MLB’s playoff race is heating up…
NFL preseason is getting mildly more interesting, and an ace takes the hill.
What’s At Stake This Weekend
What Happened: What do the sports junkies at Full Card Sweep have our eyes on heading into this weekend? Let’s go over a few storylines that matter to us.
Why It Matters: In the National League, we’d need a sizable collapse for the playoff race to change much. Three NL West clubs (Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks) have better than 90% odds to make the postseason. The Phillies and Brewers are in control of their divisions, leaving Atlanta (64.2% chance at a wild card spot, per FanGraphs) and the Mets (17.6%) to fight it out for the last spot.
The American League will come down to the third place team from the East or Central for the final ticket to the postseason. The Royals are better than 50% to lock down a WC spot, Boston is at 33%, and the West is unlikely to send a second team into October.
If football is more your speed, there are 15 preseason games, and a number of QB situations worth monitoring, including:
– Russell Wilson’s Steel City debut, which will go a long way towards illustrating whether he can get Pittsburgh’s offense into gear by Week 1, especially important in a division that last year saw a team win nine games and finish dead last;
– how Anthony Richardson looks coming off his rookie season injury woes, and how much he can level up this team after a nine-win year with Gardner Minshew under center;
– QB competition in Denver (it will be Bo Nix, based on draft position along) and in Las Vegas (you can win six games with either Minshew or Aidan O’Connell; choose wisely!)
What We’re Watching Today
Mariners at Pirates (6:40 PM ET) – Folks, it’s Paul Skenes Day! The Pittsburgh fire-baller has become must-watch territory already, and today he faces one of baseball’s lightest hitting teams. This combo could produce something special…
Red Sox at Orioles (7:05 PM ET) – The Orioles and Yankees are both 72-50, duking it out for the AL East crown. (And don’t look now, but Boston is just 2.5 games out of a playoff spot itself.) It’s games such as this that Baltimore swung a trade in the offseason for ace Corbin Burnes. He’s dominated the Sox in two starts this season; a third would help the O’s keep pace atop the division.
The Look Ahead
Simeon Woods Richardson STRIKEOUTS – Woods Richardson has come into his own recently in the strikeout department, getting six against the White Sox (lol) and seven in his most recent start vs. the Guardians. His line is a modest 4.5 for today’s start against the Rangers; considering he’s bested that mark in four of his last five, we think SWR will come through for us here.
