October 7, 2022
NL Playoff Predictions
Alright, it’s time for my National League playoff predictions. In my previous article I went through my predictions for the AL and chose the Astros to go to the World Series.
NL Wild Card Series
Cardinals vs Phillies:
This should be a good series. The Phillies have 3 good starters to throw against the Cardinals in Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, and Aaron Nola. Meanwhile the Cardinals have the experienced Adam Wainwright, Yadira Molina, and Albert Pujols, not to mention MVP candidates Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. I think this series will come down to whether or not Jose Quintana pitches well in this first game against Zack Wheeler. I’m thinking the Phillies win a squeaker in game 1, lose game 2, and manage a win in game 3 to win the series. The Phillies will be going to face the division rival Braves.
Padres vs Mets:
This one is interesting. I think the Padres have a lot of potential that they just haven’t shown this season. Against Scherzer, Bassitt, and DeGrom, I think that will continue, but this series will probably be extremely competitive. The Mets lineup is good but has been scuffling lately and Padre’s pitchers have been doing well. This series is very dependent on Scherzer and DeGrom. They can’t give up more than 3 runs. I think they will do that so I’m thinking the Mets win in 3. The Mets will take on the Dodgers.
NL Divisional Series
Braves vs Phillies
A great divisional rivalry series right here. The Braves, while young, have a lot of experience in the playoffs and are the defending champs. Fried and Morton have always pitched well in the playoffs and Kyle Wright stepped up in the World Series last year. Spencer Strider might be back in time for this series as well. The Phillies just used Nola so he will be the game 4 pitcher here. We might be seeing a Wheeler, Falter, Suarez, Nola, Wheeler line for the Phillies against a Fried, Morton, Wright, Strider, Fried line for the Braves. The Phillies poor defense also deserves mention here. The Braves thrive on putting pressure on opposing defenses. I think this will be the end for the Phillies. Braves in 4 to move on to the NLCS.
Dodgers vs Mets
The Dodgers had the best record in the regular season, have a ton of experience, and have the best offense in the league. They have a few good relievers. What might be their issue is their starting rotation. They don’t have Buehler or May, and Gonsolin has thrown 2 innings since August 23rd. Their rotation looks to be Kershaw, Urias, Tyler Anderson, and possibly Andrew Heaney or maybe Gonsolin. That’s a lot of lefties (excluding Gonsolin). This might play to their advantage, as the Mets have just a .717 OPS against lefties compared to a.756 OPS against righties. With all this considered, I think the Dodgers will win this series in 5 to go and face the Braves.
NL Championship Series
Well, here we are again. Braves vs Dodgers in the NLCS for the third year in a row. The Dodgers won the World Series is 2020, the Braves in 2021. This is certain to be a great series. Unlike the Mets, the Braves mash against lefties, having a .782 OPS against them. The Dodgers have the best lineup in baseball, the Braves have the second best. The Braves have a better bullpen than the Dodgers do. Yeah, this is really hard to figure out here. I’m just going to go with this. I think the Dodgers have more contact hitters and therefore have a higher floor than the Braves do. Because of that I’m going to say Dodgers in 7 (as much as that hurts being a Braves fan).
The Dodgers will be going to play the Astros.
The World Series
Dodgers vs Astros:
This makes me sick just thinking about it. These two teams have similar lineups and similar bullpens. I think the Astros will emerge victorious due to Verlander and Valdez, giving the Astros another World Series title.