We are midway through the divisional round, and there are a lot of things that have happened so far this postseason. There has been a crazy amount of storylines that we need to dive into. I want to look at some of the biggest storylines and overreactions and see if they are overreactions or a big deal.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Storyline 1: The Diamondbacks are the team to beat in the NL.
As much as we want to believe this here at Burn City Sports. I’m going to call this FICTION. The Diamondbacks have looked like the best team in the NL, but I would still take both the Braves and Phillies. The Braves were the best offense in baseball this year—one of the best in MLB history. They also have great pitching to go with it. The Phillies just know what they are doing in the postseason. They have maybe the best 1-2 punch in the playoffs in Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler, and their offense comes alive under the best home-field advantage in the game. The D’backs are fantastic, but I don’t think they can beat either of these teams despite having Gallen, Kelly, and Carroll.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. adds another for the Snakes! pic.twitter.com/xAKZiEk3HP
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 10, 2023
Storyline 2: Clayton Kershaw’s time is over.
This feels like it should just be a major overreaction, but I will call this FACT. Kershaw is easily one of the best regular-season pitchers in baseball history. He’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer who has a career ERA in the 2s. However, when the lights shine bright, he’s maybe one of the worst. His career postseason ERA is two runs more than his regular-season ERA; his whip is up by almost 10 points; his walk rate is up, and he allows almost two hits more per nine innings than he does in the first 182 games. This all boiled up to him only recording one out and allowing six runs to the Diamondbacks in game 1. Kershaw’s time is over.
Clayton Kershaw has activated Playoff Mode pic.twitter.com/jmvSJwnOHL
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 8, 2023
Storyline 3: The AL East was overhyped.
This is a FACT. We talked about the possibility of 4 AL East teams making the playoffs all year. They had all five teams over .500 for most of the year. It felt like this was just the year of the AL East and the year that talks would be had about not letting a division winner in the playoffs.
Well, only three teams made it to October from the AL East, and they are on the verge of going 0-7. The Rays looked like the worst team in baseball for their two Wild Card games. They got blown out in both. They played incredibly sloppy defense and were embarrassed at home with almost no fans in attendance. The Blue Jays scored one run against the “shouldn’t be in the playoffs” Twins. Their offense, which was iffy all year, just did not show up when they needed them most. The top-seeded, 100-win Orioles might get swept in the ALDS by the Rangers. Their pitching has blown up completely, and their young talent hasn’t shown up. This has been a disastrous playoff for the AL East. We may have overhyped them a bit too much.
Mitch Garver is GRAND! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/m2OXlIpl6P
— MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2023
Storyline 4: This Astros team is still the World Series favorites.
As much as Astros fans want to believe it. This is FICTION. Besides Verlander, Christian Javier and Framber Valdez look incredibly human. Yordan Alvarez is not human, but the rest of the lineup is. A World Series favorite Astros team would never have let Pablo Lopez chop them up like that and give a road team a win at Minute Maid Park. This isn’t the same Astros team as in years past, and there is a very good shot they lose this week to the Twins. I don’t see them passing the Rangers if they pull out a win.
Correa knocks in two more to drive Framber Valdez out of the game 👀 @MLB pic.twitter.com/HNQQjH51fP
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 9, 2023
Storyline 5: Carlos Correa is one of the best October players ever.
The easiest FACT to prove. Carlos Correa was one of the worst hitters in baseball this season, mainly because he played through Plantar Fasciitis all season. However, when the Calendar turned over, he’s become unstoppable. He is hitting .533 with a .588 on-base percentage. In this series, he has 4 RBIs, including 3 in this previous win versus the Astros. Correa just passed David Ortiz and Derek Jeter for most career postseason RBIs and is now tied for third with David Justice. This was after he hit .233 with a .312 on-base percentage in the regular season. Also, what needs to be noted is his defensive expertise. He has made multiple gold-glove caliber plays this series, including one to win yesterday.
This is October.
This is Carlos Correa. #WeBelieveinTC pic.twitter.com/omkPgpshIv— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 9, 2023
