Losing on the road gets normal after 6 in a row...

I'm thinking 9 or 10 total runs in this game...

Yankees backs against the wall and they get Nick Martinez...

Tyler Mahle is on the mound for the Braves, and they've lost his last two starts, both of them at home, including surrendering five runs to the Reds and allowing two homers. Dodger starter Tyler Glasnow had double-digit strikeouts in his last two outings, and he's going to be the one to get the Dodgers started on the win. The Braves just had their Ace, Chris Sale, get beaten, and they should be feeling down knowing Mahle has to save the day to stay alive. Sale’s finished for the series. The Dodgers lost their last five regular-season games to the Braves. The Dodgers will win it when it counts, like today.

The Padres have been put in a do-or-die situation, and I think they do tonight because it's at home, where they swept the Brewers on August 12th. They need to forget about the first two games and get back to work, knowing they're 43-20 in their last 63 ballgames. Dustin May is the starter for the Brewers, who lost three separate times for two different teams this year against the Padres. Nick Pivetta starts for San Diego, and the Padres have won his last six starts. He's only allowed 11 earned runs in his eight starts this season. The Padres are now even with the Brewers at winning four games a piece after losing the first two games of this series. Padres to win.

The Braves have won Chris Sale's last six starts, including a 1-0 win against the Dodgers on August 27th. That game featured Yoshi Yamamoto, and they hook up today in Game 3 of the NLDS, all tied up at one apiece. It should be an epic battle. The one run allowed by Yamamoto in August was the only run he's allowed against the Braves in his last three starts against them. Lean to the Dodgers, but playing the under.

The Yankees are hoping Cam Schlittler is the great equalizer in Game 2 as Tampa Bay holds a 1-0 lead in the ALDS, and I’m buying. The Yankees have won seven of Schlittler's last eight starts, and he's allowed one or no earned runs in his last 10 starts. He's got a short price to lay on the road. Freddy Peralta looks as though he's all fixed, as he's allowed only three earned runs over his last six starts, which were all Rays wins. He's come a long way since the Rays traded for him, and he allowed 17 runs in his first four starts. Schlittler has beaten the Rays in his last two meetings, allowing one run each. I've got the Yankees.

It's a new season for Kyle Tucker, and in the new season he hit a home run in his first game. If there's anybody on the team deserving of a good series, it's Tucker, who was miserable in the regular season. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman aren't even part of the story yet. Mookie Betts is batting leadoff, and both Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez go deep. Man, this team hasn't even started flexing, and they're showing their strength early in the playoffs. Blake Snell is going to give me at least five innings, and he's allowed one or no runs in his last eight starts. Dodgers to win against anybody.

Drew Rasmussen had a career-best year in 2026, going 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA, striking out 174 in 172 innings, and allowing only 14 home runs on the year. It's been a magical year for Rasmussen, and his playoff journey begins this Saturday evening in primetime. The Rays went 2-2 behind him against the Yankees, but he dominated his last start against them, allowing one hit and one run in 6.2 innings, striking out 11. He's on an active streak right now where the Rays have won his last 12 starts, and ironically, his last loss was July 9th at home against the Yankees. The Rays were 7-6 against the Bronx Bombers this season. I think the Rays and Rasmussen show off in Game 1.

We've got Game 3 in the National League best-of-three wild-card series, and it's expected to be 82° with winds blowing in at 7 mph and no chance of rain. The total is 7.5, and it's moving closer to 7, but my only problem with the number is that Aaron Nola is the starter for the Phillies, who have lost four of his last five starts. No Zack Wheeler, who pitched Sunday. Nola's faced the Braves three times this year, and the Braves won all three games with all three going over the total. I think Nola will give up three to four runs, and the Phillies bats make a run for it against the opener and likely Grant Holmes in the middle innings. Over.

The Cubs got a brutal taste of reality in Game 1 as the Padres thumped them 8-0 to make them 42-18 since July 24th. The Padres look like they have the complete team that can make the World Series, while the Cubs know they're a couple of pitchers short of a championship team. The Cubs had won five straight against the Padres until last night's massacre that got started with long home runs by their two biggest stars in the first inning. The Cubs have lost Kevin Gausman’s last three starts, and that's who the Cubs hope rests with today. The Padres finish off this series tonight.

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three wild card series with a 9-0 victory against the Red Sox, and that's what Boston manager Chad Tracy predicted. He saved his best starter, Sonny Gray, for Game 2, who’s fresh and hasn't pitched since September 23rd. Tracy is acting like Game 2 was going to be a gimme with left-hander Max Fried as the Yankees starter. Fried has allowed one run or less in seven of his last eight starts. In two starts against the Red Sox this season, the Yankees won them both. I like Sonny Gray, but I don't like the position Tracy put him in: defeatist mode before he even starts. I think the Yankees win game two.

Hunter Brown hasn't been his same dominant self from the past three seasons. He's been ordinary and very beatable, as the Astros have lost seven of his last 10 starts. He only had 20 starts in the regular season, and his strikeout ratio was the lowest of his career. The Astros have as a whole, have struggled all season but survived the AL West at 81-81, the worst record of any postseason team in MLB history. Wednesday is about the White Sox.

The Cubs went 5-1 against the Padres, winning the last five, scoring 55 runs. But those meetings were in April and early July, when the Padres pitching staff and hitters hadn't reached their full potential. Since July 24th, the Padres are 41-18, and in the last month the Padres had an MLB-best .280 batting average. I think for the Cubs to win this series, they have to jump out early on the starters and avoid pressure closeout situations with the Padres excellent bullpen. If the Cubs don't get up early on the starter, they're in trouble. Padres starter Michael King lost his last start against the Dodgers, but he won his previous four starts. I like the Padres to win Game 1 and series.

The Yankees went 7-6 against the Red Sox this season, and for Game 1 in the best-of-three wild-card series, they're sending their best pitcher out there, Cam Schlittler. The Red Sox are sending rookie Payton Tolle to start Game 1 rather than their best pitcher, Sonny Gray, who hasn't pitched since September 23rd when he beat Cleveland 1-0. Boston manager Chad Tracy is playing silly games in a three-game series. He thinks he can do better with Gray in Game 2 than in Game 1, going against the Yankees' best. Tracy is conceding Game 1 because he has a plan for a three-game series. For that alone, I'm on the Yankees in Game 1 and the series.