No, I didn't forget about the baseball playoffs. I've just been a little busy with these extremely late World Track & Field Championships (the American male sprinters are CLEANING UP by the way). But it's time for the most important baseball games of the year! We've got three dominant teams that all won at least 104 games, and it's World Series-or-Bust for all three of them. But only one can win the World Series. And the other five teams shouldn't be counted out completely, either.
On paper, Houston is the favorite. And they should be. The Astros have three dominant starting pitchers and a lineup to match. Many people would be shocked if they DON'T win their second championship in three years. The Astros are the best team. There's no denying that. But they don't have that aura last year's 108-win Red Sox did. Everything went right for Boston last year, starting in April, and their march to a World Series title simply seemed inevitable (even MLB thought so, hence the two pennants on the World Series logo). It just doesn't seem as inevitable for the 2019 Astros as it did for the 2018 Red Sox.
The Yankees are a big reason for that. I'm not just speaking as a Yankee fan here, either. I really do think that of the other seven playoff teams, the Yankees are the only one that can actually beat Houston four times. They don't have the front-line starters, but they do have the superior bullpen, and the lineups are pretty much a dead heat.
When they met in the ALCS two years ago, home field advantage proved to be huge. The home team ended up winning every game in that series, which the Astros won in seven. The Yankees left New York with a 3-2 series lead and scored one run over those final 18 innings in Houston. And, of course, the Astros and Yankees had the two best home records in baseball this season. But, before the Astros-Yankees ALCS that has seemed inevitable for a while, they both have to get through the Division Series first.
Astros-Rays: Good for the Rays to not only make the playoffs, but to go into Oakland and win the Wild Card Game! That's about where the good news ends, though. Because I don't see them giving the Astros much of a series. Yes, Tampa Bay took three out of four against Houston to open the season. That was a long time ago. And...the Rays had to burn Charlie Morton in the Wild Card Game. Of course, they wouldn't still be playing if he hadn't been brilliant against the A's. But knowing that they have to go against Verlander and Cole without Morton available until Game 3 makes it that much tougher of a task. Especially since they know they'll have to beat one of them at least once. It just seems like too difficult a proposition for a team that can't match the Astros' lineup. Astros in three.
Yankees-Twins: You knew that this would be the matchup! These two simply can't avoid each other in the postseason. Which is great news for the Yankees and a nightmare for Minnesota. I'll make this not-so-bold prediction: there will be a lot of home runs hit in this series. They combined for 613 this season, with Minnesota winning the race 307-306. But, with all those power hitters in the two lineups, it's really going to come down to pitching. Specifically which team's pitchers can shut down the other's hitters enough. And that's where the Yankees' greatest strength--their bullpen--comes into play. Plus, I also have a feeling that Minnesota will start having those thoughts of "here we go again" as soon as something goes the Yankees' way. Which is understandable considering the Yankees' postseason dominance of the Twins. The winning streak won't reach 16. The Twins will get a game. But I don't see them getting three. Yankees in four.
Dodgers-Nationals: Washington finally won an elimination game! Now let's see if the Nationals can actually win a series. Against the Dodgers, that will be tough. But I don't think the Nationals are as overmatched as everyone's saying they are. And they certainly have a better chance of giving the Dodgers a series than the Brewers would have. The reason why is their starting pitching. This series has three great pitching matchups: Corbin vs. Buehler, Strasburg vs. Kershaw, Scherzer vs. Ryu (BTW, not a fan of starting Ryu, who's been so much better at home, in Game 3). Are the Dodgers the better team? Absolutely! Can the Nationals keep it competitive? Yes. Especially if they can return home tied 1-1, knowing that they've got Scherzer going in Game 3. I'm not saying that will happen. But it easily could. And that would make this a completely different series. Ultimately, the better team will prevail. But the Nationals will make them work for it. Dodgers in five.
Braves-Cardinals: To me, this is the toughest series to handicap. Simply because you really don't know what you're getting with St. Louis. They came out of nowhere in September to win the NL Central, and carried it over into a Game 1 victory. Can they sustain it, though? Because, on paper at least, the Braves are the better team. Although in this series, I'm not sure that will make a difference. The Cardinals went three years without making the playoffs, nearly an eternity in St. Louis (it was so long ago, in fact, that St. Louis still had a football team back then). And, for some reason, I just get bad vibes from Atlanta. For a good team, they have a lot of bad stretches. Their pitching isn't great, either. St. Louis, meanwhile, will do its normal Cardinal thing and have bunch of guys you've never heard of come up with the big hit to win a playoff game. All those people who want to see a Dodgers-Braves NLCS are going to be disappointed. Because I think St. Louis wins the series. Cardinals in four.
Atlanta-LA would've been a reasonably competitive series. I'm not sure how competitive Dodgers-Cardinals would be, though. The Dodgers have one thing and one thing only on their minds. They want to become the first time in 20 years (and the first National League team since the 1942-44 Cardinals) to win three straight pennants. And this might be their best team of the three. They're the class of the National League, which they'll prove against either potential NLCS opponent.
Over in the AL, we can expect a replay of that classic 2017 ALCS. But that feeling I have about the Yankees is real. I'm not entirely sure why (it may simply be fandom). I really do think they're the only team capable of beating Houston, though. And remember, assuming they hold serve at Yankee Stadium, they only need to win one game in Houston. That's easier said than done, obviously, but they're less intimidated by the Verlander-Cole-Greinke triumvirate as many other teams would be. And that confidence could prove to be the difference.
This is also the Yankees' last chance to extend a pretty cool streak. They've appeared in at least one World Series every decade since the 1920s. The 2010s aren't included yet. And, unlike two years ago, when they were those lovable, young underdogs, this time they expect to win. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Astros don't expect to win. But after what happened to the Yankees last year, they've got a little extra edge. Plus, this might be the first time all season they actually have a healthy lineup with all guys who are supposed to be starting. We'll see how those Savages do against Verlander, Cole and Greinke.
My World Series is a classic matchup between two teams that have met in the Fall Classic plenty of times before. I'm, of course, talking about the Yankees and the Dodgers. They used to face each other in the World Series seemingly all the time (11 times in 42 seasons). But they haven't since 1981, meaning a whole generation has missed out on the Yankees-Dodgers rivalry. (Oh yeah, they also play in America's two largest cities.)
They played a three-game series at Dodger Stadium in August (that MLB decided to ruin by making them wear those awful Players' Weekend uniforms). It was labeled as a possible World Series preview six weeks ago, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if that ended up being the case. Those three games had a World Series-like feel, too.
That series went to the Yankees, which I'm sure makes them feel comfortable with the Dodgers getting the extra home game should they meet again. If they do, I don't think the outcome is the same. Dodger Stadium has hosted the final game of the baseball season in each of the last two years. Both times, the Dodgers watched their American League opponent celebrate. This time, it'll be different. This time, they'll be the ones sipping champagne. They won't become the first team in more than a century to lose three straight World Series. Instead, they end their 31-year title drought.
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