The American League Division Series each have two games under their belt as the opening sequence of games completed tonight in both Boston and Oakland. Here’s some thoughts on how both are unfolding…
The MLB playoffs are two days in and the National League has completed the first two games of each series. In both cases, the road teams–the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates–found ways to get one win and take homefield advantage as the teams now shift venues for the middle games on Sunday and Monday.
… let’s take a brief step back and look at the betting odds of all four teams to win the American League pennant, and then some of the storylines that might emerge by any of the four potential matchups in the American League Championship Series.
The Oakland A’s and Detroit Tigers meet in the American League Division Series for the second straight year, and for the third time in the playoffs since 2006. TheSportsNotebook’s MLB coverage breaks down the series by comparing each team in the key areas of getting on base, hitting for power, starting pitching and the bullpen. Then we’ll conclude with some historical context and make a prediction.
We’ll compare each team in the four key component parts of the game, from ability to get runners on base, to hitting for power, to starting pitching to the bullpen. Then we’ll conclude with some historical context and make a pick.
The Division Series matchups are now set in both leagues, as Tampa Bay joins Pittsburgh as a winner of the wild-card game and both teams will join the six division winners in the best-of-five play that gets rolling on Thursday in the National League and Friday in the American League. Let’s close out the one-and-done rounds with some thoughts on both knockout games.
Before the playoffs begin though, I’d like to take a brief look at each team’s odds to win the National League pennant, and winning each of the next two postseason rounds. Here are the current prices…
We’ll break down each team and compare them the game’s four key component parts–the ability to get runners on base, power hitting, starting pitching and relief pitching. Then we’ll conclude with some historical context and make a pick.
We’ll compare each team in their four key component parts–the ability to put runners on base, power hitting, starting pitching and the bullpen. Then we’ll close with some historical context and a prediction.
The Rustbelt is known more for its football, be it college or high school. But the 2 1/2 hour drive between the cities of Pittsburgh & Cleveland will be the heart of the baseball world these next two nights. Steelers-Browns might not have the cache it once did in this neck of the woods, but the Pirates and Indians are alive and well and set to host wild-card games.
There is still technically one more game left in the American League regular season, as Texas and Tampa Bay play a tiebreaker game for the final playoff berth tonight. But with the 162-game schedule in the books, TheSportsNotebook’s MLB coverage is set to close out the regular season with the final choices for the major individual awards in the American League.
It’s time to pick the final season-ending American League All-Star team. TheSportsNotebook’s MLB coverage makes the selection of this team, along with their counterparts in the National League, an annual rite of late September/early October, believing that it’s silly to define the All-Stars by who won a fan vote based on a couple months worth of play early in the year.