Another fun baseball regular season has come and passed. And before too many more NL teams that didn't make the playoff fire their managers, let's take a look at what to expect in the postseason.
First up, the NL.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
The defending NL Champs look like a better team than in 09, basically because they have 3 aces opposed to 1 last year. Roy Halladay has been the horse that they thought they picked up and then some, as he will most likely receive his second Cy Young award. Roy Oswalt has a 1.75 ERA since coming from Houston. And perhaps most important is that Cole Hamels has pitched like his 2008 postseason self throughout May-September 2010. The offense meanwhile has been an enigma. There are times when they can put up crooked numbers in just about any innings, but there have also been games where they are a threat to get no-hit deep into ball games. Jayson Werth has had a big year stat-wise, but has often failed to hit with runners in scoring position. Jimmy Rollins has been injured for three different stints, including one for much of September. The Phils have the best record in the majors and are 45-15 since July 22.
VERDICT:
Another telling stat? Brad Lidge's ERA is 2.96, which is just slightly better than his 7.21 ERA of 2009. They will need him to pitch how he has this season in order to get back to the Fall Classic a third straight time
CINCINNATI REDS
Stat-wise the best offense in the NL and for good reason. Joey Votto is one of the favorites for the NL MVP. Scott Rolen and Johnny Gomes have provided power and RBIs. Orlando Cabrera has reached the postseason for the 6th straight year, and Brandon Phillips has adjusted nicely to hitting leadoff. The question mark for the Reds is their starting pitching. They don't really have a Halladay, Lincecum, Sabathia, Lee, or Price to depend on. That being said, Edinson Volquez has pitched nicely in his last 4 starts: (31 K, 8 BB, 6 ER, 0 HR in 27.2 IP). If he's back to his early-'08 form, watch out.
VERDICT:
Probably the team that no one is talking about in the NL and I think they like it that way. They have the dubious task of playing the Phillies in the first round short series, but if they steal one of the first 2 at Philly, there is no reason why they couldn't take the series.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Clinching on the last day of the season, the NL West champs are not to be taken lightly. Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez is one of the best threesomes in the playoffs, and the bullpen is stacked, led by closer Brian Wilson and his incredibly obnoxious facial hair (which again affirms my belief that, unless you are Mariano Rivera, you have to either be a douche or look like one to close baseball games. Brian Wilson may fulfill both quotas). The offense finally got the spark that it needed to win the division, and it gets its punch from Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, and Pablo Sandoval. The table is usually set nicely by Andres Torres and Freddy Sanchez. From top to bottom, the Giants figure to be a tough matchup for anyone.
VERDICT: I don't know how far they will go, but I do know that there will not be too many runs scored in their home park. And with their pitching, that doesn't bode well for visitors.
ATLANTA BRAVES
The wild card of the NL is one in every sense of the word. The Braves are in the postseason for the first time since 2005. It's Bobby Cox's last year, and he has done one of his finest jobs managing in a long time. They are not the healthiest team in the playoffs however, as they will need to rely on role players to fill in for players such as Chipper Jones, Kris Medlen, and 2010 team MVP - Martin Prado. Their rotation is anchored by Tim Hudson (who will pitch 2nd since he was needed on Sunday to make sure Atlanta got in), Derek Lowe, and Tommy Hanson. Atlanta's pitching, perhaps even more than Philadelphia's, has been victimized by random acts of offensive ineptitude, and if they don't get run support in the playoffs, it will be a short-lived postseason for the chop.
VERDICT:
The Bravos had a 7 game lead on July 22nd (fairly more games left to play than 17...) but had to settle for the wildcard spot. It shouldn't matter too much, since they rarely played for a crowd in their home games anyway.
AL
TAMPA BAY RAYS
The AL East Champs look even better than they did in 2008, at least pitching wise. David Price has stepped up into the ace role nicely, Wade Davis pitched way better than expected, and Matt Garza was one of eleventy six pitchers to throw a no-hitter in 2010. Evan Longoria is the focal point of the lineup, BJ Upton and Carl Crawford have tremendous speed in the outfield (the latter can also hit for power), Ben Zobrist has had a decent year proving that his 2009 year wasn't a fluke, and even people named Reid Brignac and Dan Johnson are winning games for them. Carlos Pena is having another down year, but will still feast on a mistake by a pitcher by hitting it either very far or very high off of an alcove on the roof.
