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.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing