The MLB Playoffs are underway and millions of Americans will be glued to their television screens over the next month to see who will get to hoist the World Series trophy. This year’s playoffs feature a few teams that barely anybody expected to show up.
If you predicted in April that the Pirates or Indians would be in the playoffs, people would have probably checked you into a mental institution. However, now you look like a genius.
The Pirates won their play-in game and are in for sure. The Rays and Indians will play one game to see who gets to go on to face the Red Sox, tonight at 5 p.m. The Indians have had a great season, but the Rays have too much experience and way better pitching. The Rays should come out victorious.
Then, the Rays will play the Red Sox in the ALDS. The Red Sox had an amazing comeback season this year, and surprised a lot of people with how well they did.
Their offense is solid, but once again, I think that the experience and the pitching depth of the Rays will prove to be too much. This should be a tightly contested series and will most likely take five games to decide a winner.
The other ALDS matchup is between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics once again played up to a level that they should not have been able to reach this year. This shows a lot about their coaching and that they have a system in place that wins games.
However, it is very rare for a team to have the Cy Young winner and MVP in the same season, and the Tigers appear to have the favorites for both awards. Miguel Cabrera looks to be the best hitter in the game, and well on his way to winning his second consecutive MVP award. Max Scherzer won 20 games this year, while only losing three. When you add Justin Verlander to that, the Tigers have one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball.
The Athletics always find a way to make things competitive, and should drag this one out for five.
In the National League, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the playoffs for the first time in 21 years and will be matched up with the Cardinals. The Pirates have had a great run but will be lucky to win one game in this series.
The Dodgers will take on the Braves in the other matchup. The Braves have had a good season but the Dodgers have the star power. The Dodgers should take this one in four games.
The ALCS would then be the Tigers against the Rays. The Rays know how to win games and are do not give up very many runs. However, the Tigers pitching staff is the only one in baseball that can hang with the Rays and should neutralize them. When it comes to batting, the Tigers are far superior and should win there. This series appears to be another seven-game battle.
The NLCS would be the Dodgers against the Cardinals. These teams are pretty evenly matched, but the Dodgers have proved that when they get going, they are unstoppable. I see them taking this one in five games with relative ease.
That makes for a star-studded World Series between the Tigers and the Dodgers. The two best pitchers in the game will be featured, with Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw. Miguel Cabrera will be looking to win his second title, while Yasiel Puig will look to finish his historic rookie season with a championship.
Once again, the Tigers star power appears to be too much. The Tigers will take this one in six games and bring the title home to Detroit.
