The ALDS and NLDS finally wrapped up, and now we are in the heart of the MLB Playoffs. It is mid-October, the leaves are changing, and due to climate change, I am forced to wear my fall hoodies while it is 80 degrees and humid outside.
In the National League, the Dodgers defeated the Braves in 4 games. The Braves had a great young team, but they are at least a year away from competing for the World Series. The Dodgers, however, are a machine as always. Seven guys on their roster hit at least 20 homers this season. They’re pretty fucking scary.
The Brewers looked dominant in their 3-0 sweep of the Colorado Rockies as well. The Brew Crew’s offense has been great all year long, especially with the resurgence of Christian Yelich in the second half. They showed no signs of slowing down in the NLDS, and we will see if they are up for the test against a tough Dodgers staff, which is one of the best in the MLB.
So far, the Brewers’ pitching has been lights out in the postseason. They allowed only two earned runs against the Rockies in their three games. However, their starters rarely pitch deep into games, so they will likely have to rely on their bullpen to slow down the powerful Dodgers offense. Josh Hader has been great all year, but you have to wonder if he is going to be scared to play on a big stage after what happened during the All-Star Game.
On the other end, the Astros swept the Indians and honestly, I don’t even know if they actually played. I think Cleveland just saw the Astros roster and conceded, deciding they will try again next year. Houston’s games were played at 2:05 pm, 4:37pm, and 1:30 pm on TBS. I honestly don’t think a single person watched the series. Cleveland goes home shocked and disappointed, similar to how Clevelanders felt in 1969 when the Cuyahoga River caught on fire.
All you need to know is the Astros are strong as ever, and looking to repeat as World Series champions, which hasn’t happened in the MLB in the 21st century. Somehow, the Astros will be able to come in under the radar as they move on to the ALCS well-rested and confident.
The Red Sox dominated and demoralized the Yankees, and boy did they forget to use a safe word. I had to check the channel guide to make sure I was on TBS and not one of those channels right after HBO you have to pay to watch. I don’t like to kink shame, but I don’t know how any Yankee fan could show their face after a series like that. I’d imagine it’s hard to see your boys getting spanked night after night like that.
Mike Stanton is learning what life is like in the big city, and the rest of the Yankees were just not prepared for the series (Severino didn’t even start warming up until 8 minutes before Game 3!). All that can really be taken from this series is that nobody on the Yankees earned their pinstripes, they have a terrible manager they signed only because he hit a big home run fifteen years ago, and the Red Sox’s only weakness seems to be their bullpen. It doesn’t help that their closer is a T-posing ginger either.
So, in a surprising turn of events, the Red Sox and Astros will be facing off in the ALCS. I really didn’t see it coming at the beginning of the year. Obviously, we all knew Houston would be good, but we also know how hard it is to defend a title.
I really thought my Orioles were gonna give the AL East a run this year, as it was a contract year for Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Manager Buck Showalter, and GM Dan Duquette. Normally, a contract year never lets me down. Joe Flacco, the elite (?) quarterback sharing a parking lot with the O’s, proved his greatness in a contract year and brought back a Super Bowl in 2013.
But I was a little off, and now here we are. The Boston Red Sox are in the ALCS again for the first time since 2013. Chris Sale is great, David Price is good, and they got a solid outfield. Fred Porcello proved he was a decent starting arm as well.
The Astros, however, are the same dominant team they have been in recent years. They have an excellent pitching staff top to bottom, and are coming off a series against the Indians where they had a team batting average of .327 and hit eight home runs in three games. Offensively, Bregman and Altuve are their leaders, but their entire lineup has the capability to step up in big moments.
Everyone thinks the Red Sox are the best team in baseball, but if I had to give a prediction, I’d say both teams will try their best, win a couple, lose a couple, and the best team will end up on top. Interpret that how you want.
On the other side of the league, the Dodgers are facing the Brewers in the NLCS. Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw is undoubtedly great in the regular season, but equally as suspect in the postseason. The “Peyton Manning of Baseball” seems to be the hot term for him these days.
Against the Brewers, he is in for a tough matchup. Ryan Braun has finally decided to be a team player and share his steroids with the other guys as Yelich, Shaw, and Aguilar are hitting bombs all over the place. With Yelich as the leader of this team, their identity is swinging fast and eating ass, and they are at their peak right now.
I wanna love this team. They’re called the friggin’ Brewers (beer is super cool), and they have a sick slide in left center at Miller Park. But Jhoulys Chacin is the ace of this team, whose name sounds an awful lot like Juul Chasing. This, combined with his mediocre stats for a team ace in the NLCS, leads me to say he don’t want this smoke.
Dodgers in 6. Brewers go up in a milky cloud of crème brulee, and the Dodgers lose the World Series again. It’s gonna be hilarious.
In The Books 
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