I'd like to start off by retracting my post from about 2 months ago, where I called the Tigers the team of destiny, much like last year's White Sox. Unlike the the Sox, they didn't rally at the end of the season to hold onto the division title, and now they are like a 3-legged kitten limping into a pitbull house named Yankee Stadium. Now its almost looking like the Twins are the team of destiny, or maybe this is the Yankees year to restake their usual claim on top of baseball's mountain. Only time will tell. For now, let's get onto my first round picks for the playoffs.
National (Minor) LeagueLos Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets
The Dodgers head into the playoffs as the hottest team in baseball, winning their last 7 in a row to hold off the Phillies for the wild card and coming up just short of taking the NL West title from the Padres. Now they go on the road to face the Mets, who have been on cruise control for the past few months. The Mets were about to come into the playoffs rested and ready, but Pedro Martinez's injuries have thrown their rotation into disarray. Now they are relying on Orlando Hernandez, (who has been excellent in the playoffs, but how much does he have left?), Tom Glavine (there's a reason the Braves only won one World Series), Steve Trachsel (only one quality start in September), and John Maine (unproven semi-rookie). Their lineup, however, has star power from top to bottom and they could easily ride the bats of Beltran, Wright, Delgado, and everyone else all the way to the World Series. The Dodgers have a strange mix of youngsters and veterans with only a little left in the tank. You can even see it in the pitching staff with 40 year-old Greg Maddux being followed in the rotation by 22 year-old Chad Billingsley. The Dodgers are also one of the streakiest teams I've ever seen. They had a stretch following the all-star break where they went 1-13 in 14 games, then followed that by a 17-1 run in the next 18. Is their 7 game win streak going to turn into a 10? or maybe a 3 game losing streak? There's no way to tell. I'm going to go with neither, and the Mets will pull out a dramatic game 5 win in Shea.
Pick: Mets in 5
St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego PadresLast year, the Padres were a sorry excuse for a playoff team, winning the miserable NL West with a record barely above .500. I was telling people that if there was any justice out there, the 100-win Cardinals would sweep them out of the playoffs, which they did. This year, the tables have turned. Sure, the Padres were far from 100 wins, but no one has ever entered the playoffs ass-first like the Cardinals have. I'm not even going to bother going into player matchups, because the Cardinals chances of winning relies on the one man that just barely got them into the playoffs in the first place (and could earn him the MVP), Albert Pujols. If Pujols produces and the rest of the team can step it up a notch, they could advance, if not, they'll be swept. I think Pujols will get them a win in game 3 at Busch, but Trevor Hoffman will shut the door on their season in the next game.
Pick: Padres in 4
American League
Detroit Tigers vs. New York YankeesI already discussed the Tigers a little above, and I'm still amazed by what happened to them. They had me absolutely convinced that they would not fade, and they managed to do it with 2 weeks to go, yet still make the playoffs. Now, instead of hosting Oakland for 2 games in a raucous Comerica Park to start their first playoff run in 19 years, they stumble into Yankee Stadium. Jim Leyland has done some amazing things as manager, but I don't think he'll be able to motivate this relatively young team to turn it around and defeat one of the better Yankee teams in years. Speaking of the Yankees, despite all of their injuries throughout the season, they still managed to win the AL East by 10 games over 2 teams that had a better record than the Cardinals. Now, heading into the playoffs, they finally have Sheffield and Matsui back to go along with A-Rod, Jeter (who had his best offensive year), Abreu, Damon, Cano, Posada, and, whew....this team is stacked. Their pitching is not the best in the playoffs, but it is enough to take them to the promised land and snap their 6-year "curse." But first things first....
Pick: Yankees in 3
Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins
After looking pretty miserable to start the season, the Twins have been unstoppable in June and the 2nd half of the season, carrying them all the way to the AL Central title. Their offense is lead by Morneau, Mauer, and Cuddyer, who unfortunately, does not have 3 consecutive vowels in his last name. There's also a Torii, who should add a third "i" just for consistency. Their pitching was lead by the unstoppable Johan Santana and rookie sensation Francisco Liriano, who is now done for the year, and if healthy, would have probably made the Twins the favorite in the AL. Now the rest of their playoff rotation is filled in by Brad Radke, who is held together by staples and duct tape, Carlos Silva, and possibly a 2nd rookie sensation, Matt Garza. The A's have basically been solid and consistent, and I guess rather boring. While the other teams in the AL West were up and down, they just kept plugging way and picking up wins with solid pitching and a solid lineup. Of course, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm jumping on the A's bandwagon because of Frank Thomas, but because of Johan Santana in a short series, 3 games in Minnesota, and no playoff series wins since 1990, despite 5 playoff appearances since then, I'm going with the Twins
Pick: Twins in 4
