Monday, October 02, 2006
MLB Playoffs
October has finally arrived, and after 162 games baseball's playoffs are here. The Blue Jays came up short, but finished 2nd ahead of the Red Sox as opposed to 3rd place where they've been stuck for years. The Astros nearly overcome a seemingly insurmountable deficit in the final week, but the Cardinals held on for the NL Central, while the Tigers gassed the AL Central to Minnesota over the weekend but still got the wild card spot.
In the American League the Twins look good right now. They have the the best pitcher in the game right now in Johan Santana, plus batting champion Joe Mauer and MVP candidate Justin Morneau. After Santana the rest of the pitching staff is average, but they only need to keep the Twins in the game until their excellent bullpen can take over in later innings. If their other ace pitcher Francisco Liriano hadn't gone down for the season in August, they would be almost unbeatable.
The Athletics will take on Minnesota in the first round. They too have a great starting pitching staff with Barry Zito, Rich Harden, and company, but lack the lights-out ace that their opponent has in Santana. Their offense is also mediocre which puts extra pressure on the pitchers. In the past the A's have won their division repeatedly but failed to advance in the post-season, but with good pitching you always have a chance.
The Tigers will take on the Yankees after blowing their division on Sunday. Two months ago they looked headed to the World Series, but have slumped down the stretch and their pitching staff appears tired. It certainly doesn't help that they'll face the league's best offense and start on the road in Yankee Stadium. The Tigers need to hope their pitchers can find a second wind or it could be a short series. But the Yankees pitching staff, while respecable, is probably the worst out of the four AL teams. Somehow they again managed to spend $200 million on players while failing to build a pitching staff that can take them all the way. They might be able to home-run their way past Detroit, but Oakland or Minnesota would likely beat them in a best of 7. Here's hoping for and predicting another quiet October in the Bronx.
The National League is tougher to predict this year. The Braves are an option but...oh wait, they finally missed the playoffs. The Mets would be the front-runners, but ace pitcher Pedro Martinez is out with injury. That's good news for their division series opponents, the LA Dodgers. The Dodgers had a big second half to come from the basement into the playoffs and pitchers Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, and Greg Maddux give them a good starting rotation. They dont have the most explosive offense, but get timely hitting which is key. The Mets have clearly the most power from their bats, but Martinez being out leaves a huge hole in the rotation. It has been shown in the past that hitting can take you a round or even two in the playoffs, but at the end of the day pitching will always prevail.
The Cardinals limp into the playoffs and head to San Diego to battle the Padres. Last season the Cards swept the Padres in the opening round, but it could be a different story this year. San Diego is probably the most pitching-dependent team in the NL playoffs. Their offense is weak, but they only need to score a few runs with a staff that is deep throughout. St. Louis isn't bad on the mound but will need heavy hitters Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Scott Rolen to be in fine form to make up the deficit in the pitching department. It can't be ignored that the Cardinals are coming into the playoffs in a big slump either.
Predictions:
Yankees 3, Tigers 2
Twins 3, Athletics 1
Dodgers 3, Mets 2
Padres 3, Cardinals 1
The Twins will take the AL pennant and beat the NL pennant winners the Dodgers for the World Series.
In the American League the Twins look good right now. They have the the best pitcher in the game right now in Johan Santana, plus batting champion Joe Mauer and MVP candidate Justin Morneau. After Santana the rest of the pitching staff is average, but they only need to keep the Twins in the game until their excellent bullpen can take over in later innings. If their other ace pitcher Francisco Liriano hadn't gone down for the season in August, they would be almost unbeatable.
The Athletics will take on Minnesota in the first round. They too have a great starting pitching staff with Barry Zito, Rich Harden, and company, but lack the lights-out ace that their opponent has in Santana. Their offense is also mediocre which puts extra pressure on the pitchers. In the past the A's have won their division repeatedly but failed to advance in the post-season, but with good pitching you always have a chance.
The Tigers will take on the Yankees after blowing their division on Sunday. Two months ago they looked headed to the World Series, but have slumped down the stretch and their pitching staff appears tired. It certainly doesn't help that they'll face the league's best offense and start on the road in Yankee Stadium. The Tigers need to hope their pitchers can find a second wind or it could be a short series. But the Yankees pitching staff, while respecable, is probably the worst out of the four AL teams. Somehow they again managed to spend $200 million on players while failing to build a pitching staff that can take them all the way. They might be able to home-run their way past Detroit, but Oakland or Minnesota would likely beat them in a best of 7. Here's hoping for and predicting another quiet October in the Bronx.
The National League is tougher to predict this year. The Braves are an option but...oh wait, they finally missed the playoffs. The Mets would be the front-runners, but ace pitcher Pedro Martinez is out with injury. That's good news for their division series opponents, the LA Dodgers. The Dodgers had a big second half to come from the basement into the playoffs and pitchers Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, and Greg Maddux give them a good starting rotation. They dont have the most explosive offense, but get timely hitting which is key. The Mets have clearly the most power from their bats, but Martinez being out leaves a huge hole in the rotation. It has been shown in the past that hitting can take you a round or even two in the playoffs, but at the end of the day pitching will always prevail.
The Cardinals limp into the playoffs and head to San Diego to battle the Padres. Last season the Cards swept the Padres in the opening round, but it could be a different story this year. San Diego is probably the most pitching-dependent team in the NL playoffs. Their offense is weak, but they only need to score a few runs with a staff that is deep throughout. St. Louis isn't bad on the mound but will need heavy hitters Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Scott Rolen to be in fine form to make up the deficit in the pitching department. It can't be ignored that the Cardinals are coming into the playoffs in a big slump either.
Predictions:
Yankees 3, Tigers 2
Twins 3, Athletics 1
Dodgers 3, Mets 2
Padres 3, Cardinals 1
The Twins will take the AL pennant and beat the NL pennant winners the Dodgers for the World Series.
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