By Josh:
So I went with my heart on two playoff picks and missed but my World Series picks are still alive and let’s be honest the two Championship Series look like great match ups.
American League Championship Series
Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox
Although I would have loved to see the A’s in this series I am not too broken hearted because this may end up being a great matchup. Both teams have strong pitching and both teams have the ability to score runs in a hurry.
The fact that Verlander pitched well in the Division Series changes some of my thoughts about the Detroit Tigers. Suddenly the starting pitching of the Tigers seems even stronger than I first thought.
Does this change my pick for the World Series? No, I still think that the Red Sox are the front runner and this series is theirs to win or lose. I think the Red Sox offense is going to be the key to this series and if they can get things going against the Tigers starting pitching then this series could end pretty quickly.
Overall I think this series will go 6 games with the Red Sox winning and this series will have a lot of great highlights.
National League Championship Series
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
I don’t believe that the winner of this series is the automatic World Series champion but both of these teams could be considered the favorite against either of the A.L. teams.
The Cardinals are that team that no one wants to face because even though they aren’t flashy, they may be the most sound and complete team in the playoffs. They have strong pitching, a solid defense and they can score runs with the long ball or some small ball. Most of the Cardinals players have been in the playoffs before and this will help them in this series.
What the Cardinals lack in flash, the Dodgers more than make up for. Brian Wilson, Yasiel Puig, Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and the rest of the roster equals the highest paid lineup in Major League Baseball. This season is a win the World Series or bust season for the Dodgers. Making it to the playoffs and even to the World Series isn’t going to be enough. They have to win it all.
The Cardinals are a scary team but I still have the Dodgers winning. It is going to take 7 games to win this series and tempers may flare on both sides. That is why this will be the best series in the playoffs.