2007 MLB Playoff Predictions- Division Series

I'm your self-proclaimed resident "expert" sports pundit here in blogger-land. That being the case, I just know you want to know how I think the baseball playoffs will go this year. Here are my picks for the Division Series, which are best-of-five series. Predictions for the two League Championship Series and World Series to follow later in the month.

Since three of the four series start tonight, let's begin with the National League:

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Season Series: Col 4-3

My prediction: Phillies win 3 games to 1.
Actual result: Rockies won 3-0.

After Colorado's exciting one game "playoff" to decide the NL Wild Card last night plus a cross country trip to Philly I see fatigue and a messed up rotation playing a big role in this series for the Rockies. Plus, the Phillies are playing on-fire baseball right now. They will be more rested, have their pitching rotation in order and have home field advantage.

Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Season Series: Arz 4-2

My Prediction: Cubs win 3 games to 2.
Actual result: Diamondbacks won 3-0.

The Diamondbacks, I think, were supposed to be decent this season but nobody, save for die-hard Cubbies fans thought their team would make the playoffs this season, especially after a 96 loss last place finish in 2006. Even though the Cubs have the worst won-loss record of any playoff team in either league this year, it's a new season and anything can happen. I think Lou Piniella is a great manager and Alfonso Soriano had a phenomenal season in his first year in Chicago. Thank God he now plays in the NL! It's all about momentum and pitching in the second season and the Cubbies have more of it.


Now for the American League:

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians
Season Series: NYY 6-0

My Prediction: Indians win 3 games to 2.
Actual result: Indians won 3-1.

Kudos to the Yankees for having a heckuva second half and even getting to the playoffs- combined with the second half meltdown of the Detroit Tigers. Still, the Indians will win this series because pitching wins in the playoffs. The Yankees just have too many questions in their rotation outside of Chien-Ming Wang as their #1 guy. I know the Indians lost all six games to the Yankees in the regular season, but a 1-2 punch of C.C. Sabathia (whom the Yankees haven't faced since 2004) and Fausto Carmona is just too much to handle in a short series. Having said that, it wouldn't surprise me if the Yankees won this series, setting up another potential monster Yankees-Red Sox ALCS.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox
Season Seires: Bos 4-2

My Prediction: Red Sox win 3 games to 1.
Actual result: Red Sox won 3-0.

Potential CY Young winner Josh Beckett will face the Angels twice if the series goes four games, Matsuzaka once and possibly twice, if it goes the full five games. The Angels didn't face Dice-K in the regular season. Oh, yeah. Then you have 2004 World Series hero Curt Schilling to pitch Game 3. Angels Ace John Lackey won 19 games this season but his personal house of horrors is Fenway Park. Not to mention uber-freak power guy Vlad Guererro is battling serious injuries and the Angels other power bat, Gary Matthews, Jr. is inactive for this series due to injury. Both managers are excellent and both have won World Series this decade (Angels 2002; Red Sox 2004). Not that it matters, but the Red Sox swept the Angels in the Division Series in 2004, en route to a World Series Championship and are 2-0 vs. the Angels all-time in the playoffs (won the LCS in 1986 en route to a heartbreaking WS loss to the Mets).