Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games. Today's edition is brought to you by David Adler. We have a poll for you, everything on the line this weekend, Verlander's sendoff and more.
Looking at the 2026 playoff teams, you might notice something: Three of them have never won a World Series.
That'd be the Brewers, Rays and Padres, who are three of the five teams that have never won it all. (To the other two, the Rockies and Mariners: There's always next year.)
So will we see a first-time World Series champion this year? Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and San Diego each have a pretty strong case why they can win. Let's take a look -- and we also want to get your vote on this in a sec.
Brewers
The Brewers are headed to their eighth postseason in the last nine years. They're the best team in baseball this season, they just reached 100 wins for the first time, and they have the most overpowering pitcher on the planet in Jacob Misiorowski. This might be their best chance yet.
Rays
The Rays are the No. 1 seed in the American League. They were the best team in a loaded AL East division -- the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox aren't just playoff teams, they have the three best records in the AL. They have an MVP contender in Junior Caminero, a unique sparkplug in Chandler Simpson and great pitching depth. They're a well-rounded team that can win in a lot of different ways.
Padres
The Padres will have to play their way through the Wild Card Series to reach the Fall Classic. That's what happens when you're in the same division as the back-to-back reigning champs. But San Diego is loaded with stars -- Fernando Tatis Jr. has been a monster down the stretch -- and is rolling into its third straight postseason run. Maybe most important for playoff baseball: This team has a lights-out bullpen. Mason Miller is the most dominant reliever in the game, and he's just the start.
So here's our poll for the weekend:
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Which team is the MOST likely to win its first World Series this year? |
We'll get back to you with the results on Monday. |
EVERYTHING AT STAKE IN FINAL WEEKEND |
We had four clinches yesterday -- the White Sox, Cubs, Guardians and Padres -- which means that 10 of the 12 postseason spots are locked up. But that still leaves two up for grabs in the final weekend of the season -- and there are also still division titles to be won.
Here are the three biggest questions for the playoff picture that will be answered this weekend:
1) Who will win the AL West?
Of the two division races to be decided, this one has the highest stakes, because the loser goes home. The Astros and Rangers are tied for first place in the West at 79-80. Only one of them can make the playoffs. The Astros have the leg up because they hold the tiebreaker over Texas. The Rangers will have to win one more game than Houston this weekend.
2) Who will win the AL Central?
The Guardians are a game up on the White Sox entering the weekend, but Chicago holds the tiebreaker. Both teams have already clinched playoff spots -- the second-place division finisher will slot into an AL Wild Card spot -- but there's a pretty big bonus for winning the division. The Central winner will be the No. 2 seed in the AL and get a bye into the Division Series.
3) Can the D-backs pull off the crazy comeback and take the last NL Wild Card?
It looked like the Padres, Cubs and Phillies were locks for the three NL Wild Card spots. But the Phils' late-season slump has opened the door for a suddenly red-hot D-backs team. Arizona has won five in a row and is now only two games behind Philadelphia entering the final weekend. The Phillies control their own destiny, but the pressure's on.
Besides those playoff races, there are also statistical races to be decided this weekend. See all the details here >>
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BIGGEST SERIES OF THE WEEKEND
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There's going to be plenty of drama this weekend -- and even the weather is getting involved, with teams moving games around to deal with the nor'easter that's hitting the East Coast.
We have seven series that will settle the postseason field and seeding. Here are a few of the biggest to watch:
Astros at A's
Tonight's opener: 9:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV
Rangers at Twins
Tonight's opener: 8:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV
These are the two series that will decide the AL West. With the division tied, both the Astros and Rangers will send their aces to the mound tonight: Hunter Brown for Houston, Jacob deGrom for Texas. Again, the Astros have the tiebreaker cushion for the division, so the Rangers need to out-win them this weekend to make the playoffs.
D-backs at Padres
Tonight's opener: 9:40 p.m. ET, MLB Network / MLB.TV
To leapfrog the Phillies at the 11th hour, the D-backs have to go through a division rival and playoff team in the Padres. The Padres have stakes of their own -- they're a game up on the Cubs and two up on the Phils for the top NL Wild Card spot, which would earn them home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series. See our full preview of this series here >>
Rays at Phillies
Tonight's opener: 6:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV
Even with the D-backs looming, the Phillies are still two games up for the last Wild Card with three to play. They can even clinch a postseason berth tonight with a win and an Arizona loss. And for tonight's all-important series opener, Philadelphia gives ace Cristopher Sánchez the ball. The AL-best Rays are a tough last opponent, but they're also already locked into the No. 1 seed entering this series, so they're not playing to clinch anything.
See the other crucial series this weekend here >>
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GRAND FINALE FOR FUTURE HALL OF FAMER |
Tomorrow, Justin Verlander makes the final start of a Hall of Fame-caliber career.
JV is one of the greatest pitchers of this generation. (Is he the greatest? The debate between Verlander, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer rages on.)
Verlander has done it all in his 21 seasons. He's a two-time World Series champion. He's won an MVP Award, three Cy Young Awards, a Rookie of the Year Award and a Triple Crown. He's a member of the 3,000-strikeout club. He's a 10-time All-Star. He's thrown three no-hitters (take a look back at them here).
With Verlander ending his career where it all began, in Detroit, the Tigers are pulling out all the stops to honor him this weekend.
Verlander's last start will be a full-circle moment, too -- he's ending his career against one of the people he started it with, Pirates manager Don Kelly. And before he takes the mound, two of Verlander's catchers in Detroit shared their favorite memories of the Tigers icon.
We're not sure yet, but this weekend also might be the sendoff for both Verlander and Scherzer.
Scherzer -- Verlander's former teammate with the Tigers, fellow three-time Cy Young winner, fellow 3,000-strikeout club member and fellow likely Hall of Famer -- is expected to provide some clarity on his future in the next day or two. But it's certainly possible that this will be the final season of Mad Max's equally legendary career, too.
Scherzer could return on short rest to make one last start on Sunday in the Blue Jays' season finale. If he does, we'll certainly be watching -- especially because there could be a battle for placement on the all-time strikeout leaderboard brewing.
Verlander enters the weekend with 3,554 K's. Scherzer is right behind him with 3,550. Verlander is eighth all-time. Scherzer is ninth. The race could be on, one last time.
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FERNÁNDEZ'S LEGACY, 10 YEARS LATER
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Today marks the 10-year anniversary of one of baseball's biggest tragedies: José Fernández's death at age 24 in a boating accident.
Marlins reporter Christina DeNicola looks back at Fernández's indelible legacy 10 years later:
Every fifth day, the baseball world hyped up "José Day." There was a palpable buzz in the Marlins' home ballpark in Little Havana, which became the place to be in the South Florida sports scene.
From the moment Fernández debuted at 20 years and 250 days old, everyone knew he was something special.
It was his childlike exuberance matched with an equally competitive nature, the rare combination of joie de vivre and a masterclass in pitching. His infectious smile and big personality drew baseball diehards and casuals alike.
Fernández, who fled Cuba on a boat with his mother as a child, experienced true hardship that made the pressure of Major League Baseball seem easy compared to real life. He was the American Dream personified.
“He was a ball of energy," former teammate and Marlins.TV broadcaster AJ Ramos said. "Whenever he was in the clubhouse, you knew it. Whenever he was pitching, you knew it. I think that's why he brought a lot of people to the stadium."
Read the rest of the story here >>
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