2018 MLB Postseason Prediction
The 2018 MLB Postseason begins tomorrow night with the Colorado Rockies visiting the Chicago Cubs in a National League Wild card matchup. With that being said, here is my 2018 MLB Postseason Prediction.
Wild Card Games
-NL
(4) Colorado Rockies @ (4) Chicago Cubs // Cubs win 3-2.
-Earlier today the Cubs lost a game at home that could've given them the NL Central title and Homefield throughout the Postseason. Today they will have to play for their season at home. The Cubs lineup is as deep as any, and they're sending battle-tested veteran Jon Lester to the mound in this must-win game. I'm going to take Jon Lester and the Cubs over the Rockies in this one.
-AL
(4) Oakland Athletics @ (4) New York Yankees // Yankees win 6-4.
-The Yankees were expected to be great this year and they certainly lived up to those expectations, going 100-62. The Athletics however, were a pleasant surprise in 2018. I think the Athletics will hang in this game, but the Yankees dominant bullpen and lineup will help them prevail and move onto the Division Series.
Division Series
-NL
(1) Milwaukee Brewers vs. (4) Chicago Cubs // Brewers win series 3-2
-These teams have met up with each other 20 times this year (including the NL Central tiebreaker game), and these two teams meeting up in the Postseason is going to be a great series to watch. Two deep and very explosive lineups going at each other. I know pitching usually comes to the forefront in October, which would likely mean I should favor the Cubs in this matchup, but there's just something special about this Brewers team this year.
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (3) Atlanta Braves // Dodgers win series 3-1
-The Dodgers beat out the Rockies in a tiebreaker, while the Braves just absolutely tore through the NL East. This Braves team is young and exciting, but the Dodgers team are full of depth from top to bottom. The Braves magical season comes to an end at the feet of the defending National League Champion Dodgers.
-AL
(1) Boston Red Sox vs. (4) New York Yankees // Red Sox win series 3-2
-The series we all deserve, the MLB's best team the Red Sox vs. the offensive/bullpen juggernaut that is the New York Yankees. This rivalry have given us many classics over the years and I wouldn't expect this series to be anything short of spectacular. It's hard for me to predict a winner of this series but when push comes to shove, I'll take the Red Sox offense over the Yankees starting pitching.
(2) Houston Astros vs. (3) Cleveland Indians // Astros win series 3-0
-The Astros just seem like the better team to me. The Indians ran through an easy AL Central where they seldomly looked tested by the other teams in their division. The Astros lineup is stronger, their bullpen is deeper, and their rotation looks better than Cleveland's. Last year's World Series Champs move on!
Championship Series
-NL
(1) Milwaukee Brewers vs. (2) Los Angeles Dodgers // Brewers win series 4-1
-This should figure to be a great series, but I'm going with a stunner here. The Dodgers have as good a ball club as any team in the MLB, but so do the Brewers. The Brewers will handle the Dodgers in a quick five games and advance to their first World Series since 1982.
-AL
(1) Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros // Astros win series 4-3
-This has been maybe the hardest series I've ever had to predict. These are two amazing teams with very few flaws. The Red Sox are the better offensive team, but the Astros are the better pitching team. The difference maker? The bullpen. The Astros have a much deeper bullpen than the Red Sox thanks to the trades for Roberto Osuna and Ryan Pressly. I'm going to give the Astros an edge because pitching is more important than hitting come October. The Astros advance to their second World Series in a row!
World Series
Houston Astros vs. Milwaukee Brewers // Brewers win series 4-2
-Before today it wasn't even a thought in my mind that the Brewers could win the World Series, now I'm actually predicting it to happen. The Brewers showed a lot of fight today, allowing only one run and coming up with two runs in the top of the eighth. That sort of fight is what separates the good ball clubs from the great one's. The Brewers get the job done against the defending World Series champion Astros. Here's one for Milwaukee!