The MLB playoffs are almost here.
That sentence alone is enough to make any baseball fan’s heart beat just a little bit faster.
The American League pennant race will be full of teams that are quite familiar with playoff baseball. In fact, all the teams in line to make the playoffs have been to the World Series in the past decade.
As it stands right now, the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, LA Angels and Boston Red Sox look poised to make the cut in the American League. The most important question, however, remains to be answered: Who will claim the 2009 AL Championship trophy? What follows are my unabashed (and slightly biased) postseason predictions for the American League.
TIGERS VS. YANKEES
The first AL Division Series will probably pit the Yankees against the Tigers. At first glance, this looks like a whale of a mismatch. I’m certainly no fan of the Yankees, but there’s no denying they’re the overwhelming favorites to win this series.
Giving the Yankees credit where credit is due, I will say that their offense is potent. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada are always dangerous come October, and all of these guys have batting averages over .270 this season. Even if Detroit’s aces Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson manage to contain these guys, the Tigers’ bullpen will also need to stop the Yankee bats, and I don’t see that happening.
While the Tigers have impressive hitters in Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco, the Yankees’ pitching has subdued Detroit’s bats very effectively throughout the season (Detroit is hitting a meager .200 against New York pitching in 2009). The Tigers only beat the Yankees once this season (1-5 overall), and I think they will manage to win just one game in this series. Prediction: Yankees in 4.
RED SOX VS. ANGELS
The second AL division series will feature the Red Sox against the Angels. Oh, how the Sox love playing the Angels in the postseason! The Red Sox are an impressive 9-1 against the Angels in the playoffs this decade, and they’ll be looking to add even more wins to their lopsided record in a few weeks.
Like last year’s team, however, the Angels’ bats have been hot in the second half of the season. Kendry Morales, Torii Hunter, Eric Aybar and Chone Figgins are all hitting over .300, and Vlad Guerrero isn’t far behind at .299. The Angels’ pitching staff is also nothing to scoff at; Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders have 15 and 14 wins, respectively, and closer Brian Fuentes has 44 saves this year. These numbers are formidable, but the Red Sox have overcome stats like these in the past against the Angels.
The Red Sox have experienced a surge at the end of this season thanks, in part, to Victor Martinez. The Sox made a smart move at the trading deadline when they acquired V-Mart, and it has shown in his performance since joining the team. Martinez is hitting .330 since arriving in Boston, and Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury have all followed his lead with averages over .300 on the season. The Red Sox also feature power threats Mike Lowell, Jason Bay and J.D. Drew, who have all hit their fair share of home runs this season.
The Red Sox also have quality starting pitching down the stretch in Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and a seemingly revitalized Daisuke Matsuzaka. Beckett has been dominant in the playoffs throughout his career, and Jon Lester currently leads the team with 215 strikeouts and a 3.33 ERA. In Jonathan Papelbon, the Sox also have a strong closer to counter Fuentes; Pap’s 37 saves and 1.94 ERA lead all relief pitchers on the team. The acquisition of Billy Wagner from the Mets has also strengthened the Sox bullpen. All together, it seems as if all the components of the Red Sox’ pitching staff are fairly solid heading into October.
Who will come out on top in this intriguing series? Despite the Red Sox’ dominance against the Angels in the postseason, they went 4-5 against the Halos this season. However, the Sox were 1-8 against the Angels last season, and they still found a way to defeat them handily in the 2008 ALDS. Looking at the hitting and bullpen aspects of both teams, I have to say that they’re quite evenly matched. It all boils down to starting pitching in this series, and in that department the Red Sox have the upper hand as far as I’m concerned. I say this series will be closer than normal for the Red Sox, but they’ll have the last laugh yet again. Prediction: Red Sox in 5.
RED SOX VS. YANKEES
Yes, the Tigers and Angels will try to spoil this matchup, but would New York and Boston fans at Conn really want it any other way? I think the Yankees and Red Sox are on a collision course this postseason, and this year’s ALCS will be another instant classic.
We’re guaranteed to see some games that will last over four hours, and emotions will run high. Still, I’m a Red Sox fan, and there’s no way I’m picking against my team in this series. The Yankees may have the (slightly) better lineup, but I feel that the Red Sox’ starting pitchers will be stronger and more consistent than the Yankees’ starters. New Yorkers and Red Sox haters may disagree, but I see the Sox winning the American League Championship in an epic seven game series. Prediction: Red Sox in 7.
Be sure to look for my National League and World Series predictions in next week’s issue of The College Voice!
