Lack of power? The ninth inning? Fatal October flaws for every MLB contender

Lack of power? The ninth inning? Fatal October flaws for every MLB contender. Fatal October flaws for every MLB contenderTampa Bay Rays5hDavid SchoenfieldMets' Young has concussion symptoms, CT scan negative after scary collisionNew York Mets15hRed Sox's Contreras has bruised hand after HBPBoston Red Sox13h'It's a big deal': Dodgers clinch NL West for 13th time in 14 seasonsLos Angeles Dodgers21hWhite Sox move struggling Castillo to bullpenChicago White Sox17hJesse RogersPhillies claim Urquidy off waivers from White SoxChicago White Sox16hYankees pull Judge vs.

What happened

They all have fatal flaws. (Of course, two of them will reach the World Series anyway. . . and that's the romance part. )Let's break down what each contender's fatal flaw is and whether it will sink that team in October — or whether the team can overcome it to make a deep postseason run. Twins due to leg tightnessNew York Yankees2dMLB playoff tracker: Postseason odds, current bracket and who can clinch nextArizona Diamondbacks6hESPN'That pitch was like a flash': Jacob Misiorowski's epic season, through those who have watched itMilwaukee Brewers5hJesse RogersMLB Power Rankings: Playoff contenders on the move ahead of OctoberArizona Diamondbacks1dESPNMLB playoff tracker: Postseason odds, current bracket and who can clinch nextArizona Diamondbacks6hESPNSanchez over Miz for NL Cy Young?

NATIONAL LEAGUEMilwaukee BrewersFatal flaw: Lack of power (tied for 28th in the majors in home runs)The Brewers have clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title and eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons with what has been the best team in franchise history. Chicago CubsFatal flaw: The ninth inning (Jacob Webb leads the club with nine saves)It doesn't feel good heading into the postseason and wondering who is going to get the ball in the ninth inning.

Cleveland GuardiansFatal flaw: Lack of power (tied for 28th in home runs)Cleveland falls into the same boat as the Brewers, except the Guardians don't have Milwaukee's ability to hit for average or overall depth. Skip to main content Skip to navigation Lack of power? 1)The Diamondbacks still have to get in, but if they do, they face the same problem as the Padres, with a rotation that doesn't offer the power pitching and swing-and-miss stuff that executives want in October.

The wider picture

9 batter, kept the Dodgers' season alive last year with that tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7. New York YankeesFatal flaw: Offensive strikeout rate (27th in the majors)The Yankees are somehow ninth in the majors in runs despite not having Aaron Judge for 100 days and suffering through long stretches of offensive futility without him. "Beane's Oakland teams never did reach a World Series, which was more about the high variance of short playoff series rather than his stuff not really working, but you can apply that quote to any of this year's playoff contenders.

Perfectly executed small ball can certainly play a role at times, but it's more difficult to put together sustained rallies against better pitching without mixing in some power. Los Angeles DodgersFatal flaw: Second-half offensive struggles (tied for 16th in runs since July 1)The Dodgers are accustomed to taking a loaded offense into the postseason: They were first in runs in 2020, fourth in 2021 (first in the pre-DH NL), first in 2022, second in 2023, second in 2024 and second in 2025.

Caveat: Snell left his start Wednesday after one inning because of groin tightness, so keep an eye on that situation. Atlanta BravesFatal flaw: Can they hit in the postseason? (. 186 average from 2022 to 2024)After winning the World Series in 2021, the Braves had disappointing NLDS exits in 2022 and 2023, following 100-win regular seasons, and then a wild-card defeat in 2024 (before missing the playoffs last season).

What has been reported

That's power up and down the lineup, even if Acuña and Riley have been much more dangerous players in the past. The Dodgers managed to survive their closer issues last October, but they had starting pitching depth they could use in relief, which the Cubs don't have. Philadelphia PhilliesFatal flaw: Jesus Luzardo's injury (out because of shoulder inflammation)The Phillies don't have a great offense, they definitely don't play great defense and the bullpen has been shaky at times, so their path to World Series heroics runs through Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Luzardo.

San Diego PadresFatal flaw: Rotation doesn't miss bats (29th in strikeout rate since Aug. 1)We're going to the beginning of August to assess the rotation, since that includes Casey Mize and Robbie Ray, acquired at the trade deadline. 97 ERA and only 22 strikeouts and nine home runs in 37⅔ innings. Michael King is the ace, but even he doesn't miss a ton of bats, ranking 75th out of 132 pitchers who have thrown at least 100 innings in strikeout rate.

San Diego has that great bullpen, of course, so it won't need its starters to pitch a lot of innings, and the offense has been excellent in the second half after an awful first half, so at least that concern has been alleviated.

What happens next

Arizona DiamondbacksFatal flaw: Rotation doesn't miss bats (21st since Aug. AMERICAN LEAGUETampa Bay RaysFatal flaw: Lineup depth (24th in OPS from 7-8-9 slots in lineup)There's no doubting the top part of the Tampa Bay lineup, with Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero, plus trade acquisition Liam Hicks has moved into the cleanup spot against right-handed pitching. Boston Red SoxFatal flaw: Middle infield (26th in OPS from 2B/SS)It has been a revolving door at both middle infield positions all season as the Red Sox have started seven players at second base and six at shortstop, with Trevor Story's 55 games started at shortstop the most at either position.

Frankly, Monasterio and Kiner-Falefa are probably both better options than Story, but we'll see how Tracy plays this final week and into October. Tired of seeing your favorite team go home early in the postseason? Here's one thing each current playoff team needs to address to make a deep run. Latest on MLB's awards racesArizona Diamondbacks1dBradford DoolittleThe next Shohei Ohtani? Why we haven't seen more two-way stars in MLBLos Angeles Dodgers1dAlden GonzalezOlney: MLB teams with potential managerial and front office changes on the horizonNew York Mets2dBuster OlneyThe biggest success — and biggest disappointment — for all 30 MLB teams this seasonArizona Diamondbacks3dBradford DoolittleFantasy baseball news: Castillo removed from White Sox rotation and more for Friday2hESPN Fantasy'What we're doing now ain't working': On Roberto Clemente Day, MLB has a Puerto Rico problem3dJorge CastilloPassan's early MLB free agency intel: How much could Skubal get?