The 2014 MLB Playoffs Are Upon Us: Who Will Win in October?

October has finally arrived, meaning that baseball will once again take center stage as cool fall nights are warmed up with the tense playoff encounters between baseball’s best teams.  In a strange twist of fate, neither the Boston Red Sox nor the New York Yankees will take any part in the affairs; a reality not seen since 1993!  But in regards to the teams that actually will be a part of the 2014 MLB Playoffs, there should definitely be a lot to excite the fans!

First up will be the single game wildcard matches between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics in the American League, and a game between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League.  While the concept of both team’s playoff hopes residing on the outcome of a lone game is quite enticing and does make an excellent way to kick start the tournament, it will surely be a quick and brutal ending to be eliminated so soon for the eventual losers.

But that’s how life is when you don’t win your division, and for this reason I really don’t suspect any of the wildcard teams to contend for the 2014 World Series.  Looking ahead to the later rounds of the playoffs, I think the American League will be won by the Los Angeles Angels.  While they have endured more than their fair share of injuries to key players, the cogs of a championship-winning side are well in place.  Albert Pujols represents the mature veteran with World Series experience while Mike Trout has proven to be baseball’s next slugger.  Only 23, he is young and has yet to taste the playoffs, but fortunately a proven star like Pujols will be able to guide him along.

With regards to pitching, they have two of the crucial positions covered.  Jered Weaver is a true ace while closer Huston Street has been dominant with a 1.37 ERA.  Such a threat in the 9^th inning sends absolute fear in the minds of opponents and is a crucial ingredient to postseason success.  The injury to Garrett Richards was unfortunate, but so long as Matt Shoemaker and C.J. Wilson can put together several good outings on the mound, I suspect the Angels will reach the World Series.

Once there, I think the team ready to meet them will be none other than cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, setting up a classic Freeway Series for the title!  Here’s why:

Spending Yankees’ levels of money, the Dodgers are loaded.  They have two ace pitchers in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.  While injuries have also struck down upon this team, prematurely ending Josh Beckett’s fine comeback season, the Dodgers should be alright, especially if Hyun-Jin Ryu is able to pitch in the postseason.  Their closer Jansen Kenley has served them well too.

Hitting wise, the Dodgers have one of the deepest lineups in baseball.  Nearly all of their starters are batting near .300 and big time hitters like Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, and Matt Kemp can crush the ball.  Speedy guys like Dee Gordon and Carl Crawford can round the bases can and score runs.  Such production is key against top pitchers in the playoffs where a single run can decide an entire series!  Top to bottom the most talented roster in the Majors, I suspect that the Los Angeles Dodgers will reach the 2014 World Series and will go on to win it.

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5 Pitchers who are Best Equipped to Handle the Pressures of October

Pitching is one of the toughest jobs in professional sports, especially in the MLB playoffs of October.  Intense focus is absolutely vital and a single bad fastball left hanging over the plate can easily ruin a team’s entire World Series hopes.  As pitching often decides these playoff encounters, lets take a quick look at who figures to play a prominent role in the proceedings and is most equipped to handle the pressures that will come in these cold, mentally draining late season starts.

1. Clayton Kershaw – There’s no denying that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kershaw is the ultimate ace pitcher this year and is a sure bet to win the NL Cy Young Award. But having won the award twice in his young career already, I think he wants to add a World Series ring to his resume!  Fortunately, his 1.78 ERA is best in the bigs and his postseason display last year eased the pain from his previous October outings of several years back, when he struggled mightily.  Surrounded by great talent, Kershaw should ride a wave of momentum into a championship.
2. Max Scherzer – Often held back in the shadows of the Detroit Tigers’ ace pitcher Justin Verlander, Scherzer has quietly become the best #2 pitcher in baseball and currently holds a decent 3.13 ERA. In recent playoff years, he has pitched tremendously well, though he certainly will need to step up now following the injury to Verlander.  A lot of the Tigers’ hopes now rest on his arm but he definitely has the capabilities to get them far and finally take over the leadership role of this team!
3. Jon Lester – A hero for the Boston Red Sox championship year in 2013 behind a postseason ERA of 1.56, Lester jumped ship to the Oakland Athletics several weeks ago and will have another great shot at a title once again. A heroic story following his recovery from lymphoma, Lester has battled adversity far beyond the mound, and he has the proof of a successful career that continues to improve with strong strikeouts.  He looks to be at home in Oakland and could lead a stunning playoff run at his new club.
4. Adam Wainwright – With a strong 2.34 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals, Wainwright is having his best year. Having been with the team for his whole career, the pitcher has found a home and has come into his own in recent years.  Numerous playoff trips have proven largely successful for Wainwright and he figures to have another strong outing in 2014.  The Cardinals have been a great team recently and could certainly claim the World Series should this pitcher dominate.
5. David Price – A player who has certainly struggled in the postseason with the Tampa Bay Rays, Price hopes to benefit from the new surroundings in Detroit with the Tigers. His season has been quite good with a 3.21 ERA but his issue will be mental.  I’m hoping that a change of teams is exactly what his career needed.  The Rays were never going to win, but the Tigers have far more talent and opportunity.  If Price can perform to his potential this October, Detroit just might end up as World Series champions!

