MLB Playoffs: Three most dangerous first-round matchups

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(Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

The 16-team expanded 2020 MLB Playoffs kick off on Tuesday, September 29.

In the 2020 MLB season that has been unlike any other, it’s expected the postseason will add even more excitement to the equation. Why? Well, for the first time ever, fans will see 16 teams in the postseason.

Eight teams earned postseason berths from both the American and National Leagues. This left the league with a daunting first-round for each of the 16 teams. The first round will be a best-of-three game series, a sprint by baseball standards.

Both league brackets were seeded one through eight. The division winners in each league took home the top three seeds. The second-place finishers in each division are seeded four through six. Finally, the best two remaining records in the AL and NL earned Wild Card spots as the seventh and eighth seeds.

Call to the Pen breaks down the three most dangerous first-round matchups in the 2020 MLB Playoffs.

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MLB Playoffs: the first dangerous matchup – (4) Indians vs. (5) Yankees

At face value, this matchup between the fourth seed Cleveland Indians and fifth seed New York Yankees is a battle of pitching versus offense. Cleveland owns the best pitching staff in the American League with a 3.29 team ERA while the Yankees scored the most runs (315) in the American League.

In this closely seeded matchup, this series can be seen as dangerous for either of the teams.

Cleveland is the higher seed and finished with a better regular-season record at 35-25, so we’ll start there. The Indians finished second in the AL Central, thanks to pitching and pitching only. The staff threw up a 3.29 team ERA, ranking top in the AL.

Shane Bieber was the best pitcher in baseball in 2020 and undoubtedly will take home the AL Cy Young Award. Bieber was 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA and led the league with 122 strikeouts. Unfortunately for the Indians, Bieber matches up with Gerrit Cole in the pivotal game one of this series.

Cole, the Yankees ace, was 7-3 and pitched to a 2.84 ERA this season. Yes, Bieber has been the better pitcher in 2020, but the Yankees ace owns the postseason. Cole owns a career postseason ERA of 2.60 in four years.

Pitching does normally win in the MLB playoffs. However, if Cole outpitches or outlasts Bieber in game one, that’s a huge momentum swing and advantage in the Yankees favor.

This matchup is equally dangerous for New York. Heading into the season, after signing Cole in free agency, the Yankees were considered favorites to win it all.

But, after another season with a cascade of injuries, the Yankees have underperformed. As a result, New York finished in second place in the AL East with a 33-27 record. Still, the Yankees front office preaches championship or bust.

New York is 5-20 when the offense scores three runs or less proving this Indians pitching staff is a dangerous matchup.

MLB Playoffs: the first dangerous matchup – (2) Braves vs. (7) Reds

If the second seed Atlanta Braves fall to the seventh seed Cincinnati Reds, that can only be described as an upset. What makes this matchup so dangerous for Atlanta?

This matchup provides another battle between offense and pitching. Cincinnati is another team that earned a postseason berth because of pitching and pitching only. Led by potential NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, the Reds staff is intimidating for any hitter standing in the box.

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Bauer led the league with his 1.73 ERA and struck out 100 batters in 73 innings of work. Unfortunately for Atlanta, the Reds roll out two more flamethrowers following Bauer. And in a three-game series, that’s a recipe for winning.

Luis Castillo will get the nod in game two. Castillo pitches to a 3.21 ERA and strikes out 11.4 batters per nine innings. Game three brings Sonny Gray, who strikes out 11.6 batters per nine innings with a 3.70 ERA.

It doesn’t get any easier for hitters once into the Reds bullpen. Collectively, the Reds five primary relief pitchers own a 3.78 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. And, the entire staff led the NL with 615 strikeouts.

The Braves finished first in the NL East with a 35-25 record thanks to some phenomenal hitting. Atlanta scored 5.8 runs per game, the second-best clip in all of baseball, and hit 103 home runs.

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Marcell Ozuna, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Freddie Freeman enjoyed monster seasons at the plate. The trio combined for 45 home runs while Ozuna and Freeman both hit near .340 this season.

Atlanta will win if they can connect on any long balls. The Braves are 30-18 in games that the team hits one or more home runs. Yet, Cincinnati was the third-best staff at limiting the long ball, giving up only 67 all year.

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MLB Playoffs: the first dangerous matchup – (2) Athletics vs. (7) White Sox

This matchup pits the second seed Oakland Athletics up against the seventh seed Chicago White Sox. Chicago finally put the pieces of its young talent together for a postseason berth, the squad’s first since 2008. Meanwhile, the Athletics have enjoyed 11 postseason appearances since 2000.

The White Sox went 3-9 to finish the season, which dropped the club from first in the division to a Wild Card berth. Other than the late struggles for Chicago, these two teams are stunningly even. This proves dangerous for the two-seven matchup.