Well, as 2/3rds of the league officially is on vacation until February, and the other 1/3rd don't start work until tomorrow, figured I'd at least get back to my old habit of making predictions that don't even come close to coming true.
Last year, things were relatively easy to predict, because in the NL, the momentum stayed basically the same across the board, and everything went to plan...even though the AL went against my expectations, as the Red Sox did NOT beat the Indians in the ALDS.
Still, last year I was very close in predicting a Cubs-Red Sox series. Will I get that close this year? Probably not. Still worth a shot, though.
AL Wild Card: Twins vs. Yankees
The Underdogs vs. the Overachievers. This is an easy matchup to predict in practice, but you have to allow for unpredictability, and the Minnesota Twins have been mighty unpredictable this year, leaping into the playoffs when nobody thought they would. Still, the Yankees have the better team, and they have the field and momentum. There is a feeling in the back of my mind that maybe it won't be as simple as I'm thinking, but, again, I'm supposed to be wrong a few times on this.
Verdict: Yanks over Twins
NL Wild Card: Rockies vs. Diamondbacks
Battle of the Angry Expansion Teams. The home field advantage might seal this. This is a battle between two very good, very competitive teams that have been at each other's throats all year. If this took place at Coors Field, I'd be handing it to Colorado, but this will be a Chase Field game, and Zack Greinke will likely be on the mound, so while there will probably be some offensive attacks from both sides...I'm going to give it to the D-Backs because they have the better team, the better pitching, and will likely get the best of the Colorado defensive.
Verdict: D-Backs over Rockies
ALDS Part 1: Red Sox vs. Astros
Marathon Survivors vs. Hurricane Survivors. As good as both teams are, I honestly think momentum is going to decide this. The Red Sox lost a few crucial games at the tail end of the season, and were in danger of having the Yankees lap them for a majority of the season. The Astros, while themselves lapped by Cleveland, were able to stay dominant down the stretch and finish strong, even with a few rogue injuries. The Astros have had more momentum going into October than Boston, and they did a good enough job at keeping Boston down in their last series. I think they'll have no problem stopping them over 5 games.
Verdict: Astros over Sox
ALDS Part 2: Yankees vs. Indians
Lords of the Rings vs. the Eternally Ringless. The question here is whether or not the Yankees can get past the monolithic Cleveland defense. And the answer, sadly, is no. The Indians have showed no flaws, and have only gotten scarier as the season has went on. The Yankees have more human moments, more flaws, more question marks. I don't think we're gonna be embarrassed, but I don't think the Indians are gonna need to work that hard to take us out, either.
Verdict: Tribe over Yanks.
NLDS Part 1: Cubs vs. Nationals
Defending Champions vs. the October Unlucky. This is a legitimately tough one to predict, because the Cubs might snap right into their 2016 selves, like they did towards the end, and really fight to take out the Nationals. But...honestly, I don't see them getting past the Nats' pitching. The Cubs' pitching isn't good enough to block good offenses this year, and they're gonna get eaten alive by Harper and pals. So as optimistic as I'd like to be here, and as dangerous as the Cubs could be...I think this is finally the Nationals' year.
Verdict: Nats over Cubs
NLDS Part 2: D-Backs vs. Dodgers
The Youth vs. The Best. Some of the Dodgers' most prominent losses have been at the hands of the Diamondbacks. If an upset is going to happen anywhere in the league, it's going to happen right here. Both teams have a similar amount of momentum, but the Dodgers, who've started so strong, have begun to peter off...yet, still, they have an impressive lineup. This series will likely go all five games, have heroes and villains, and singlehandedly decide the outcome of the playoffs. And it's not going to end very obviously.
Verdict- D-Backs over Dodgers
ALCS: Astros vs. Indians
The Powerhouse vs. The Streak. First of all, if this ends up being the ALCS, i'll be very happy, because these are two teams that haven't won in either 70 years, or...ever. They're both fun teams that have been in last place this decade, and have come from nothing to be the best this year. In terms of what happens when they're pitted against each other...one has to wonder who is most likely to lose when playing against a competitive team. The answer would have to be Houston, who dropped some games to New York, Boston and Cleveland as the year went on, and who look a bit more vulnerable than the Indians, who look damn near unstoppable. There's a chance Cleveland's momentum could wear off, but I'm not seeing it.
Verdict: Indians over Astros.
NLCS: Diamondbacks vs. Nationals
The Randy Johnson Memorial Series. If this one ends up happening, it will go down to the momentum of both teams. How much does everybody still have in the tank? And while it would be easy to assume the Nationals are capable of finishing this one off...again, I am going to have to defer to the spontaneous sensibilities of the Arizona Diamondbacks. You could tell that the Dodgers were scared of them during their skid. You could tell they knew what the D-Backs were capable of. If this is mid-October by this point, and everybody's still healthy...they will be dangerous enough to take down Washington. I'm calling it.
Verdict- D-Backs over Nats
WORLD SERIES: Diamondbacks vs. Indians
New vs. Old. I'm not sure if this matchup will happen (it'd be better than Boston-Dodgers tbh), but if it does, it has a chance of being one of the oddest yet most dramatic Series' in recent memory. The Indians fought hard to get back, to be in this shape. The D-Backs had everything handed to them, worked hard enough but let others pave the way for them. This battle would be reminiscent of the 93 Phils-Jays World Series...and while this would probably go all 7 games, the winner would, like the 93 series, come from the AL.
Not only have the Indians gone against inevitability, they've become even more powerful than they were in the 2016 postseason. I feel like this might mean they'll be even deadlier in this postseason, no matter who they go against. Even if the D-Backs build the momentum I'm fearing they will...the Indians will still be able to keep them down.
So...I'm predicting the Diamondbacks to lose the World Series to the Indians. Let's see how right I am.