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Expect West Coast Baseball Teams to Dominate MLB Playoffs

While there is still a long ways to go in the baseball season, the hazy playoff picture is beginning to gain clarity.  Among the best teams in baseball are 4 clubs based on the west coast, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants, the Oakland Athletics, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Not only do these clubs have the best current records in the sport, but they also possess some of the most talented players in the game.  Therefore, I am predicting a west-heavy October with a potential ALCS and NLCS matchup between the 4 clubs.

The team that seems most powerful to me is the Los Angeles Dodgers.  While they haven’t dominated quite like their tremendous run of this time last summer, that may actually be a good thing.  You want your team hitting their stride in October, and these guys may be building towards that.  Their squad oozes of amazing talent and we are starting to see the payoff of their massive investment in the team.  Clayton Kershaw is baseball’s top pitcher while Hyun-jin Ryu and Zack Greinke are studs as well.  The batting lineup of Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and Adrian Gonzalez is extremely formidable, making the Dodgers my favorite to win the 2014 World Series.

But one also cannot overlook their NL West division rivals, the San Francisco Giants, who actually have won recent World Series, both in 2010 and 2012.  Led by Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval, and Buster Posey, the Giants have title-winning experience and seem to always get sizzling hot right at the best moment.  While they never wow anyone or showcase the game’s biggest stars, they harbor a solid staff built around effort and teamwork, and fortune has recently fallen their way.  Anyone who counts this team out right now is asking for trouble…

In the American League, the team that has caught everyone’s attention is the Oakland Athletics.  A great team made up of relatively inexpensive players, the A’s have one of the best pitching lineups in baseball, featuring Scott Kazmir, Sonny Gray, Jesse Chavez, and the recently traded-for Jeff Samardzija.  With pitching often the key ingredient for championship success, the Athletics must be feeling pretty good about their chances.  Additionally, decent hitters like Derek Norris, Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Donaldson, Coco Crisp, and Brandon Moss give them enough run support to be true contenders.

But down south of this hot club, also in the AL West, are the big-money Los Angeles Angels.  Two superstar hitters in Albert Pujols and Mike Trout complement the solid pitching arms of Jered Weaver and Garrett Richards, making the club definite challengers for the title.  Due to recent failed seasons (and the success of the A’s), the Angels are bit of an after-thought and are currently flying under the radar.  This could be especially beneficial to them considering their wonderfully talented superstar leaders, who could certainly take over the month of October.

The interesting part about this western dominance of the 2014 baseball season is that two of these teams will have to play in the single-game elimination wildcard games.  Winning the AL West or NL West therefore becomes especially important, meaning that these clubs are in for some thrilling end-of-season races!  But regardless of who claims these divisions, I think we may see some dramatic west coast playoff series and maybe even a World Series featuring two of the teams!  My money is on the Oakland Athletics squaring off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Tight MLB Standings After April Leaves Baseball Season Up for Grabs!

Usually after a full month of the Major League Baseball season, several teams have taken a commanding lead in their divisions and already separated from the pack.  Often the team with the best roster, this side can generally stroll to a division title and a playoff appearance in October.  But so far in the 2014 MLB season, few teams have been able to take that big step, and the races are generally very tight, making for an exciting summer of close races!

Only 3 teams have gotten off to a hot start, including the Milwaukee Brewers, the Atlanta Braves, and the Oakland Athletics.  While these teams have decent talent and should be expected to do well, their high marks at this point of the season are a bit of a surprise.  While these teams certainly could reach the playoffs, they are by no means major contenders for the World Series!  Instead, sides like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Detroit Tigers, the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox (teams with burgeoning payrolls and All-Star rosters) are meandering around .500 as they simply haven’t been able to generate strong winning streaks.  This should make for a great season ahead!

