The Divisional Series round has come to an end, as I got each series length wrong (one three-game sweep, three winner take all Game 5s). However, three of the four teams that I picked to win in the Divisional Series round all advanced, with the Atlanta Braves being the only prediction that I got incorrect.
Check out the bullet points and text below to see whom I’m picking to advance to the World Series:
- Washington Nationals Vs. St. Louis Cardinals-The Nationals dethroned a two-time reigning National League champion, as they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 7-3 against the Los Angeles for their first playoff series win since 1981 when they were the Montreal Expos. As for the Cardinals, they were propelled by Molina magic, as the youngest (Yadier) of those three brothers had both the game-tying and game-winning RBIs in Game 4 to help his team force a Game 5 against the Braves. The Cardinals ended up winning the latter of those two games, 13-1. Based on the Cardinals history and the fact that they get home-field advantage in this round, logic says to pick them. But Washington’s three-headed monster of starting pitching will shorten the games and this series, as I have the Nationals winning the National League pennant in five games.
- New York Yankees Vs. Houston Astros-These two teams meet in this round for the second time in three years. And just like 2017, the Astros have home-field advantage. Early big leads and timely insurance runs against the Minnesota Twins are the reasons why the Yankees have advanced to this round for the second time in three years, while the Astros got all that they could handle from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees have a tendency to turn the game over to their bullpen quite often, whereas the Astros also boast a three-headed monster of starting pitching that can and has proven to go deep into games. I had the Yankees going the distance (five games) against the Twins in the last round and advancing to this round. And as for this round, I have them going the distance but losing, as I don’t see them beating the three-headed monster of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zach Greinke four times in a seven-game series.
Yep, it’s going to be Nationals Vs. Astros in the World Series.
Tune in on October 22 to whom I will pick to win it all.