It’s already been one of the most exciting and, frankly, shocking postseasons we’ve ever seen, and we’re just reaching the League Championship Series round. If what we’ve witnessed so far is any indication, we’re in for an incredible final two weeks of baseball in 2022. Before it all gets underway, it’s time for the LCS round of our Power Rankings.
We ranked the four remaining postseason teams in the League Championship Series.
Houston’s appearance in yet another AL Championship Series is a testimony to the steady excellence that the Astros have displayed over the past several years, reaching the penultimate round of the postseason for a league-record sixth consecutive time with an ALDS sweep of the Mariners.
Something that should be of concern for the Astros heading into the ALCS is the 0-for-16 performance of Jose Altuve in the previous round. Then again, Altuve could turn things around at any moment, particularly given his career .971 OPS in 139 ALCS plate appearances.
On the flip side of the coin, Houston has got to be very pleased with what Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman did in the ALDS against Seattle. Alvarez, of course, was the walk-off hero in Game 1 with a three-run homer to cap a big Astros comeback, then he homered again in Game 2 — another go-ahead blast. Bregman, meanwhile, hit .333 with a double and a homer in the series.
Houston’s pitching, particularly in the bullpen, was tremendous in the ALDS — that was no more evident than when Luis Garcia gave his club five scoreless frames in the 18-inning Game 3 win to clinch the series.
From top to bottom, both at the plate and on the mound, the Astros are stacked. It’ll be tough to knock them off in their quest to reach the World Series for the fourth time in the past six years.
When you’re coming off a playoff series win against a division rival that won 111 games — especially when that rival defeated you in 14 of 19 regular-season contests this year — you’ve got to be feeling good. And the Padres have done just that, heading to the NLCS for the first time in 24 years after knocking off the mighty Dodgers in the NLDS.
The confidence is running high in San Diego, and rightfully so. Even without superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres have thrived. NL MVP candidate Manny Machado has been stellar, carrying the lineup through September and into October. One of the biggest blockbuster acquisitions in baseball history helped, too. Even though Juan Soto didn’t produce down the stretch at the level he’s accustomed to, he’s been scorching the ball this postseason despite the numbers not reflecting that so far.
Another huge lift for the Padres has been the return to form of closer Josh Hader, whom they acquired from the Brewers at the Trade Deadline. Although he had an unsightly 7.31 ERA in 19 appearances for San Diego in the regular season, he’s turned things around just in time — the flame-throwing left-hander hasn’t given up a run in four postseason outings, picking up three saves while striking out seven of the 15 batters he’s faced. He’s also yielded just one hit and walked only one.
It was absolute bedlam at Citizens Bank Park when the Phillies beat the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS on Saturday to reach their first NLCS in 12 years. And while Philadelphia’s lineup boasts one of the most dangerous hitters on the planet in Bryce Harper, who already has three doubles and four homers to go along with a .407 batting average this postseason, there are two other big reasons that the Padres are going to have their work cut out for them: Zack Wheeler, who won Game 1 of the NLCS on Tuesday, and Aaron Nola.
The one-two punch of Wheeler and Nola has been lights-out this postseason, with the two right-handers combining for a 1.08 ERA in four starts between the NL Wild Card Series against the Cardinals and the NLDS against the Braves.
And one bat the Phillies want to see going is Kyle Schwarber, and they’re hoping his Game 1 homer off Yu Darvish, a 488-foot blast, is a sign of things to come in the NLCS. Schwarber, who led the NL with 46 homers this season, went 1-for-20 with eight strikeouts in the NL Wild Card Series and NLDS.
Despite a scare by the scrappy Guardians, the Yankees came back from the brink of elimination to win Games 4 and 5 of the ALDS. It was, in some respects, a microcosm of the entire year for the Bronx Bombers — after an incredible first half of the season, in which they put themselves on track to challenge the single-season wins record, they faltered following the All- Star broke but still managed to hold off the Blue Jays to win the AL East.
The tendency of New York’s offense to go cold for long stretches, coupled with the Astros’ great pitching depth, could make the ALCS an uphill battle for the Yanks. Still, this is a club with a slugger who set an AL record with 62 home runs during the regular season, as well as a wealth of postseason experience throughout the lineup with players like Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Josh Donaldson.
The bullpen has been hit with injuries, and manager Aaron Boone has had to be creative with his use of available relievers. All told, the Yanks need most everything to go right if they want to get past the Astros and into the World Series for the first time in 13 years.
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