 Written By Jason Voorhees The Major League Baseball regular season ended on Sunday. The longest grind in sports is now complete and the ides of October are now on the clock. 30 teams began the year with visions of playoff baseball in their mirrors. Unfortunately, 20 of those teams are now staring in the rearview and are setting up t-times at the local golf course. With that being said, the most exciting time of the year has now arrived. Ten teams, ten rosters with one goal. Who will be the next team to win a World Series championship? Only time will tell. The tale is ready to play out for all of the world to see. Here is a preview of the playoff picture as well as some predictions. WILD CARD ROUND National League Wild Card Matchup Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals: Series Length: One Game Tuesday, October 1 8:08PM The first wild card matchup has the Washington Nationals hosting a single elimination game against the NL-Central Milwaukee Brewers. On paper this game appears to be a mismatch as the Washington Nationals are stacked on both sides of the diamond. Washington features a potent offense that finished 6th in the league in average, 6th in runs scored, 2nd in OBP, 7th in SLG, and 6th in OPS. On the pitching side of things the Nationals will have Max Scherzer on the mound who has been one of the most dominant starting pitchers in all of MLB over the past ten seasons. Max is a fierce competitor and undoubtedly will bring his A game. Meanwhile, the tough luck Milwaukee Brewers had to scratch and crawl their way into the playoffs. The team lost its best player and potential MVP candidate Christian Yelich to a season ending injury on September 11th. Even without their best player; the Brewers played extremely well down the stretch and were in contention to win the division up until the final game on Sunday. Another interesting nugget to note in this matchup was Milwaukee's 4-2 record in the regular season while outscoring the Nats 42-38. If this were a five game series the Milwaukee Brewers would definitely have a shot at taking the series. However, facing the odds of beating Max Scherzer in a one game playoff (as the away team) seems extremely unlikely. With that being said the Nationals will win this game and move on to the next round of the playoffs. Prediction: Nationals American League Wild Card Matchup Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics: Series Length: One Game Wednesday, October 2 8:09PM The A's were able to secure homefield advantage in this single elimination event by securing a better record than the Rays. The surprising A's scored the 8th most runs in baseball. They were even better at hitting the long ball finishing 5th in the league with 257 Home Runs. The team is paced by its all-star shortstop Marcus Semien who had a career year in almost every major offensive metric. The roster also boasts a trio of mashers in Matt Chapman, Matt Olsen and Kris Davis. The A's will send Sean Manea to the mound for this one game thriller. While the A's were mostly lead by their offensive firepower, the Rays sported one of the top pitching staffs in the entire MLB. They were 2nd in team ERA, 3rd in Strikeouts, 3rd in team batting average allowed, while walking the fifth least amount of hitters. Meanwhile they finished in the middle of the pack in most offensive categories. The Rays also boast an elite dominant relief corps which combines flamethrowers and finesse. Tampa will have former cast off ace Charlie Morton on the bump. This is a matchup of two immovable objects. The missile launching offense of the A's versus the hard to hit/difficult to score on pitching of the Rays. The A's won the season series 4-3. The A's have home field advantage and the better offense. However; Morton is no stranger to pitching big games. Offense wins battles but pitching wins championships so the Rays take this one in a close one run contest. Morton helps the Rays live to see another day. Prediction: Rays NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISONAL ROUND Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers: Series Length: 5 Games (Best of Five) Thursday, October 3 @TBD The Dodgers were the most dominant team in the National League this season and its not even close. They boast a stacked roster all across the board. Their lineup is loaded 1-8 and they have one of the strongest starting rotations in the game. Although he cooled off down the stretch, Cody Bellinger is still one of the favorites to win the MVP this season. He is the leader of the dangerous Dodgers lineup that is capable of putting up a crooked number on any type of pitching staff. If there is any team in the National League that can match up with the Dodgers balance it would be the Nationals. Their starting rotation could be a difference maker in any short series. Of course, having to use Max Scherzer in the wild card round puts the Nat's at a disadvantage. One positive coming into the playoffs was the play of its all-star third baseman Anthony Rendon. In fact, down the stretch there may not have been a hotter hitter in all of baseball. This series will come down to bullpens in my opinion. The Dodgers have an extreme advantage if that's the case. Washington had one of the worst bullpens in the game from beginning to end. This scenario is what separates the men from the boys. Kenley Jansen has been one of the best closers in the game and he could be the true difference maker in this series. Dodgers win this series but it does go five games. Prediction: Dodgers 3-2 Saint Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves: Series Length: 5 Games (Best of Five) Thursday, October 3rd @TBD This should be the most exciting series of the NLDS. The Braves come into the playoffs having dominated the NL East for most of the year. They have a very talented roster composed of a ton of youth. However; don't mistake this teams age for a weakness. The team is lead by Freddie Freeman who is the "old man" of the bunch. The Braves offense was solid and they finished top ten in all important hitting categories. On the pitching side of things they were equally successful, despite their youth. While the Braves are the more balanced team of the two, the Cardinals strength was clearly their pitching. In fact, the Cardinals finished top five in all key categories including 5th in team ERA. The team was lead by its 23 year old ace Jack Flaherty, who posted a second half of the ages. After the all-star break, Flaherty was virtually unhittable. In 99 innings, he posted a 0.91ERA, 124 K's, 23 walks, .142AVG, and .189wOBA. Those numbers are lights out. The Cardinals also have an elite bullpen. The Braves were 4-2 during the regular season while outscoring the Cardinals 29-27. Braves have the edge in hitting while the Cardinals are better on the mound. Both teams