AAA's Top Three Starting Pitching Rotations For The Playoffs

The Pitchers ~ Yamamoto , Snell , Ohtani and Glasnow  (later rounds.)

What to Expect ~ Clayton Kershaw had a really good season in his final year of his career. But, he isn't expected to be a part of the Wildcard roster and maybe even further into the playoffs. If we were running the team, he'd definitely be on it whether he was starting or not. But, the Dodgers are still the best team in our eyes from a starting pitching standpoint. 

Yamamoto had an earned run average of 2.49 this season. Snell's was 2.35. Ohtani's was 2.87. And Glasnow's was 3.19. That's pretty remarkable. Only the first three will be needed (if not just two) in the Wildcard round. But, as the playoffs move along, we should not be surprised to see the Dodgers bring in both Kershaw and Sasaki along with Sheehan if they are needed. 

The Pitchers ~ Woo , Castillo , Gilbert + (Kirby / Miller.)

What to Expect ~ Maybe one step down from the Dodgers, but just slightly, the Mariners pitching comes into play. Seattle's a bit worried about Woo, who's got a pectoral muscle injury right now. But, we think that he'll be good to go at some point in the ALDS, if not game one. The Mariners have really good pitching around him which makes this team dangerous. 

If both Kirby and Miller didn't have a pedestrian finish to the regular season, the Mariners would be getting even more talk about the rotation. But, since that was the case, the top three are going to need to be on their top game in these playoffs. Seattle's got the best team that it's had in years and it comes down to if the pitching holds up, which we think it will. 

The Pitchers ~ Sanchez , Suarez , Luzardo + (Nola / Walker.)  

What to Expect ~ Sanchez took over as the ace for the Phillies when Zack Wheeler suffered that injury that took him out for the season. He's done a terrific job and has really lived up to it. Philadelphia also has both Suarez and Luzardo to rely on, both of which have earned run averages below four this season. Kind of like Seattle, the four and five pitcher of Philadelphia is up in the air with the somewhat uninspiring play from Nola and Walker this year.

But, Aaron Nola is a seasoned veteran that has had really good performances in October in his career and we think that he will still play a great role in the playoffs this season. Philadelphia looks poised for big things, even with the hard draw.

Philadelphia Phillies

Like we said in the paragraph above, the Phillies lost a big arm (Zack Wheeler) about half way through the season. They have a really good bullpen and have found lots of success in the playoffs already with some of these guys. Avoiding the wildcard series should help Philadelphia become healthier and with the home advantage if it plays LA in the next round will be much needed. If the Phillies can get passed the Dodgers, home free should be in their grasp.