I like playoff baseball a lot. I'd say that I love it, but it's still baseball, which means that at some point during the game I'll lose interest and wonder what's going on over on "The Singing Bee" (don't hate, that show is unfiltered fun!).Something I DO love about baseball is the early round division series which feature games that start in the afternoon. This if before baseball loses its mind in the league championship series and World Series and decides that it would be a good idea to have baseball games starting at 9:00 p.m. eastern time where a good chunk of the country can't (or won't) stay up to watch the (often exciting) finishes of games.
Anyway, the ALDS and the NLDS start today, with the white-hot Rockies and the red-hot Phillies (white-hot is hotter than red-hot, right?) starting the playoffs at 3. Here are my predictions.
THE JV, I MEAN, NATIONAL LEAGUE
Phillies over Rockies in 3.
I WANT to root for the Rockies because I love the fact that they won 14 out of 15 to get into the playoffs and because it's just generally kinda cool that the Rockies are in the playoffs. Then there's the fact that the Phillies took the place of second-favorite-team-I-root-for, the Mets who, in all fairness, did sorta give the division away. Still, props to the Phillies for finishing strong.
I like the Rockies team, especially rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (watch this guy play), but the Phillies hitting is actually better and I think they'll outslug the Rockies in a high-scoring series (because the Phillies bullpen is AWFUL). Also, the way the Rockies celebrated their emotional tie-breaker win over the Padres made me believe they'd just won the World Series. I don't see them getting themselves up that high. I also don't like that they had a day off (when you're hot, you wanna keep playing!) Finally, though Matt Holliday was CLEARLY out (why would you slide headfirst into home?!), I don't wanna hear any whining from any Padres fans who might read this column because Pads couldn't hold a 2 run lead with the all-time saves leader on the mound.
Cubs over Diamondbacks in 4
You've heard the stats about how the D-backs had one of the worst batting averages in baseball and actually got outscored by opponents throughout the year, but SOMEHOW ended up with the best record in the JV League. I'm not going to pretend like I watch every Arizona game, but it's not magic, it's good managing. Bob Melvin probably used his relievers smartly when games were close and didn't give a crap if they were getting blown out.
The Diamondbacks have been overlooked most of the year, and I'm going to continue overlooking them because I think the Cubs have better pitching, better hitting and a pretty good manager. They also have just as many fans in Arizona as the Diamondbacks do. I like them to win, even though I did a little research and found out that they are, in fact, the Cubs and destined to blow it somehow.
THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox over Angels in 4
I would've like the Angels over the Red Sox a LOT more about a month ago when the Angels were a lot hotter and a lot less beat up. I think the Red Sox will win both games at Fenway (or at least Game 1 because Angels starter John Lackey is TERRIBLE at Fenway), lose Game 3 in Anaheim and close out the series in four.
Although it pains me to pick the Sox to win anything, if you think I might be picking them to jinx them and have them suffer a first-round loss, then you know me too well.
Yankees over Indians in 5
I have no confidence in this pick despite the fact that the Yankees went 6-0 against the Tribe this year. Partly that's because the Yankees didn't face Cy Young favorite C.C. Sabathia, and the Yanks struggle against power lefties (as does pretty much everyone). Also, the playoffs are a completely different animal.
This series is incredibly even when you think about it. I know that good pitching beats good hitting and the Yankees starting pitching is shaky, at best. Still, I like the Yankees because I think Chien Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte match up well against Sabathia and Fausto Carmona of the Indians in the first two games (assuming Chien Ming Wang isn't randomly terrible as he sometimes can be — especially on the road). Both teams also have pretty good bullpens with the Yankees Joba Chamberlain improving the bullpen greatly toward the end of the season becoming a dominant of 7th and 8th inning guy before Mariano.
Since they're so even, the difference to me is the Yankees offense which can absolutely wear out opposing pitching. Cleveland's top two starters are young and they can be emotional and I'm looking for the Yankees to get under their skin and prevail in the end.
Of course, like I said, I have no confidence in this pick because Alex Rodriguez is an 0 for 4 with two strikeouts with men on base away from getting killed by the media for not coming through in the clutch. Nevermind that without A-Rod (pictured, in a sight I hope to see at some point during the playoffs...I'm thinking positive!) the Yankees wouldn't even be in the playoff preview and we wouldn't be talking about the possibility of him choking in said playoffs. I think he's going to come through this year. And if he doesn't, I seriously doubt it'll all be his fault. But if he decides to leave after this year — having won two league MVPs in four seasons — then it's your fault. Yes you, the one who ragged on the most talented baseball player on the planet and drove him out of town. It's a good thing that's not gonna happen because the Yankees are going to win and he's going to play well. Right?
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