on the team they were chasing until the season\u2019s final weekend.<\/p>\n

Staff vote<\/p>\n

Fabian Ardaya (CLE):\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a cop-out to simply say they\u2019re rolling. But the Guardians\u2019 play over the last month simply defies explanation. Same for the Tigers, in all the wrong ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grant Brisbee (DET):\u00a0\u201cThe Guardians are the second-ever postseason team with an on-base percentage under .300. They offend me. At least the 1968 Cardinals had an excuse for their under-.300 OBP (league-wide scoring) and Bob Gibson to make up for it. \u201d<\/p>\n

Jon Greenberg (CLE):\u00a0\u201cThe Tigers are lucky they didn\u2019t wind up like the Mets. I think it\u2019s fair to say Cleveland is the hotter team right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jayson Stark (DET):\u00a0\u201cThe baseball gods are wily. So wouldn\u2019t it just make perfect sense \u2014 after the Tigers lost two straight series to the Guardians in the last two weeks \u2014 if they ride Tarik Skubal and pitching chaos to win this thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

David O\u2019Brien (CLE):\u00a0\u201cThe Guardians are playing relaxed and loose under Stephen Vogt, while the Tigers have been reeling for weeks and barely got in. Pressure\u2019s on Detroit, and the Guardians and Vogt were here a year ago, so now they know better what to expect and how to go about things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eno Sarris (DET):\u00a0\u201cTarik Skubal isn\u2019t going to lose to the Guardians three times in a row, and then the Tigers just have to pitching chaos their way to one more win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tyler Kepner (CLE):\u00a0\u201cIn a matchup of two uninspiring offensive teams, I\u2019ll take the one with the better overall pitching staff. That\u2019s Cleveland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brittany Ghiroli (DET): \u201cI\u2019d love to say the Guardians because momentum matters, especially in baseball, but the Tigers have Tarik Skubal. Assuming they win with him in Game 1, this series could be decided quickly. Detroit played pretty poorly in the final month, but at some point they have to be better. Riley Greene is important for this lineup, and it will be fun to watch A.J. Hinch piece together the rest of the pitching. It wouldn\u2019t shock me if Cleveland won, but their offense as a whole just doesn\u2019t do enough damage for me to justify it. \u201d<\/p>\n

Levi Weaver (CLE):\u00a0\u201cI try not to infer what big-league players are thinking, but if I were playing for the Detroit Tigers in 2025, it would be hard not to feel that this Guardians team is a little bit inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

C. Trent Rosecrans (DET):\u00a0\u201cThe Tigers, despite their collapse, seem like a better team. A win, too, could erase memories of said collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boston Red Sox (5) vs. New York Yankees (4)\"\"<\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s Yankees versus Red Sox once again, this time on the October stage. (Vincent Carchietta \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

October series between these two longtime rivals have been special before. Are we set for another instant classic series?<\/p>\n

Staff vote<\/p>\n

Andy McCullough (NYY):\u00a0\u201cAfter a fairly brutal August, the Yankees cranked it up these past few weeks. They are deep and dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Woo (BOS):\u00a0\u201cThe Yankees bang. The backend of the Red Sox bullpen is lights out. Defense is questionable for both teams. But in a playoff series \u2014 especially a three-game set \u2014 the advantage always goes to the arms. Having a bona fide ace in Garrett Crochet start Game 1, plus the high-leverage relief tandem of Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman to close out games leans the advantage to Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dennis Lin (NYY):\u00a0\u201cAaron Judge is due for a big postseason. In the meantime, Trent Grisham has already shown he can do a decent Juan Soto impression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jayson Stark (BOS):\u00a0\u201cI know the Yankees have gone 32-12 over the last 2 1\/2 months. So it wouldn\u2019t shock me if they won the World Series. But they get Crochet in Game 1, and they haven\u2019t beaten him all year. And no team has played better in the Bronx this season than the Red Sox.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnny Flores (NYY):\u00a0\u201cWhen you have Aaron Judge in your lineup, you\u2019re never truly out of any game. Also, \u2018Postseason Stanton,\u2019 anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam Blum (BOS):\u00a0\u201cThe Yankees put a lot into unsuccessfully overtaking the Blue Jays in the division. It might not be easy to mentally be ready for a series the Red Sox have had circled for weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chandler Rome (NYY):\u00a0\u201cBoston has the best starting pitcher and closer in the series, but the Yankees have the best player and, perhaps, the best offense of any team in October.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chad Jennings (BOS):\u00a0\u201cThis one feels like a toss-up, but I like this Red Sox pitching staff in October. The inexperience of the No. 4 and 5 starters doesn\u2019t matter in a three-game series, and the Red Sox can lean on Crochet then leverage their bullpen to tame the superior Yankees offense. If the Yankees win this series, though, I might pick them to win the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch Bannon (NYY):\u00a0\u201cThe Red Sox played the Yankees extremely hard this year, but Judge and Stanton enter October locked in. Those constant homer threats will be the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken Rosenthal (BOS):\u00a0\u201cYankees have yet to solve Crochet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds (6) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (3)\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Two of the game\u2019s most exciting players will square off in this series. (Luke Hales \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Reds clinched a postseason berth on the last day of the season. Their reward? A matchup against the superteam that was supposed to bulldoze its way to another World Series title. Will that version of the Dodgers show up, or will the Reds continue to survive, somehow, some way?<\/p>\n

