Now things get real!
Tue: Brewers @ Nats . . 8pm TBS
Wed: Rays @ A’s . . . . . 8pm ESPN
*All times are To be Determined below here. *
Thu: NLWC @ Dodgers TBS
. . . .Cards & Braves TBS
Fri: ALWC @ Astros FS1
. . . . Twins @ Yanks FS1
. . . . NLWC @ Dodgers TBS
. . . . Cards & Braves TBS
Sat: ALWC @ Astros FS1
. . . . Twins @ Yanks FS1
Unfounded predictions
I’m taking the Brewers over the Nats and the Ray’s over the A’s in the wildcards.
Then I’ll take the Yankees, Braves, Dodgers and Astros in the DS making the wildcard games meaningless.
Then I think Yankees over Astros and Dodgers over Braves, though those both are far from locks. They should be good series both.
Finally I’m taking the Dodgers to finally win the WS, though in my heart I think it’s likely the Yankees are looking at another ring.
As a Yankee fan I am more worried about the Astros then any other team. I feel like the Yanks match up to the Dodgers very well. But first, need to beat the Twins yet again.
I really don’t see a team beating the Astros in a 5- or 7-game series, they’d really have to put on an amazing display both offensively and on pitching. They’re just so ridiculously stacked this year. Greinke is their 3rd starter?!
Astros are definitely the team to beat. Nobody comes close to their pitching. If anyone can, it’s the Yankees with that bullpen and those bats. Losing German was huge, though.
Personally, I’d love to see Yankees-Dodgers.
The A’s, in the middle of September, in Houston, took 3 of 4 from the Astros. Including wins over Verlander and Miley. I don’t know if Miley even makes the postseason squad, he’s been so bad this last month. It’s hard to see Verlander or Cole, or even Greinke now, pitching much better than this. The bullpen can be pretty shaky though. There isn’t a Rivera in the Astros pen, but there are a lot of decent pitchers.
I don’t think any team will be a favorite over the Astros in any series they’ll face this year, but the point is, in a short series, anything can happen. Ask the 90’s Braves, or that 2001 Mariners team with 116 wins.
What an insane series that was. Astros blank the As 15-0 in the first game, then lose 21-7 the next day! Like I said - it would have to be an incredible display to beat them. And I like the As a lot this year - they’re a dark horse pennant champ for me.
They’re a great team. Just not enough pitching, I think. I want the Astros facing Tampa much more than I want them to see Oakland.
I can’t think of another pitcher imploding as bad in September as Wade Miley. He was until then the legit #3 on the club, even after they traded for Greinke. Now, it’s an almost Steve Sax or Chuck Knoblauch style inability to perform his job. I mean he went from a 3.00 ERA guy to a guy who gives up 3 and more runs without recording an out. He’s run out of gas in August and September before, but not to this degree.
The Astros were stacked last year, too. You just never know. They’re my pick too, but I would never bet anything on them - or any other team - I could not afford to lose.
My default choice is always whatever team has the best three starting pitchers because you can ride those guys way, way harder in the playoffs than in the regular season; an ace pitcher becomes far more valuable just because you can use him so much more. That clearly favors Houston this year.
Anyway MLB has a bracket challenge this year and it’'s free to enter; the tie breakers are things like “guess the World Series MVP” and such. For the hell of it I picked LA to beat Houston, but my bracket went like this:
WC: A’s beat Rays, Nationals beat Brewers
ALDS: Twins beat Yankees, Astros beat A’s
NLDS: Dodgers beat Nationals, Braves beat Cardinals
LCS: Dodgers beat Braves, Astros beat Twins
WS: Dodgers beat Astros
Tiebreakers:
WS MVP: Clayton Kershaw
Games It Goes: 7
Total Runs Scored: 55
Total Home Runs In The Series: 18
I think if the Astros get past Oakland (not having to play them would be ideal) they will go all the way. Unless the bullpen goes to hell. Which it has done before, though usually not for more than one or two games. I sure hope they get it done this year because I think the personnel will change after this season, and not in a good way.
From your post to the Baseball Gods’ ears.
I’d much rather the Dodgers face the Yankees. The Astros are just vicious.
The sooner the Yankees are out, the better. It’s just so boring to have them in. The Twins haven’t been to the ALCS since what, 2002? Something like that.
The Twins actually scored more runs than the Astros. I would not count them out.
Since 1960 the Yankees have won nine World Series Championships and all have come with a Democratic president in the White House. Unless the dems can figure out how to install president Pelosi in the next few weeks, the Yankees are screwed.
Hoping for a Twins/Brewers series. It’s not MLB’s preference, I’m sure, but hey, better than Rays/Brewers.
gotta feel for the manager for this one …MSN
"You didn’t do great but weren’t horrible but since a team/hometown hero might be available we hope you have luck with your future endeavors …
ok I want the dodgers winning the series if they lose before they get there
anyone else but the braves and Yankees
Here’s how I think it plays out:
Nats over Brewers
A’s over Rays
Astros over A’s in 4
Twins over Yankees in 4
Dodgers over Nats in 3
Braves over Cardinals in 5
Astros over Twins in 5
Braves over Dodgers in 7
Astros over Braves in 5
Just to get my predictions down in concrete
Brewers and A’s advance
Astros over A’s in 4
Yankees over Twins in 3
Dodgers over Brewers in 4
Braves over Cardinals in 5
Yankees over Astros in 7
Dodgers over Braves in 5
Dodgers over Yankees in 7
Any postseason without New York and Boston is a good postseason. Since those don;t happen very often, any postseason in which New York and Boston are eliminated early is a good postseason.