Rest vs. Rust: Three 'underdogs' look to stay sharp in MLB playoffs
Bye-bye, Baltimore. Adios, Atlanta. The Braves and Orioles, both top seeds for the 2023 MLB playoffs, will watch lesser teams compete for this year’s World Series trophy. So much for that five-day layoff.
Three of four teams in this year’s championship series entered the postseason as wild-card teams. The Rangers, Phillies and Diamondbacks all played extra games this year, while the Astros, Braves, Dodgers and Orioles sat and watched.
Of MLB’s top-four seeds, only the Astros are moving on. Which points to an obvious question: is time off counterproductive for baseball’s top teams?
Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the matter before Game 4 of the Phillies-Braves series. “I know some of the higher-seeded teams didn’t win,” Manfred said via Jesse Rogers of ESPN, “I think if you think about where some of those teams were, there are other explanations than a five-day layoff.”
He may be right, but last week’s numbers sure don’t help his argument. After leading MLB with 104 regular season wins, the Braves managed a single victory against the Phillies in the divisional round. After posting a league-best .276 batting average this year, Atlanta hit .186 against Philadelphia. Only the Dodgers (.177) hit worse this postseason.
The Dodgers won 100 games for the 10th time in franchise history this year, but couldn’t get a single victory against Arizona in the divisional round. L.A. managed just 17 hits in three games against the Diamondbacks and doubled down with the second-worst ERA (6.58) in the playoffs.
The Baltimore Orioles’ 101 wins were second-most in the league this year, but their bats couldn’t overcome the team’s 7.27 ERA. To be fair, of all the teams eliminated from this year’s playoffs, the Orioles are the least surprising.
Their early exit may have more to do with a lack of experience than extended rest during the wild-card series. Baltimore last made the playoffs in 2016 with their last postseason win coming against the Yankees in 2012.
So did the Phillies, Rangers and Diamondbacks actually benefit from playing extra games? That’s impossible to say, yet. If the well-rested Astros find a way to win a second-straight championship, the answer is probably no. Otherwise, it could be back to the drawing board for Manfred and the rest of Major League Baseball.
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