2023 MLB Playoffs Wild Card review: Four sweeps in four series

All four of the Wild-Card series have concluded and we are now onto the Divisional Round starting this weekend.

With that, this article will review the four Wild-Card series, all of which ended in a 2-0 sweep. 

In addition to that, we will briefly discuss who the next opponent is for each of the Wild-Card winners, the day the series will start and the regular season series result between the two teams.

American League Wild-Card

#5 Texas Rangers vs. #4 Tampa Bay Rays

Game 1: Texas Wins 4-0

Game 1 was highlighted by a 7.0 inning shutout performance from Texas’ Jordan Montgomery. Texas grabbed an early lead in the top of the second inning before adding one in the fifth and two in the sixth. This was more than enough to beat the Rays, who went completely cold at the plate.

Game 2: Texas Wins 7-1

Game 2 was even more decisive as Texas grabbed another early lead by scoring three runs in the top of the fourth inning before adding one in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh. Nathan Eovaldi was the winning pitcher for Texas as he allowed just one earned run across 6.2 innings.

Next Up: #1 Baltimore Orioles
Series Starts: Saturday, October 7th
Regular Season Series: Tied 3-3

#3 Minnesota Twins vs. #6 Toronto Blue Jays

Game 1: Minnesota Wins 3-1

Game 1 of this series was pretty much decided in the first inning. Minnesota’s Royce Lewis hit two home runs in this game, which produced all three runs for the Twins and they used their elite pitching to shut down the Blue Jays for the remainder of the game. The winning pitcher in Game 1 was Pablo Lopez, who went 5.2 innings and allowed one earned run.

Game 2: Minnesota Wins 2-0

Game 2 was actually more uneventful than Game 1 as the Twins grabbed a lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with a Carlos Correa single and a fielders’ choice RBI from Willi Castro. The Blue Jays could not even muster a run in this game despite having nine hits. The winning pitcher for Minnesota was Sonny Gray, who went 5.0 innings and made the play of the game when he threw to Correa at second base to pick off Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the top of the fifth inning.

Next Up: #2 Houston Astros
Series Starts: Saturday, October 7th
Regular Season Series: Minnesota Won 4-2

National League Wild-Card

#6 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. #3 Milwaukee Brewers

Game 1: Arizona Wins 6-3

Arizona came into this series as the underdog and started slowly, going down 3-0 through the first two innings. A three-run top of the third inning leveled the score before the Diamondbacks took control with one run in the top of the fourth inning and two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Brandon Pfaadt started this game, but was credited with a No Decision after lasting just 2.2 innings and allowing three earned runs. The winning pitcher for Arizona ended up being Joe Mantiply, who pitched 0.2 innings.

Game 2: Arizona Wins 5-2

Arizona once again found themselves trailing early as the Brewers started hot with a two-run bottom of the first inning. That is where Milwaukee’s fun would stop as they failed to score another run. A single run in the fifth and a four-run sixth powered the Diamondbacks to the remainder of the game, which they won comfortably. Zac Gallen picked up the win for Arizona as he made it through 6.0 innings, while only allowing those two runs in the first inning.

Next Up: #2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Series Starts: Saturday, October 7th
Regular Season Series: Los Angeles Won 8-5

#4 Philadelphia Phillies vs. #5 Miami Marlins

Game 1: Philadelphia Wins 4-1

The Phillies began their playoff run with a dominant performance from starting pitcher Zack Wheeler. He went 6.2 innings, allowing just one earned run, while striking out eight batters. Philadelphia got runs in the third, fourth, and eighth inning to cash in Wheeler’s performance.

Game 2: Philadelphia Wins 7-1

Game 2 was all Philadelphia as they got on the board early with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. They added a third run in the bottom of the fifth inning before a Bryson Scott Grand-Slam in the bottom of the sixth inning broke the game open. Aaron Nola was given the win as he pitched 7.0 innings without allowing an earned run.

Next Up: #1 Atlanta Braves
Series Starts: Saturday, October 7th
Regular Season Series: Atlanta Won 8-5