Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Major League Division Series Preview
By: Adam Bielamowicz
October has arrived. The air will be getting colder (at least in most of the country), the leaves will be changing and, most importantly, the MLB playoffs, which get underway in New York today, are here.
This year’s version of the postseason looks to be one of the most interesting in years. In the American League there are some familiar faces such as the New York Yankees, and some newcomers to the playoff scene, like the Detroit Tigers. Will the newcomers shock the nation, or will postseason experience be the key to advancing to the Fall Classic?
In the National League, the New York Mets have been by far the best team in the league, but have been on cruise control since clinching the division nearly two weeks ago. Will the Mets continue to dominate despite sleepwalking through the last two weeks, or will one of the NL West teams that have been playing great baseball as of late continue their hot streaks throughout the postseason? Here are the breakdowns of all four Division Series matchups, with predictions of who will advance to the Championship Series.
Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees
This matchup pits a veteran Yankees squad that has advanced to the postseason every year since 1995 against a young Tigers team that has been struggling as of late, losing five in a row and losing the top spot in the AL Central.
Facing the Yankees in the first round may seem like an insurmountable task for Detroit, but they are not quite as young a team as you would thing; four players in the starting lineup have playoff experience, including C Ivan Rodriguez and 1B Sean Casey, as well as starting pitcher Kenny Rogers. Add to the fact that the Yankees starting rotation has been shaky all year, and you see the potential for the Tigers to put some runs on the board.
However, the key to this series is how well the Tigers’ rotation can hold up against the Yankees’ All-World lineup, which is finally healthy. Three of Detroit’s starters, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander have no playoff experience. It would be a long shot to see them last against possibly the best offensive lineup ever, which includes Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and several other All-Stars in their starting lineup.
This could be one of the few playoff series that could be decided offensively rather than with pitching. Look for the Yankees to outscore the Tigers in this one and take this series in four.
Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins
This intriguing series will be a battle between teams with payrolls in the bottom half of MLB, an anomaly in a league where the more you spend usually translates to the more you win. Add to this the fact that neither of these teams has advanced past the first round recently, and you start to see how competitive this one will be.
Both team’s starting rotations are top heavy, with Barry Zito leading the A’s and Johan Santana being the ace in the Twins’ staff. They take a step down after that, with Dan Haren and Boof Bonser having holding the number two spots in their respective teams’ rotations. The aces on the staffs must pitch well in game one to set an example for the rest of the pitching staff.
Offensively, the Twins look to have a much better lineup than the A’s. Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau have both been swinging hot bats for the Twins, and Joe Mauer finished the season with a .347 average. The A’s did not have a single player in their starting lineup hit over .300.
Watch for Santana to throw a spectacular game one on Wednesday to give the Twins momentum. It will be a hard fought series, but the raucous Metrodome home-field advantage and the magic of the Homer Hankie will carry the Twins to a win in five games.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets
This series is a tale of two entirely different teams. The Dodgers are the hottest team in baseball, having won nine of their last ten games to earn the NL Wild Card. The Mets, while they have not played horribly, have not played a meaningful game since clinching the NL East on Sept. 19.
The Mets will be without staff ace Pedro Martinez, and number two starter Tom Glavine’s health is also in question. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ staff is solid, with Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux and Brad Penny pitching solid for Los Angeles as of late.
Offensively, the Mets look to put up some big numbers on the back of David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes. The Dodgers have been hitting the ball well as of late with J.D. Drew finishing the season with 100 RBIs and Nomar Garciaparra looking more like the Nomar from Boston every day.
Common sense would tell me to take the Mets, who won 97 games this year. However they have cooled down as of late, going 9-11 in their last 20 games. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have won 13 games during the same stretch. Los Angeles’ pitching stacks up well against the Mets’ lineup, and they will derail all hopes for a subway series by upsetting the Mets in five games.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres
This is another case of one team that is streaking and one team that is reeling. The Padres, under intense pressure from the Dodgers, won 8 of their last 10 games to win the NL West. The Cardinals, meanwhile, went 9-16 in their last 25 games and barely were able to hold off the Houston Astros to win the NL Central.
On paper, the Cardinals look to be the better team, with Albert Pujols’ presence in the lineup and Chris Carpenter vying for the Cy Young award this season. However, the Cardinals have not been performing well as of late, with the starting rotation blowing up during their last month and the offense failing to perform as well.
The Padres, meanwhile, have a solid starting rotation with Jake Peavy, Chris Young and Woody Williams, despite having an offense that does not pack much punch. This should give them an advantage with home field advantage in the friendly confines of Petco Park.
The Cardinals have not been playing good ball lately, and they are 34-47 on the road this season. With the Padres having home field advantage, they look to be the favorites in this series. They should win this one in four games.
