Which team's season will end today?

"It'd be kind of dumb for the Guardians' cosmically-blessed season to end this way, but dumb is what the playoffs are all about. Imagine the epic, undeserved ascent to the division, in the context of a wholly undeserved season, getting smashed on the rocks of "haha you had to play a three-game series." ZiPS actually has the matchup as slightly tilted towards Cleveland today, so maybe their season will end tomorrow and not today."

"It looks like the Cubs are going to be using an opener for Shota Imanaga today, after back-to-back homers and an 18-and-out of Matt Boyd followed by random effective relievers got them a win yesterday. ZiPS has them as slightly favored against the Padres and Dylan Cease, meaning that the Padres could go from "not expected to do much preseason" to "wow they're having a legitimately pretty seriously solid if not great season" to "haha you had to play a three-game series.""

"The Yankees-Red Sox matchup was the weirdest of the four games yesterday. The Yankees should, in theory, be romping in this series, and they should've romped yesterday, too, but... oops, all pinch-hit singles up the middle with runners in scoring position, and then whatever happened in the ninth. I think they'll bounce back today, but if not, "haha you had to play a three-game series.""

Eighteen team-seasons technically ended on Sunday, though most concluded earlier. Four teams face potential swift elimination today under the three-game playoff format. The Guardians rode an undeserved ascent to the division but now risk being eliminated in a short series; ZiPS slightly favors Cleveland. The Cubs plan to use an opener for Shota Imanaga after bullpen-driven recent results; ZiPS slightly favors them against the Padres and Dylan Cease. The Yankees-Red Sox game produced unexpected late offense and a strange ninth inning, leaving the Yankees vulnerable. The Reds look likely to struggle against the heavy Los Angeles lineup and a homer-prone Zack Littell.

Read at Battery Power