MLB Championship Series Predictions
The past few days have given us some really entertaining baseball to watch. The Houston Astros dynamic offense showed why it could win it all as the Red Sox could not handle them in Houston. The Dodgers gave the Diamondbacks all they could handle and then a little more as they finished them off in 3 games. The Yankees prevailed in a series most picked the Indians to win. The Cubs overcame an early deficit against the Nationals in Game 5 to take the series.
The NLCS is a rematch of last year’s LCS that saw the Chicago Cubs take the series 4–2 against the Dodgers. The Dodgers showed hardly any struggle against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the LDS. The Dodgers pounced on the Diamondbacks making quick work of Arizona. The Cubs, however, had to play the full series as they beat the Washington Nationals on the road. For the second straight season the Nats couldn’t make it out of the NLDS, but that's for another article.
Picking the winner of this series is tough because the Dodgers seem to be playing some very good baseball currently as are the Cubs, but the Cubs don’t seem to have the firepower out of the bullpen that they did last season when they beat the Dodgers. Both teams have been the beneficiaries of good starting pitching, as well as having struggles getting the ball from the starter to the closer as the middlemen in the bullpen have faltered at points for both teams. With Kershaw going Game 1 and the Dodgers having home field advantage, I’m taking the Dodgers in Game 1. I think that as well as both teams are playing this series goes to a Game 7. It also appears that the Cubs have been playing better on the road this series. I’ve learned too many times not to count out the Cubbies in any series they are in. I’m taking the Cubs to win the series 4–3. Although I may not pick them to win the Fall Classic, I think they have just enough firepower to get back to the Series.
Now we’ll talk ALCS. The ALCS has the Houston Astros entertaining the New York Yankees. The Baby Bombers surprised many as they made it past the AL best Indians. Houston cruised past the Boston Red Sox as they defeated them 3–1 in four games. This Houston offense has been so explosive throughout the playoffs. They also back it up with some impressive pitching. Dallas Keuchel will take the play in Game 1 for the Astros. His last time out he was dominant as he held the Red Sox lineup in check in Game 2 of the ALDS. The Yankees are going to counter with Masahiro Tanaka in Game 1 against Houston. This young Yankees lineup has also shown its own firepower as Didi Gregorius hit two homers in their last game and we’ve also seen Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez go yard for the Bombers. I think this is simply a case of the Yankees being a little better than they should really be at this point. While the Yankees have very good starting pitching and arguably the best bullpen in the game, I question whether they continue to hit the way they have against the Astros. How are they going to recover when they surrender a run to Houston in Houston? This crowd may be the most electric one out of all of the team’s crowds. You could almost see the impact their noise had on the faces of the Red Sox players in the last series. With that being said, I like the Astros in this series by the score of 4 games to 2 games. I think the Astros will show everyone they are the real deal like they already have and continue on to the Fall Classic.
Who’s going to get the chance to compete for the Commissioners Trophy? Will the Cubs #FlyTheW or will the Dodgers claim it? Or will Houston manage to grab their first title in team history? Will the Yankees make it 28? I predict the Houston Astros will be taking on the Chicago Cubs for the right to call themselves World Series Champions this year. Although I may end up being wrong, we are about to watch some great games between the NL teams and AL teams. Like I’ve said before, this is the greatest time of year for Major League Baseball. The playoffs are like no other and show that anything can happen in October. I’ll be back to debate the Fall Classic and who I think will win that series. As always, Happy Postseason baseball fans!
