The Sportsletter - Green Light, October 🚦

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 6, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

Major League Baseball’s regular season came to a close on Wednesday with every team in action for game 162. The league takes today off before the best-of-three Wild Card round begins on Friday. To tie a bow on the 2022 season — one that began with CBA question marks and a delayed start — let’s analyze the playoff field and hand out some awards.

Letter Rip!

MLB

Green Light, October 🚦

Image via MLB.com

MLB Playoff Picture Sets the Path to the 2022 World Series

The MLB’s 162-game regular season has come to a close. The playoffs are set, and we now know the path for each team to the 2022 World Series. It’s a different look than we might’ve thought earlier in the season. The Yankees and Mets were head-and-shoulders above the league in the first half of the year, but the Dodgers and Astros won the second half. The Braves and Guardians made late pushes as well. And now, it’s time to swing away on the greatest month in baseball — October is here.

Hottest Teams: Believe it or not, the top teams in the bracket aren’t exactly scorching hot heading into the playoffs. While the Dodgers and Astros haven’t fallen off down the stretch, four other teams have picked up steam entering the postseason. The Braves — who captured the NL East crown this week — won seven out of eight before this week. Three AL teams also caught fire recently with the Blue Jays, Guardians and Mariners are all riding win streaks.

Coldest Teams: The Mets and Cardinals were struggling as the calendar turned to October, but New York reeled off three straight this week to right the ship. The Phillies also eeked by the Brewers to reach the postseason despite losing their last two games. But no team is colder than the Rays who are 2-8 in their last ten games and losers of five straight.

Odds to Win World Series: Dodgers (+300), Astros (+380), Braves (+500), Yankees (+550), Mets (+850), Blue Jays (+1500), Cardinals (+1900), Mariners (+2600), Rays (+2800), Padres (+2800), Phillies (+3000), Guardians (+3000)

MLB Postseason Matchups

Wild Card Matchups

NL: #3 Cardinals vs. #6 Phillies

NL: #4 Mets vs. #5 Padres

AL: #3 Guardians vs. #6 Rays

AL: #4 Blue Jays vs. #5 Mariners

Divisional Series

NLDS: #1 Dodgers vs. TBD

NLDS: #2 Braves vs. TBD

ALDS: #1 Astros vs. TBD

ALDS: #2 Yankees vs. TBD

Championship Series: TBD

World Series: TBD

Full Postseason Schedule (Begins Friday, Oct. 7)

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Here’s Why This Could Be the Greatest MLB Postseason Ever

SI: World Series Predictions & Expert Picks Entering MLB Postseason

FOX Sports: One Thing That Could Make or Break Each Team's Postseason

Yahoo! Sports: MLB Playoff Power Rankings: Who are the Most Dangerous Teams on Path to the World Series?

MLB

2022 MLB Awards Picks

Photo: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images

Our Picks & Best Guesses for MVPs, Cy Young, Rookies & More as 2022 MLB Season Comes to a Close

The MLB playoff picture is crystal clear, but one more day of regular-season games has yet to be played. While we watch today’s action to keep an eye on the jockeying for Wild Card seeding, we’re taking a pause to give our thoughts on the MLB awards. The league hardware is determined by regular-season play, but the awards won’t be announced until after the playoffs in November. Here’s who we think is running away with the MVP, Cy Young and more.

AL MVP

1. Aaron Judge (NYY): 0.311 BA | 62 HRs | 131 RBIs

2. Shohei Ohtani (LAA): 0.273 BA | 34 HRs | 95 RBIs

3. Yordan Alvarez (HOU): 0.306 BA | 37 HRs | 97 RBIs

NL MVP

1. Paul Goldschmidt (STL): 0.317 BA | 35 HRs | 115 RBIs

2. Manny Machado (SD): 0.298 BA | 32 HRs | 102 RBIs

3. Nolan Arenado (STL): 0.293 BA | 30 HRs | 103 RBIs

AL Cy Young

1. Justin Verlander (HOU): 18-4 Record | 175 IP | 1.75 ERA | 185 Ks

2. Dylan Cease (CWS): 14-8 Record | 184 IP | 2.20 ERA | 227 Ks

3. Alex Manhoah (TOR): 16-7 Record | 196 IP | 2.24 ERA | 180 Ks

NL Cy Young

1. Sandy Alcantara (MIA): 14-9 Record | 228 IP | 2.28 ERA | 207 Ks

2. Max Fried (ATL): 14-7 Record | 185 IP | 2.48 ERA | 170 Ks

3. Julio Urias (LAD): 17-7 Record | 170 IP | 2.16 ERA | 166 Ks

AL Rookie of the Year

Julio Rodriguez (SEA): 0.284 BA | 28 HRs | 75 RBIs

NL Rookie of the Year

Michael Harris (ATL): 0.297 BA | 19 HRs | 64 RBIs

AL Manager of the Year

Terry Francona (Guardians)

