I picked the two best teams to come out of the MLB playoffs, Philadelphia and New York.
So, there's that.
I got the other two series right and will, it should not surprise you, pick those two winners, Texas and Milwaukee, to now advance to the World Series.
Philadelphia and New York each lost for the same two reasons (1) as I say, every single year, anyone can win a short series; I make predictions because that's what one does, but there's not really any result in a playoff series that should shock and (2) the winners had some favorable matchups that they were able to take advantage of, even though the losers were significantly better regular season teams.
That doesn't stop here - Texas should beat Detroit (that top of the order Tigers lineup should not be going to the World Series) but the Rangers have lefty arms and Detroit has right handed bats; when you add that to the Tigers ability to send Verlander to the mound in Games 1,4 and 7 - this is the best possible situation for the Tigers to win.
I don't think they will; had the Yankees come through in Game 5, my pick was going to switch to Texas, their bats+bullpen looks to me like a world champion.
My primary thought about the NL is Giants fans should be extra frustrated; this is why you don't kick seasons away the way we did this year; if we start Belt all year - if we sign even a league average shortstop in the offseason - I think maybe we make it. And if we make it, with the top end starting pitching, the number of bullpen arms, and Sandoval/Beltran/and hopefully a Belt who worked out his adjustment to big league pitching over the course of the summer - then we might still be playing baseball this weekend.
I'll stick with Milwaukee, they've got the pitching advantage in every game other than when Carpenter goes, and whereas the Tigers didn't need Verlander to finish the Yanks, Carpenter had to throw game 5 in the NLDS. I don't like all those outs in the Brewers lineup, but I'll say they get through.
I'm for Milwaukee.
