Do layoffs hinder playoff teams?

The FanGraphs Newsletter, October 9, 2023 [READ IN BROWSER]( October 9, 2023 Do layoffs hinder playoff teams? Searching the historical database for every matchup in playoff history where one team had a layoff of four or more days while their opponent had a layoff of two or fewer days, there have been 35 of these games in baseball history. The team with more rest has gone 24-11 in them. Dan also predicted the winner of each of these games based on the team’s seasonal record. From each team’s record, you’d expect the rested teams to go 19-16; they’ve been slightly better in aggregate, which makes sense given the pool we’re drawing from. [READ MORE]( Caleb Ferguson is far from the biggest name on a Los Angeles Dodgers team that won 100 games during the regular season. Much for that reason, people who don’t closely follow the perennial NL West powerhouse probably don’t know how effective he’s been. To little fanfare, the 27-year-old southpaw made 68 appearances and went 7-4 with three saves while posting a 3.43 ERA and a 3.34 FIP over 60-and-a-third innings. Moreover, his numbers were even better if you discount the seven times he served as an opener. As a reliever, Ferguson won seven of nine decisions with a 3.02 ERA and a 3.07 FIP. His K-rate out of the pen was a tasty 27.5%. Home cooking has been to his liking. Pitching at Chavez Ravine — Dodger Stadium if you will — the Columbus, Ohio native logged a sparkling 1.10 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a paltry .190/.258/.267 slash line. Those things said, Ferguson is a square peg in a round hole when it comes to one of the organization’s well-known strengths. Analytics aren’t his thing. “I guess it has the characteristics of a high-spin fastball,” Ferguson replied when I asked about the movement profile of his mid-90s four-seamer, a pitch he relied on 66.5% of the time this year. “But I don’t really look at the metrics, to be honest. I just come in and try to make good pitches. More than anything, I try to throw the ball in the safest spot to each guy. When I look at scouting reports, it’s basically just the safe zones and the danger zones.” [Caleb Ferguson is Effectively a Square Peg in a Round Dodgers Hole]( [by D]( Laurila [Sandy Alcantara's Volume and Velocity Lead to an All-Too-Familiar Place: Surgery]( The 2022 NL Cy Young winner threw more innings and completed more games than any pitcher of the past half-decade, but now he's paying the price. | by Jay Jaffe [Pablo López Stymies the Astros to Tie Up the ALDS]( In Game 2, the Astros tripped on their expected cakewalk to the ALCS. | by Dan Szymborski [If You Can Read This, You Probably Walked and Scored In the Rangers' Game 2 Win]( “I think we have the ability as an offense to really suffocate an opposing pitcher. We’ve been putting it on display recently with all the walks, and then all it takes is one hit to break stuff open.” | by Michael Baumann [Diamondbacks Erupt in Game 1 Rout at Dodger Stadium]( The Diamondbacks wasted no time making a statement against the Dodgers. Now the series is theirs to lose. | by Chris Gilligan [Phillies Once Again Conquer Braves, Steal Game 1]( The Phillies won in Atlanta behind a fantastic bullpen and some aggressive baserunning. | by Jake Mailhot [Behind Verlander's Arm and Alvarez's Bat, Astros Snatch Game 1 Victory]( The veteran righty's six shutout innings and the Cuban slugger's two home runs were the difference as Houston topped the Twins. | by Kyle Kishimoto [DOWNLOAD THE FANGRAPHS APP]( [FanGraphs & Effectively Wild Merch Is Now Available at BreakingT!]( [ORDER HERE]( [Why Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll is a star]( by Jesse Rogers, ESPN [Does MLB’s playoff format already need changes as higher seeds lose advantage?]( by Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic ($) [Arizona Fall League Hot Sheet: Jakob Marsee Leads The Way In Week One]( by Josh Norris, Baseball America ($) [The Braves' X-factor is back just in time]( by David Adler, MLB [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2023 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 1200 N Hartford St. Apt 312Arlington, Va 22201 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](