It's September, which means that the football is starting and baseball is on the home stretch. The playoff picture (with the exception of the wild cards) is becoming more clear as the superior teams extend their leads on their respective divisions. So here's what I think of the how this year's season will round out in terms of the playoffs.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Who's In
1. New York Yankees: Let's just start out with the obvious. They have the best record in baseball, and have had it since the beginning of the year. Their pitching staff doesn't have the issue of being young and inexperienced (see Padres, Rangers) and their lineup is full of All-Stars that know how to produce when it matters most.
2. Tampa Bay Rays: 6.5 games ahead of the Red Sox and the only team above .600 other than the Yankees, and this team looks to be heading for another playoff run. 16 of their final 23 games are against sub-.500 teams with the exception being two series against the Yanks (three in Tampa, four in New York). Count on the Rays coasting into October, and ready to play when they get there.
3. Minnesota: The Twins are riding a six-game winning streak and have only been strengthening their hold on the AL Central. The White Sox are fading quickly as they have just lost three in a row, and the rest of the division has been out of it for quite some time. The main concern for the Twins is the health of first baseman Justin Morneau, who has been out with a concussion since July 7. Morneau says he thinks he will be back before the end of the season, but just because he'll be back doesn't necessarily mean he'll be 100%.
4. Rangers: Despite the underachieving of supposed-ace Cliff Lee, the Rangers will make it to October simply because the AL West won't challenge them. Texas has been floating on a nice big cushion atop the division for quite some time and it doesn't look like that will be changing. Getting to the postseason won't be the problem for the Rangers, succeeding once there will be. Their young pitching staff brings up all of the obvious questions, the main one concerning their endurance of a seven-month season.
Divisional Round
Yankees (East) vs. Rangers (West): Yankees sweep the "happy to be here" Rangers.
Twins (Central) vs. Rays (Wild Card): Rays win in four.
AL Championship
Yankees vs. Rays: Yankees pitching wins out in a seven-game war.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Who's In
1. Phillies: It's about time this team got themselves in first place. The defending NL Champs look like a lock for the World Series on paper but I guess it just took a little while for them to figure things out. If anyone has any doubts about how they'll fare the rest of the season, just take a look at the rest of their schedule. Cakewalks through New York, Florida, and Washington lead to a final series in Atlanta to prep them for the playoffs.
2. Reds: They've lost five straight, but I don't expect that trend to continue. Their lead in the Central is formidable, and the second-place Cardinals haven't been doing that much better over the past week or so. Cincinnati has been a surprise team all year, and they won't just let it all go in the last three weeks. With Aroldis Chapman and a favorable schedule, the Reds have the edge when it comes to finishing out the season.
3,4. Wild West (Wild Card and NL West): What a mixed-up jumble of contenders and unpredictability. Let's just go down the list: There's the Braves, who will hope to grab a Wild Card berth after failing to hold onto the East. Then we've got the Padres, Giants, and Rockies from the West, each of which would be content with either the division crown or Wild Card. This is what I think will happen: While the Padres sputter out with their suddenly weak pitching, the Giants and Rockies will take home the division and Wild Cards titles, respectively (or not respectively, it could be the other way around. The only thing we know is that there won't be any October action on Arizona). The Giants will make it with their one-two punch of Lincecum and Cain, and as for the Rockies, well, they typically go on 20-game winning streaks this time of year.
Divisional Round
Phillies (East) vs. Rockies (Wild Card): Halladay's endurance is key as he out-duels Uribe in this 5-game thriller.
Reds (Central) vs. Giants (West): Lincecum and Cain put Cincy in a 2-game hole that they can't climb out of. San Fran in 4.
NL Championship
Phillies vs. Giants: Giants win because I don't want to see a rematch of 2009. Honestly, if it came to this, Philly's offense would win out. Hopefully Atlanta makes it to the Series.
Who's Out (Rubbing it in and delaying the World Series prediction)
1. Red Sox: Sorry, Nation, but if the Yankees and Rays are in, that means you're out. This really is just for rubbing it in because I hate the Red Sox.
2. Los Angeles: Sports in Los Angeles has hit a dead end this year. There is no NFL team, USC is crippled, and both the Dodgers and Angels are hopelessly dangling below .500.
3. Pirates: Extended their record 17 consecutive losing seasons by claiming the league's worst record. Oh, Pittsburgh.
4. All the last-place teams that were never expected to go anywhere anyways: *cough* Royals *cough*. At least the Nationals had Stephen Strasburg for a while.
WORLD SERIES
What I Predict:
Yankees vs. Phillies: rematch of 2009 yeilds the same result, just quicker. Yankees sweep.
What Would Be Most Desirable Given the Circumstances:
Yankees vs. Rockies: Rockies blow through the Evil Empire. They rejoice.
Ridiculous and Unlikely Personal Preference:
Angels vs. Dodgers: Angels of Anaheim win the Freeway World Series.
If I didn't mention it before, I am an Angels fan and I hate the Red Sox. I don't like repeat winners unless they are the Angels, the Lakers, or Peyton Manning. However, I try to follow the golden rule of journalism - keep bias out of it (this compliance is evidenced by my prediction of a New York - Philly World Series).
So if your team is gone like mine is, start watching football, because that sport is entertaining no matter who is playing. It's just fun to watch.
Thanks for reading,
Jason Clark
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