MLB division series: Eight teams kick off the first day of LDS play
We’re down to eight teams in the 2022 postseason after four were eliminated this past weekend in MLB’s first-ever wild-card series weekend. Now it’s on to the league division series: four series, best-of-five, first team to win three advances.
The Philadelphia Phillies will battle the defending champion Atlanta Braves in the first game of the division series round, followed by two AL West rivals, the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners, facing off. The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians will duke it out in the second ALDS, and, finally, an intradivision showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the second NLDS caps off a jam-packed Tuesday.
How will the four survivors fare against the top squads?
Follow the action below all day long with start times, pitching matchups and starting lineups as they’re announced, followed by in-game updates and takeaways after each game is concluded.
More: Everything you need to know about the 2022 MLB playoffs | Previewing LDS matchups | Could this be the greatest postseason … ever? | Bracket, results and more
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves (1:07 ET on FOX)
Series tied 0-0
Phillies starter: Ranger Suarez (10-7, 129 K, 3.65 ERA)
Braves starter: Max Fried (14-7, 170 K, 2.48 ERA)
Starting lineups:
PHILLIES
TBD
BRAVES
TBD
How they match up against each other: This is a division rival matchup between original 16 teams — both franchises date back to the 19th century — but the Phillies and Braves have met just once in the postseason: In the 1993 NLCS, when the Phillies upset the Braves in six games. The Braves are trying to become the first team to secure back-to-back World Series titles since the 2000 Yankees won three in a row and they’re riding the wave of stealing the NL East from the Mets in the final week, going 78-34 since June 1 — the best record in the majors over that span.
The Braves won the season series 11-8 and while the Phillies ended up outscoring the Braves 88-85, the Braves took three of the four one-run games. Austin Riley hit .351 against the Phillies, but with just one home run in 19 games; Matt Olson hit five home runs against the Phillies, but hit just .191. The Phillies will be at a disadvantage since they’ll go with No. 3 starter Suarez in the opener after playing in the wild-card series, but Suarez had a solid 3.21 ERA in five starts against the Braves. Keep an eye on Zach Eflin: The Phillies used the former starter to finish off both wins against the St. Louis Cardinals, including his second career save in Game 2. — David Schoenfield
Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros (3:37 ET on TBS)
Series tied 0-0
Mariners starter: TBD
Astros starter: Justin Verlander (18-4, 185 K, 1.75 ERA)
Starting lineups:
MARINERS
TBD
ASTROS
TBD
How they match up against each other: After their dramatic wild-card series win over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Mariners are now assured their first home playoff game since 2001. The question: Can they avoid a sweep and play a second home game? Their biggest obstacle will be figuring out Houston’s Game 1 starter, Justin Verlander — who would also line up to pitch a second game in the series. Not only did he allow no hits in three of his final six starts of the season, Verlander dominated the Mariners in 2022, going 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA.
The Astros won the season series 12-7 with a small plus-8 run differential, so the teams were pretty even in the non-Verlander games, but, to advance, it feels like the Mariners will need to beat Verlander at least once. While moving on would be huge for Seattle, it’s World Series or bust for Houston. With 106 wins — their fourth 100-win season since 2017 — the Astros have a chance to put a “dynasty” stamp on this era with a second World Series title in six years. — Schoenfield
Cleveland Guardians at New York Yankees (7:37 ET on TBS)
Series tied 0-0
Guardians starter: Cal Quantrill (15-5, 128 K, 3.38 ERA)
Yankees starter: Gerrit Cole (13-8, 257 K, 3.50 ERA)
Starting lineups:
GUARDIANS
TBD
YANKEES
TBD
How they match up against each other: This is a very different Yankees team than the one the Guardians faced during the season. New York is more hobbled with injuries, especially in the bullpen, and the New York offense has struggled with consistency in the second half. Cleveland has great potential to upset New York in this series given the Yankees’ inconsistencies on both sides of the ball. In order to move onto the ALCS, the Yankees will need strong performances from the rotation to take pressure off an inconsistent and injured bullpen.
On the flip side, this is not the same Guardians team that New York squared off against early in the season. This is a group that has been really strong in the second half and has seen emerging stars up and down the roster, from Steven Kwan to Andres Gimenez to Triston McKenzie. — Joon Lee
San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers (9:37 ET on FS1)
Series tied 0-0
Padres starter: Mike Clevinger (7-7, 91 K, 4.33 ERA)
Dodgers starter: TBD
Starting lineups:
PADRES
TBD
DODGERS
TBD
How they match up against each other: Padres owner Peter Seidler, appearing on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball in August, referred to the Dodgers as “the dragon up the freeway that we’re trying to slay.” That dragon has often seemed insurmountable. The Padres have spent these last four years doing everything they can — stripping the farm system bare, pushing the payroll to unforeseen levels — in an effort to take down the team that resides 125 miles to the north. But the Dodgers have dominated the Padres in every facet, winning their last nine games against them last year and scoring nearly twice as many runs as them in this year’s season series.
