Philadelphia Phillies SP Cristopher Sanchez delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
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The second round of the MLB postseason kicks off today, with all eight remaining teams in action. The four best division winners will have home-field advantage after a five-day layoff, and the quirks of the schedule give them an added boost beyond that.
The four road teams today all prevailed in the Wild Card round, which means they all sent their best pitchers to the hill on Tuesday. Rather than have their aces go on short rest to start Game 1 of the best-of-five Division Series, they’ll pit their fourth-best starters against their opponents’ number ones.
The pitching advantage means the team with the better regular-season record gets a larger boost in the Division Series than in any other round. Not only do they get to use their best hurler right away, but they also have a massive rest advantage and kick off the series at home.
Cubs @ Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers led MLB with 97 wins, finishing five games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. They’ll put Freddy Peralta on the hill today at 2:08 EDT. He boasts a 2.70 ERA with 5.5 WAR (Baseball-Reference version) and a league-leading 17 wins. He and Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres are the only two pitchers in MLB with 200 or more strikeouts in each of the last three seasons.
Matthew Boyd will take the ball for Chicago. He’s a 34-year-old journeyman lefty pitching for his fourth team in four years, but he actually led the Cubs in pitching WAR with 2.6. That was his best mark since 2019, and it comes with a 3.21 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.
Yankees @ Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees finished tied atop the American League at 94-68, but Toronto was declared the division winner based on their superior head-to-head record. Kevin Gausman will go for them today at 4:08 EDT. He has a 3.59 ERA and leads the team in pitching WAR (3.8), innings pitched (193), strikeouts (189), and WHIP (1.06).
After using their three best starters in the Wild Card, the Yankees will entrust Luis Gil this afternoon. The 2024 Rookie of the Year struggled this season, missing the first four months with an injury. When he returned, his strikeout rate dropped from 26.8% to 16.8%, and he only fanned 12 batters in five September starts.
Dodgers @ Phillies
This is the best pitching matchup of all in the Division Series. Cristopher Sánchez will take the mound for the 96-66 Philadelphia Phillies, and by one metric, he was the best pitcher in baseball this season. He led MLB with 8.0 WAR, putting up a 2.50 ERA with 212 strikeouts over 202 innings with only 12 home runs allowed.
There is no such thing as a fourth starter on a roster as deep as the Los Angeles Dodgers, as evidenced by Shohei Ohtani himself starting Game 1 at 6:38 EDT. He’s the favorite to win the National League MVP this year, which would be his fourth MVP award and third in a row. He started 14 games after returning to pitching from Tommy John surgery, looking very much like his old self with a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings.
Tigers @ Mariners
The Seattle Mariners won the American League West for the first time since 2001 with a 90-72 record. Their best starter was Bryan Woo, but he’s working his way back from a pectoral strain and is scheduled to pitch later in the series. Instead, George Kirby will go tonight, who has a 4.21 ERA over 21 starts. He finished strong over his final three regular-season starts, giving up four runs in 17 1/3 innings with 31 strikeouts and just one walk.
Rookie Troy Melton will throw for the Detroit Tigers in what will surely be a bullpen game to start the late MLB game at 8:38 EDT. He made 16 appearances and four starts in the regular season, accumulating 45 2/3 innings with a 2.76 ERA. He took the loss in the second game of the Wild Card Series as a reliever, giving up four runs on three hits and a walk while recording just one out in the eighth inning.