The postseason is all about the starters. Except when it’s about the bullpens. Except when it’s about the starters. Except when it’s …

Well, you get the idea. The postseason is all about PITCHING, whatever the role, whatever the form.

So how do the 12 October teams rank in terms of their pitching staffs? Let’s take a look. (For lineups, click here.)

1. Astros
MLB ranks: Second in ERA (2.90), ERA+ (134) and WHIP (1.09), fourth in K/BB (3.33)
Top starters: RHP Justin Verlander, LHP Framber Valdez, RHP Lance McCullers Jr.
Key relievers: RHP Ryan Pressly, RHP Rafael Montero, RHP Ryne Stanek, RHP Bryan Abreu

Bottom line: This is the most pitching-rich team in baseball right now. Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier and José Urquidy give Houston the luxury of terrific starting depth beyond the top three listed here, and any of them could be a bullpen weapon. Same goes for hard-throwing prospect Hunter Brown if he gets rostered. And it’s not as if the bullpen is starved for help. It had the lowest relief ERA in MLB (2.80).

2. Dodgers
MLB ranks: First in ERA (2.80), ERA+ (150) and WHIP (1.05), second in K/BB (3.60)
Top starters: LHP Julio Urías, LHP Clayton Kershaw, LHP Tyler Anderson
Key relievers: RHP Evan Phillips, RHP Yency Almonte, LHP Alex Vesia, RHP Brusdar Graterol

Bottom line: Statistically, the Dodgers had the best pitching staff in MLB this year, and they’ve got a franchise-record win total to show for it. Their October outlook is fascinating, though, because late-season injuries affecting Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May and the struggles of Craig Kimbrel that led to his demotion from the closer role leave a lot up in the air. Urías is the Dodgers’ top starter … and yet he would also be an intriguing candidate to close out games in a pinch. Starter Andrew Heaney could be used in the ‘pen. This will be a very fluid staff, is the point.

3. Braves
MLB ranks: Fourth in ERA+ (118), tied for fifth in ERA (3.46), tied for seventh in WHIP (1.19), tied for eighth in K/BB (3.11) 
Top starters: LHP Max Fried, RHP Charlie Morton, RHP Kyle Wright
Key relievers: RHP Kenley Jansen, RHP Raisel Iglesias, LHP A.J. Minter, RHP Collin McHugh

Bottom line: Rookie sensation Spencer Strider hasn’t pitched since Sept. 18 because of an oblique injury, which is the only reason why he isn’t listed above (for now). But whether Strider is ready, Fried, Wright and Morton are capable of picking up the starting slack. The Braves’ bullpen might be the club’s biggest weapon. With the additions of Jansen and Iglesias this year, it runs deeper than the group Atlanta rode to the 2021 World Series title.

4. Guardians
MLB ranks: Fifth in WHIP (1.16) and ERA+ (110), tied for fifth in ERA (3.46), seventh in K/BB (3.20)
Top starters: RHP Shane Bieber, RHP Triston McKenzie, RHP Cal Quantrill
Key relievers: RHP Emmanuel Clase, RHP James Karinchak, RHP Trevor Stephan, LHP Sam Hentges

Bottom line: Though the young, fun lineup has been a 2022 revelation, pitching remains the backbone of this organization. Cleveland has a true ace in Bieber, a true anchor in Clase and has benefited from a big breakout from McKenzie. The midseason return of Karinchak from a shoulder issue helped the bullpen post the best second-half ERA in MLB.

5. Rays
MLB ranks: Fourth in ERA (3.36) and WHIP (1.14), sixth in ERA+ (110), eighth in K/BB (3.63)
Top starters: LHP Shane McClanahan, RHP Tyler Glasnow, RHP Drew Rasmussen
Key relievers: RHP Jason Adam, RHP Pete Fairbanks, LHP Colin Poche, LHP Brooks Raley

Bottom line: You know how it is with the Rays. They could pick names out of a hat and get outs. They’ve had 18 pitchers make a start and 11 pitchers record a save. They could use openers or piggybackers (particularly for Glasnow, who only recently returned from Tommy John surgery and will have his workload limited) or do whatever mixing and matching it takes to maintain a matchup advantage.

6. Mets
MLB ranks: First in K/BB (3.66), sixth in ERA+ (108) and WHIP (1.18), seventh in ERA (3.57)
Top starters: RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Jacob deGrom, RHP Chris Bassitt
Key relievers: RHP Edwin Díaz, RHP Seth Lugo, RHP Adam Ottavino

Bottom line: We can (and often do) wax poetic about what it means to have two Hall of Fame-caliber arms atop a playoff rotation in Scherzer and deGrom. That said, Scherzer’s multiple IL stints with a left oblique issue hampered him slightly this season, while deGrom only recently returned from a year-long injury absence and wasn’t his usual dominant self down the stretch of the regular season. They’ll have to step up, as will the go-to arms in a bullpen that has been very effective despite depth concerns and the lack of a reliable lefty presence.

