MLB Wild Card Series, Day Two

The first weekend of the MLB wild card series is in full swing. Up to four teams can be sent to mobilize today.

With the expansion of the playoff field to 12 teams For 2022 PostseasonFour of the top three series will determine which teams advance to the ALDS (against the Houston Astros or the New York Yankees) and the NLDS (against the Atlanta Braves or the Los Angeles Dodgers).

Saturday’s festivities begin with the visiting Tampa Bay Rays looking to avoid elimination against the Cleveland Guardians, followed by the Seattle Mariners looking to eliminate Toronto’s Blue Jays. Then the New York Mets try to avoid a home attack against the San Diego Padres, and finally, the Philadelphia Phillies look to win over the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Follow the procedure below throughout the day with start times, fixtures and starting lineups as announced, followed by in-game updates and takeaways after each game ends.

more: All you need to know about the MLB 2022 Qualifiers | The greatest postseason…ever? | Ace Ratings (ESPN +) | Arch, results and more

Tampa Bay Rays at the Cleveland Guardians (12:07 ET on ESPN2)

The Guardians lead the series 1-0

X-ray initiator: Tyler Glasno (0-0, 10K, 1.35 ERA)

Beginning Guardians: Triston Mackenzie (11-11, 190 K, 2.96 ERA)

Starting formations:

rays

to be announced later on

guardians

to be announced later on

What to watch: After losing the first game, Glasno will have a fit to save the Rys’ season on Saturday. It’s quite a challenge considering he just got back to start his first two runs on the run (allowing once in 6 2/3 innings) after undergoing Tommy John’s surgery in August 2021. Both Glasnow and Rays staff say the 28-year-old is as good as ever , but it will be limited to 4-5 innings in Game 2.

Normally this is an unusual strategy in an elimination game, but it works as usual for a Tampa Bay team quite accustomed to turning things around. The Rays have led the majors in the roles given by the underdogs, and no other 2022 postseason team has finished higher than 11. It’s an advantage for the Rays — not a bug.

Meanwhile, 24-year-old Mackenzie will take the hill with a chance to catapult Cleveland to their first playoff series win since the 2016 ALCS. McKenzie’s ERA this season is just about twice lower than the 2021 mark, and now he has a chance to follow the Guardians ace team. Shane PepperStrong game 1 outing with one of his own. – Jesse Rogers

Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays (4:07 ET on ESPN)

Sailors lead series 1-0

The beginning of the sailors: Ruby Ray (12-12, 212 K, 3.71 ERA)

Blue Jays writer: Kevin Gussman (12-10, 205K, 3.35PM)

Starting formations:

sailors

to be announced later on

blue jays

to be announced later on

What to watch: Few of the opposing shooters know about Blue Jays as well as Ruby Ray. He spent last season with Toronto, won a Cy Young in the MLS, escaped to Seattle as a free agent, and can now finish his team’s previous season on Saturday, as the Mariners need just one win after their 4-0 win over the Blue Jays. In the first game of their Wild-Card series. The Seattle offense calmed a raucous Rogers Center crowd with three first-round picks in Game 1, and he’ll be looking to touch Gusman, Ray’s replacement in the Jays rotation and Game 2’s opponent, doing the same. The stakes for the Mariners are clear: With a win in Game 2 (or Game 3), they’ll advance to the Class Series against AL rival Houston – and are guaranteed to host their first post-season game since 2001. For Toronto, getting to Ray is imperative. If they don’t, October could be short. – Jeff Bassan

San Diego Padres at New York Mets (7:37 a.m. ET on ESPN)

Padres Series leads 1-0

Padres writer: Blake Snell (8-10, 171 K, 3.38 ERA)

Mets writer: Jacob Degrom (5-4, 102K, 3.08PM)

Starting formations:

Baders

to be announced later on

mets

to be announced later on

What to watch: It doesn’t matter that the Mets won 101 regular season games. It all comes back to DeGrom to help save Saturday’s New York season. The Mets will need Degrom at the top of their game, as their attack has struggled at big moments in recent weeks, most notably during their disastrous recent streak against the Braves. even with Starling Mart Back in the line-up, the Mets looked sluggish on Friday, leaving eight riders at the base, and failing to capitalize on any momentum they had built Yo Darwish.

Padres deGrom countered with Snell, one of the best bowlers in baseball during the second half. Since the All-Star break, Snell has the second highest strike rate in baseball (12.12k/9) among all starters, ranking only next Carlos Rodon, the fifth-best ERA (2.19), the third-best FIP ​​(2.23) and the second-highest fWAR. While Snell hasn’t looked like a former Cy Young winner during his time in San Diego, he’s found his form again in recent months. The Mets’ work was cut short for them. – John Lee

Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals (8:37 a.m. ET on ESPN2)

Lead series Phyllis 1-0

Phyllis writer: Aaron Nola (11-13, 235 K, 3.25 ERA)

Cardinals Beginning: Miles Micholas (12-13, 153 K, 3.29 Era)

Starting formations:

Phillies

to be announced later on

basics

to be announced later on

What to watch: The Cardinals need a win to save their season—and they might as well need a win. Ryan HillsleyDominant all year, he was noticeably erratic in the ninth inning of Match 1, setting the stage for an unlikely Velez comeback. Oliver Marmol, the Cardinals’ manager, said he was “starting to lose some sense of his playing field,” a byproduct of the right middle finger he injured three days ago. At the very least, it looks as if the Cardinals won’t be able to share it in Game 2 – and that might prompt them to turn to Jack Flaherty, formerly hailed as an ace, to intervene in a state of conservation. Flaherty was heating up in the ninth inning by his side Andre Balantand Marmol kept Pallante shooting a little longer than expected in order to salvage Flaherty for potential use in Game 2.

This might not matter if the Cardinals couldn’t make it to NOLA, which is a great example of why a team like the Phillies can be so dangerous in a top-three streak. Velez’s roster is full of problems, but their squad has top-level talent Bryce HarperAnd the JT Realmoto And the Kyle Schwarbertheir pitched crew faces two aces at Zach Wheeler And Nola. Wheeler carried the Cardinals goalless during 6 rounds 1/3 in the first game, and Nola, who made 6 2/3 closing rounds against the Astros in the Phillies playoff earlier this week, is fully capable of doing the same. But Mikolas, who has a 2.13 ERA in two games against Velez this season, can hold on to him. – Alden Gonzalez