Fearless Baseball Playoff Predictions

Here we go ...

St. Louis in four:

Chris Carpenter, the ace of the St. Louis staff, has struggled for over a month. Several Cardinals have been nursing injuries since the All-Star break. Yet ... San Diego's offense has a tendency to disappear off the face of the earth. Part of the Padres' rotation is great, and part of it is unpredictable. If it comes down to a slugfest, the Cards will sweep.


Houston in four:

The Braves' offense has been inconsistent. John Smoltz, who has required extra rest lately, needs to pitch well. The biggest intangible in the Braves' favor is that, because there are so many kids on the team this year, they won't all feel the "Atlanta is a great regular season team, but the Braves stink in the playoffs" pressure. Houston's big three of Roy Oswalt, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte will keep Atlanta in check.


New York in five:

I mean, you just have to go with the Yanks here, don't you? Sure, Mike Mussina is bouncing back from an injury, and C-M Wang and Shawn Chacon are untested in the playoffs, but L.A.'s inconsistent offense can't overwhelm the Yanks. The Angels have good pitching, which won't be enough against these guys.


Boston in five:

Yes, going out on a limb by predicting a Boston-NYY rematch in the next round takes some guts. That's why I'm here. To be gutsy. The Chicago White Sox don't score runs consistently, although they have a great defense and strong pitching. They lack a pitcher who can destroy opposing hitters with his stuff (think Smoltz, Randy Johnson, Bartolo Colon, or Roy Oswalt). In the playoffs, a power pitcher or two can carry a team. True, Boston's pitching is wildly inconsistent. But Chicago's great defense won't keep the Red Sox from smacking base hits all over the outfield. The Bosox will score enough runs to win.