NEW YORK — Saturday delivers a full 12 hours of postseason baseball as all four Division Series open back-to-back on the same day, starting at 1 p.m. ET and running deep into the night, with one burning question looming over each ALDS and NLDS matchup.
White Sox at Guardians (1 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max, SP: TBA vs. Parker Messick) asks if this is the most evenly matched series in recent memory. Chicago held at least a share of first place for 96 days and Cleveland for 89 days, with the Guardians assuming first place by winning a three-game series from Sept. 14-16 at Progressive Field and holding on to finish 85-77 to Chicago's 84-78. Chicago won the season series 7-6 while outscoring Cleveland 58-57, with 11 games decided by three runs or fewer, seven by one run and four walk-offs. The contrast is stark: the Guardians have won four of the past five AL Central titles while the White Sox are coming off three consecutive 100-plus-loss seasons, and Chicago leans on home runs with a cobbled-together staff while Cleveland relies on pitching and defense.
Braves at Dodgers (4 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One, SP: TBA vs. Tarik Skubal) asks if rest was exactly what Los Angeles needed. The Dodgers have back-to-back World Series titles but are an old team, and clinching a first-round bye allowed them to set up their rotation and give Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts — who has looked a lot more like himself of late — time off while watching the Braves and Phillies battle for three games in Georgia. Yankees at Rays (6:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max, SP: Gerrit Cole vs. Drew Rasmussen) asks if Cole can be the difference maker in a battle of rotations that are more evenly matched than generally considered, with an almost identical Statcast expected ERA. The Yankees feature Cam Schlittler, the clear AL Cy Young Award favorite this year, Cole who already has one in his trophy case, and Max Fried and Carlos Rodón who both have three top-six finishes, while Tampa Bay has a clear ace in Rasmussen and four solid pitchers whose order for the rest of the series hasn't been determined. If Cole — essentially New York's third starter — can beat the Rays' ace on the road, New York would have Schlittler, who just mowed down the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, lined up for Game 2.
Padres at Brewers (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One, SP: TBA vs. Jacob Misiorowski) at American Family Field asks if this will be The Miz game, series or postseason. "You see some guys that throw 103 [mph], but you get a little bit more time. A guy like that, where he's almost dropping it in the catcher's mitt, man, it makes for a tough day," Aaron Judge said earlier this year of Brewers flamethrower Misiorowski. Milwaukee, a 103-win team chasing the first World Series title in franchise history, will lean on that weapon in front of a raucous home crowd. San Diego opened its series against the Cubs with Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting the first pitch his team saw over the wall, but the Padres' strength is getting leads and holding them with a dominant bullpen — a tougher task against Misiorowski.
The staggered slate sets up immediate leverage for every favorite and underdog, with the Dodgers' rest edge coming as Braves rotation depth tested ahead of Dodgers NLDS showdown and Los Angeles monitors health after Ohtani manages lingering injuries as Dodgers open NLDS vs Braves.