My record at picking NFL games has put a dent in my confidence, so I've decided to redeem myself by picking the winners in the MLB Division Series.
American League:
Twins/Yankees: Many think the one-game playoff between the Twins and Tigers Tuesday was the battle to see who would get swept by the almighty Yanks, but the streaking Twins could pose a problem for the AL East Champs. AL MVP favorite Joe Mauer will cause problems for New York's pitching staff and Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer have filled in well for the injured Justin Morneau. If a game is close in the late innings, the Twins have one of the Majors' hottest closers in Joe Nathan. With a payroll three times that of the Twins, the Yankees obviously have more talent. CC Sabathia will look to right his postseason struggles, while A-Rod will continue trying to climb into the New York faithful's good graces with some clutch performances. I see Minnesota pushing New York to the edge, but in the end, talent will overcome scrappiness.
Yankees, 3-2
Red Sox/Angels: This matchup may provide the most excitement of any of the Divisional Series on a game-by-game basis. The lumberjack Kevin Youkilis will provide some big plays with his bat and his glove and Jason Bay will provide consistent offense throughout the playoffs. Expect David Ortiz to have a run-of-the-mill series but provide one big hit sometime late in a game. For the Angels, who are still playing for former pitcher Nick Adenhart, the runs can come from anywhere, as it seems like a new player comes up with the big hit every night. I'm looking at Kendry Morales to perform and Vladimir Guerrero to hit at least one pitch at his shoelaces. The pitching, though, is what will win either of these teams the series. With matchups like Jon Lester vs. John Lackey, Josh Beckett vs. Jered Weaver and Scott Kazmir vs. Clay Buchholz in the first three games and Brian Fuentes and Jonathan Papelbon closing the games out, don't be surprised if there are a string of 2-1 final scores. In the end, I'm calling for Boston to keep its stranglehold on the Angels in the postseason.
Red Sox, 3-1
National League:
Cardinals/Dodgers: The Dodgers seem to finally be catching up to their Los Angeles brothers in the Junior Circuit. With playoff appearances in three of the past four years, excitement for baseball has come back to Chavez Ravine. Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension didn't hurt the team as much as his performance after he came back, but Manny is Manny and you can expect a great postseason performance from him as usual. Matt Kemp and James Loney should step up for Los Angeles as well, and Ramirez's replacement during his suspension, Juan Pierre, could also be thrust into some important spots. For the Cardinals, shutting down Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday would be a task for any team, but with the Dodgers starting pitching, it might be impossible to shut down either of them. After Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw, neither of whom is dominant, the next starters are a significant drop off. The Cards pitching, on the other hand, has been brilliant. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are both in the discussion for the NL Cy Young, while Ryan Franklin has been lights out at the back end of the bullpen. This series won't end well for the NL West Champions.
Cardinals, 3-0
Rockies/Phillies: It was the Phillies first postseason appearance in 14 years and before the City of Brotherly Love could even celebrate, their postseason appearance was over by way of a 3-0 sweep at the hands of the Colorado Rockies. That was 2007, and the Phillies more than made up for that disappointment with a World Series Championship last year, but the NL East Champs are still out for revenge against Colorado. What appears to be a mismatch could in fact become a series if the Majors' hottest team since the All-Star break continues its play. Jimmy Rollins could end up being the Phils' playoff MVP after the most dismal start to a season in his career, while Mr. "Home Run or Strikeout" Ryan Howard will have some big plays to earn his paycheck once again. Philadelphia's starting pitching can match up with anybody, as World Series MVP Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and a postseason-tested Pedro Martinez lead that bunch. The only way the Rockies can win this series is if they can keep it close and find some runs against the Phils' struggling bullpen. Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton will provide some offense, but not enough.
Phillies, 3-1
Come back before the ALCS and NLCS to see how I did and what I think about those series.
-Rung
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