Tristan H. Cockcroft, senior writer for fantasy baseball and football at ESPN, presents his "Playoff Playbook" for head-to-head playoff and September baseball. With the four-week mad dash to the finish line, mistakes are unacceptable, and preparation is paramount.

The schedule is crucial: over the remaining 25 games per team, strength of matchups varies greatly. The Seattle Mariners have a super-soft remaining schedule, with 10 of 13 home games against bottom-10 staff ERAs and road games at Coors Field and Sutter Health Park. Cal Raleigh, with six homers in nine games, is still on the waiver wire in 18.1% of leagues.

The Detroit Tigers average 5.14 runs per game since the All-Star break, third best, and face bottom-10 ERA teams in their final 12 home games. Max Clark and Gleyber Torres benefit from a series against the Minnesota Twins. The New York Mets, averaging 4.31 runs per game, could see Juan Soto return from injury, with favorable matchups against the Giants, Orioles, and Nationals.