NLCS Preview 2012: Cardinals vs Giants

Prediction: Giants in 7
his will be a good series and I could see either team repeating what they did to get to the World Series in 2010 for San Francisco and 2011 for St. Louis and there is so many great players who could make their mark this series.
Head To Head
C: Buster Posey vs Yadier Molina-Posey- The top two catchers in the league, but Posey is better
1B: Brandon Belt vs Allen Craig-Craig-Belt is good and could hit a big HR or two but Craig will help more
2B: Marco Scutaro vs Daniel Descalso-Scutaro-It’s close but I’ll take the more experienced guy
3B: Pablo Sandoval vs David Freese-Freese-Regular season it would take Sandoval, but postseason is Freese
SS: Brandon Crawford vs Pete Kozma-Kozma-Both are close but Kozma has come through more in the clutch and on offense, Crawford could play a big defensive role
LF: Gregor Blanco vs Matt Holliday-Holliday-Blanco has been great so far for replacing Cabrera but he doesn’t match Holliday
CF: Angel Pagan vs Jon Jay-Pagan-I think Pagan is going to have a big series and wins, but not to take anything away from Jay
RF: Hunter Pence vs Carlos Beltran-Beltran-It’s so close but Beltran has been so good in OCtober his whole career and that’s not going to change
Rotation: Giants, Cain and Bumgarner are going to be the Giants two guys to go to and there aren’t many that are better and the Cardinals is good and Carpenter is cold, not bad but just an ice in his veins type of pitcher whose great and better in the playoffs but Wainwright ahs gotten bombed and there isn’t as much behind them
Bullpen: Giants, barely
Manager: Bruce Bochy vs Mike Matheny: Bochy

KEYS
ST LOUIS: Keep up their recent postseason success and eat up the pitchers in the late innings
SAN FRANCISCO:DO not fall behind in the series and don’t take a break once you have a lead, go hard the whole series

GRADES:       SF     STL
Starters           A-      B+
Relievers        B        B-
Line-Up          B-      B+
Bench              B-      B-

LINE-UP: The catchers could control this series with Molina and Posey being both great defensive catchers who can handle these experienced staffs and get the big, key clutch hit to win the game.  Beltran and Freese should be the biggest performers for the Cards and Holliday hits the Giants decently.  For the Giants, Sandoval has been their man all year.  Also, the Giants outfield will help a to, like they did in 2012.  Offense will be back and forth in this series and each game a new hero could be made like Belt or Kozma and all the guys on both sides will help at some point.  These offenses are pretty good.

PITCHING: The Giants pitchers have been great. Cain is one of the best pitchers in baseball, Bumgarner is on his way and both can pitch decent in the playoffs and we know Cain can win a game where it’s win or go home.  Vogelsong has also proven he is no joke and he will prove himself in the postseason and his stats are good and Zito has postseason experience and though he may not be great, he could put up a game where he keeps the Giants in it and could just pitch are really great game at some point in the series.  Romo and Casilla are two of the best late the past few years and I’d be scared to face Romo and Lincecum is pitching great since the postseason has started.  The Cards have Carpenter who, as I explained is better and Wainwright and Lohse who despite their great season could struggle a bit and their stats could look a bit different after the series.  Edward Mujica has been a great pick-up not allowing many runners to cross the plate.  Lynn has been giving up too many HR for their bullpen and Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller are young but could step up.  Their closer, who had 42 saves, Jason Motte is going to be almost automatic in save situations.

STAT TO NOTE: 32 vs 18- The numbers of runs in the NLDS by the Cards and Giants respectively, it could look different with the Giants pitching and luck but that’s a big difference

MLB Postseason Pick’em: 10/14/12

Tigers over Yankees 7-6
I know I said NYY would win Game 2 and it will be close but I see losing Jeter as a big factor in this game and the Tugers slugging away ln Kuroda
Giants over Cardinals 6-3
The Giants won Game 1 of the NLCS in 2010 and I expecta repeat of that, the home crowd will help while their pitching does what it does and they win a big Game 1

Orioles Still Have a Shot

The Orioles may not have the best chance to win it all, but I wouldn’t count them out.  Is till think the Yankees will move onto the ALDS, but baseball is wacky and so is this Orioles team that really shouldn’t be in this position.  Tonight is the Orioles big shot with Saunders going, he could have a strong game like he did in the Wild Card and if he does I think the Orioles can get some runs off of Hughes and they can win, even on the road and if they win tonight, their chance of winning tomorrow gets a lot better.  The offense needs to roll though and not just hit homers but get hits and they have to execute in key situations like they have all year, that’s why they’re here and that’s why I won’t count them out.  Even if they lose, they will lose close ones like last night.  Jim Johnson really needs to get the save too, because now he can’t blow a save and still be alive, and he’s the part I’m nervous for the Orioles for, but he can do it most of the time.  If the series comes down to a Game 5 on Friday night, I will take the Orioles to play close and tough and the orioles to give Sabathia a bit of a tought time, but it’s too close to say who will win for sure, even though the Yankees are the favorites.  Girardi and Showalter should make some interesting, but likely good choices in their bullpens and game selections too.  Alex Rdoriguez probably won’t perk out of his slump these next two games either.