7. Yankees
MLB ranks: Third in ERA (3.30), ERA+ (119) and WHIP (1.12), fifth in K/BB (3.29)
Top starters: RHP Gerrit Cole, LHP Nestor Cortes, RHP Luis Severino
Key relievers: RHP Jonathan Loáisiga, RHP Scott Effross, RHP Lou Trivino, RHP Clay Holmes

Bottom line: While the Yankees’ arms as a group have put up terrific numbers this year, there is no denying that a number of question marks exist here, from Cole’s troubles with the long ball to Holmes’ second-half regression and its effect on the bullpen. It will be particularly interesting to see how Cortes handles his first October assignment, given how vital he has been to this rotation.

8. Mariners
MLB ranks: Tied for seventh in WHIP (1.19), eighth in ERA (3.59), tied for eighth in K/BB (3.11), tied for 11th in ERA+ (104)
Top starters: RHP Luis Castillo, LHP Robbie Ray, RHP Logan Gilbert
Key relievers: RHP Paul Sewald, RHP Penn Murfee, RHP Andres Muñoz, RHP Erik Swanson

Bottom line: You could say no team made a bigger addition at the Trade Deadline than the Mariners did in adding Castillo to what now rates as a fantastic rotation (strike-throwing rookie George Kirby is another rotation option). The bullpen has been an underrated strength the past two years. It has the fifth-best strikeout-minus-walk rate (18.3%) and left-on-base percentage in MLB (75.3%). Seattle has the fifth-best ERA in MLB since the start of June, so there is an argument to move them higher on this list.

9. Cardinals
MLB ranks: 10th in ERA (3.79), 16th in WHIP (1.27), tied for 16th in ERA+ (101), tied for 21st in K/BB (2.41) 
Top starters: RHP Miles Mikolas, LHP José Quintana, RHP Jack Flaherty
Key relievers: RHP Ryan Helsley, RHP Giovanny Gallegos, RHP Andre Pallante, RHP Dakota Hudson

Bottom line: The in-season acquisitions of Quintana and lefty Jordan Montgomery and the late-season return to prominence after a lengthy injury ordeal for Flaherty gives the Cards solid rotation depth going into October (veteran Adam Wainwright is, of course, another option for a start in a short series). Some of that depth -- in the form of Hudson and Steven Matz -- spills into what has been a good bullpen anchored by All-Star closer Helsley and his triple-digit heat.

10. Phillies
MLB ranks: 12th in K/BB (3.07), tied for 13th in ERA+ (103), 14th in WHIP (1.26), tied for 17th in ERA (3.97)
Top starters: RHP Zack Wheeler, RHP Aaron Nola, LHP Ranger Suárez
Key relievers: RHP Seranthony Domínguez, RHP David Robertson, RHP Zach Eflin, RHP Andrew Bellatti

Bottom line: Few will be forecasting a deep run for the Phillies, but the dynamic combo of Wheeler and Nola atop the rotation gives them a legit chance, and Suárez has been fantastic since the start of July (2.95 ERA in 14 starts). The bullpen has been boosted by Eflin’s recent seamless transition to relief work and the midseason return of Robertson in a trade.

11. Blue Jays
MLB ranks: Sixth in K/BB (3.28), 11th in WHIP (1.24), 15th in ERA (3.87), tied for 16th in ERA+ (101)
Top starters: RHP Alek Manoah, RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP Ross Stripling
Key relievers: RHP Jordan Romano, RHP Yimi García, RHP Adam Cimber, LHP Tim Mayza

Bottom line: Because of a season-ending injury to Hyun Jin Ryu and the surprising struggles of José Berríos, this season has not played out as expected for the Toronto pitching staff. But the veteran Stripling stepped up to preserve the rotation behind the excellent Manoah and Gausman, and Berríos could be an interesting option in a very solid bullpen in the Wild Card Series if he doesn’t get a start over Stripling.

12. Padres
MLB ranks: Ninth in WHIP (1.20), 11th in ERA (3.81) and in K/BB (3.11), 19th in ERA+ (99)
Top starters: RHP Yu Darvish, LHP Blake Snell, RHP Joe Musgrove
Key relievers: LHP Josh Hader, LHP Tim Hill, RHP Luis García, RHP Robert Suarez

Bottom line: The thing about this list is that all of these pitching staffs are inherently good, otherwise these wouldn’t be postseason teams. Somebody had to be last, and the Padres’ essentially average ERA+ puts them here. But after enduring midseason inconsistency, this staff seems to be hitting its stride at the right time. Snell’s fantastic finish (1.76 ERA in his last seven starts) adds shine to this starting group. And though much was made about Hader’s colossal struggles at the start of his San Diego tenure, he has settled into a bullpen that also benefits from the recent injury returns for Pierce Johnson and Craig Stammen.