This is a rematch of last year's ALDS, in which the Tigers eliminated the Yankees in five games. It should be another great postseason series, as I see both these teams almost evenly matched, as both needed five games to take out Cinderellas in Oakland and Baltimore.
Both lineups are certainly explosive, with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder on one side and Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, and the super-clutch-hitting Raul Ibanez on the other. As it always does in postseason baseball, though, it will come down to pitching. Jose Valverde's 9th inning meltdown in Game 4 against the A's aside, I like Detroit's rotation and bullpen better. Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in the series (maybe in the game) and Doug Fister has already shown he can put down the Yankee lineup (see Game 5, last year). Meanwhile, Anibal Sanchez was one of the best pitchers in baseball down the stretch, and is coming off a solid outing against the A's. The Yankees scored only 16 runs in their series with the Orioles, so I definitely think these Tiger pitchers can do the same in this series. Meanwhile, although Andy Pettitte, Hiroki Kuroda, and Phil Hughes were good in their starts against the Orioles, I think Detroit's more balance lineup will cause them more problems.
Ultimately, the Yankees do have home-field advantage and will be looking for revenge after last year. But just like last year, I'm going to pick the Tigers because of their better pitching.
in 7NLCS
As I correctly predicted, the defending champions just will not die, as they eliminated baseball's best team for the second straight year, with an epic 9th inning comeback against the Nationals in Game 5. Meanwhile, the Giants certainly overcame their share of adversity, after coming back to beat the Reds despite losing the first two games of the series at home.
This series really comes down to the red-hot St. Louis lineup against the Giants starting pitching, in my opinion. Although lacking a true star, the Cards lineup is one of the most balanced in baseball, and Carlos Beltran and Daniel Descalso are on a tear at the moment. Meanwhile, the Giants' pitching staff has pitched well as a unit, with the bullpen outstanding in eliminating the Reds. If Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner can get deep into games, the Giants will be in good hands. Meanwhile, the Giants lineup has to put up runs in support of its starting pitching. Pablo Sandoval was good in the NLDS, but he needs more help, from the likes of Hunter Pence and Buster Posey, especially early in games, against a veteran St. Louis rotation that has proven playoff success. If Lance Lynn and Kyle Lohse can get the Cardinals off to a series lead in Games 1 and 2, look for Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright to help bring the Cardinals another pennant.
In the end, I'm going to take the Giants. I think they can get enough timely hits in this series and their bullpen will be able to hold leads. And St. Louis' magic has to run out at some point, doesn't it?
No comments:
Post a Comment