FINALLY, it’s time for October baseball. This season was arguably the least eventful season of the past decade, but, thankfully, the best teams have made their ways into the postseason and there is finally some excitement around Major League Baseball season. It’s time for some previews/predictions for the teams in October.
NLDS #1: Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies
If Jim Tracy doesn’t win Manager of the Year, it will be the biggest outrage since Forrest Gump stole the Oscar from Pulp Fiction and Shawshank Redemption. The way he has turned this Rockies team around has definitely been the most amazing story of this otherwise rather boring baseball season. But, the Rockies face a huge test when they take on the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez are on board this year, and they join Joe Blanton and last year’s World Series MVP Cole Hamels on the most daunting pitching staff in the postseason. Their bullpen is the big question mark, and it could very well be the deciding factor as this series promises to feature some close games. However, despite the bullpen issues, the Philly lineup that features Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and the rejuvenated Raul Ibanez is just too talented to pick against. The series will be decided in Games 3 and 4 when this stacked Phillies offense heads to the Mile High City. The pitching matchups in these games weigh heavily in favor of Philadelphia, with Pedro and Blanton going up against Jason “I’m incredibly average but I manage to make it to the postseason every year” Marquis and Jorge De La Rosa or Jason Hammel. Has to make the Phillies the favorites, right? Bottom Line: The Rockies are a fantastic story, but they simply won’t be able to keep up with the high-powered Phillies offense, especially when facing such a talented pitching staff. Phillies win in 5.
NLDS #2: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers were the best team in baseball the first half of the season. Since then, they’ve gone a mediocre 38-33. Meanwhile, aside from a sub-par performance in the last week of the season when they already had the NL Central clinched, the Cardinals quietly surged to the best record in baseball in the span after July 24th; the day they acquired Matt Holliday. The Cardinals are led by the best 1-2 punch in baseball in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright (calm down, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett fans, it’s true), and having these two guys start out the series in LA gives the Cardinals a great chance to at least earn a split and head back to Busch Stadium with the series tied 1-1, where the Cardinals were an impressive 46-35 during the Regular Season. The Dodgers struggled to wrap up the West division and their chance of winning rests on the shoulders of their two young starters, Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw. Manny has not been Manny since he returned from his 50-game suspension (you can read between the lines there) and the rest of the offense is also a relatively young bunch. Los Angeles certainly has the talent to win this series, but aside from Manny, they do not have the proven talents that this Cardinals team currently has. Bottom Line: The Dodgers are a year or two away from being a bona fide contender, but until their young players prove they can rise to the occasion, it would be much safer to pick a lineup led by soon-to be 3-time MVP Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, along with the dangerous 1-2 punch in Carpenter and Wainwright. Cardinals win in 4.
ALDS #1: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox
The other storyline that will be played over and over is the whole “Red Sox own the Angels in October.” Except this one is harder to argue against. The Angels have 1 playoff win over the Red Sox since 1986 and it came last year. They’re bound to come through sooner or later right? The Red Sox lineup looks more beat up than an old Chevy. Still, this Angels team always seems to find a way to let these close games slip away in October, and a large part of that falls on manager Mike Scioscia, who has a tendency to choke under the pressure. If the Angels can somehow extend this series to 5 games, they may be able to capitalize on home field advantage and steal the series at home in front of a stadium full of fans banging those obnoxious Thunder Sticks. However, Jon Lester has shown his ability to step up in the big games, and Josh Beckett may be one of the best postseason pitchers of the decade. Plus, the sad truth is that this baseball season desperately needs a Yankees-Sox ALCS. Don’t think Bud Selig and Major League Baseball don’t know this, either, so expect the calls to go in Boston’s favor. Bottom Line: Until the Angels show they can beat them in October, don’t bet against the Sawx. Boston wins in 4.
ALDS #2: Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees
All signs point to the Yankees absolutely dominating this series. They come rolling into the playoffs with a ton of confidence. C.C. Sabathia looks ready to make the leap and become the dominant pitcher that everyone has been waiting for him to be. Minnesota snuck in by winning the incredibly mediocre AL Central. After a hard-fought win in the 1-game playoff against Detroit on Tuesday night, it is hard to believe that the Twins have enough left in the tank to put up a fight with the Yankees in a short series. Joe Mauer may be the AL MVP, but his sidekick Justin Morneau is out for the season with a lower back injury. The other AL-MVP candidate this season is New York's Mark Teixeira, and look for him to pick up after A-Rod, who is known to struggle in October. Bottom Line: They’re the Yankees, and they’re the Twins. Yankees sweep.
NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The pitching in this series would be exciting enough, but it is incredible how similar these two teams are. Both teams are loaded with started pitching, both teams have offenses led by their powerful first basemen (Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols), and both teams have bullpens who have struggled, especially throughout the 2nd half. This has the potential to be an incredible series, and there will certainly be some pitching duals for the ages. This one is a total crapshoot, and it basically comes down to which lineups step up under the pressure, and which bullpen is less likely to completely blow a game. In this case, the game could very well come down to the very end, where Brad Lidge may take on Albert Pujols for a spot in the World Series. Google what happened the last time that scenario played out. Bottom Line: The Phillies run is bound to end sooner or later and without the dominant bullpen that was so vital in last year’s championship team, they don’t look to have enough to stop this dominant Cardinals lineup. Cardinals win in a thrilling 7 game series.
ALCS: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
This will go down as one of the more overhyped series in playoff history. The truth is, the Red Sox are not nearly as good as the 2004 team that came back from 3-0 against the Yankees. The Yankees look like they know this is their World Series to lose. The fun-loving ’04 World-Champion Red Sox team is a distant memory. Manny is no longer around and Big Papi looks like the fat kid who got picked last for the kick ball team. If Boston’s pitchers can step up, they have the potential to steal this series, But, they have given up 6.5 runs per game in the last 10 games against the Yankees, and their offense simply doesn’t have enough to keep up if the games turn into slugfests. And who knows, maybe Kate Hudson really is the good luck charm that A-Rod needs to finally be productive in the postseason. Bottom Line: This isn’t 2004. Yankees win in 5.
World Series: St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Yankees
How fitting this World Series would be. The two winning-est franchises in baseball history (New York with 26 World Series titles, St. Louis with 10) in a series that would take the game back to its roots, which is exactly what it needs. Baseball finally seems to be moving beyond the “Steroids Era” into a new age of old-school baseball which is what made the game America’s pastime to begin with. These are the two teams with the fewest weaknesses out of the bunch. However, the key will come down to managing. Joe Girardi is still relatively new to this whole thing, but the dirty little secret is that Tony LaRussa has a tendency to over manage, especially in close games. Look for him to make too many moves with his depleted bullpen that will come back to haunt the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Girardi seems content with letting his players decide the outcome; as well he should, since they are the more talented team. For the Cardinals to have any chance, Carpenter needs to outduel Sabathia in Game 1 and get the momentum going in the Cardinals’ favor. Still, this just seems like the year where the Yankees are finally capitalizing on all of their talent, and if it comes down to Mariano Rivera or Ryan Franklin to close out Game 7 of the World Series, who would you take? Bottom Line: This is the Yankees’ World Series to lose. New York Yankees: WORLD CHAMPIONS in 7.
Like the ancient proverb says, “money doesn’t buy happiness, but it sure buys a World Series ring.”
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