It doesn’t take a thorough investigation to find out the common denominator of baseball’s upper-echelon. The top five team ERAs are all playoff-bound clubs. Each can make a strong case as the best as we enter the all-important month of October.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Some franchises enjoy a balanced rotation. The Dodgers provide opponents with a 1-2 knockout punch that come in the familiar names of Greinke and Kershaw. Even though the two have combined for 34 wins and nearly 500 strikeouts this season as well as four Cy Young Awards overall, the legacy of their prized left-hander is still in doubt.
The specter of playoff struggles for Clayton Kershaw remain ever-present – and will only be eradicated with an October that can closely match what he’s been so noted for in the regular season.
His one-hit complete game shutout against the rival Giants to clinch the NL West may be a sign he’s turning the corner.
Even more concerning is the considerable drop-off that L.A. is stuck with at the back end of the starting staff, not to mention the shakiness that has inflicted the bullpen. This vulnerability may be masked in a short Division Series, but can be easily exposed in a seven-game set.
Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles boasts a pair of dominant starters. The Cubs, however, have the hottest pitcher going. Jake Arrieta’s stirring second half is about to reach historic proportions.
Arrieta is a major reason (and probably the only reason) why Chicago has the third-best ERA in all of baseball. Somewhat forgotten is the pitcher Theo Epstein brought in this past offseason to bring a veteran presence – not to mention an ace mentality – to a club on the rise.
Jon Lester has experienced far more bad days in a Cubs uniform than anyone expected when he inked a six-year, $155 million contract last December. But his penchant for sterling postseason outings with Boston is something the North Siders can cling to.
The bullpen isn’t stellar, nor deep. That said, Hector Rondon is a closer yearning for more respect than he’s received (28 saves, 1.72 ERA, 1.01 WHIP).
Pittsburgh Pirates
Mark Melancon hasn’t had any problem earning recognition league-wide. His 51 saves stand at the top of the MLB leaderboard. Melancon is the featured performer in a bullpen that boasts the best ERA (2.74).
And if Gerrit Cole is the starter, runs will really be hard to come by. The former No. 1 overall draft pick is finishing up a breakout season while firmly establishing himself as the Bucs’ ace. In addition to possibly attaining 20 victories, he has eclipsed the 200-strikeout plateau while maintaining an ERA that ranks fourth in the National League.
The rise of Cole was expected. The emergence of J.A. Happ may prove vital. Acquired in mid-season from Seattle, the southpaw has produced nine straight starts of allowing three runs or less. Throw in veterans A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano, and the Pirates are better in the pitching department that most given them credit for.
Pirates have swept 4 straight 3-game series when they’ve had Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett lined up. @Pirates
— Richard Justice (@richardjustice) September 26, 2015
New York Mets
While the Bucs are winning on the mound with thirty-something starters, the Mets are overpowering opponents with an imposing – and emerging – young rotation.
Ranked fourth in team ERA, a one-through-four playoff staff of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz poses a daunting prospect for any lineup. What remains to be seen is if this inexperienced group will show up unfazed or frazzled by the pressure of trying to win in New York during crunch time.
Closers are regularly thrown into the fire — tasked for duty in high-leverage situations and with a small margin for error. Despite not being in such a role at season’s start, Jeurys Familia, is performing superbly with 42 saves in 48 chances.
How they bridge the gap between the starters and Familia remains a major question. The Mets have yet to firm up the middle relief – and that could be their undoing if the starters (especially Harvey) aren’t able to last deep into the ballgame.
New York, though, has the arms that can go deep into October. But there’s one team that is both established and remarkably consistent.
St. Louis Cardinals
You likely won’t find a single starter who finishes in the top five in the Cy Young Award voting. No one is among the top seven in ERA or top eight in victories. Yet as the postseason begins, the Cardinals present a set of pitchers that all other teams should envy.
St. Louis is the only club with a collective ERA below 3.00. The Cards have the most quality starts (106) and the most saves (62). In other words, there’s no discernible weakness.
Similar to the franchise’s current reputation, those that take the mound for the Redbirds are as unwavering as they are unspectacular. John Lackey, at age 36, is enjoying a career revival – on pace for his lowest ERA yet. Trevor Rosenthal, 11 years his junior, could reach 50 saves for the first time.
The loss of Carlos Martinez is tempered by the remarkable recovery of Adam Wainwright. He, like so many others on the St. Louis staff, are all too accustomed with postseason pitching.
It’s no surprise that the team with the best record in the game also leads this high-stakes MLB arms race.