2011 ALDS & NLDS Predictions

MLB 2011 ALDS & NLDS Predictions

ALDS

Detroit Tigers Vs New York Yankees

This is going to be a fun series to watch. These two teams matchup really well against eachother, the first game will probably be the only low scoring game of the series since two of the best pitchers in the league, C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander, will be pitching. But other than that the rest of the games will probably be high scoring, both teams can score at any given time, steal tons of bases and even when they are down in the bottom of the 9^th you cannot count them out! The edge to me is going to be The Yankees lineup because they have three of the best hitters in the game with Curtis Granderson who has 41 home runs this season, Mark Teixeira who has 39 home runs and Robinson Cano who has 28 home runs. And even though Alex Rodriguez has been injured most of the season you can't sleep on him because he can still get the job done. The Tigers have Justin Verlander who has had a great season and has been a consistent pitcher his entire career, but outside of him they don't have anybody who I think is going to step up and be able to win the series. But this season Verlander hasn't been that great against The Yankees both of his starts against them this season were no decisions and The Yankees had no problems scoring runs on him.

Yankees Over Tigers in 4 Games

Tampa Bay Rays Vs Texas Rangers

The Rays are a team that have been on fire the second half of the season and they've been doing it quietly with no hype. The main reason why is because of their dominant pitching and their batting lineup is finally healthy. The Rangers to me have a great batting lineup, but their problem like it was in the playoffs last year is their pitching. They lost Cliff Lee in free agency and he carried them all the way to The World Series, where he choked and The Rangers ended up losing to The Giants (sorry had to get that in there hehe). But their pitching is going to be a problem because we all know that pitching wins championships and I think The Rays lineup will be able to knock around The Rangers pitchers, while their pitchers will be able to lock down The Rangers batting lineup. The Rays are playing some really good baseball right now and I think they will be a team to watch out for in the playoffs who might cause some upsets.

Rays Over Rangers in 5 Games

NLDS

St. Louis Cardinals Vs Philadelphia Phillies

The Cardinals were way out of the playoff race months ago! Their season did not start off well, Pujols got injured and they really didn't start getting it together until the last month (they should also send a big thank you down to The Atlanta Braves for choking hardcore!). But they definitely got it going at the best time of the year, that's the thing about baseball it does not matter how you start the season, it's how you finish. What sucks for them is they are playing the best team in baseball, The Phillies have been consistent all season long. Dominant pitching and a killer batting lineup. The Phillies haven't gone through much of a slump like the rest of the teams in the playoffs this year and I expect them to start the playoffs strong. Their pitching staff has some of the best pitchers in the league led by Roy Halliday and Cliff Lee, also Cole Hamels has had a great season! The Phillies pitching is much better than The Cardinals and it will be a huge reason why they win the series. Their batting lineup is also stacked so they should be able to give their pitchers some big leads to work with. The Cardinals lineup is banged up and their pitching is decent at best. I expect this to be a pretty easy series for The Phillies.

Phillies over Cardinals in 3 Games

Arizona Diamondbacks Vs Milwuakee Brewers

Most people are not going to give a flying fuck about this series because they're not popular teams, but this is probably going to end up being a really good series if you're a baseball fan. Both teams have been huge surprises this year and have been playing well since the All Star Break. Ian Kennedy of The Diamondbacks came out of nowhere and has 21 wins on the season with 2.88 ERA and is a Cy Young candidate. Their short stop Justin Upton has also had a great season offensively with 31 home runs and 88 RBI. The Brewers lineup has been dominant all season long, Prince Fielder has had one of his best seasons along with Ryan Brewer. I think The Brewers batting lineup is what will be the edge in this matchup and they will win a playoff series for the first time since the 80's!

Brewers over Diamondbacks in 5 Games