The four teams in the playoffs from the American League are all legit World Series contenders. But baseball is full of surprises. I remember last year Yankee fans were thrilled to be playing the Tigers who chocked a 10 game lead down the stretch, until the Tigers were playing in the ALCS and their team was fishing. Who would have guessed an 83-win Cardinals team would have gone through the Padres, Mets and Tigers?
MLB and the genius of Bud Selig i'm guessing in their wise wisdom gave Boston the chance to pick whom to play between the Angels and Indians. So the question turns out did Boston pick the schedule most detrimental to the Yankees rather than the one most beneficial to themselves?
Boston's projected rotation would probably be: Beckett, Dice-K, Schilling-[Beckett Game 4 in LA. Buchholz lockdown and absence is sad but i'm not even sure he'd pitch in a short series] Halos: Lackey, Escobar, Weaver, Sanders/Bartolo?]. Red Sox's lineup is stacked and it will be interesting if they decide to put Manny in the 2 hole and Lowell protecting Big Papi(in all fairness and to everyone's surprise Lowell's has probably been their best hitter). Haven't seen much from the Halos this year but i'm guessing it's more of the same: fundamentally sound, hit and run, move runners over, good bullpen tho i'm aware of Shields not so great fortune this year.
Boston in 4.
Cleveland/Yankees: The Yankees are on a roll and Cleveland save Lofton/Nixon don't have much playoff experience. The Jake will be buzzing for the first time in years and I like the combo of Sabathia/Carmona and a revitalized Westbrook in the second half of the season. Bullpen questions and the inexperience of most of their young stars Sizemore, Hafner, Martinez, Garko, Peralta etc will dig them a hole.
The key will be the first two games. Wang's home/road splits are alarming, especially his ERA on the road as opposed to Yankee Stadium. If the Indians manage to get the first two and go back to New York with a lead who knows?
As I mentioned earlier if the postseason is a crapshoot, then the LDS, at five games, is roulette.
In the NL well i'm just crossing my fingers for a Rockies/Phillies series. Coors Field, Citizens BallPark. With both teams fielding mediocre starting pitching the games could turn into shootout.
