By: Kelly Byrnes
All four series are divisional matchups and three of them have had some bad blood in this short season. We may see some fireworks in this round and I for one am pumped to watch it unfold. One fun twist this year is no days off in the Divisional Series so a team can’t have 1 or 2 pitchers carry them through a series. Teams will need four quality starters and a deep bullpen. Let the fun begin!
ALDS: 1) Tampa Bay Rays (40-20) vs 5) New York Yankees (33-27)
I think this is going to be a fun series. It is going to be the Rays pitchers vs the Yankees hitters and who ever can contain the other will come out victorious. The Yankees not being able to play any games at Yankee Stadium is a big disadvantage to them, more so than the Rays not being able to play at The Trop. I’m going with the Rays bullpen as being the big players in this series. Rays advance.
ALDS: 2) Oakland A’s (36-24) vs 6) Houston (29-31)
I still can’t believe the Astros advanced but I guess when they played a team that hadn’t won a postseason game since 2004 its not that surprising. The A’s are on a mission to show them that winning the AL West wasn’t a fluke and that they own the West for many years too come. A’s advance.
NLDS: 1) Los Angeles Dodgers (43-17) vs 4) San Diego Padres (37-23)
The Dodgers reward for being the best team all year long is playing the exciting and talented Padres who were probably the 3rd or 4th best team in baseball this year. The Padres aren’t announcing anything on Lamet or Clevinger to the last possible minute. I would say they need at least one of them in their rotation. It is going to be a very emotional series and if the Dodgers pitchers can keep the Padres bats from having those big innings I think the Dodgers will be ok. Dodgers advance.
NLDS: 2) Atlanta Braves (35-25) vs 6) Miami Marlins (31-29)
Hats off to the Marlins making it this far but they are playing way over there heads. The Braves offense is crazy good and the Marlins just don’t quite have the arms yet. The Marlins won’t just roll over, they will show some fight but in the long run the Braves knock out the Marlins of the postseason for the first time in their franchise history.