The days and nights are getting cooler after a hot summer. Autumn is definitely not my favorite season. But the MLB Postseason is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. All the hard work and perseverance has paid off for 8 teams. Let's take a look at how I think the 2010 American League Division Series matchups will go down.
Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Texas finally has some decent arms after a 10 year stretch of very mediocre pitching. I think their top 3 starters are potentially the best of any of the 8 playoff teams with Cliff Lee, CJ Wilson, and Colby Lewis. Their bullpen has been one of the best in all of baseball all season long. If the Rangers can get decent outings from their starters then I can see them going all the way to the World Series. The Rangers .276 batting average is the best in the American League. Tampa Bay also has a very good pitching staff. David Price has had a great season and is the ace of the staff. The problem with the Rays is their bats. They had a perfect game and a no hitter thrown against them during the season. Their batting average of .247 ranks 13 out of 14 American League teams. If the Rangers can overcome their struggles of winning a game at Tropicana Field, where they didn't win during the regular season, I see them winning this series.
Prediction: Rangers win in 4 games
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
This is a playoff matchup that has not worked out well for the Twins in recent years. Last season the Twins were swept by the Yankees in the ALDS. In 2003 and 2004 the Yankees won the series 3 games to 1. During the 2010 season the Yankees owned the Twins winning 5 of their 7 games. Looking at the season stats, the Twins seem to have the edge in this series. The Twins rank 5th in the AL in ERA while the Yankees rank 7th. The Twins are 3rd in batting average while the Yankees rank 7th. Don't be deceived though. The Yankees are first in On-base percentage, as they are very patient at the plate. The Yankees pitching staff intrigues me. Sabathia will probably pitch the Yankees to a victory in Game 1, although Francisco Liriano has been great this season as well. I'm not sure what the Yankees will get out of Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. If they don't pitch well this could be bad for the Yankees, as their bullpen isn't as strong as it has been in previous playoff runs. The Twins have a very good bullpen and hit very well at their new home, Target Field. I like the Twins in a high scoring, entertaining series.
Prediction: Twins win in 5 games
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