LAist's Postseason Baseball Preview

ALDS: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely hate the Red Sox. I can’t stand this team or the city. They’re a bunch of whining pussies. Having said that they have a great starting pitcher in Josh Beckett, a pretty good rotation with Daiske Matsusaka and Curt Schilling, a powerful offense that can hit you out of the park and the world’s ugliest player in Kevin Youkilis.

The Angels meanwhile play small ball to try and manufacture runs. However the Red Sox have the second highest fielding percentage in the AL while making the second fewest errors (all second to the Baltimore Orioles) which makes small ball a bit difficult to execute. Also the Angels have been horrible against the Red Sox, and there is no reason to believe that will change in this series. Red Sox defeat Angels 3-1.

ALDS: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians. Whether you like them or not, the Yankees are a good team. They have the league’s MVP Alex Rodriguez who has carried the team on his shoulders throughout the season. Like the Red Sox they can score runs at the turn of the hat. However their pitching is a bit suspect.

The Cleveland Indians have great pitching with C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona having breakout seasons. That one-two punch can quiet down the Yankee bats. Although the Yanks went 6-0 during the regular season, they never faced Sabathia. And unlike the Red Sox, the Indians have one of the cutest players in baseball: Grady Sizemore. With a name like Sizemore… Well you know. Indians defeat Yankees 3-2.

NLDS: Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs are a very curious team. They made the playoffs despite being outscored during the regular season. Aside from Brandon Webb, their pitching is mediocre at best. But they have a sparkplug in left fielder Eric Byrnes who at 31 is the oldest position player on the team.

The Cubs have some good pitching and some great bats. However it’s the Cubs and no one can forget Bartman from the 2003 NLCS when they were five outs away from the World Series. It’s a curse right? The Cubs will never get to the World Series right? I think they have a great chance this year seeing as how wide open the National League is. Cubs over Diamondbacks 3-1.

NLDS: Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies. I really don’t know what to make of this series. Both teams have great hitters, average pitchers and good fielding (although the Rockies hold an advantage in that aspect). So it’s just a toss up really. Since Philly has the home-field advantage, I’ll give it to the Phillies. Phillies over Rockies 3-2.

After I had written this up, the Rockies took the first game in Philly. Proves what I know.

Just to let you know, I predicted two weeks ago the Cubs would win the World Series against the Indians. We’ll see how my divisional series picks do and reassess before the next round.

In the meantime, enjoy the action. All of the games will be on TBS, and in the case of games overlapping TNT will be broadcasting the spillovers. I’m just praying to Satan that these announcers won’t be annoying. But it will be very nice to be able to watch baseball as a fan as opposed to a Dodger blogger.

Flickr image by baseballart.