Previewing the Baseball Post-Season

With Detroit dropping the AL Central to the Twins in a thrilling 163rd game, the playoff matchups are finally set. So, let’s look ahead at the opening round, and what SportPops predicts for the series’ ahead.

American League Division Series

Yankees over Twins in 3 – This has all the hallmarks of a quick annihilation. The Yankees more or less coasted to the finish line with the best record in the league, which the Twins had to scratch and claw to earn their way in extra innings. I don’t think the Twins will be able to overcome the emotional let down just clinching the division title, and they’ll fall to the Yankees very quickly.

Angels over Red Sox in 5- A potential slobberknocker here, as both teams look to be very evenly matched. Wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it go either way in a deep series. Flip a coin here, and it comes up Angels, perhaps solely based on their homefield advantage

National League Division Series

Phillies over Rockies in 4 – The Rockies are the feel good story of the year, going from early also rans to wild card winners under mid-season replacement manager Jim Tracy, but the Phillies are the defending champions, and arguably an all-around better squad than last year’s squad. The Rockies will get one for their home town fans, but there won’t be another magical run for the team this year.

Cardinals over Dodgers in 4 – The Dodgers are the better all around team, but in three games the Cardinals can run out Carpenter, Wainright and Piniero, a lethal threesome in a 5 game series. Which is important, because on the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals are maybe the weakest team in the playoffs. Many Manny gets it in gear and starts earning his big LA dollars, but look for the dominant cardinals pitchers to pull this one out.

American League Championship Series

Yankees over Angels in 6 – The Angels are a strong team, but the Yankees are simply better in nearly every dimension. Look for a competitive series, but one in which the underdog Angels simply can’t overtake the Yankees.

National League Championship Series

Cardinals over Phillies in 7 – Another series where the Cardinals will live or die by their pitching. The Phillies have more and better bats, but the Cardinals could be able to cancel them out. If the Phillies can beat take down the Cardinals pitching, they’ll make this a long series. In the end though, as you can tell, I’m big on the Cardinals pitching trifecta.

SportPops World Series

Yankees over Cardinals in 7 - The Cardinals have the pitching for a 7 game series, but after Pujols and Holliday, there just isn’t enough offensive firepower to overcome the Yankees. But if the Yankees should fall on the way to the World Series, I’m going to say it’s the Cardinals’ title to lose. And just for good measure, I’m going to pick Nick Swisher as the surprise World Series MVP. The only downside here is that it will mean A-Rod gets his first title, and I just don’t like the sound of that.