NL Manager of the Year

Dave Roberts (Dodgers)

Additional Storylines

MLB: Presenting Your 2022 MLB Stat Leaders

USA Today: With HR Milestone Accomplished, Aaron Judge Sets Sights on World Series

SOCCER

Haaland Does It Again

Photo: Nick Potts / Getty Images

Champions League: Erling Haaland Scores Twice to Help Manchester City Torch Coppenhagen (5-0)

If Manchester City wasn’t Europe’s most notable juggernaut before, they are now. After acquiring Erling Haaland over the summer, the Norwegian superstar striker has done nothing but pour in goals for City at a record-setting clip. Haaland netted two goals to open the scoring Wednesday in City’s 5-0 thrashing of Coppenhagen. That gave him a whopping 19 goals in his 12 matches with City this season. He has 14 goals, including three hat tricks, in Premier League play, and now five strikes into the net in three Champions League appearances. Since signing Haaland, City is 10-2-0.

Champions League Highlights (Matchday 3)

Manchester City def. Coppenhagen (5-0)

Chelsea def. AC Milan (3-0)

Real Madrid def. Shakhtar Donetsk (2-1)

PSG draw Benfica (1-1)

Dortmund def. Sevilla (4-1)

Juventus def. Maccabi Haifa (3-1)

RB Salzburg def. Dinamo Zagreb (1-0)

RB Leipzig def. Celtic (3-1)

Matchday 4: Tuesday—Wednesday (Oct. 11-12)

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Chelsea Shut Out AC Milan to Give Graham Potter First Champions League Win

BBC Sport: Erling Haaland’s Records — And the Ones He Could Break at Man. City

THE STORYLINES

🏈 CFB Week 6 By the Numbers

Week 6 in College Football features a stacked lineup of big games, from the Red River Showdown to ranked battles across the country. FOX Sports gives a snapshot (by the numbers) for every notable matchup on Saturday. (FOX Sports)

⚾️ Inside Judge’s Pursuit of HR History

The Yankees’ slugger was under pressure all season, but chasing Roger Maris had nothing to do with it. A contract year, desires for a World Series run and much more? Aaron Judge’s historic season was about more than home runs. (Sports Illustrated)

🏀 NBA Breakout Candidates in 2022-23

Could second-year players, such as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Josh Giddey, build off impressive rookie campaigns to take the next step? What about Tyrese Haliburton or Zion Williamson? (ESPN)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Royals Fire Manager Mike Matheny (FOX Sports)

• Ukraine Joins Spain & Portugal in Joint Bid to Host 2030 FIFA World Cup (CBS Sports)
• Commanders RB Brian Robinson Cleared to Return to Practice 5 Weeks After Being Shot (B/R)
• Former Jaguars QB Blake Bortles Says He ‘Quietly’ Retired from Football (ESPN)
• Barry Bonds Congratulates Aaron Judge on 62nd HR in Instagram Story (SI)
• Tom Brady & Wife Gisele Bundchen Reportedly File for Divorce (Yahoo! Sports)

• Bucs WR Cole Beasley Abruptly Retires in Midst of 11th NFL Season (NFL)

• Draymond Green Threw Punch at Jordan Poole in Warriors Practice (B/R)

🗓️ TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE

Thursday Night Football

Colts at Broncos (8:15 pm ET, PRIME VIDEO)

NBA Preseason

Heat at Nets (7:30 pm ET, ESPN)

Timberwolves at Lakers (10:00 pm ET, ESPN)

NFL PICK 'EM

Week 5 Picks

Let’s reset the points! We’ll keep track of our season-long leaderboard as the year rolls on, but you can join the fun at any time for a shot at weekly prizes. Week 5 picks can be made until Sunday.

Thursday Night Football Games Not Included to Allow Players to Make Picks Until Sunday Morning

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