have good managers. The intangible may be the experience of the Cardinals. They have a more veteran group of players and that could help in a short series. Nonetheless, the Braves will take advantage of the home crowd and come out victorious 3-2. Prediction: Braves 3-2 AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISIONAL ROUND Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros: Series Length: 5 Games (Best of Five) Friday, October 4 @TBD The Houston Astros are the cream of the crop in MLB. No one can compete with their starting rotation which boasts a pair of 20 game winners in Justin Verlander (21-6) and Gerrit Cole (20-5) along with an 18 game winner in Zack Greinke (18-5). This rotation gives them an edge in any short series and it definitely makes them a favorite to make the World Series. The Astros are no slouch offensively as they finished top 5 in most categories. As mentioned, the Rays are a very good team and are lead by their pitching. This is the type of team that would love to play the spoiler role while supplying the Cinderella kind of story. The Rays had the second best road record in MLB so that could be one vote of confidence for them in this series. Another key stat was the Rays 4-3 head to head record against the Astros during the regular season. Everyone loves an underdog. The Rays have found themselves in this exact position many times before. However; in the end talent trumps most feel good stories. With those three horses on the mound, this should be a fairly easy series for Houston. The Astros sweep the ALDS 3-0 and move on to the ALCS. Prediction: Astros 3-0 Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees: Series Length: 5 Games (Best of Five) Friday, October 4 @TBD The Evil Empire once again finds itself at the epicenter of postseason baseball. The Yankees were ravaged by injuries but were able to overcome the significant losses to the tune of 103 wins. This will be a heavyweight match of epic proportions. The Minnesota Twins set a major league record with 307 home runs. Guess who finished second? That's right, the Yankees had 306. Obviously this series will be a showcase of offensive firepower. However; both teams have decent pitching as well as elite defense. Rest assured, the bats will be alive and this could potentially be the most exciting series of the entire playoffs. Expect both teams to battle and there could be some high scoring affairs. The game could come down to pitching where Minnesota has a slight edge. In normal seasons this may be considered a "David vs Goliath" type matchup. However; the teams are extremely close on all parameters and this one could go either way. The Twins had the best road record which could give them a boost. The Yankees are the favorites but its going to be an upset as the Twins win the series 3-2. This series will most definitely go down to the wire though so get your popcorn ready. Prediction: Twins 3-2 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers: Series Length: 7 Games (Best of Seven) Friday, October 11 @TBD The NLCS will be a rematch of last seasons divisional round. On paper, the Dodgers are the more talented roster. Both teams can flat out bring it offensively. They both have deep lineups set to rake. The Braves are lead by Ronald Acuna Jr who sets the tone early and often to boot. They also feature a potent middle of lineup with Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis. However, the x factor this season was most definitely a rejuvenated Josh Donaldson who had 37 homeruns. Their pitching staff is lead by rookie Mike Soroka who has garnered attention in both rookie of the year and Cy Young conversation. Meanwhile, Cody Bellinger remains the talk of the town in LA. The Dodgers hit a lot of home runs while scoring runs in bunches. They also have a deep rotation lead by perennial Cy Young contender Clayton Kershaw and Hin-Jin Ruy who may very well win the award this season. This should be a very competitive series and the Dodgers are the favorites. The upstart Dodgers have been a tough out all season and this playoff matchup will be no different. Expect both teams to battle and it could be a see-saw type series. This series like most could come down to the bullpens and it will most likely be a role player that sets the tone. With that being said, I think this Braves team is no joke and they are ready to take the next step. Prediction: Braves 4-3 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros: Series Length: 7 Games (Best of Seven) Saturday, October 12 @TBD The upstart Twins are loaded with talent that showed impressive balance. They had five players hit 30 or more home runs while boasting a league record 8 that totaled 20! Jorge Polanco (22), Eddie Rosario (32), Max Kepler (36), CJ Cron (25), Nelson Cruz (41), Johnathan Schoop (23), Miguel Sano (34) and Mitch Garver (31) posted that stat line. Although hitting is the teams backbone, the team also had a very good pitching staff. Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi give the team a solid 1-2 punch. On the other side is the Astros and the Big 3. Verlander, Cole, and Greinke are the most feared trio in the playoffs. The Astros are the defending champions and this team is even better than last seasons. On offense they are lead by an elite infield combination of Jose Altuve (2B), Alex Bregman (3B) and Carlos Correa (SS). The team also brought up rookie phenom Yordan Alvarez and he did not disappoint. In fact, he should be a lock to win rookie of the year. Once again, this should be an extremely exciting series. Both of these teams can mash the ball and the Twins actually played better on the road. America would absolutely love a Cinderella matchup in the WS. However; the Astros are primed to repeat. The Twins luck will finally run out. Prediction: Astros 4-2 WORLD SERIES Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros: Series Length: 7 Games (Best of Seven) Tuesday, October 22 @TBD Finally the matchup we have been waiting for. This is David and Goliath. How about some Rocky vs Apollo Creed. Youth versus Veterans. The Braves and Astros series provides an excellent back drop of theater. Freddie Freeman versus Justin Verlander. Acuna against Cole. Donaldson and Greinke. The Braves have brought their A game and they are not just here to represent the NL. They have arrived to conquer and take names while they are at it. The Braves come out firing and take game one. However, the sleeping giant is awakened and they don't look back. Prediction: Astros 4-2 NLDS MVP- Josh Donaldson
ALDS MVP- Jose Altuve WORLD SERIES MVP- Justin Verlander
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About Jason VoorheesJason resides in Norristown, PA and writes about all things sports and heavy metal music. Archives
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