The Wildcard round gave one wild finish and a dominant performance by the underdog. The National held serve at home with a clutch hit by Juan Soto to down the Brew Crew. The Rays stifled the perennial wild card, Oakland Athletics 5-1 to advance. With 20% of the teams out of the picture, we are left with an Elite Eight of teams. While Vegas has claimed the Astros & Dodgers as favorites, we have seen stranger things occur in a 5-game baseball series. What should we be looking for in the Divisional Round> Our experts chime in.
National League Playoffs
Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The Braves postseason run in 2018 last four games as they were humbled by the eventual runner-up Dodgers. The Cardinals make their first postseason since 2015 where they lost to their rival Cubs in five games. The Braves have matured quickly and enter as the favorite this time around. Many expect this Atlanta to be in this position for years to come with a young core featuring Acuna Jr, Albies, Soroka, Swanson and Freeman. The Cardinals are young and hungry and have the secret weapon, Jack Flaherty. This series has the makings of a five-gamer. We expect it to go STL, ATL, ATL, STL, ATL.
Final Word: Braves in 5.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals
Wildcard teams enter the Division Series hotter than any team. I mean, they just sprayed each other with Bud Heavy & Bubbly, they are feeling no pain. The Nationals are dangerous and can do damage to a Dodgers team who has been front running all season. This Nationals club is gritty and will fight their way through this series. Problem is, the Dodgers were coasting in September for a reason, they are deep and talented. If the Dodgers can flip the switch into Playoff Mode early, they should in 4 games. We will see some excellent pitching performances with Kershaw, Buehler, Scherzer, Corbin, Ryu, Strasburg and a host of bullpen talent. We have it pegged as LA, LA, WSH, LA.
Final Word: Dodgers in 4.
American League Playoffs
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
Can we just lock in the Over now? This will be a home run frenzy. Both the Twins and Yankees have a lineup littered with lumber. The Twins hit more long balls than any team. Ever. They enter Yankee Stadium to see if they could outslug the Yankees three out of five times. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are fully recovered and ready to go. With so many potent offense, the pitching performances will be key. The Yankees bullpen is strong but it will not matter much if their starters cannot navigate thorough the first five innings. These Twins like the underdog label will wear it more prominenantly than their 2019 postseason patch. Max Kepler, Nelson Cruz and Eddie Rosario will keep constant pressure on a Yankees staff that is not ready for the moment. Series will play out with MIN, NYY, NYY, MIN and MIN.
Final Word: Twins in 5.
Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays
The best team in the game faces off with the team with the lowest payroll in the sport. A lot of experts will say it is David vs. Goliath but honestly if you just said Astros vs. Rays, that gets the point across. The good part of that is the games will be played on grass and turf. These Rays have been convicted since March to get back to their first postseason since 2014. The Rays are talented and deep. Tampa Bay’s pen is nastier than any team left in the chase. The Astros on the other end, were the best team all season. They return the majority of their core that won the title in 2017. They went out and got Greinke at the deadline. They have Verlander, Cole and Greinke starting. The problem here is that Tampa Bay’s lineup 1-9 can hit good pitching and can hit it hard. Harder than any team in the league. The Rays have a formula to win a game in five innings and we think they will. Series lays out as TB, TB, HOU, TB.
Final Word: Rays in 4
