Wild Card Series Results and Reflections

The AL and NL Wild Card Series just ended yesterday, and there were so many surprises in the results. I predicted that the Indians, Twins, A’s, and Rays would move on in the AL, and the Dodgers, Padres, Cubs, and Reds to move on in the NL. However, I only got 4 out of 8 series results predictions right. In the AL, the A’s and the Rays did beat their opponents, but the Twins and Indians lost. This came as a surprise to me, as I thought the Yankees depleted starting pitching and inconsistent offense would not be able to withstand the strong pitching and consistent offense that Cleveland provides. Though the Yankees pitching was nothing to write home about in the Series, their offense was on a hot streak, as they led the charge in sweeping the Indians. The Astros and Twins would face off, and I surely believed that the Twins power guys and solid starting pitching in Kenya Maeda and Jose Berrios would be enough to hold off the sub-.500 Houston Astros. I believed that these factors, as well as the famed cheating scandal would be too much to overcome for the Astros. However, their offense came alive against Minnesota. Carlos Correa had a huge series for Houston, going 3-6 with 2 walks in the two game sweep of the Twins. In the Senior Circuit, I thought that the Reds strong starting pitching in Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo, and Sonny Gray would be enough to hold off the Braves. However, I failed to consider the offensive disparity between Atlanta and Cincinnati. The Braves are led by top-MVP candidates Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna, and both performed as advertised in this Series. The Braves also have strong pitching, as Max Fried and Ian Anderson were on point in their starts. Just eight teams stand after the Wild Card Series, as there will be two matchups in each league. In the AL, the Rays and Yankees will face off, as will the Astros and A’s. The NL will see a matchup of the Braves and Marlins, with the other being the Dodgers and Padres. In the AL, I believe the Rays will beat the Yankees, and the Astros will defeat the A’s. The Rays were the one seed going into the playoffs, and they absolutely dominated the Blue Jays. The Yankees are also on fire offensively though, so it does have the makings of an incredibly strong matchup. Although the A’s were red hot going into the playoffs, they did face some pushback by the White Sox. They would win the Series, but it wasn’t with ease. Although Houston doesn’t have the bullpen that Oakland does, they have a team full of guys with consistent playoff experience and success, which is greatly important. My predictions for the NL is that the Dodgers and Braves will move on. The Padres are an exciting young team, but I do not think that this is their year to go deeper in the playoffs. Los Angeles is just too strong, as they have top tier players like Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw, and Corey Seager. The Marlins have risen from years and years of poor baseball to make it to this Division Series against the Braves, but I believe Atlanta will surely best them. The Braves have the offense and starting pitching to withstand the young Miami squad. Anything is possible in playoff baseball though, as one could see in the results of my Wild Card Series predictions. With the World Series getting closer and closer, the suspense of October baseball increases day by day.