The Astros and Orioles were two of the most talented teams in baseball this year. Two games into the postseason, they were both swept at home. In the National League, the Padres proved why they are among the scariest teams in baseball by beating the Braves, while the Brewers rallied to save their season and force a winner-take-all Game 3 with the Mets.

Wednesday was another unpredictable day full of wildcards.

FOX Sports MLB Writers Rowan Kavner And Deesha Thosar offered their best takeaways from all the action.

BREWERS 5, METS 3 – series tied 1-1

A star is born

The scene was nicely set up for the Metssix zeros away from a sweep Brewers and advancing to the NLDS against the Phillies. But Milwaukee’s high-adrenaline, red-hot rookie now sees the ball so well that it’s almost impossible to throw to him. If you make a mistake, he won’t miss. Chourio, relentless, crushed his second home run of the night on the opposite field, his two-run explosion both tying the game and giving it to the Mets and communicating to anyone who dared face him that he would make it as painful as possible.

At 20 years old, Chourio acts like he’s been here before and can do almost anything except drink champagne during the team’s October celebrations. After becoming the youngest Major League player in history to post a 20-20 season, he brought all the talent in the world to his first career postseason and has the Mets in a wild card series, forcing a Game 3 when the Brewers’ backs were against the wall. It appears his brash confidence helps him stay at the plate so he can battle fastballs and gain the patience of a hitter who has made multiple playoff appearances. From his leaping shots to left field to his display of emotion as he runs the bases in front of 40,000 screaming fans, Chourio knows he belongs in this setting. He knows he’s a star.

Fittingly, Chourio took the final of Game 2, roaring and waving his arms and reviving Milwaukee’s chances with him. – Deesha Thosar

PADRES 5, BRAVES 4 — Pads wins series 2-0

San Diego’s playoff run continues, but now faces a potential speed bump

Joe Musgrove’s breaking ball typically registers in the low 80s in terms of velocity, so when he looped a 75.2 mph curveball to Matt Olson in the fourth inning of the Padres’ decisive wild-card victory , that was cause for concern. When he immediately followed this with an even slower turn, the alarm bells started ringing.

The Padres took care of business against the Braves, but winning the war could have become significantly more difficult, as Musgrove left his start with a strained right elbow. It’s the same elbow that put him on the injured list twice this year and limited him to 19 starts.

When Musgrove returned from the Illinois in mid-August, he looked sensational. He finished the season with a 2.15 ERA over his last nine starts. Now, Wednesday’s development would seemingly put his availability in question for the Southern California slugfest that awaits in the National League Division Series between the Padres and Dodgers.

San Diego could still survive its loss. The bullpen can help shorten games, and the rest of the rotation can be deep enough to withstand a departure. Michael King just struck out 12 in seven scoreless innings in his Padres playoff debut. Dylan Cease, who threw a no-hitter earlier this year, gets Game 1 of the NLDS. He will likely be followed by Yu Darvish, who finished the year with a sparkling ERA of 3.31. The under-the-radar addition of Martin Perez at the deadline could now prove crucial as the Padres navigate the rest of October.

But there is no doubt about it: the road ahead without Musgrove is undoubtedly more dangerous. – Rowan Kavner

TIGERS 5, ASTROS 2 — Tigers win series 2-0

Houston’s rebuilt bullpen is blowing up in stunning fashion

At Minute Maid Park, there was a team that was ready, that was under pressure, that got the big hits and the big outs when they needed them most.

But it wasn’t the one seemingly equipped to handle those situations.

The Astros were playing in their eighth straight postseason. They had made the League Championship Series a record seven years in a row and had played in more postseason games and had more playoff victories than any baseball team since the beginning of that series. It started with AJ Hinch at the helm. After an unceremonious exit, the Detroit manager now found himself in the visitor’s dugout, leading a young and inexperienced group that defied all odds and caught fire at the right time.

The Tigers hadn’t made the playoffs in a decade, had been sold at the deadline, and had entered August with less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs. The average age of the Tigers lineup was over 25 years old. Only one player from that group, Matt Vierling, had any previous postseason experience.

And yet they were the group that looked composed in the highest leverage moments. The pressure was all in the home dugout after the Tigers went into Houston and stole Game 1. And when the Astros offense finally showed up in Game 2, driving the go-ahead run into the seventh inning, it was the starting group. that looked comfortable.

Houston had won 47 straight playoff games when leading in the eighth inning or later. This year, in particular, there was a bullpen built to hold late leads. The Astros had awarded star closer Josh Hader a five-year, $95 million deal, essentially giving them two closers in Hader and Ryan Pressly to shut down opponents. There were cracks from the start. Hader and Pressly each had ERAs above 6.00 at the end of April. They settled in as the season progressed, although neither was pristine. Pressly allowed runs in four consecutive appearances in August. Hader gave up six points in his last three appearances of the regular season. Still, the late innings proved to be a strong point when the calendar turned to October. Hader didn’t allow a run in any of his five postseason appearances in San Diego last year. Pressly entered Game 2 on a streak of 20 consecutive postseason appearances without allowing an earned run.

On Wednesday, history and experience didn’t matter.

Pressly allowed the tying run on a wild pitch. Andy Ibañez, who had just six extra-base hits against fastballs all season, delivered the knockout blow on a sinker by Hader, one of the best fastball pitchers in the game.

So now the Tigers and their band of makeshift openers move on, with the hottest team in the sport showing that the past two months have not been a fluke. And the stunned Astros are left wondering how many runs are left with this group as Alex Bregman, one of the defining members of their nearly decade-long run, prepares to enter free agency. – Rowan Kavner

ROYALS 2, ORIOLES 1 — Royals win series 2-0

Baltimore’s offense is a repeat of the act of disappearance

Is anyone actually surprised that the Orioles went out with a whimper in the playoffs after stumbling through August and September? After a 1-for-7 showing with runners in scoring position in their Game 1 loss — all while Corbin Burnes delivered an eight-inning, one-run gem — the Orioles had to come out aggressive and energetic against Seth Lugo in an attempt to save their season. Instead, this was another weak showing from the Baltimore offense, scoring just one run in 18 innings, and not even being able to capitalize on a rally when Lugo had so clearly lost his stuff in the fifth . In the end, Gunnar Henderson struck out half-heartedly on two of Lucas Erceg’s changes, his attitude as if their season was over before he even stepped up to the plate.

The lack of intensity and grit from this young Baltimore team was the opposite of how Bobby Witt Jr.’s Royals advanced to the ALDS for the first time in almost a decade. The MVP-caliber shortstop will get a lot of love for his game-winning RBI single, and rightfully so, but what stood out to me about Kansas City was the effort of its bullpen. Royals relievers combined to throw 7 2/3 scoreless innings in the wild-card series, which was key because their lineup yielded just three runs in the two games. The excellence of the relief corps has played a huge role in getting the Royals to this point.

Unfortunately, that dominant pitching staff will next face Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the Yankees. And in the Bronx, there will be a lot more energy and intensity in their faces than there was this week at Camden Yards. – Deesha Thosar

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the LA Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. Rowan, an LSU graduate, was born in California, raised in Texas and then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily news. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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