Legends are made in October, who’s next?
National League: Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Starting Pitching (Not official):
Game 1: Anibal Sanchez vs. Miles Mikolas
Game 2: Max Scherzer vs. Adam Wainwright
Game 3: Jack Flaherty vs. Stephen Strasburg
When you look at the projected starters for the first three games, it is more even than you would think. For the St. Louis Cardinals, they have to have confidence in all three pitchers after what they have done this postseason. Mikolas looks good after throwing six scoreless innings, the veteran Wainwright tossed 7.2 scoreless innings in his lone start and Flaherty has arguably been the best pitcher in the NL for the last month and a half of the season. On the other hand, it is difficult to bet against Scherzer and Strasburg. Those two pitchers’ resumes speak for themselves and they have continued to pitch well this October. game seven between Strasburg and Flaherty with everyone known to man available in the bullpen for both teams. These starting pitching matchups are what October is all about and fans should be excited to see which guys will shine under the bright lights.
Advantage: Washington Nationals
Bullpen:
Both teams have concerns in this area but one team has the clear advantage. The Cardinals might have some trust issues brewing with closer Carlos Martinez after he allowed six earned runs in 3.1 innings against the Atlanta Braves in the divisional series. Tough to hand the ball to Martinez in a close game in the NLCS against a Nationals offense that scored the most runs in the MLB in the 9th inning during the regular season. But the Cardinals have a lot more depth in their bullpen with lefties Andrew Miller and Tyler Webb to go along with righties Giovanny Gallegos and John Brebbia. As for the Nationals they only have two pitchers they trust in the bullpen. Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson have been good but it’s pretty clear they don’t necessarily trust the likes of Fernando Rodney, Hunter Strickland and Taylor Rainey. If Doolittle is unavailable or has already been used going into the 8th or 9th innings watch out for left-handed hitter Tommy Edmon to do some damage late in games.
Advantage: St. Louis Cardinals
Offense:
The offenses for both teams have proven that they are legit. The Nationals scored the final seven runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five including three big home runs from Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto and Howie Kendrick. The Cardinals offense exploded in their own game five for 10 runs in the first inning to ensure their place in the NLCS. Both teams come in hot offensively which could make this series that much more interesting. Paul Goldschmidt, Marcell Ozuna and Tommy Edmon is a pretty good core for the Cardinals. Meanwhile, for the Nationals they have Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto which could be the most deadly one-two duo in the MLB. Don’t sleep on “role players” such as Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick, and Ryan Zimmerman in this series. Kendrick and Zimmerman were responsible for two huge home runs in the last series. Rendon came up with clutch hit after clutch hit in game five against the Dodgers, which is the reason why I think the Nationals have the advantage in this category. October brings out the best, and I think Rendon could be the guy Nationals fans wanted Bryce Harper to be so badly.
Advantage: Washington Nationals
Final Prediction:
Washington Nationals defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The more I look at it on paper I think the Cardinals might have the overall advantage because of their depth pitching wise, but I can’t go against the Nationals now. After shocking the Dodgers it just feels like destiny that out of all the Nationals teams to make it to the World Series, this would be the one to make it. Just proves how the game of baseball works. Watch Strasburg and Scherzer close the deal in games six and seven. This Nationals team are best with their backs against the wall and when nobody else believes in them.
American League: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros
Starting Pitching (Not official):
Game 1: James Paxton vs. Zach Greinke
Game 2: Masahiro Tanaka vs. Justin Verlander
Game 3: Gerrit Cole vs. Luis Severino
The starting pitching is not particularly close in this matchup. The Astros have the two best pitchers in all of baseball. Plain and simple. Although Justin Verlander didn’t pitch great in game four of the ALDS, I don’t expect to see him do that again in this series. The Yankees starting pitching has been a weakness for them this season, and it will continue to be in this series. Make no mistake, the Yankees have known this is their weakness the entire year. And if I remember correctly, they did just fine in the regular season. The more you look at the Astros starting rotation though, it’s tough to see the Astros losing the series.
Advantage: Houston Astros
Bullpen:
Both teams have pretty solid bullpens. The Astros bullpen is highlighted by closer Roberto Osuna who should be in the top five or six in the AL Cy Young Award voting as the AL’s best pitcher after his terrific season. Meanwhile, the Yankees have someone just as good if not better as their closer. Aroldis Chapman is still one of the best closers in the game and he is a huge part of this bullpen that is by far the best one left in the playoffs. Adam Ottavino and Zach Britton have been remarkable for the Yankees, really suring up innings seven and eight. Don’t give this Yankees team a lead because they will shut the door. The Astros manager A.J Hinch managed his bullpen wonderfully during the 2017 championship run, and it makes me wonder what he might have up his sleeve this time around.
Advantage: New York Yankees
Offense:
Both offenses have legit firepower from top to bottom in each of their lineups. The ball should be flying all over the park with these two teams there is no denying that. This truly is a hard decision because when you look at each team individually the names just jump out on the screen. So many big name players for both teams and so many hitters that are special at the plate. These two teams are stacked from top to bottom with All-Star hitters each way you look. 14 All-Star game appearances combined for the Houston Astros hitters and 17 All-Star game appearances combined for the New York Yankees hitters. It’s hard to give either team the edge in this category. I will say, though, I think it might be the unsung heroes that will win this series. Whether that is Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu for the Yankees or Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa for the Astros. Clutch hitting might be the difference in the overall series. The Yankees need Giancarlo Stanton and Edwin Encarnacion to drive in runs if they have a chance to win the series.
Advantage: New York Yankees
Final Prediction:
Houston Astros defeat the New York Yankees in seven games. Even though the Yankees might have the advantage in two of the three categories, it doesn’t mean they are the better team. The Houston Astros are the best all-around team in the MLB and it is going to be super tough to beat them. The Yankees will need to beat Cole or Verlander at least once in this series and I have a hard time seeing that. The Astros have been here before and they have delivered in the big moments and I think they will again this year. Michael Brantley, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman all are swinging well and I expect the Astros to get ahead early in a lot of the games in this series. The Yankees bats will breakthrough against Verlander and Cole but they will need their starting pitching to help them out as best they can, particularly when they face those two. The Yankees depth is better but the Astros are more experienced and have the best three-man rotation possibly ever assembled.