As the relatively unknown squads continue to win, they will eventually get pressured by the high spenders, and we should expect enticing drama come August and September in several divisions.  Right now, each of the AL East, NL East, and the AL Central are only separated by roughly 5 games from 1^st place to last place!  Basically, each of these teams could still turn around their year and compete for the playoffs!

Even in divisions where teams like the Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, or Chicago Cubs have come out to woeful starts, all the other teams are still hovering around .500 and could make a move.  In fact, those 3 teams are probably the only ones that anyone could consider hopeless for the year, especially given their weak rosters.

But for all the other teams like the Cincinnati Reds, or the Los Angeles Angels, or even the Miami Marlins, this baseball season is just getting started and they are right there within the race.

What will be intriguing is to look ahead two or three months from today and guess how the standings will look.  While injuries to key players will pile up and certainly become a problem for the average teams, where as the rich teams with depth will be able to push on to more victories, we should expect those big-budget clubs to begin catching up to the leaders and even starting to pull away.  But what’s fascinating about baseball is when a club without many superstars can organize a strong run!  Such is the case right now with the Athletics, the Brewers, and the Braves.  Will these teams be able to keep up the pace?  No matter what happens ahead, this current tight MLB standings should make for a closely contested and an exciting summer as these teams push and pull on their way on to the MLB playoffs!

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Cleveland Indians Becoming the Surprise Team in the AL Central

Cleveland Indians baseball display case

For a team that usually struggles to an average record year after year, the Cleveland Indians have been the surprise of the season through the first 35 games 2013. After a predictably rough star to the year, the Indians have improved greatly. On a current hot streak, the Tribe has won 13 of their last 16 games, and has pushed to within just a half game of the AL Central lead. How has this team that was supposed to be in a rebuilding year with a new manager completed what seems to be such a remarkably quick turnaround?

 

It all started with the acquisition of manager Terry Francona, mastermind of 2 World Series Championships for the Boston Red Sox. Overcoming the Curse of the Bambino, Francona built a dynasty in Boston around players like Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez. But having since moved on from that club, Francona has now taken the reigns in Cleveland and looks like he may have a shot at working similar magic for the Indians.

 

Francona orchestrated a general house cleaning, ridding the Indians of familiar faces like Travis Hafner and Shin-Soo Choo. However, these players have been replaced by quite a few well-known stars. Among the new members of the Tribe are Michael Bourn, Jason Giambi, Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds, and Scott Kazmir. These players have had a mixed bag of success, as any low-market team like the Indians will discover with their signings. But the Indians are winning right now, and with holdover players like Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Justin Masterson, and Zach McAllister performing well, they could be on to more success, especially if the bats of the newcomers can warm up.

 

Indians fans will be cautious about getting excited over this new-look team. Past seasons have begun well to peak interest, only for the team to suffer from mid-summer swoons and fade away into the obscurity of the AL Central.

 

Another problem for the Tribe this year will be division rival, the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers reached the World Series last season but were abused and swept by the San Francisco Giants. However, that experience seemingly forced the team’s hand into bringing in a powerful hitter and former Gold Glove winner in Torii Hunter. Although Hunter has just a single home run on the season, his .333 batting average is strong. Additionally, the team that houses superstars like Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, and Justin Verlander is also having a solid start to the year and currently lead the AL Central with a 21-15 record. For the Indians to overcome such a strong team and clinch the division would be quite the tall ask, even as they are within touching distance so far this year.

 

But if there’s one thing that suggests this could be a playoff year for the Indians, it is the fact they seem to have luck on their side. Last week, the Indians were gifted a horrendous non home-run call that would have seen the Oakland Athletics tie a game in the 9^th inning with a Adam Rosales home run. Wrongly ruled a double, the Indians got a free win. If good fortune keeps going the Indians’ way, they might be in the mix come October.

 

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Twin's Star Shannon Stewart Leaves

Minnesota Twins' beloved outfielder Shannon Stewart leaves after playing 3 1/2 seasons in Minnesota. Stewart is a fan favorite in Minnesota and will surely be missed.

Stewart agreed to a 1 year contract with the Oakland Athletics worth $1 million, and can earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses.

During last season, Stewart only played 44 games as he was bothered by foot injuries. He batted .293, with two homeruns and 21 RBIs in 174 at-bats. In his last 12 seasons, he has accumulated a .299 batting average and 102 total home runs.

Thanks for the excitement here in Minnesota - you will be missed!

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