2026 National League Division Series

Before the game threes tonight, let’s quickly recap how the NLDS games have gone so far.

Atlanta Braves @ Los Angeles Dodgers - Games 1 and 2

Familiar foes face off again, and the Braves appear to begin this series behind the 8-ball. By using ace Chris Sale in relief to close out the Wild Card, Atlanta won’t have him available until at least game three. That means manager Walt Weiss is forced to open this series with consecutive bullpen games. Not ideal in any series, even less so given who they’re facing.

The two time defending World Series champion Dodgers are loaded. Despite being without Shohei Ohtani on the mound, they still will send 2X Cy Young Tarik Skubal to the mound in game one, 2X Cy Young Blake Snell in game two… oh and last year’s WSMVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto for game three. But baseball’s not played on paper, it’s decided between the lines and in the batter’s box. Atlanta will need to drag LA into a fight, and that’s exactly what they’re gonna do.

ATL Radio The Fan - Ben Ingram and Joe Simpson

LAD Radio AM 570- Charley Steiner and Rick Monday

San Diego Padres @ Milwaukee Brewers - Games 1 and 2

How do they keep doing this? The Brewers took their third consecutive NL Central crown, putting up their best regular season ever with 103 wins! They have the presumptive NL Cy Young in Jacob Misiorowski, young stars in Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio, dependable veterans in Christian Yelich and William Contreras (who’s a vet by this point), and a stable full of options for one of the best managers in baseball, Pat Murphy. All of the regular season success is great and all, but what the Milwaukee faithful need is for it to translate to the playoffs.

Standing in their way are the Padres, under first year manager Craig Stammen. They’ve got star power, they’ve got passion, and they have the weapons at the back end to rival anyone. They eased past the Cubs, but expect the Brew Crew to mount much more of a challenge.

SDP Radio KWFN - Jesse Agler and Tony Gwynn, Jr.

MIL Radio WTMJ - Jeff Levering, Lane Grindle, and Josh Maurer

As always, shout out to Baseball Reference and MLB.tv for box scores, statistics, audio clips, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.S. the 20 mile run was a success. I’m now doing what’s called a ‘taper’ slightly reducing the miles to recover before the marathon in less than 20 days!

2026 Wild Card Round Recap

The Postseason is here, and the fireworks have already started. We’ll cover the highlights from the early round action, and preview the division series matchups.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves

For the third time in the last five seasons, the Braves and Phillies match up again in the playoffs. Despite winning the division in ’22 and ’23, the Braves came up short against their bitter division rival. Things may be different this time around, as the Philadelphia core is aging, and more importantly, the Phillies limped into the playoffs. Let’s see if they can rediscover their old playoff magic, or if the Braves can finally push past them.

ATL Radio - 680 The Fan: Ben Ingram and Joe Simpson

PHI Radio - 94.1 WIP: Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Kevin Stocker

Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros

Just two years after losing more game than anyone in baseball history, postseason baseball has returned to the Southside. Call it luck, smart development, or the Pope’s Blessing, it’s great to see the White Sox relevant once again. The Astros are back in the playoffs, but this ain’t the team we’re used to seeing. Don’t be fooled by Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, or presumptive AL MVP Yordan Alvarez, this team’s a mess.

CHW Radio - WMVP: Len Kasper and Darrin Jackson

Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees

Let’s do this thing again. Just like last year, and many, many times before, Boston and New York face off. While the Sox looked like an ascendant team earlier this year after firing Alex Cora, they have cooled off significantly down the stretch. And even though the Yanks won’t have Aaron Judge, they’re gonna be tough to beat. They’ve got the arms (Schlitter, Fried, Cole, Bednar), they’ve got the bats (lefty or righty), and they’ve got the Bronx Zoo. If Boston’s starters can keep it close, they’ll have a chance. But if they don’t go deep, Aaron Boone has the tools at his disposal to punish any bullpen.

NYY Radio - WFAN: Dave Sims and Suzyn Waldman

Chicago Cubs @ San Diego Padres

Yet another rematch, but this time the Padres have home field advantage. The Cubs boast the best offense in baseball, led by breakout superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Padres can swing it too, and unlike the Cubbies, they actually have a strong pitching staff. Many have picked Chicago as an NL favorite, but don’t sleep on San Deigo, and definitely do not underestimate their raucous crowd.

SDP Radio - 97.3 FM: Jesse Agler and Tony Gwynn, Jr.

Audio clips from MLB.tv

As always, shout out to Baseball Reference for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.S. I’m currently training to run a marathon this month (the Marine Corps Marathon in DC on October 25th!). That’s why I’ve been on hiatus for so long, though I do plan to cover this year’s playoffs, just not as many episodes as usual. Stay tuned!

You can follow my marathon training progress on Instagram - @jolly_orangegiant

2026 BBWAA HOF Ballot

In a bit of a surprise, the Contemporary Era Committee selected Jeff Kent to the Hall of Fame last month. He will join the likes of Rogers Hornsby, Nellie Fox, Joe Morgan, Ryne Sandberg, Jackie Robinson, and other MVP second baseman to earn enshrinement (Jose Altuve will join this list in the future, though another player on this year’s writers’ ballot is a long shot.) Dale Murphy, Carlos Delgado, and Don Mattingly all received more than six votes, and the rest of the candidates received fewer than five, meaning they are ineligible to be on the next ballot in three years. For Clemens, Bonds, and Sheffield, that result was not too surprising given their alleged PED use.

This coming Tuesday, January 20th, the results from the BBWAA ballot will be revealed, and we will find out who will join Jeff Kent in Cooperstown this year. Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones appear to be in strong position for election this year. Chase Utley and Felix Hernández are the big climbers, and Cole Hamels looks to haver a strong debut on the ballot. We will break down the candidacies (or lack thereof) for the newcomers to the ballot, as well as our predictions for who, if any, will make it this year.

Audio clips from MLB.tv

Howie Kendrick’s Clutch Homers - WJFK Eats Radio - Dave Jageler and Charlie Slowes

Alex Gordon’s WS HR - FOX - Hall of Fame Joe Buck, Tom Verducci

Edwin Encarnacion’s Walk-off - TBS - Ernie Johnson

As always, shout out to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.