October 4, 2022

Sorry for being gone for a bit, I had to get adjusted to my new schedule for the year. This article will be my predictions for the Playoffs and why.

AL Wild Card Series:

Guardians vs Rays:

This promises to be a 3-game series of pitchers’ duels. The Guardians would more than likely throw Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie in the first two games, both of whom are great starters. Meanwhile the Rays have McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Tyler Glasnow, and Jeffrey Springs to offer. Both teams also have very good bullpens, featuring Emanuel Clase and Jason Adam who are both having dominant years. It will be a matter of who can manufacture runs, and I think that team will be the Guardians. I think the combination of Kwan, Ramirez, and Gimenez will score enough runs to get 2 out of 3 from the Rays and the privilege of playing against the mighty Yankees.  

Blue Jays vs Mariners:

I think this one will be a sweep for the Blue Jays. I think Manoah and Gausman will be able to shut down a good, but not fantastic offense while Vlad and Co. rule the series. If it does get to a third game the Blue Jays would be in trouble since they would be trotting out Berrios against George Kirby. I don’t think it will get that far so the Blue Jays will be moving on to play the Astros. 

AL Divisional Series: 

Guardians vs Yankees:

Yep, I think it’s time for an upset. What about you? I believe that the Yankees topsy-turvy lineup will be exposed by the great pitching of Cleveland. The threesome of Bieber, McKenzie, and Quantrill are good enough to beat anyone, and I still am not a believer in the Yankees offense in the playoffs. I think the only way the Yankees win this series is if the Yankees get extraordinary pitching from Taillon and Cortes (who are pretty much unproven in the playoffs) and a ton of heroics from Aaron Judge. That’s certainly possible, but I’m just not seeing it. I think the Guardians small-ball offense will cause fits in Yankeedom. The Guardians will take this series in 7 games. 

Blue Jays vs Astros

As much as I’d love the Blue Jays to win this series, I just don’t see it happening. The Astros rotation has so much more experience in the postseason than the Blue Jays rotation does it’s not even funny. Verlander, Valdez, and McCullers will prove to be too much for the Blue Jays to handle. The Astros lineup is comparable or better than that of the Blue Jays and have a deeper pitching staff. The Astros will win in 5 games here. 

AL Championship Series:

Astros vs Guardians

The Guardians have gritted their way into the Championship series against the heavily favorited Astros. Sadly, their journey will end here. The Astros offense is simply just going to outscore the Guardians. Their pitching staffs are about as good as the other, and the Astros lineup is just much deeper. This won’t end well for the Guardians. The Astros will take this series in 6 games. 

The Astros will be going to the World Series once again, much to the chagrin of many baseball fans (including me). My next blog will be my predictions for the NL, and who will be facing off against the Astros.