Tigers at A’s ALDS Game 4 Preview

Keys
Tigers: Scherzer has been hot, but the offense needs to go out and score some runs early and often
Athletics: Support AJ Griffin because he won’t turn in as good of an outing as Brett Anderson did

Line-Ups
Tigers

1. CF Autin Jackson
2. LF Quintin Berry
3. 3B Miguel Cabrera
4. 1B Prince Fielder
5. DH Delmon Young
6. LF Andy Dirks
7. SS Jhonny Peralta
8. C Alex Avila
9. 2B Omar Infante

I like the look of this line-up more than last night’s.  It can score some runs and maybe hit a few homers tonight.  It could even go crazy which it needs to do.  One thing is I like Berry hitting in the two hole after what he did in Game 1 there but Garcia needs to pinch hit late in the game if it’s close.  Cabrera and Fielder could lead this group tonight.

Athletics

1. CF Coco Crisp
2. SS Stephen Drew
3. LF Yoenis Cespedes
4. 1B Brandon Moss
5. RF Josh Reddick
6. 3B Josh Donaldson
7. DH Seth Smith
8. C Derek Norris
9. 2B Cliff Pennington

This is a decent line-up, but I can’t see it production more than four runs max.  Cespedes and Smith have been the only ones to really impress me during the series, but Crisp, Drew, Reddick or Moss could help out tonight.  I like the Tigers line-up a lot better though

PITCHING MATCH-UP: OAK: AJ Griffin vs DET: Max Scherzer: Scherzer should pitch a great game and his stuff has been on lately for the Tigers.  I expect a lot of Tigers strikeouts today.  Griffin is good and he should do a decent job but I see him letting some baserunners on today and the Tigers hitting him decent and scoring some runs, but he could turn in a decent performance.  Scherzer should be his normal self that he was in the last two months of the year.  PREDICTED LINES: Scherzer 7 IP 10 K 2 BB 2 ER 6 H Griffin 5.1 IP 4 K 3 BB 5 ER 9 H

Hero will be…Miguel Cabrera
Goat will be…Josh Reddick

Prediction: Tigers 9 Athletics 3

Yankees vs Orioles Preview ALDS 2012

HEAD TO HEAD POSITIONS
Catcher: Matt Wieters vs Russ Martin: Wieters
1B: Mark Reynolds vs Mark Teixeira: Teixeira
2B: Robert Andino/Ryan Flaherty vs Robinson Cano: Cano
3B: Manny Machado vs Alex Rodirguez: Rodriguez, but Machado could just match Rodriguez one day
SS: JJ Hardy vs Derek Jeter: Jeter
LF: Chris Davis vs Ichiro Suzuki: Suzuki still
CF: Adam Jones vs Curtis Granderson: Jones this year
RF: Nate McLouth vs Nick Swisher: Swisher
DH: Jim Thome/Wilson Betemit vs Raul Ibanez/Eric Chavez: Orioles
BENCH: Orioles
STARTERS: Yankees
RELIEVERS: Yankees
Manager: Buck Showalter vs Joe Girardi: Showalter
NYY 8 BAL 5

REPORT CARD
PITCHING BAL B- NYY: B+
RELIVERS BAL A- NYY A
HITTING BAL B NYY A

Match-ups: The Yankees will have the advantage in most pitching match-ups with Sabathia, Kuroda, and Pettitte but the O’s pitching flies under the radar with Britton, Matusz, and Hunter who could be great starters and are starting to be and could really show it on a showcase this postseason and Hunter and Saunders can really help with their experience.  I don’t expect many ninth inning comebacks either with Johnson and Soriano in the ninth.  Today, Hammel could outpitch himself and put up a fight with CC, who usually so smooth seems to have lost his postseason pitching least year as he struggled with control.  Tomorrow Chen can use his wacky mechanics to help too.  Pettitte is a postseason legend and has a delivery that can hold up all season and postseason fool hitters, you have to love him.  It will be close but you would be lying if you said the Yankees didn’t have the advantage

Prediction: I took the Yankees but I wouldn’t be surprised if the O’s won it, I think the Yankees take one at Oriole Park though, which really hurts the O’s.  It will go more than three games for sure.

