OK baseball fans, here I am for the second week in a row, giving you the sweet and low down on the MLB playoffs. So far all of my predictions from last week have come true, so if that’s any indicator then you better listen closely to this weeks predictions as I take a look at the National League.
It is painfully obvious after the Yankees come-from-behind win last night, which showed that they are virtually unbeatable in the playoffs, that the National League winner is the runner-up in this year’s World Series. While I won’t be so bold as to state that the Yankees will win this year’s World Series, I certainly think that whoever will be holding the trophy at the end of this season will be from the American League. There are simply stronger teams in the AL, and there is no clearly dominant team in the NL.
Before I completely write off the National League, however, lets take a look at the four teams that are vying for the title in the NL. One on side you’ve got the Arizona Diamondbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals and on the other there are the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves.
In the Diamondbacks series, we have already seen that strong pitching does not necessarily equal good results. In Tuesday night’s game in Arizona, veteran pitcher Randy Johnson got shelled by a fired-up St. Louis squad led by Cards bashers Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds, who each ripped two-run homers in the 12-2 victory. While it was only the first game and Johnson’s bad start could be due to playoff jitters, if the barrage of hits continues, not even MVP pitching ace Curt Schilling will be able to stop St. Louis from rolling home with a two-game lead. I think the series comes down to tomorrow’s start. If Schilling comes with his A-game, which is more than likely, then the D-Backs can shut down the Cardinals lineup and pick up the win. If Schilling struggles, then Arizona is in trouble as St. Louis might have the hottest bats in baseball right now and will make Arizona pay.
Heading back to St. Louis, Arizona will have to deal with the throngs of fired-up Cards fans in the stands. The Cardinals, who feel as if they are playing in honor of pitcher Darryl Kile as well as longtime announcer Joe Buck, both of whom passed away earlier this year, will not want to lose at home. Therefore, this series hangs on Game Two tomorrow. If the D-Backs are victorious, then I say Arizona in five. If not, then I am going with the Cards to take it in three.
In the other National League contest, Barry Bonds’ luck seems to be changing. At press time, the Giants are currently cleaning up against the Braves in Atlanta, leading 8-2 in the seventh inning, and I expect them to wrap up Game One with a win. As for this series as a whole, I’m not even going to analyze these two teams; I’m simply going to say: Giants in four, if not three. The Braves are washed up. This is the same team that we have seen for the past six years in Atlanta and even though their pitching staff is one of the best in baseball, other teams need just look at the playoff videos from the last six years to have enough info to write a manual on how to beat these guys. The Giants are so hot right now, to be Zoolander about it, and I don’t see them losing to a Braves team that is simply too old and too predictable. Sorry Ted Turner, TBS is gonna have to cover some other teams this year. Put the tomahawk away.
That’s about it for the Divisionals. I’m sure many of you are shaking your heads at my picks right now, but you’ll soon see that the Great Hopkido is right again.
