Wednesday was a wild day with eight games starting at noon eastern time and getting over in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Three American League series came to an end with the Yankees, Rays, and Astros moving on to the next round.
The Yankees and Rays will square off in the next round, and the Astros wait for the winner of the White Sox vs Athletics series.
Reds vs Braves, 12:08 p.m. ET, Game 2 (Braves up 1-0) – ESPN
RHP Luis Castillo vs RHP Ian Anderson
The Braves took game 1 of the series thanks to a 13th inning walk-off single by Freddie Freeman. The two teams combined for 17 hits and 37 strikeouts in the 1-0 game.
Castillo had another strong season for the Reds, he had a 3.21 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 70 innings. The 22-year-old Anderson had 1.95 ERA in six starts for the Braves.
Marlins vs Cubs, 2:08 p.m. ET, Game 2 (Marlins up 1-0) – ABC
RHP Sixto Sanchez vs Yu Darvish
Cubs game 1 starter Kyle Hendricks was in cruise control heading into the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead before Corey Dickerson hit his 106th pitch of the game for a three-run homer. The Cubs had just four hits in the game, two of them coming from Ian Happ.
The 22-year-old Sanchez impressed with a 3.46 ERA in his first seven big league starts this season. Darvish – likely top 3 Cy Young finisher – had a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 76 innings for the Cubs.
White Sox vs Athletics, 3:08 p.m. ET, Game 3 (Tied at 1-1) – ESPN
RHP Dane Dunning vs RHP Mike Fiers
The A’s forced a winner-takes-all game today after a 5-3 win on Wednesday behind home runs from Khris Davis and Marcus Semien. Starter Chris Bassitt allowed just one run in seven innings. Yasmani Grandal provided all the offense for the White Sox, going 1-for-3 with his second home run of the series, three RBIs. and two walks.
Cardinals vs Padres, 7:08 p.m. ET, Game 2 (Cards up 1-0) – ESPN
RHP Adam Wainwright vs RHP Zach Davies
The Cardinals took control of the series early with a four-run first inning off Chris Paddack in their 7-4 game 1 win. Youngster Dylan Carlson went 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored, stolen base, and a double out of the No. 4 hole.
Wainwright had a bounce back season, with a 3.15 ERA over 10 starts in 2020. He also owns a 2.81 ERA in 105 postseason innings. Davis had a 2.71 ERA in 69 innings for the Padres, he walked only 19.
Brewers vs Dodgers, 10:08 p.m. ET, Game 2 (Dodgers up 1-0) – ESPN
RHP Brandon Woodruff vs LHP Clayton Kershaw
Dodgers took game 1 of the series 4-2 behind a home run from Corey Seager and five scoreless innings from the bullpen. Mookie Betts had two hits as well.
Woodruff was low-key fantastic for the Brewers in 2020 with a 3.05 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 2.1 bWAR in 13 starts. Future Hall of Famer Kershaw had big season with a 2.15 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 54 innings.
