Postseason Predictions by Dave Funnell

By: Dave Funnell

We have officially made it through a 162-game regular season and into the playoffs. We began with 30 teams vying for a World Series and are now down to the final twelve who have the right to challenge for a championship. It’s been quite the season, but we’re nowhere near being finished.

Here’s what you need to know regarding the format for these playoffs:

1. Wild Card Round – Best of Three
2. Divisional Round – Best of Five
3. World Series – Best of Seven

And the teams competing in these playoffs are bracketed in the following way:

And so, without further ado, here are my postseason predictions:

Wild Card Round:

1. Minnesota Twins vs Toronto Blue Jays
   1. The Twins finished the season with a hefty lead in their division, but there is some belief that’s because their main completion in the Central was weak. I think they are better than the credit they’re being given. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, seemingly underperformed despite a rather healthy 2023 season. Will they continue that trend here, or finally wake up? Twins in three.
2. Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers
   1. The Rays have had their fair share of injuries all season long, yet somehow managed to finish just shy of 100 wins for the season. The Rangers have been playing with fire all season long. They’ve had a powerhouse offence paired with an over achieving and injury-prone rotation. Here is where those concerns come to a head. Tampa Bay has been resilient all season, and I think they continue to be just that. Rays in three.
3. Milwaukee Brewers vs Arizona Diamondbacks
   1. Arizona is quite the feel-good story of the season, showing that building from within does pay off. They have a bright future ahead of them with some impressive talent. The Brewers thrived against their divisional foes this season, but struggled everywhere else. That said, their rotation is incredibly solid enough to steal a series from an inexperienced team like the Diamondbacks and will likely do so here. Brewers in three.
4. Philadelphia Phillies vs Miami Marlins
   1. The Marlins had themselves quite the season of ups and downs, and have built a winner. They are likely one year away from showing more a more consistent level of excellence, and are unfortunately running into a solid team from top to bottom. If the Phillies get what we’ve all come to expect from Aaron Nola, watch out. Phillies in two.

Divisional Series Round

1. Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros
   1. Making it this far by winning a playoff series is a big achievement for the Twins. Running into a powerhouse like Houston is unfortunate. The Astros have little in terms of questions within their team, as of this writing, with a solid lineup of their own to match almost anyone, but their pitching is good enough to overcome and beat the Twins. Astros in four.
2. Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles
   1. Usually in these situations, I like to take experience over potential. However, I’m going against that notion here. The Rays injury woes will come back to haunt them here and the surging Orioles will find a way to push through. Their time will come and likely isn’t in 2023, but every now and then teams’ surprise. This could be one of these moments. Orioles in five.
3. Milwaukee Brewers vs Los Angeles Dodgers
   1. It seems like every single year; the Dodgers crush it during the regular season and falter in the postseason. Will this year be any different? It’s tough to tell. The Brewers have the superior pitching here, as their rotation is once again good enough to steal a small series. However, the Dodgers have experienced hitting on their side. It will be close, but I think the Dodgers prevail. Dodgers in five.
4. Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies
   1. This was a season for the ages for Atlanta, as offensively they were powerhouse unlike many others before them. So many players hit for power and speed this year, it was an insane amount of offense. The question lies now with their pitching. They have some injuries (as of this writing) that could lead to some starting pitching problems. During the season, the Braves went 8-5 against the Phillies, but four of those wins came when Philadelphia was a different team. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner turned their seasons around in July, which is after those first two series were completed. I’m calling it right here, right now. Phillies in five.

League Championship Series

1. Houston Astros vs Baltimore Orioles
   1. Both of these teams have been fun to watch in 2023. The Orioles had a surge in their development that saw them rise to the top of the American League. The Astros, on the other hand, fought valiantly all season long in a long American League West battle with two worthy foes in Seattle and Texas. Going forward, I feel like the experience of Houston prevails here, as Baltimore uses this series as a platform for next year’s step forward. They’re good, but they can be even better…. soon enough. Astros in six.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers vs Philadelphia Phillies
   1. While the Dodgers have had themselves a great season, it always felt like they were waiting for the star to fall. They lost Julio Urias midseason and have had some of their prospects not perform up to their impressive standards. While they would love to win a World Series this year, the writing on the wall has them signing Shohei Ohtani this offseason and doing that next year. For now, the revenge narrative is in play. Phillies in six.

World Series

1. Houston Astros vs Philadelphia Phillies
   1. Speaking of the revenge narrative, here we have a rematch of last year’s World Series. The difference between this year and last is that the Phillies seem to be the better team. Players like Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos are all much better now than they were a year ago, and the Astros pitching seems to have taken a step backward. Philadelphia will need someone other than Zack Wheeler to take a step forward, but they do have an under-rated bullpen that’s built to hold leads or help with a comeback. Houston has quietly withheld their own injury woes this season, but it feels like they’re not destined to be back-to-back champions. Phillies in seven.

And there you have it. My predictions for how the playoffs will unfold. Agree? Disagree? Send me your thoughts @sportz_nutt51 on X (it’s really Twitter).