My 2010 Playoff Predictions

The MLB playoffs start Wednesday, and, like every year, I am providing expert knowledge on the game of baseball. I have done this every year since 1994 and have never missed a pick. So here's how it's gonna happen folks:

National League

Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Reds are the team I'll be pulling for from the National League this year, but unfortunately it's incredibly hard to pick them to beat the Phillies here. The Phillies feature one of the best 1-2-3 starting pitching punches in the history of the major leagues. Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels are all near the top of their games right now.

Roy Halladay is a top 3 pitcher in the game and has been for years. His numbers don't even need to be said. He's nearly unbeatable, but it will be interesting to see how he fairs in the playoffs, as he has never been there before.

Oswalt seemed kind of hittable with the Astros the last few years, but he has found a home in Philadelphia and has been outstanding. In 12 starts with the Phils, he has a 1.74 ERA with a .186 batting average against. And if you take out his first start with the Phillies when he got tagged for 4 runs in 6 innings, his ERA stands at 1.41 with a .176 BAA. He has also struck out close to 8 batters per 9 innings since the trade. He's been in the playoffs two times, in 04 and 05, and has a 3.66 ERA with 4 wins and 0 losses. Pretty good numbers there.

Cole Hamels is another guy that looked pretty average earlier in the year, but has turned it on lately. In his last 7 starts he has an ERA of 1.48 with a .205 batting average against. If you know anything about baseball you know he's been incredible in the playoffs. In 3 trips to the postseason he has a 3.86 ERA with a record of 5-3. He wasn't too great last year, as the Yankees beat him up pretty good in the World Series, but in 2008 he was untouchable and won the World Series MVP award.

As for the Reds, it's all about offense. They're pitching rotation isn't too impressive, but they have statistically the best offense in the National League. They'll send out Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, and a third pitcher selected from Mike Leake, Homer Bailey, or Travis Wood. My bet's on Travis Wood, who has been fantastic in his rookie season. He has a 3.51 ERA and nearly pitched a no-hitter earlier in the year. None of these pitchers have dominating stuff or incredibly impressive statistics, so the offense is going to have be even better than it has been, especially matching up against the Phillies pitching staff.

Unless Joey Votto, Jonny Gomes, Jay Bruce and company go on a ridiculous tear against Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels, they don't have much of a chance.

My pick: Phillies in 4

Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants

Another pretty one-sided matchup in my opinion. Both of these teams clinched their playoff births on the last day of the season with wins, but one team is much stronger than the other when it comes to playoff baseball. In case you're wondering, that team is the Giants.

The Braves got ridiculously hot in the 2nd and 3rd months of the season and built a pretty comfortable lead in their division, but played average baseball down the stretch, lost the division to the Phillies, and almost missed the playoffs entirely. Playoff baseball is all about the pitching, and they just don't really have what it takes. Tim Hudson (17-9, 2.83), Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.33), and Derek Lowe (16-12, 4.00) will tow the rubber for the Braves, which just isn't enough to matchup with Tim Lincecum (16-10, 3.43), Matt Cain (13-11, 3.14), and whoever the Giants pick for their 3rd option (between Barry Zito (9-14, 4.15), Madison Bumgarner (7-6, 3.00), and Jonathan Sanchez (13-9, 3.07). My vote would be for Sanchez, who I'm sure will get the nod after his performance yesterday. They pulled him after 5 innings of shut out ball against the Padres, which is a pretty clear sign that they're gonna go with him in game 3.

Neither offense is elite. They both have some solid young bats (Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann) and some suprise veterans (Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Juan Uribe, Martin Prado). It's pretty even offensively, with a slight advantage going to the Braves in my eyes, but the pitching is just too much for me to pick against the Giants. The Braves best pitcher has been Tim Hudson this year, and he has looked pretty terrible at times the last couple months. He's very hittable when he doesn't have his control, and that's not what you want from your ace.

