Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today's games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today's edition is brought to you by David Adler.
The playoff picture is rounding into shape after a busy weekend. But getting to the postseason is only half the battle. You also have to get through the postseason.
And even the teams that are solidly in playoff position have questions they'll have to answer in October. And a lot of those teams have pitching questions. Here's a rundown of some of the biggest…
Dodgers: There's Edwin Díaz, first of all. Is he even going to make the postseason roster -- and if he does, will the Dodgers trust him to pitch the important innings? If Díaz can't, will Roki Sasaki do it again? And then, in the rotation, Blake Snell's health is also a question mark.
Brewers: The Brewers have an MLB-best 98 wins and are rolling toward a first-round bye. But once the playoffs start, it's Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson … and then who? Kyle Harrison has fallen off a cliff. Dustin May isn't getting results. Is Robert Gasser going to pitch? An opener?
Red Sox: Is Garrett Crochet coming back? The Red Sox ace won't be built up to be a starter in the playoffs, but Crochet might be able to come out of the bullpen. How would Boston deploy the left-hander in a postseason series? And we could ask the same question about Tanner Houck.
Rays: The Rays also have a rehabbing ace lefty in Shane McClanahan, who's attempting to return from his forearm injury. Will he be able to contribute in the postseason at all?
Braves: We still don't know what to expect from Robert Suarez the rest of the way. He could be a difference-maker if he's ready to pitch in the Wild Card Series, and the Braves bullpen would look fearsome with Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Didier Fuentes and Dylan Lee.
Cubs: The Cubs' starting rotation has been a big question mark for most of the season. Now it's crunch time, and while Chicago now has four options to start in Clay Holmes, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga and Kevin Gausman, the Cubs will still have to decide who gets the ball when, especially in a short Wild Card Series. And then, can any of those four step up in October?
Phillies: The Phillies looked locked and loaded for the playoffs with Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo. Now Luzardo is hurt, and that throws the postseason rotation into question. Luzardo insists he'll be ready for the playoffs, but will he pitch like himself?
