MLB playoffs 2026: Ranking the final four teams - ESPN

The first two rounds of the MLB playoffs have been a mix of controversy (non-home runs from Ty France and Anthony Volpe), clutch comebacks against elite closers (Austin Riley's three-run home run off Jhoan Duran, Jackson Chourio's walk-off hit against Mason Miller), and bullpen games gone awry (the White Sox and Guardians combined to throw 368 pitches and walk 15 batters in Game 4 of their series).

Now, with only four teams remaining, we're going to rank how the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians stack up. But in order to do so, let's consider the four themes of this year's postseason.

Lack of offense. Even by typical postseason standards, teams are struggling to score, as was widely predicted heading into the postseason given the quality of pitchers on playoff teams. The collective batting line is .208/.291/.334, challenging 2022's average of .211 as the lowest since 2000. This postseason's .625 OPS would beat 2012's .639. The only game in which both teams scored at least four runs — out of the 25 that have been played — was that Game 4 walkathon between the White Sox and Guardians.

Bullpen arms carry the load. Relievers have pitched 53% of the innings as managers have combined quick hooks with the starters plus several bullpen-heavy games along the way. Of the 50 individual games started, the starter failed to last four innings in 20 games and pitched more than five innings just 12 times.

Defensive plays… and misplays. The Yankees were the headliner here for their sloppy four-error game in a Game 2 loss to the Rays, but there have been other key miscues; the Padres and Brewers combined for five errors and three unearned runs in Game 2, and the Brewers lost Game 3 on an