Tonight's Slate

Why the Guardians. Parker Messick's arsenal plays well against how this White Sox lineup has handled similar pitch mixes. The late innings tilt toward the Guardians, whose available relievers carry a 3.72 ERA against 3.74 for the White Sox.

The case for the White Sox. The White Sox bring the deeper lineup — tonight's nine average a .747 OPS against .679 for the Guardians. Over the full body of work, the White Sox (84-78) grade out as the stronger club than the Guardians (85-77).

Notes. Chicago White Sox note — Chase Meidroth: Meidroth went 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run during Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Astros on Wednesday. Cleveland Guardians note — Colin Holderman: Holderman will undergo season-ending surgery on his right wrist, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports. Nathaniel Lowe is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .269 — .241 wOBA vs. a .395 season mark.

Why the Dodgers. The Dodgers' relievers have the right stuff for this Braves lineup — the pitch-mix matchup runs their way late. Over the full body of work, the Dodgers (100-62) grade out as the stronger club than the Braves (94-68). The Dodgers come in playing the better recent baseball, on both sides of the ball.

The case for the Braves. The Braves' lineup sets up well for this matchup, with its contact and plate discipline playing up tonight. The late innings tilt toward the Braves, whose available relievers carry a 2.94 ERA against 3.23 for the Dodgers.

Notes. Atlanta Braves note — Chris Sale: Sale pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to close out Atlanta's victory over Philadelphia in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series on Thursday. He allowed one hit and no walks while striking out three. Ozzie Albies is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .143 — .203 wOBA vs. a .325 season mark. Matt Olson is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .194 — .211 wOBA vs. a .391 season mark. Freddie Freeman is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .195 — .205 wOBA vs. a .387 season mark. Kyle Tucker is running hot over his last 10 games, batting .333 — .428 wOBA vs. a .356 season mark.

Why the Rays. Drew Rasmussen's arsenal plays well against how this Yankees lineup has handled similar pitch mixes.

The case for the Yankees. The Yankees bring the deeper lineup — tonight's nine average a .734 OPS against .734 for the Rays. The pitching matchup leans the Yankees' way with the Yankees starter on the mound.

Notes. New York Yankees note — Cody Bellinger: Bellinger went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and an additional RBI during Wednesday's win over the Red Sox in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series. Luis García Jr. is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .189 — .226 wOBA vs. a .380 season mark. Spencer Jones is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .171 — .229 wOBA vs. a .400 season mark. Junior Caminero is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .257 — .316 wOBA vs. a .414 season mark. Liam Hicks is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .258 — .317 wOBA vs. a .382 season mark. There's measurable precipitation in the forecast — a rain-delay risk worth factoring into any live betting.

Why the Brewers. Over the full body of work, the Brewers (103-59) grade out as the stronger club than the Padres (91-71). Jacob Misiorowski's arsenal plays well against how this Padres lineup has handled similar pitch mixes. The Brewers come in playing the better recent baseball, on both sides of the ball.

The case for the Padres. The late innings tilt toward the Padres, whose available relievers carry a 3.17 ERA against 3.74 for the Brewers.

Notes. San Diego Padres note — Nick Pivetta: Pivetta didn't factor in the decision in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Cubs on Wednesday. He allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks over 3.1 innings. Ty France is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .282 — .312 wOBA vs. a .425 season mark.