Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know. Today's edition is brought to you by David Adler. Let's start out by ranking the comeback chances for each team that lost Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.
You never want to be in the hole in a playoff series. And you really don't want to be in the hole in the oh-so-short, best-of-three Wild Card Series.
In the 24 Wild Card Series matchups before this year, only three teams rallied to win the series after losing Game 1. So do the Phillies, Astros, Red Sox and Cubs even have a chance?
Of course they do! But which team has the best chance to rally?
Anthony Castrovince ranks 'em. Let's break it down, starting with the least likely comeback…
4) Phillies (lost to Braves, 5-3, in Game 1)
Why they're in trouble: Blowing a lead after outlasting Chris Sale in Game 1 is a massive emotional drain for a Phillies team that came into the postseason already leaking oil.
Why they can rally: The Phils have a legit stopper on the mound in Game 2 in the form of ace Cristopher Sánchez … and they don't have to face Sale anymore.
3) Cubs (lost to Padres, 8-0, in Game 1)
Why they're in trouble: The Cubs lost their ability to host this series by going 11-13 in the final month, while the Padres went 18-6. Game 1 was a clear continuation of those trajectories, and the Cubs' pitching problem reared its ugly head.
Why they can rally: There could be opportunities for the Cubs' high-octane offense to do its thing in Games 2 and 3, with more favorable matchups against fly-ball pitcher Nick Pivetta and then either Walker Buehler or Robbie Ray.
2) Astros (lost to White Sox, 6-3, in Game 1)
Why they're in trouble: Game 1 amplified the concerns about Houston, the first postseason team without a winning record over a full season. And AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez is now 5-for-24 with only one extra-base hit against the White Sox this season.
Why they can rally: Astros Game 2 starter Hunter Brown is the closest thing this series has to an established ace, and forcing a Game 3 in Houston would put heavy pressure on a young White Sox team that wobbled late in the regular season.
And that leaves us with …
1) Red Sox (lost to Yankees, 9-0, in Game 1)
Why they're in trouble: Boston scored the fewest runs of any team in September, their lineup is banged up (including Roman Anthony, who got hurt in Game 1), and Yankees Game 2 starter Max Fried carved up the Red Sox this year.
Why they can rally: This rivalry can always go in any direction. In three of the five previous postseason series between the Yanks and Sox, the Game 1 loser went on to win the series (Yankees in the 2003 ALCS and last year's Wild Card Series, Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS). Cam Schlittler is Boston's nemesis, but Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez might be able to hold their own against Fried and Gerrit Cole in Games 2 and 3.
Read more about each team's comeback chances here >>
