Well, it is only an advantage to the team that wins. The team with the bye is going to have the best odds of the 3 teams, but not necessarily better odds than the team the winner of the 1st round. Even when the Nats were good, they never looked sharp after 2-3 off days for rainouts or what not. Playing after 5 days off against a hot team is going to be tough. This all just makes the playoffs even more of a lottery. Maybe a best of 7 for this second round would help.
My point was a bit tongue-in-cheek. Nobody is going to choose to play an extra round. But if they want to make the "warmup" aspect of it come with a sharp downside, play those three games over two days immediately after the season ends and then have the next round start the next day. Lessens the time off for the waiting team and means the first round winner is less warmed up than it is fatigued.
But this issue is a big part of why I don't like the awkward number of teams.
