MLB Division Series Previews/Prediction

Talk about one crazy season, especially the month of September, with not one but two teams absolutely collapsing down the stretch. Because, as of September 1, both the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves had sizable wild card leads over the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals respectively. Plus, all divisional leads were sizable at the time as well. So, baseball's races were not looking like much heading into the final month, but in the end, Tampa and St. Louis each nabbed the wild card slots in each league. Now, there are four good match ups in the divisional round. Plus, there really are only two, maybe even one surprise team in the playoffs which weren't predicted to make the playoffs in the beginning of the season. Those two teams are Tampa and Arizona. But, if they're in the playoffs they definitely have some good teams. But, enough with the season, allow me to preview the second season and separate the men from the boys so to speak. Schedules are included and all games are on TBS unless otherwise noted.

ALDS

Tampa Bay vs. Texas. Schedule: Friday at 5, Saturday at 7 on TNT, Monday at 5, Tuesday, Thursday

These two teams faced off last year in the division series with Texas coming out on top in five games. Both teams remain largely unchanged from last season, with one notable exception, and that is Cliff Lee is no longer with the Rangers. So, with that said, I think both teams are very evenly matched. Both teams are coming into the postseason red hot, but which team will come out on top? I believe that Texas has a better overall starting pitching and bullpen, so I'll go with Texas.

Pick: Texas in 5

ALDS
Detroit vs. New York Yankees. Schedule: Friday at 8:30, Saturday at 8:30, Monday at 8:30, Tuesday, Thursday

Both of these teams are really good. Both teams have tremendous offenses, and both have great bullpens, so, the question is which team has the better starting pitching? Well, it's Detroit. Detroit has by far the better pitching, as after CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, the Yankees don't really have anyone reliable. Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and A.J. Burnett have all not fared very well over the second half of the season. However, with Detroit, while you may not know anyone beyond Justin Verlander, there are some good pitchers like Doug Fister, who went 7-1 down the stretch with a 1.71 ERA. Then, there is Max Scherzer, who struggled a little bit down the stretch but is still a good pitcher. So, with that said, I believe Detroit will knock off the Yankees much like they did in 2006 on their way to the World Series. Plus, I hate the Yankees guts.

Pick: Detroit in 4.

NLDS

Arizona vs. Milwaukee. Schedule: Saturday, 2, Sunday 430, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

This is the most underrated and under the radar series of all four, as both teams are not really "name" teams. both teams come from relatively small markets in Milwaukee and Phoenix. However, Milwaukee is on a mission to win the World Series, as this is their season before Prince Fielder leaves. Milwaukee has some experience in the postseason with them making the 2008 postseason and losing to the eventual champion Phillies in the divisional series. Arizona doesn't really have any postseason experience, however, their manager and coaching staff have plenty of it. So, with their coaching staff, they've got a fighting chance.

Pick: Milwaukee in 4.

NLDS

Philadelphia vs. St. Louis. Schedule:  Saturday at 5, Sunday at 8, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

The Phillies struggled down the stretch, until they won their final four games. So, it seems as if they've flipped the switch into playoff mode. St. Louis has been in playoff mode the entire month to grab the wild card spot in the NL. St. Louis has some heavy hitters in Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, and of course the best player in the league, Albert Pujols. However, the Phillies have a very balanced lineup with speed and power ranging from Jimmy Rollins to Hunter Pence to Ryan Howard. St. Louis and the Phillies played a four game series earlier in the month with St. Louis taking 3 out of 4, will that change with the postseason? A little bit. Both teams have fairly questionable bullpens, but St. Louis is by far the more questionable one, hence why I'm going with the Phils, but it's going to be one tough series.

Pick: Phillies in 5.