The Padres played the Dodgers tough in the 2020 NLDS, but they had Fernando Tatis Jr. then. They don’t now. What they have is Juan Soto. In order to have a chance this week, Soto and Manny Machado need to do the heavy lifting for the offense, Josh Hader needs to dominate in the back end of the bullpen and the starting pitchers — the Padres’ one true advantage, if they have one — need to do what they did in Queens. But you have to wonder about the Padres’ confidence going into a series like this. They are very much the little brother in this dynamic, and they keep getting bullied. — Alden Gonzalez
BALTIMORE — Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford hit for the cycle in Sunday night’s 11-2 win against the Orioles, completing the feat with a three-run homer down the left-field line in the eighth inning.
It was the first career four-hit game for Langford, who was drafted last year by the Rangers with the No. 4 overall pick and made a swift rise to the majors to make Texas’ Opening Day roster this season.
It was the first cycle in the major leagues in 2024.
Langford tripled in the fourth, doubled in the fifth and singled in the sixth.
At 22 years, 229 days old, Langford is the youngest player in Rangers history to hit for the cycle. He’s the 15th rookie to hit for the cycle since Major League Baseball established an official definition of rookie status in 1958.
The only other rookie in Rangers history to hit for the cycle was Oddibe McDowell, in 1985 against Cleveland. He recorded his in his 59th career game; Langford had his in his 60th career game.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer
BALTIMORE — The rules for the 2024 Home Run Derby have been altered significantly, with some of the changes designed to reduce the frantic pace that has concerned past participants.
Within each player’s timed round, the hitter will see a maximum of 40 pitches — similar to how there is a maximum number of basketballs shot in the NBA 3-point contest. This will place a greater premium on efficiency between the batting practice pitchers and the hitters.
Since the Derby moved to a timed format in 2015, the rounds of swings have often shifted into a race of the hitter and pitcher trying to get through as many swings as possible. In last year’s Derby, all of the participants averaged more than 43 swings per round.
Some past participants have spoken about how exhausting the event has become, and have privately fretted about what they perceive to be a heightened risk for injury because of the accelerated pace, which is not typical for hitters taking batting practice.
The hitters will have three minutes in each of the first two rounds, and two minutes in the championship round.
Also, the bonus time for each hitter will no longer be clocked. Instead, the hitter will continue until he’s made three outs — a swing that generates a result other than a home run. A fourth out can be earned with a 425-foot home run in the bonus time. This change will allow for an unlimited number of home runs in the bonus period, meaning that a hitter who is behind will always have a chance to make up a deficit.
Additionally, the first round will no longer be a head-to-head bracket. Instead, the top four first-round scores from the eight hitters will advance to the semifinal bracket, with ties broken by the longest home run in the first round.
Toronto‘s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle. He and his father are the first father-son duo to win the Derby, which is typically among the highest-rated MLB events every year.
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson became the first player to publicly commit to participating in the 2024 Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 15, making the announcement himself during Sunday Night Baseball. Henderson is among the MLB home run leaders with 26.
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Rachel Doerrie, ESPN
The 2024 NHL draft was a spectacle in every sense of the word. Count me among those who wouldn’t mind seeing the event held at Sphere going forward. I understand wanting to spread league events around, but when you hit a grand slam like the NHL did here, don’t mess with what works.
In terms of the selection process itself, some teams had fantastic drafts, extracting value with each selection, while other teams left value on the table with the talent available.
When considering a grade for each team, the totality of their work was considered: quality of players drafted, selection value and value derived from trades. Here’s our grade for every front office, with insights on particular high-value picks and trades (as well as questionable ones).
Jump to a team:
ANA | BOS | BUF | CGY
CAR | CHI | COL | CBJ
DAL | DET | EDM | FLA
LA | MIN | MTL | NSH
NJ | NYI | NYR | OTT
PHI | PIT | SJ | SEA
STL | TB | TOR | UTA
VAN | VGK | WSH | WPG
ATLANTIC DIVISION
When you have only four draft selections and three are in the 100s, it is difficult to come away with much.
Dean Letourneau was a quintessential Boston pick, even if it was a bit of a reach. The potential for Tage Thompson 2.0 has to be enticing for a franchise that needs help down the middle. He’s going to take a few years, but there is a real chance Letourneau is a unicorn, and Boston took that swing.
Elliott Groenewold, Jonathan Morello and Loke Johansson don’t have NHL projections, but you don’t expect that from midround picks. It’s a long shot for those three to make it, but they are fine bets.
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