Rest vs. Rust: Three 'underdogs' look to stay sharp in MLB playoffs

Bye-bye, Baltimore. Adios, Atlanta. The Braves and Orioles, both top seeds for the 2023 MLB playoffs, will watch lesser teams compete for this year’s World Series trophy. So much for that five-day layoff.

Three of four teams in this year’s championship series entered the postseason as wild-card teams. The Rangers, Phillies and Diamondbacks all played extra games this year, while the Astros, Braves, Dodgers and Orioles sat and watched.

Of MLB’s top-four seeds, only the Astros are moving on. Which points to an obvious question: is time off counterproductive for baseball’s top teams?

Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the matter before Game 4 of the Phillies-Braves series. “I know some of the higher-seeded teams didn’t win,” Manfred said via Jesse Rogers of ESPN, “I think if you think about where some of those teams were, there are other explanations than a five-day layoff.”

He may be right, but last week’s numbers sure don’t help his argument. After leading MLB with 104 regular season wins, the Braves managed a single victory against the Phillies in the divisional round. After posting a league-best .276 batting average this year, Atlanta hit .186 against Philadelphia. Only the Dodgers (.177) hit worse this postseason.