The NLCS will see the Cardinals getting it done against Los Angeles.
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The Chicago Cubs are an enigma in this category as they take a lot of walks, but also strike out at an alarming rate.
KERI: Well, I mean, they just have a great organization top to bottom.
How many starts will ace Matt Harvey make, considering the Mets want to keep him around 180 innings after his Tommy John surgery? And they’re such a unusual team. Houston went 4-2 against the Royals this season.
The Toronto Blue Jays smashed their way into a postseason berth and they will have to continue to use their combination of power, skill, approach, and smart, effective base running to get far in these playoffs.
[MORE: Why Cubs believe Jake Arrieta could be unstoppable in October]. Yankee manager Joe Girardi instead played fellow outfielder Brett Gardner (who, as Girardi sharply pointed out, is making a good bit of money himself), because of his better batting average against left-handed pitchers.
Before opening up the National League Division Series on Friday, the Cardinals must announce their 25-man playoff roster, which may not include players who have played a pivotal role in the team’s ninth 100-win season. This will be an old-school battle of epic proportions. He will make yet another postseason appearance this week, this time as a studio analyst for TBS during the National League Wild Card, Division Series, and Championship Series.
The Houston Astros, what seemed to be an apparent weakness for them, has turned into a major strength.
It sure is – in fact, it appears that most of the NL Central is taking notice and having success, judging by what both the Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are doing.
The Cardinals will win the World Series in six games.
The Dodgers are very similar to the Cubs with two elite starting pitchers in Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. And the difference in this year’s club versus last year is that all of a sudden, they’re not just a, you know, a paper-cut team offensively. And if they can get by Masahiro Tanaka, then the Astros have a legitimate shot of winning the American League pennant.
Toronto’s wonderful finish to the season comes with several mind-boggling stats, including three players with 100-plus RBIs in the same lineup. Maybe the margin wouldn’t have been that significant if the Dodgers had something to play for in September, but they did go 17-13 in their final 30 games, giving them a practically identical winning percentage to their 92-70 full-season mark.
They consistently have had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball over the past decade and this season is no different.
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“It was exciting to play in that division, man”, Maddon said.
The starting rotation’s 2.98 ERA is the best in the MLB, while the bullpen has the third-lowest ERA (2.77) and the most saves (62) in baseball.
After losing in two straight wild-card games, it’s more important now, more than ever, for the Pirates to find a way to get over the hump in 2016. The Astros will then meet the Royals, which the advanced stats don’t seem to like at all, but Kansas City has proven to be a tough team to gauge in the playoffs. Rizzo will get MVP votes because of his.278-31-101 season. Though the Dodgers have become a postseason staple, their most recent World Series victory was in 1988, and their eight postseason appearances since have wound up fruitless.
Their lineup has ton of experience and firepower with Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier leading the way, but their entire team has also gone into extended slumps at the dish.
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Maddon’s “30-minute rule” for celebrating wins was extended on Wednesday, but when the Cubs wake up today in St. Louis they’ll be back at work, looking to extend a magical season.