MLB Playoff Pick’em: 10/7/12

Tigers over Athletics 8-1
Cabrera and Fielder wake up, Tigers go up 2-0, FIster keeps up the Ks and good perfromance
Nationals over Cardinals 5-4
Cardinals play hard but Nats use magic to put up a comeback win for first win as a franchise in the postseason
Giants over Reds 6-3
Red put up a fight, but Bumgarner to tough
Orioles over Yankees 10-9
Slugfest in Baltimore is won by the powerful and cinderella team

2012 MLB Playoff Prediction: Pre-Postseason

AL Wild Card
Orioles over Rangers 6-5
NL WIld Card
Braves over Cardinals 7-5
ALDS
Yankees over Orioles 3-2
Tigers over Athletics 3-1
NLDS
Nationals over Braves 3-2
Reds over Giants 3-2
ALCS
Tigers over Yankees 4-2
NLCS
Nationals over Reds 4-2
World Series
Tigers over Nationals in 7

My Tigers Playoff Roster

My picks for the Tigers playoff roster, complete with my game 1 line-up prediction and recommendation also congrats to Miguel Cabrera on winning the 2012 Triple Crown, the first since 1967.

1. CF Austin Jackson
2. RF Andy Dirks
3. 3B Miguel Cabrera
4. 1B Prince Fielder
5. DH Delmon Young
6. SS Jhonny Peralta
7. LF Brennan Boesch
8. C Alex Avila
9. 2B Omar Infante

SP Justin Verlander

C Gerald Laird
OF Avisail Garcia
2B Ramon Santiago
OF Quintin Berry
UT Don Kelly

SP Max Scherzer
SP Doug Fister
SP Anibal Sanchez
CL Jose Valverde
SU Joaquin Benoit
SU Octavio Dotel
MR Phil Coke
MR Brayan Villarreal
MR Al Albuquerque

ALCS Maybe
SP Rick Porcello
P Drew Smyly
RP Darin Downs
UT Danny Worth

Tigers Playoffs Predicitions

The Tigers are going to win at least 1 of 3 in Kansas City to win the division and even if somehow a playoff is forced, which is a 1 in 1,000 chance at this point or at least it feels like it, Justin Verlander will start at Comerica Park.  this isn’t 2009 though the Tigers aren’t choking and the Twins arent surging, it’s quite the opposite.  The White Sox are choking in an epic way and the Tigers keep getting stronger and this team has played all of the playoff teams well, so they do have a decent shot in the postseason and I think they can at least make the ALCS and will be happy if they do but here is my predictions of how they would do in a 5 game series against any of the teams they could possibly face in the ALDS as they will be the three seed, so games 3 and 4 would be at home just like 2006 or 2011 for the Tigers.  In the playoffs the pitching staff looks very strong and this team can score runs and get wins.  I can see the Tigers closing the season with a bang too and Cabrera, Fielder and Young getting really hot.  The Tigers are 11-4 against the Royals this year and 11-1 if you take out the three game sweep where the Tigers just couldn’t play well.
Vs. Baltimore: Tigers in 5, they win games 1,3, and 5
Vs. Yankees: Tigers in 4, they win 1,3 and 4
Vs. Athletics: Tigers in 3
Vs. Rangers: Rangers in 5, Tigers win 3 and 4

These predictions are sunject to chaneg as all predictions about baseball always are

Do The Rays Have A Shot?

The Rays are hot and are now a notorious team to make a comeback led by Evan Longoria and the pitching staff.  I think they will win 3 of 4 in Chicago after today’s great performance and I’d put their playoffs chances for what O think personally at over 50%.  The Rays offense needs to perk up even more though and Zobrist and Longoria have to lead it while Fuld, Jennings and Upton make a difference because the Rays will have good pitching for the last 6 games like they always do and by the time it gets to the seventh inning their bullpen can save it out for them but the offense needs to score 4 or 5 runs at least each game and the Rays have to win out.  2 games are hard at this point but it’s a little easier with this team because a lot of them were part of the comeback last year.  If they do make the playoffs this year I can see the Rays riding their winning streak even more.  They have to sweep Baltimore and keep them within two games or it is likely over for the Rays.  In a playoff I can see the Rays winning that and making it to the ALDS.  These Rays are another team that could possibly go down in history.  Price should have a huge start his last outing of the year.