2013 NLDS and ALDS Preview

National League

Pirates vs. Cardinals

How they got here: The Pirates earned their first postseason trip in 20 years by securing the 1st Wild Card berth and then beat the Reds in the Wild Card game 6-2. St. Louis, meanwhile, won their first NL Central title since 2009, behind an outstanding lineup and pitching staff

Prediction: I think postseason experience will play a role in this series, as the Cards are full of veterans which know how to win games in October, while this is the first postseason for most of the Pittsburgh players. Matt Holliday, Matt Carpenter, and the hot Matt Adams anchor a good St. Louis lineup, while their pitching staff (5th in ERA) led by Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn is always solid. The Pirates do have the best player in the series in MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen, best home run hitter in Pedro Alvarez, and are riding an emotional high at the moment, but in the end, I think the balanced St. Louis roster is just more talented.

in 5.



Dodgers vs. Braves
How they got here: The Dodgers bounced back from a horrible start to the year to put together one of the most remarkable two-month runs in baseball history, going 40-8 at one stretch and running away with the NL West. Meanwhile, Atlanta started out hot and maintained their big lead in the weak NL East, capturing their first division title since 2005.

Prediction: It should be a series dominated by pitching as LA and Atlanta ranked 1st and 2nd in overall ERA this year. Clayton Kershaw and Zach Grienke on one side and Kris Medlen and the outstanding Atlanta bullpen of David Carpenter and Craig Kimbrel on the other side should mean that runs might be hard to come by in this series. If pitching is a wash, then advantage LA on the hitting side. Atlanta has the hottest hitter at the moment in Freddie Freeman, but LA has the balance the Braves can't match

in 5.



American League
Rays vs. Red Sox

How they got here: The Rays survived a late season swoon to capture the 2nd Wild Card after beating the Rangers in a one-game playoff and followed that up by beating the Indians in Cleveland in the AL Wildcard game on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Red Sox completed an unexpected last-to-first turnaround this year to capture the AL East once again.

Prediction: In this AL East showdown, it will come down to the potent Boston bats with David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Mike Napoli against Tampa's outstanding pitching in David Price and Alex Cobb. Boston's pitching isn't great (although SP Clay Buchholz and closer Koji Uehara had great seasons), but neither is Tampa's lineup, other than Wil Myers and the suddenly hot Delmon Young, so look for a close series, but with Boston coming out on top.

in 5.

Tigers vs. Athletics

How they got here: The Tigers cruised to their third straight AL Central title, wrapping it up by early-September behind likely-MVP Miguel Cabrera and Cy Young Max Scherzer. Meanwhile, Billy Beane's A's did it again, repeating as AL West champions despite having a payroll about half of what Texas and Anaheim spent.

Prediction: In this rematch of last year's ALDS, which was won by the Tigers in 5, I'm going to go with the hotter team. Detroit has been on cruise control for the last month, having wrapped up the Central division early on, and although they have the best pitcher and hitter in this series, Oakland's lineup is hot, as Coco Crisp, Josh Donaldson, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jed Lowrie have keyed the A's run to the AL West title in the last month. In addition, despite losing A.J. Griffin for the series with tendinitis, Oakland has more than enough live arms in Bartolo Colon, Sonny Gray, and Jarrod Parker, who can match Detroit's trifecta of Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, and Justin Verlander.
in 5.