AL Wild Card: Houston Astros vs New York Yankees

Winner: Houston Astros

The Astros will win this game due to their ace pitcher taking the mound against the Yankees. Dallas Keuchel is pitching against a Yankees lineup that bats .206 against him and has a slugging percentage of .330. He has dominated the Yankees in the past and expect to see the same during the wild card game. Conversely, the Yankees starting pitcher, Masahiro Tanaka, was terrible in his only start against the Astros. He went five innings and gave up six runs and seven hits. Look for the confident Astros to put up a lot of runs early in the game to set the tone with their offense, while Dallas Keuchel blanks the Yankees offense through at least seven innings. The Yankees’ only shot to win this game is late in the game once Keuchel is out and they have their great bullpen pitchers in the game; however the outlook isn’t too bright for Yankee fans.

NL Wild Card: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Winner: Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are going to win for one reason and one reason only: Jake Arrieta. He has been flat out the best pitcher in baseball since the the all star break. In the second half of the season he has sported an ERA of 0.75 and has gone 12-1. He also is tied for the league lead in shutouts, with 3. It is easily possible that he’ll get in his zone and pitch a complete game shut out against one of the best lineups in baseball. That is how good he has been this season, and if it weren’t for Zach Greinke’s historical season then I would be talking about a lock for the CY Young award. The lineup is full of young guys like Kris Bryant and Rizzo who will put up some runs, but it is their starting pitcher who will get them the win.

ALDS: Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals

Winner: Kansas City Royals

The Royals have been here before; they know what the postseason is like, last year they made it all the way to the World Series. They did it with great hitting and stifling team defense, along with a shutdown bullpen. Games were really only 6-7 innings long because if they had a lead after that the bullpen guys would come in and shut it down. Game over. Their bullpen this year took a hit by losing all star closer Greg Holland to Tommy John surgery; however, stud righty pitcher Wade Davis and the bullpen have looked just fine. Look for the Royals to take control of games early and shut it down once they get a lead

ALDS: Toronto Blue Jays vs Texas Rangers
Winner: Toronto Blue Jays
This series isn’t even close – the Blue Jays are going to win by a landslide. They are going to dominate the Rangers in all phases of the game and sweep them. Their lineup is far more powerful than them, they have better pitching and they have home field advantage in the first two games. This is a recipe for disaster for the Rangers. They might be hot coming into the playoffs, but the Blue Jays have been hot ever since they traded for Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. They are going to dominate the Rangers in the first two games at home and there is no way the Rangers will be able to dig their way out of that hole. Also, after not being in the playoffs at all over the last 22 years, the Jays are going to be hungry and come out swinging the bats. If you wanted to get a home run ball as a fan, this is the game you go to. There will be quite a few runs scored and the series is going to be pretty lopsided.

NLDS: Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals

Winner: St. Louis Cardinals

The Cubs are basically a younger, less experienced version of the Cardinals. This is exactly why the Cardinals will win. They have much more postseason experience on the roster and that can go a very long way. They know exactly what to expect and how to play. There is almost no playoff experience on the Cubs roster. The only person who has meaningful playoff experience is Jon Lester and that can’t teach a whole team what to expect in the playoffs. This series is going to be competitive, it may even go down to the final game but the Cardinals will win. The Cubs are modeled just like them so they are going to know how to beat them, and the experience they have will keep them cool under the pressures of the playoffs.

NLDS: New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Winner: New York Mets

The pitching in this series is going to be unbelievable. The Dodgers have two guys who both have a shot to win the CY Young this year, and the Mets have four young studs that all have potential for future CY Young awards. I would be surprised if there are more than seven combined runs in any game at all. However, I think that the Mets are in a better position to win, because as of late, they have been hitting a lot more home runs than the Dodgers, which ultimately is the only equalizer against great pitching. Since the all-star break the Mets have hit 102 homers, compared to the Dodgers 74. If the Dodgers ace pitchers leave just one pitch too high there is a much better chance the Mets will capitalize on their mistake than the Dodgers would on the Mets pitchers. Also, the Mets have a full rotation full of great pitchers against the Dodgers two amazing pitchers and then some mediocre guys. For example, game three is slated to be Brett Anderson vs. Matt Harvey at Citi field, a huge mismatch in favor of the Mets. Game four looks to be a matchup that’s just as bad. It is the Mets pitching depth and big fly ability that will win them this series.

ALCS: Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals

Winner: Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are way too powerful for anyone in the American League. There is no one who has the pitching to shut down their lineup for an entire series. It just won’t happen; they have too many weapons for them not to outscore any team in any given game. For this reason, they will beat the Royals who, despite trading for right handed ace Johnny Cueto, still don’t have enough pitching to face the Blue Jays stacked lineups. The firepower of the Blue Jays will lead them to victory over the reigning AL champs. The Blue Jays are easily the best team in the American League.

NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals vs New York Mets

Winner: St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are flat out better than everyone in the National League. They don’t do anything that great, but they have no weakness and they play as a team. The Mets’ pitching may be a little bette;r however, the Cardinals can combat that with their hitting and fielding. Also, the Cardinals are by far the deeper team and have many more weapons at their disposal than the Mets do. In St. Louis it’s a “next man up” mentality. For example, their ace needed surgery before the season started and instead of imploding, they had one of the best pitching staffs in the league with Michael Wacha turning into a true ace this year. The Cardinals do everything well and they will never make a bonehead error or a silly mistake. That is one of the main reason they have been in this position so many times recently and why they have the best record in baseball.

World Series: Toronto Blue Jays vs St. Louis Cardinals

Winner: St. Louis Cardinals

This series will be one for the ages; it’s this decade’s premiere dynasty versus a hungry franchise who hasn’t been able to make it to the postseason in 22 years. The last time the Blue Jays made the playoffs they won the World Series over the Phillies. However, that was a different time with a different team. The current team will eventually lose to the more experienced Cardinals. It will be a nail biter, and I’m sure there is going to be some iconic moment to put the Cards up in the final game of the series, because would it really be a Cardinals win without it? However, this pick isn’t bashing the Blue Jays in anyway; they are a great team and could just as easily win. But the Cardinals postseason experience will help them prevail. The timely hitting and clutch pitching will keep the score in their favor. The series will most likely go down to seven games and in the end, the home field advantage will prove too much to overcome against the Cardinals who went 55-26 at home this season. Also, look for Michael Wacha to shut down the Blue Jays whenever he pitches, and especially game seven. He plays best when lights shine brightest. This is a must watch series.

Awards:
Postseason MVP: Matt Carpenter
World Series MVP: Michael Wacha