Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for miraculously surviving the first round, the San Francisco Giants for completing the first National League 2-0 comeback in a five game series, and the Tigers for taking out the A’s.
We had some terrible luck in the first round. The Athletics lost in Game Five, the Nationals blew a save in the 9th inning of an elimination game, and the Reds lost their ace to injury and blew a 2-0 lead. It was a crazy first round, but our World Series pick is still alive. The rest of our MLB Playoffs bracket needs some serious tinkering.
ALCS Prediction: New York Yankees (-125) Vs Detroit Tigers
The New York Yankees are in serious trouble against the Detroit Tigers. Because the Yankees played Game Five hours before Game One, they have no time to set up their pitching rotation properly. The Detroit Tigers burned ace Justin Verlander in Game Five, but after a day off they’ll travel to New York with Verlander fully rested for an appearance in the middle of the series. The New York Yankees will need to scramble to find a Game Two pitcher between Ivan Nova and a short-rest Hiroki Kuroda. Advantage Detroit.
The New York Yankees lineup has been atrocious. Alex Rodriguez’s .125 average that landed him on the bench in Game Five was actually better than Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, and only slightly behind Nick Swisher coming into Game Five. Of the high-priced veterans in the meat of the Yankee order, only Mark Teixeira has performed. Derek Jeter had a phenomenal series and carried the Yankees past the Orioles. Raul Ibanez’s heroics off the bench saved the series. Against the Detroit Tigers, two hitters in the starting lineup will not be enough. If Alex Rodriguez cannot rebound from being benched, the Yankees are in trouble. If Curtis Granderson cannot build off a crucial home run in Game Five, the Yankees are in trouble. If Robinson Cano continues to clog the heart of the order, the Yankees are in trouble. In the end, the Yankees are in trouble. Advantage Detroit.
The Yankees bullpen is exhausted, but performed well in the ALDS. The Tigers bullpen is relatively fresh, particularly after Justin Verlander’s complete game in Game Five, but a blown save by their crazy closer forced Game Five in the first place. Dare I say it, advantage New York?
Despite the decision to pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez that led to Raul Ibanez’s emergence, the Yankees are one of the worst-coached teams in sports. Advantage Detroit.
So why are we picking the Yankees to win this series? Aura, mystique, and home field advantage.
Yankees in six
NLCS Prediction: San Francisco Giants (-125) Vs St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals deserved to lose Game Five to the Washington Nationals. They won, but it was ugly. Still, you can read into that game for exactly what it is; The defending champions refuse to die. Down two in the ninth, the Cardinals genuinely believed they would find a way to win. They did. The Cardinals will be an extremely difficult team to kill.
On the other hand, the San Francisco Giants have a ton of momentum. They came back from a 2-0 deficit for the first time in NLDS history to blindside the heavily-favored Cincinnati Reds. The pitching rotation is deep, the bullpen is suddenly reliable, and the lineup has been clutch. Buster Posey is by far the best player left in the National League.
Pitching matches up well in this series. Kyle Lohse, Chris Carpenter, and Adam Wainwright match Ryan Vogelson, Madison Bumgarner, and Matt Cain well. Barry Zito, perhaps, could be the difference in a close series.
Expect a grind between two mediocre lineups against great pitching. This series is almost too close to call. Both teams have been there before, both teams have veteran leadership, and both teams have momentum. We’ll give the slight edge to the Giants and their home field advantage.
Giants in Seven
WORLD SERIES PREDICTION: New York Yankees OVER San Francisco Giants
Exhausted from a grueling series with the Cardinals, the San Francisco Giants will limp into Yankee Stadium. Fueled by a glorious win against a talented Tigers team, the Yankees will have momentum. They’re a great road team, and they’ll take care of business against the Giants.
The Giants lineup is laughable compared to the mighty New York Yankees. If New York’s superstars wake up, and they will if they’re going to sneak past the Tigers, the Yankees will be too much for the Giants. Mediocre pitching will win another World Series as the Yankees deal with a lineup that relies almost entirely on Buster Posey. The Yankees are too deep.
This prediction is pending the Yankees waking up, but when they do, they’ll win it all.
Yankees in Six
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