Staff vote<\/p>\n

Chris Kirschner (LAD): \u201cThe Dodgers have an immense amount of talent on their roster. I don\u2019t see how the Reds can keep up. The talent gap is large.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick Mooney (CIN):\u00a0\u201cThe Dodgers will find it hard to flip a switch against a team that you don\u2019t want to face in a short series.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grant Brisbee (LAD): \u201cBased on my calculations, it appears that the Dodgers are the superior baseball team. Let me run the numbers again \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam Blum (CIN):\u00a0\u201cThe Dodgers have the better team. But these best-of-three series can be totally random. Los Angeles has the arms to get through the innings, but it\u2019s hard to trust their actual relievers. The Reds aren\u2019t a great team, but they\u2019re solid top to bottom. Los Angeles native Hunter Greene going in Game 1 will give them a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eno Sarris (LAD):\u00a0\u201cThe Dodgers\u2019 only big flaw is their bullpen, and they\u2019ll be moving some pretty pretty good starters into that unit early in the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brittany Ghiroli (LAD): \u201cI\u2019d love to go Reds here, but I can\u2019t. The Dodgers have the most talented roster in baseball and even in a short series, are tough to beat. Cincy didn\u2019t exactly impress down the stretch, barely going over .500 and making the playoffs after the Mets\u2019 collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Woo (LAD):\u00a0\u201cGood luck telling the Reds anything right now. They have all the momentum, and a strong starting rotation. But as impressive as Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott have been this year, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani (if the series gets that far) are the obvious favorites.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers are not a perfect team. Their bullpen woes are well-documented. But in almost any series, the advantage should go to the billion dollar team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chad Jennings (LAD):\u00a0\u201cThe Dodgers are the better team. I\u2019m all for scrappy underdogs, but I can\u2019t look at this matchup and find any way to justify a surprising pick. Sure, the Dodgers aren\u2019t nearly as dominant as we expected, but the Reds just haven\u2019t hit, and I still trust the top of the Dodgers\u2019 lineup to find a way against a pretty good Reds rotation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sahadev Sharma (LAD): \u201cTempted to go with Reds and their great starting pitching, but think Dodgers\u2019 star power wins out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch Bannon (LAD):\u00a0\u201cThere is a path to a Reds win here, if Cincinnati\u2019s starters keep games close and the bats take advantage of a shaky Dodgers bullpen. But Los Angeles\u2019 lineup should be able to build a big enough cushion.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Diego Padres (5) vs. Chicago Cubs (4)\"\"<\/p>\n

\n There will be plenty of good outfield defense on display in this series. (Jamie Squire \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll be partying like it\u2019s 1984 in this postseason rematch from an era when neither team was ever expected to make the playoffs. Now these two clubs are perennial postseason contenders with plenty at stake for both franchises.<\/p>\n

Staff vote<\/p>\n

Johnny Flores (SD):\u00a0\u201cSan Diego is too talented to bow out so soon. Much like it did post-trade deadline, the Padres\u2019 lineup, rotation and bullpen will come together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jon Greenberg (CHC):\u00a0\u201cThe Cubs\u2019 offense has been iffy for months and now they\u2019re without Cade Horton. But they do have the comforts of home and Wrigley isn\u2019t an October haunted house anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Bowden (SD):\u00a0\u201cHorton on the IL for the Cubs is the difference-maker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Woo (CHC):\u00a0\u201cThis one is a real toss-up for me. The Padres\u2019 bullpen, even without Jason Adam, is elite. The Cubs\u2019 rotation took a significant hit with Horton\u2019s rib fracture. Chicago can slug and their defense is clean, but San Diego\u2019s star power throughout the lineup \u2014 even without Ram\u00f3n Laureano \u2014 makes them dangerous. The home-field advantage at Wrigley Field is real, so I\u2019ll go Cubs here. But this series is a true coin flip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Levi Weaver (SD):\u00a0\u201cThe Cubs didn\u2019t pick up an ace at the trade deadline because they believed in Cade Horton as That Guy\u2122\ufe0f. And for the regular season, it worked. But without him (and, lest we forget, Justin Steele) \u2014 plus Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong running hot-and-cold this year, I just think the Padres have the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sahadev Sharma (CHC):\u00a0\u201cThe Cubs\u2019 offense has turned a corner and they\u2019ll get enough from their pitching backed by elite defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam Blum (SD):\u00a0\u201cThe Padres have been a disappointment since the trade deadline. But on paper, they\u2019re still one of the best teams in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chad Jennings (CHC):\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a good matchup that could logically go either way, but the Padres weren\u2019t very good against lefties this season, and the Cubs can throw a couple of good left handers in Games 1 and 2. That feels like an advantage, though the Padres\u2019 bullpen is also a force. Close call, but if I have to pick one \u2014 and my bosses say I do \u2014 then I\u2019ll take the Cubs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tyler Kepner (SD):\u00a0\u201cLeon Durham\u2019s glove will get soaked in Gatorade, leading to a devastating error in the final game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jayson Stark (SD):\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe these teams last played each other on April 16! I think this series goes three games. I also think that the Padres\u2019 bullpen is so overpowering, when they take a lead, those games feel over. Isn\u2019t October always about bullpens these days?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dennis Lin (SD): \u201cA bullpen featuring Mason Miller can make up for more than a few flaws. On offense, the power-challenged Padres just had their best month in terms of home runs.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Top photo: Nick Cammett \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We did it! The 162-game MLB regular season marathon is in the rearview mirror and now the sprint…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[2317,2111,371,374,479,2318,2319,2320,1230,372,373,2321,2322,2323,2324,2325,2326,363,1189,369,2327,480,2240,2328,2329,481,99,1231,974,2330,364,2331],"class_list":["post-190719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-colorado-rockies","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-houston-astros","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-miami-marlins","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-oakland-athletics","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-texas-rangers","tag-toronto-blue-jays","tag-washington-nationals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}