2021 MLB postseason thread

[FileNotFound]

Who ya got?

AL
Wild card: Boston over Yankees, just because.
ALDS: Rays over Boston in a tough 5; Astros over White Sox in an easy 3. The Astros have, quite possibly, the best 1-6 lineup in the league, but ...
ALCS: Rays over Astros in 6, because the Rays have the best 1-6 bullpen in the league.

NL
Wild card: Cardinals over Dodgers, because anything can happen in one game in baseball.
NLDS: Giants Magic Dust beats Cardinals Magic Dust in 3, because the Cardinals bullpen is not, as the t-shirts say, "Built for October." Brewers over Braves in 5, and this may wind up being the most interesting series in the whole show.
NLCS: Giants over Brewers, but it'll take all 7.

WORLD SERIES
I've watched 150+ Rays games this year. I've watched exactly zero Giants games. So my heart is with the Rays, but it's damn hard to argue with the Giants' numbers. By simply looking at the numbers, it's hard to find the Giants' weakness.

However, the Rays organization has succeeded by looking at the numbers and finding strengths and weaknesses that I can't find. It also learned a very important lesson from last year's Game 6. That lesson: Nobody's gonna throw a fit if you take Shane McClanahan out of the game in the sixth inning. Kevin Cash has a whole stable of no-name pitchers who just keep Finding a Way, and a lot of that Way involves pitching to contact and letting the best defense in the game do its job.

Rays in 7, and it'll be the most fascinating World Series you've ever seen.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

I'd love nothing more than to see Gabe Kapler get a ring, for no other reason than to stick it up the asses of Phillies fans who never gave the guy a chance (looking at you, Howard Eskin). He wasn't perfect in Philadelphia, but he was the least of their problems.

 

[Spartan Squad]

If the Dodgers lose to the Cardinals, that gives the Giants the best chance. An LA win and I think it's LA with a clear shot to go back to the World Series. Great pitching, a line up that can destroy teams. The Giants have a good pen and great role players, but Belt being out hurts that offense and the starters have scuffled a little. Dodgers missing Muncy could hurt and if a team steals game 1 or 2 from them in a series, the lack of Kershaw to lock down Game 4 could be a problem.

Braves over Brewers
Cards over Dodgers (heart not head. Head says Dodgers 12-4)
Giants over Cardinals (but would lose in 5 to LA)
Braves over Giants (LA over Braves)

Sox over Yankees
Astros over White Sox
Rays over Sox
Rays over Astros

Rays over whomever comes out of the NL

Edit: Just remembered Acuña is done for the season. I'll give it to the Brewers in 5 and Crew over Giants.

 

[Spartan Squad]

When are game times going to be announced? After the Wild Card or sometime today? I may or may not be trying to figure out if my early release from school Friday will let me get up to Oracle Park

 

[maumann]

It is the fluke of the system that of the three hottest teams in the National League in September, one will get no more than one game to advance and another will no more than five.

I realize it's highly unlikely the people who created the playoff system expected a wild card like the Dodgers would be more than a dozen wins better than the other two divisional champions. I know there are logistical reasons why you can't reorder the matchups based on the wild card winner. But maybe something like an NHL model -- where all the teams in one league are seeded without regards to divisions, would make more sense given that the schedules are unbalanced. Then again, if the Dodgers and Giants both knew they would avoid a winner-takes-all wild card game, it would have eliminated much of the anticipation and anxiety of the past week.

Still, it's too bad that side of the bracket in 2021 is the Group of Death, especially when either the Brewers and Braves are going to advance to the NLCS against somebody who will have had a significantly more difficult and emotional path. We've seen that work out in both the Cardinals (2006) and Giants (2014) favor.

If someone wants to step aside and let the Giants and Dodgers play seven times for the right to meet the AL, I'd be all for it.

 

[qtlaw]

Bosox over NYY
Cards over LA

Rays >Bosox
Astros > Chisox
Rays > Astros

SF > St L
Mil > ATL
SF > Mil

SF > Rays !!!!

 

[MileHigh]

When are game times going to be announced? After the Wild Card or sometime today? I may or may not be trying to figure out if my early release from school Friday will let me get up to Oracle Park

Guessing they will announce ALDS Game 1 times after tomorrow's game.

Looking at the 2019 schedule, Thursday games were played at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. PDT.

Friday's games were at 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. PDT.

Home teams on Friday will be Giants, Brewers, Rays, Astros. With three teams in the EDT/CDT, don't imagine they would have 9:30/8:30 p.m. first pitches, so I guess I'd lean to the Giants in the 6:30 p.m. PDT slot.

Assuming those are the same game times this year as they were in 2019.

Or I could be completely wrong, which wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Songbird]

Cards vs. White Sox would be funny for the obvious.

It'll be Dodgers over White Sox in 6.

 

[TigerVols]

No Kersh, No Muncy = no Dodgers.

Giants are a team of destiny. Alas.

 

[maumann]

Odd trivia:

The Houston Astros are the westernmost team in the AL postseason. The Atlanta Braves are the easternmost team left in the NL.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Odd trivia:

The Houston Astros are the westernmost team in the AL postseason. The Atlanta Braves are the easternmost team left in the NL.

And once upon a time they were both in the NL West.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

TBS and Fox have to be upset the WWL is the only network to get Yankees-Red Sox