VERDICT: The Rays have a legit closer too now in Rafael Soriano. They don't have that deer-in-the-headlights look to them like they did in 2008, and are one of the favorites to win the American League.
MINNESOTA TWINS
The Twins have won the division for the second straight year, but in order for their season to be a success they are going to need to do some winning in the postseason. They get a chance at redemption by facing the team that knocked them out last year in the first round. The Twins, like the Braves in the NL, are not the healthiest team in the playoffs, as they are without key men Justin Morneau and Kevin Slowey. And like the Reds, they don't really have that ace. Francisco Liriano gets the ball in game 1, and while he's had a great first half of the year (should have been an allstar), his last few starts have not been encouraging. Carl Pavano and Brian Duensing are likely to start games 2 and 3.
VERDICT: Joe Mauer is still one of the best players in the game, but he's going to need help from guys like Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young, and Orlando Hudson who have all had good years to carry their performance into the postseason, which has been difficult for Twins' role players in recent years.
TEXAS RANGERS
The AL West champs seem to be built for the postseason, but they basically won the division by default. That being said, I don't think there's a team that wants to play the Rangers in the playoffs. Josh Hamilton is the front runner for the AL MVP, Michael Young and Elvis Andrus set the table nicely (it's good to see the former get into the postseason finally btw), Josh, Vlad, and Ian Kinsler pack the punch, and Bengie Molina has one of the best arms behind the plate (and is a threat to hit for the cycle apparently too). Their rotation is anchored by Cliff Lee, who had a tremendous 2009 postseason, and Colby Lewis and CJ Wilson have both been pleasant surprises as well.
VERDICT:
You have to like the Rangers chances given that they have an ace now in Cliff Lee. And who wouldn't want to have him? ... Oh, right.
NEW YORK YANKEES
The defending champions are this years' AL Wildcard, but that doesn't mean they are the underdogs. Robinson Cano, once considered an afterthought in the lineup, has been the Yankees most consistent hitter and is an AL MVP contender. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are always dangerous, as is Mr. October, Derek Jeter. Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada have each had plenty of clutch hits in the regular season, and the Yanks will need them to continue that in the postseason. The rotation is led by the big man, CC Sabathia. Andy Pettitte is returning from an injury, but if he pitches as he has throughout most of the season, the Yanks will have 2 aces. The big question may be who they pitch after Pettitte, as AJ Burnett has been a headache, Phil Hughes may be on an inning count, and Javier Vasquez has not pitched like he did in 2009. Mariano Rivera has had a shaky September, but you still have to have confidence in him in October.
VERDICT:
They aren't the 2009 Yankees, but they are still a threat to win it all. Players like Cano, CC, Swisher, and Brett Gardner have all had better 2010's than the year they won it all. Role players and/or new acquisitions such as Curtis Granderson, Marcus Thames, Kerry Wood, and whoever the third starter is could decide if the Bronx Bombers are celebrating in ... well, November, again.
OK, now let's get to some predictions.
PHILLIES - REDS
The Reds are a great story, but I think the Phillies' H2O and experience will be too much for them. PHILLIES in 4.
GIANTS - BRAVES
This may be the best division series. I think eventually the Giants will wear the Braves out, though it probably won't be pretty. GIANTS in 5.
RAYS - RANGERS
Another good divisional series. I could see this going either way, but I'm just going to go with my gut and say the Rays win it. RAYS in 5.
TWINS - YANKEES
The Twins have too many holes for the Yankees to not take advantage of them. The biggest question in this series will be which rapper will write this years' Yankees fight song. YANKEES in 3.
I'm not going to make my predictions for the rest of the postseason until the NLDS and ALDS are determined. But if you want an early prediction on what I think will happen, I think we will have a repeat of one of the past two World Series. That's all I'm saying for now.