October has arrived. The air will be getting colder (at least in most of the country), the leaves will be changing and, most importantly, the MLB playoffs, which get underway in New York today, are here.
This year’s version of the postseason looks to be one of the most interesting in years. In the American League there are some familiar faces such as the New York Yankees, and some newcomers to the playoff scene, like the Detroit Tigers. Will the newcomers shock the nation, or will postseason experience be the key to advancing to the Fall Classic?
In the National League, the New York Mets have been by far the best team in the league, but have been on cruise control since clinching the division nearly two weeks ago. Will the Mets continue to dominate despite sleepwalking through the last two weeks, or will one of the NL West teams that have been playing great baseball as of late continue their hot streaks throughout the postseason? Here are the breakdowns of all four Division Series matchups, with predictions of who will advance to the Championship Series.
Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees
This matchup pits a veteran Yankees squad that has advanced to the postseason every year since 1995 against a young Tigers team that has been struggling as of late, losing five in a row and losing the top spot in the AL Central.
Facing the Yankees in the first round may seem like an insurmountable task for Detroit, but they are not quite as young a team as you would thing; four players in the starting lineup have playoff experience, including C Ivan Rodriguez and 1B Sean Casey, as well as starting pitcher Kenny Rogers. Add to the fact that the Yankees starting rotation has been shaky all year, and you see the potential for the Tigers to put some runs on the board.
However, the key to this series is how well the Tigers’ rotation can hold up against the Yankees’ All-World lineup, which is finally healthy. Three of Detroit’s starters, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander have no playoff experience. It would be a long shot to see them last against possibly the best offensive lineup ever, which includes Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and several other All-Stars in their starting lineup.
This could be one of the few playoff series that could be decided offensively rather than with pitching. Look for the Yankees to outscore the Tigers in this one and take this series in four.
Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins
This intriguing series will be a battle between teams with payrolls in the bottom half of MLB, an anomaly in a league where the more you spend usually translates to the more you win. Add to this the fact that neither of these teams has advanced past the first round recently, and you start to see how competitive this one will be.
Both team’s starting rotations are top heavy, with Barry Zito leading the A’s and Johan Santana being the ace in the Twins’ staff. They take a step down after that, with Dan Haren and Boof Bonser having holding the number two spots in their respective teams’ rotations. The aces on the staffs must pitch well in game one to set an example for the rest of the pitching staff.
Offensively, the Twins look to have a much better lineup than the A’s. Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau have both been swinging hot bats for the Twins, and Joe Mauer finished the season with a .347 average. The A’s did not have a single player in their starting lineup hit over .300.
Watch for Santana to throw a spectacular game one on Wednesday to give the Twins momentum. It will be a hard fought series, but the raucous Metrodome home-field advantage and the magic of the Homer Hankie will carry the Twins to a win in five games.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets
This series is a tale of two entirely different teams. The Dodgers are the hottest team in baseball, having won nine of their last ten games to earn the NL Wild Card. The Mets, while they have not played horribly, have not played a meaningful game since clinching the NL East on Sept. 19.
The Mets will be without staff ace Pedro Martinez, and number two starter Tom Glavine’s health is also in question. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ staff is solid, with Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux and Brad Penny pitching solid for Los Angeles as of late.
Offensively, the Mets look to put up some big numbers on the back of David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes. The Dodgers have been hitting the ball well as of late with J.D. Drew finishing the season with 100 RBIs and Nomar Garciaparra looking more like the Nomar from Boston every day.
Common sense would tell me to take the Mets, who won 97 games this year. However they have cooled down as of late, going 9-11 in their last 20 games. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have won 13 games during the same stretch. Los Angeles’ pitching stacks up well against the Mets’ lineup, and they will derail all hopes for a subway series by upsetting the Mets in five games.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres
This is another case of one team that is streaking and one team that is reeling. The Padres, under intense pressure from the Dodgers, won 8 of their last 10 games to win the NL West. The Cardinals, meanwhile, went 9-16 in their last 25 games and barely were able to hold off the Houston Astros to win the NL Central.
On paper, the Cardinals look to be the better team, with Albert Pujols’ presence in the lineup and Chris Carpenter vying for the Cy Young award this season. However, the Cardinals have not been performing well as of late, with the starting rotation blowing up during their last month and the offense failing to perform as well.
The Padres, meanwhile, have a solid starting rotation with Jake Peavy, Chris Young and Woody Williams, despite having an offense that does not pack much punch. This should give them an advantage with home field advantage in the friendly confines of Petco Park.
The Cardinals have not been playing good ball lately, and they are 34-47 on the road this season. With the Padres having home field advantage, they look to be the favorites in this series. They should win this one in four games.
# posted by Bevo @ 12:57 PM 
