The key storylines for today's NLCS, ALCS games

We hope you have adjusted to the Yankees winning their American League Division Series because they have to get right back out there today. The compressed postseason -- and of course an inconveniently timed rainout -- put the decisive game of the ALDS and the first game of the AL Championship Series back-to-back, which means we get two games, two straight days. Which means we get to do this all day and all night Wednesday, too.

But with one series just starting and one series starting to take shape, each LCS is in a different place. Here’s a look at the top storylines for each team heading into Wednesday’s action.

Phillies at Padres (Phillies lead 1-0)
Aaron Nola vs. Blake Snell
4:35 p.m. ET, FOX/FS1

Phillies: Bryce looks right … which should terrify San Diego
The reversal of fortune for Bryce Harper in this postseason has been nothing short of remarkable. Harper has had injury issues all year, but he was struggling particularly down the stretch, especially against fastballs. But that has changed. Harper is the only player this postseason with four homers, and he has carried his team in a way that’s not entirely dissimilar than how the Phillies carried him during his September struggles.

In Harper’s first at-bat in Game 1, he scorched a 96 mph fastball from Yu Darvish that would have been an RBI single if not for a diving play by Jake Cronenworth. And then, in the fourth, Harper hit an opposite-field homer off of another Darvish fastball. Harper got some help from Kyle Schwarber, who finally hit his first postseason homer for the Phils. (It was an absolutely titanic blast, and Schwarber looks like a guy that’s about to go on a streak, doesn’t he?)

Harper has long been the sort of player who can win games -- win whole series -- by himself when he’s hot. He’s hot right now. The Phils have taken home-field advantage back in this series. Snell, a southpaw, should be well suited to contain Harper. If he can’t, this series might be over before it really gets started.

Padres: Will they have any more luck with Aaron Nola than they did with Zack Wheeler?
The thing about the Phillies is that they are top-heavy, pitching-wise. They’ve got Wheeler (who was fantastic in Game 1) and Nola (who has been fantastic all postseason and drew the start for Game 2 of this NLCS) as their top two starters. Out of the ‘pen, they’ve got Seranthony Domínguez (who has been good all year but might be unhittable right now), José Alvarado (who has been good but a step below those first three) and they’ve got … a bunch of other pitchers you’d rather face than those guys.

The Phils were able to cruise in Game 1 behind Wheeler, Domínguez and Alvarado: The trick in Game 2 is to get through Nola to the rest of Philadelphia’s ‘pen. Padres hitters need to be more selective than they were in Game 1: Wheeler only threw 83 pitches in seven innings and he barely broke a sweat. San Diego’s offense is supposed to wear you down. Did Wheeler look worn down to you? Padres fans were primed to scream all night on Tuesday. But the offense never game them much to hold onto. If they don’t take better at-bats on Wednesday, this series might not return to San Diego.

Yankees at Astros (Series tied 0-0)
Jameson Taillon vs. Justin Verlander
7:37 p.m. ET, TBS

Yankees: Let’s hope nobody partied too hard
The Yanks just finished a hard-fought five-game series against a very tough Guardians team. You cannot blame them for enjoying themselves afterward. The playoffs are hard, stressful and exhausting: Celebrate every win you can! But the way the AL playoffs have turned out, the Yankees not only didn’t get to luxuriate for a while, they had to get on a plane from New York to Houston mere hours after clinching the series in the Bronx.

You can’t help but wonder if their heads are still going to be spinning a bit when they have to play a new series less than 24 hours after finishing the last one. New York also used its top three relievers to close out Game 5, and the Yanks have their No. 4 starter (Taillon) on the mound. This feels a little bit like a free play: The Bombers have everything stacked against them this game, so if they can somehow pull off a win, it will feel like a giddy bonus. If they’re not ready to play this game, who could blame them?

Astros: Verlander is fine, right?
It is a truly incredible tidbit that Verlander -- 39 years old, who had barely thrown a pitch for roughly two years before the season started -- finished out his likely (third) AL Cy Young season by being pulled from a game while tossing a no-hitter three times in his last six regular-season starts. That’s how you finish a season!

Except: When the postseason got started, and Verlander came out to make the Game 1 start, the Mariners absolutely rocked him, scoring six runs in four innings. It was his worst postseason start by Game Score and his worst start overall since July 2017. Not great timing, Justin! The Astros would seem to have every possible advantage in this game: They’re well-rested, they’re at home, they’ve got the better starting pitcher (and a bullpen that’s entirely available), they’re in their sixth straight ALCS. But all those advantages go away if Verlander pitches like he did in Game 1 of the ALDS. He’s going to be fine, surely. Surely. Right? Right?