Throwdowns > Closed

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 10/04, 11:41 AM
Good luck jamoke.

AL:

Rangers over Orioles - I wanted to pick the O's because the Rangers are tumbling, but I think they get it done primarily because Darvish has been very good lately.

Tigers over A's in 5 - I really wanted to go A's here, but in a short series with Verlander I have to side with Detroit.

Yankees over Rangers in 4 - Yanks being able to set their rotation gives them the advantage.

Tigers over Yanks in 7 - Tigers are playing very good baseball heading in and have a great balance of pitching and hitting. I think Verlander gets the ball in game 7 and gets it done.

NL:

Braves over Cards

Reds over Giants in 5 - Toughest series for me to pick. In the end I see the Reds lineup being the difference.

Nats over Braves in 4 - Medlen is a stud but the Braves just don't have enough after him to get it done.

Reds over Nats in 6 - Gotta back the Reds here. With Strasburg I think the Nats go to the WS, without him, they go home.


World Series:

Reds over Tigers in 7 - Really think this will be a great series. I just think because both teams are so evenly matched the Reds get it done because they'll be at home with NL rules and its their year.

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 10/05, 12:24 AM
While homefield is an advantage, there are many other factors which are far more important.

What I believe wins in the playoffs is pitching and timely hitting. These are the two key factors in how a playoff series while shake out.

The Tigers have the better pitching staff. Verlander is the best starter between both teams. They also will throw Fister and Scherzer out there, and both finished with an ERA under 3.75.

On the other hand I think the Yankees have question marks with their starters. Sabathia had a good year overall but he has shown some slippage with his highest ERA since 2005 and lowest win total since 2006. Kuroda had an ERA of 4.71 since Sept 1st, and I have no idea what a 40 year old Pettitte will do.

The Yankees have also proven to not be clutch at the plate. They have a meager .256 average with runners in scoring position. The Tigers led MLB with a .286 avg. With RISP and 2 outs it gets even worse for the Yankees. How's .226 sound? The Tigers were #2 in MLB with a .265 avg.

The Tigers have the better pitching and the much better clutch hitting and that will propel them into the WS. The Yankees ineptitude in the latter will be their downfall.

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 10/05, 05:31 PM
Washington will have the advantage of setting their rotation. Atlanta is throwing Medlan out there today so, he won't be able to start until most likely game 3 of their series with the Nats.

The Nats will be able to setup Gonzalez and Zimmerman is games 1 and 2. Both guys posted sub 3 ERA's and Gonzalez led the NL with 21 wins.

Kimbrell won't matter if the Braves are down at the end of games.

The Nats also have the more dynamic offense. They can hit for power which is shown by their 192 HR's, 2nd in the NL, and 45 more than Atlanta. They hit for avg. which was .261, 4th in the NL, and 14 points higher than Atlanta, and they get on base at a higher rate.

Bottom line is Washington is the more talented team overall. They can pitch, evidenced by their MLB leading 3.33 ERA, they can hit for average, hit for power, run the bases, and play solid defense.

This is not to dismiss Atlanta, they've had a very good year and are a solid club, but I feel that they are overmatched here. When you combine the Nats advantage of setting their rotation with having the deeper pitching staff and more balanced lineup, its difficult to see Atlanta winning this series.

Good TD.