Now that the White Sox and Angels have been bounced from the postseason, all four of the clubs that lost their first two games of the Division Series have bowed out. Thirty-six teams have started 0-2 in the best-of-five Division Series since MLB introduced its current wild-format in 1995, and only four have come back to win their first-round series.

Contenders lose two games in a row numerous times over the summer, but it's a death sentence when it happens in the LDS. When teams play a six-month marathon, two off days in a row shouldn’t doom their season.

Major League Baseball came to its senses when it made the best-of-five LCS a best-of-seven affair in 1985, yet it adopted the best-of-five format when the wild-card berth was added. Television plays a big role in why the current format is best-of-five, but MLB should dump it and not compromise what a team has earned over an entire season.

Television recently dictated a change to start the playoffs on Wednesday instead of Tuesday, so that works against expanding the first round to best-of-seven. The issue could be overcome, however, if the season ended on Friday and the playoffs started on Sunday or Monday, which would keep the subsequent series in line to start when they do. Ending the season two days earlier shouldn't be an obstacle.

Cutting the season to 158 games is one option. The 162-game schedule was a perfect fit for the leagues when they had 10 and 12 members, but it doesn't work so well now. Dropping a few regular-season games won't fly with the owners, so maybe they should think a little less about the dollar and consider giving fans a few doubleheaders over the summer. Doubleheaders were a decades-long tradition on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day, and offering fans a break with a few two-for-ones would be good PR.

A few holiday doubleheaders could give us the best-of-seven opening round that the playoff teams deserve.