The best of five divisional series are upon us. The matchups are exciting and feature many teams who have gone a long time without a playoff berth.
ALDS
Yankees/Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians boast a fundamentally sound team that hits for average over power. They play solid defense. They have good pitching. They are led by former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona. Their offensive star is Jose Ramirez. The teams that played in the Wild Card round have the notable disadvantage of having used their best starters already. The Guardians will take on a team that is built around power: The Bronx Bombers.
The Yankees are a team that boasts a plethora of sluggers. They are more balanced than in previous years. They have former Rangers Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jose Trevino anchoring the defensive positions of shortstop and catcher. They were carried offensively by Aaron Judge, who will win AL MVP this year. They have a hard carry ace in Gerrit Cole, but a weak bullpen. The Yankees looked incredible at the All Star break but have since fallen off hard. Their offense is inconsistent and so is the bullpen. The Yankees should have the firepower to beat the Guardians. Yanks in 5.
Astros/Mariners
The Astros take on the Seattle Mariners, who have not made the playoffs since 2001. The Astros have the same powerful core they have used for years. Bregman, Alvarez, Atuve. Lots of good pitching. Very consistent, scary team. Justin Verlander looked great this year and the bullpen is very strong.
The Mariners are a plucky team. They used their top two starters Luis Castillo and Robbie Ray to win the Wild Card. This will make beating the Astros exceedingly difficult. They lack a solid bullpen. Their offense is solid but worse than Houston’s. The Astros should be able to pick up this series with ease. Astros in 3.
NLDS
Phillies/Braves
The Phillies return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. They face their division rival Atlanta Braves. The Phillies are a top heavy team led by Bryce Harper and their two aces: Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Both of these hard-throwing righties were used to shut down the St. Louis Cardinals in the previous round. This means youngster Ranger Suarez will start Game 1 for the Phillies. If they can steal the open game they can win the series. But it will be hard to not go down 0-2 having to start in Atlanta. The Phillies have a top heavy offense, a top heavy staff, and a poor bullpen. The Braves are deep and without flaws.
The Braves two stud starting pitchers are hurt: Mike Soroka and Spencer Strider. Their bullpen is very good. Their lineup is deep and powerful. The players hit for average too. They play good defense. This is a very scary team. Braves in 4.
Padres/Dodgers
The Dodgers lineup is an insane embarrassment of riches. They face their division rival Padres who bought big at the deadline and look scary. Both teams are star studded and exciting. Both teams have established pitchers in the bullpen and rotation. The Dodgers are simply better across the board. They were the heavy favorites at the start of the year and still look great. They have the best farm system in baseball too. The most exciting part of this series will be seeing Yu Darvish return to Dodgers Stadium in the playoffs.
This will be the most exciting series. The Padres embarrassed the Mets to reach the NLDS. The Dodgers are the heavy favorites to win it all. Dodgers in 3.
