Written by Brandon Higgins
October is here, and that means playoff baseball is soon to begin. There is nothing better in sports than the chill in the air during a night baseball game where 45,000 fans are screaming more than ever for their favorite teams. This year’s playoff situation will be a bit interesting, so I’m going to break down the different teams that could be playoff-bound before making some final predictions for the World Series winner. I’ll start with the American League teams.
New York Yankees — The Yankees have been tearing people to shreds as of late, and I don’t think it’s going to stop anytime soon. Their lineup is stacked with great power, particularly from the left side, and offensive outbursts can carry you in a series; however, I’m not completely sold on their starting rotation. C.C. Sabathia has proven to be less than stellar in the postseason, and this has to be a concern. Furthermore, their middle relief is a bit shaky, and that is troublesome when they are going to need someone to bridge the gap between the starter and Mariano Rivera. If the Yankees get quality starts and their bullpen pitches well, they will make it to the World Series.
Boston Red Sox — The Red Sox have something that usually equates to success in the playoffs: power arms in their starting rotation. Think of the big arms that have been successful in the playoffs over the years — Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling all led their teams to World Series wins with dominating stuff. The biggest question mark for the Sox is their bullpen. They walk a lot of hitters, and that’s not good when you are playing a good team every single game.
Los Angeles Angels — Like the Yankees, the Angels can absolutely mash the baseball. But like the Yankees and Red Sox, they also have issues in the bullpen, only it’s more concerning because their closer has been struggling. Brian Fuentes has an ERA well over 5.00 after the All-Star Break, so there’s really no guarantee that he’s going to be their man in the ninth inning. Teams without definite closers rarely do well in the playoffs.
Detroit Tigers — The Tigers struggle to score runs, and that’s not good against teams like Los Angeles, New York and Boston. Overall, they’re not that impressive. They do have a pretty solid bullpen, and they’ve allowed the third-fewest runs in the league, but they lack a lock-down closer. Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera will be their X-factors in the postseason, but I look for them to be ousted in the first round if they hold off the Twins.
Minnesota Twins — The Twins are pretty good in all aspects of the game, and they have a very good closer in Joe Nathan, and one of the best players in the world in Joe Mauer. If they surge into the playoffs, they could be tough to beat, but I just think a first-round match-up with the Yankees will be too much for them to handle.
Los Angeles Dodgers — The team that holds the best record in the National League may be the most susceptible to a first-round exit. The Dodgers’ starting rotation and bullpen just haven’t been very good lately, and they are just kind of gliding into the playoffs in a rather unimpressive fashion. If they get some good pitching, they will be tough to beat because they have a great lineup full of clutch hitters.
St. Louis Cardinals — This is a dangerous team in the playoffs because they have the best three-man rotation in the Majors with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Joel Pineiro all in the top 20 in the league in ERA. To add to that, Carpenter and Wainwright are filthy on the road, which can neutralize the home-field advantage for other teams to get the series back to St. Louis, where Pineiro is equally devastating. Their Achilles heel is their offense, but if any combination of Skip Schumaker, Ryan Ludwick and Colby Rasmus gets hot in the playoffs, they will be very difficult to beat as long as Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday are hitting.
Philadelphia Phillies — Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee will be huge for this team if they expect to win. Their bullpen is in shambles, but they have a great offense. The big questions: Who closes, and who is their third starter?
Colorado Rockies — If they hold off the streaking Braves, they are solid enough in all aspects of the game to do some damage. They have a very solid bullpen, though it’s also very inexperienced.
Atlanta Braves — The Braves have come from nowhere to make the wild-card race in the National League very interesting. They have the best overall starting rotation in the National League, and that could be devastating in the playoffs. The biggest question for the Braves is their offense. Can they score enough runs to win? If they do end up getting into the playoffs, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a run to the World Series.
With all this said about the teams, I have some quick predictions for how the postseason will play out.
The Yankees and Red Sox will square off in the American League Championship Series, and the Yanks will come out on top. They’ve owned the Red Sox this year, and I think that trend will continue with the Yankee offense providing the necessary firepower.
In the National League, the Cardinals and Rockies will battle for the league title. The Cardinals’ 1-2-3 punch at the top of their rotation will carry them to the World Series.
In a World Series battle of the two most-decorated franchises in Major League history, the Cardinals will prevail with stellar pitching and timely hitting from unlikely sources.