Giants in 3

San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies

So it's Giants vs. Phillies in the NLCS, a great series for pitching. The Phillies still have a clear advantage on the mound, and an even more clear advantage offensively. Their bats have been hot lately; everything is clicking at the perfect time for the Phils. No way I can pick against them now or anytime. Phillies in 5

American League

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

My number 2 team in the league is the Tampa Bay Rays. No doubt they're the team I want to take it all. However, it's gonna be a tough road for the Rays, whose pitching isn't the strongest. They'll send out David Price (19-6, 2.72), Matt Garza (15-10, 3.91), and either James Shields (13-15, 5.18) or Jeff Niemann (12-8, 4.39) for the first 3 games. Niemann's numbers are better but I think they'd be better served with James Shields, who has a 2.88 ERA in 4 starts in the postseason.

The Rangers pitchers are gonna be Cliff Lee (4-6, 3.98 with TEX), CJ Wilson (15-8, 3.35), and Colby Lewis (12-13, 3.72), a pretty solid 3-man rotation. Cliff Lee is one of the best in the game but has had some bad luck with the Rangers this year. The Rangers definitely have an edge in pitching.

The offenses in this series are 2 of the best in the league. The Rangers ranked first in offense for the American League this year, but have looked beatable of late. Josh Hamilton was probably the best hitter in the league this year, winning the batting title with an average of .359 this year, but he has missed a lot of time with a pretty serious injury lately which he has recovered from, but it will probably have some nagging effects which could throw his timing off and result in a bad postseason showing. Without him at 100%, they will have to depend on guys like Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Michael Young, and Nelson Cruz to get it done. They're lineup is very impressive up and down, but there are some definite question marks there. Andrus, Borbon, and Cruz are all young and unexperienced in the playoffs, and Hamilton could be affected by that injury.

Because of the experience factor and the fanhood factor, I'm going with Tampa. Rays in 5

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees

The hated Yankees are once again in the playoffs. They did not win the division this year as the Rays squeaked it out by a game this year. However the Yankees have another very solid team, more offensively centered like always, and should be a force in this years' postseason. They draw the Minnesota Twins, who have been extremely impressive all year long but aren't really built for a playoff run in my opinion.

The pitching for the Twins is iffy, featuring Francisco Liriano (14-10, 3.620, Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.75), and Scott Baker (12-9, 4.49). The offense doesn't impress me too much either, Justin Morneau will not be playing for the twins, which leaves out a huge power threat for the Twinkies. Joe Mauer will have to carry the load after having another solid season with a .327 batting average, but didn't show much power, hitting only 9 home runs. The Twins are gonna have to hope the Yankees choke and hand this one to them, which probably isn't going to happen.

The Yankees have two solid postseason starters in CC Sabathia (21-7, 3.18) and Andy Pettitte (11-3, 3.28), but don't have too much after that. Phil Hughes (18-8, 4.19) got off to a ridiculous start to the season but has been hittable since, and Javier Vazquez and AJ Burnett have been pretty terrible all year long. My guess would be that the Yankees give Vazquez a chance to start. Wouldn't surprise me if they pitched Sabathia on extremely short rest at some point this postseason too, he's a horse and they aren't gonna be scared to use him if they need a win. They shouldn't really need a win in this first series though, they're gonna cruise to victory.

The Yankees offense is too good to lose to the Twins, Robinson Cano is a serious MVP candidate, and then they have guys like Jeter, Rodriguez, and Teixeira, which just makes it unfair. Yankees in 3.

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays

That makes it another AL East ALCS. While I would love to pick the Rays here, I just don't think I can do it. Their pitching isn't the best, and David Price has pitched a lot of innings this year and could begin to wear down. It'll be close, but I think Sabathia gets 3 wins in the ALCS and leads the hated Yankees to another WS berth. Yankees in 7.

New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies

That makes a 2nd consecutive Phillies vs. Yankees world series, which I probably wouldn't even watch most of. Hate both the teams. Really hoping I'm wrong about this prediction.

However my prediction does end on a positive note, with the Yankees losing the world series. The Phillies will cruise through the entire playoffs and finish it with a 5 game win over the Yanks.

Philadelphia Phillies, World Series Champions, in 5 games over the New York Yankees.