*This is sarcasm. The best way to do well in the playoffs is to get there and the A's have had several playoff appearances with Billy Beane. The fact that they haven't done better than an ALCS sweep speaks more to the randomness of the postseason than a knock on Billy Beane and the A's.
Depending on who you ask, starting pitching is either most important or the most overrated part of a team in the postseason. We have seen Adam Wainwright (2-0, 2 ER in 16 IP, 15/1 K/BB) and Justin Verlander (1-0, 1 ER in 15 IP, 21/2 K/BB) dominate in the division series and we have also seen 9 different Rays relievers hold the best offense in baseball to three runs. Having a dominant starter is a damn good thing* but with more rest between games and no need to navigate through a 162-game season, relievers hold a lot more value. Well, they should hold more value as an OK reliever with the platoon advantage is likely a better option than all but a few starters facing a lineup for a third or fourth time. Either way, it's funny that teams will often overspend to help their relief in the offseason yet underutilized it when it matters most and is most effective, in the postseason.
*But then Freddy Garcia goes toe-to-toe with Clayton Kershaw. You can't predict ball.
In terms of starting pitching, it's tough to beat the Tigers. Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Doug Fister will face the Boston Red Sox. Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz and Jake Peavy doesn't carry the same cachet but their lineup is insane (115 wRC+ leads the league), their rotation had a 3.84 ERA (4th in the AL) and although their bullpen era was just 3.70 (10th in the AL) they have Koji Uehara, owner of a 1.09 ERA 0.57 WHIP.
The Red Sox won't beat you with studs the way Miggy, Prince Verlander and Scherzer will but top to bottom this is the best team in baseball and my prediction is the Sox in seven.
The Cardinals have been good for a long time and the future only looks brighter. Carlos Beltran will likely leave via free agency but he'll be replaced by a full-time Matt Adams and/or one of the best position prospects in baseball in Oscar Taveras. The Cardinals have Adam Wainwright pitching at his peak and behind him is Shelby Miller (3.73 xFIP @ 22 years old), a rookie who has allowed 2 hits in his last 16 IP (Michael Wacha), a two-time top 50 pitching prospect who can throw triple-digits (Carlos Martinez) and Trevor Rosenthal.
This team is not only great now but they are flush with cheap, young talent. If they don't win this year they will have plenty of other opportunities. Of course, with the Dodgers payroll it's not like this is their only bullet for the decade. They still have to resign Clayton Kershaw but once that is done they could probably find a suitor for Andre Eithier and think about signing Robinson Cano and/or David Price a few years later. Neither are likely but with the way the Dodgers have done business thus far, nothing can be off the table. George Steinbrenner is probably giving them a nod of approval in heaven or hell, depending on the team you root for.
Adam Wainwright is a beast, nobody will doubt that, but the Dodgers can counter Waino's output with the best pitcher on the planet in Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw will also pitch twice (if need be) while Waino will likely only step on the mound once this series. The starters behind Zack Greinke aren't that impressive as Ricky Nolasco and Hyun-Jin Ryu have both struggled of late but Joe Kelly is starting game one of this series and may have to pitch twice. That's not a good thing.
Another non-good thing is the Dodgers health. The Cardinals are without Allen Craig but as anyone who has followed the Cardinals or scoured the waiver wire in fantasy baseball knows, Matt Adams can hit and there has been no downgrade from Craig to The Big Mayo besides the possible late-inning pinch hit at-bat. The Dodgers meanwhile are without Matt Kemp. Even though they have played admirably without him all season, that's still a blow. Another blow is Andre Eithier who may or may not be able to play more than pinch hitting duties. Eithier has his flaws, particularly against left-handed pitching but the downgrade to Skip Schumaker is a pretty sizeable one.
Any list of the top relievers/closers in baseball would certainly have to have Kenley Jansen and Trevor Rosenthal on it. Jansen struck out 111 batters and walked 18. Rosenthal struck out 108 and walked 20. These guys are among the best in the biz, hands down. Behind Jansen the Dodgers have the rejuvenated Brian Wilson with Paco Rodriguez to set up from the left side . Meanwhile the Cardinals have the flame-throwing Carlos Martinez and lefty Kevin Siegrest (0.45 ERA) to set up from the left side. These bullpens might be a draw and the kicker could be Shelby Miller. Miller slowed down as he reached his career innings total in September and he didn't see a game in the division series, starting or relieving. If Matheny were to use him in the rotation one would think he would get the nod over Kelly. So, if he's on the roster I would assume he'll enter a game at some point and Miller as a reliever for multiple innings might play a big role. Something to look out for.
I didn't think it would come to this but even after spending time talking about how starting pitching is overrated in the postseason, starting pitching is my rationale in choosing this series. Joe Kelly, assuming Shelby Miller doesn't start, will have to pitch against Zach Greinke twice and that's just too big of an advantage for me to call this one for the Cardinals. Dodgers in six.
The Red Sox won't beat you with studs the way Miggy, Prince Verlander and Scherzer will but top to bottom this is the best team in baseball and my prediction is the Sox in seven.
The Cardinals have been good for a long time and the future only looks brighter. Carlos Beltran will likely leave via free agency but he'll be replaced by a full-time Matt Adams and/or one of the best position prospects in baseball in Oscar Taveras. The Cardinals have Adam Wainwright pitching at his peak and behind him is Shelby Miller (3.73 xFIP @ 22 years old), a rookie who has allowed 2 hits in his last 16 IP (Michael Wacha), a two-time top 50 pitching prospect who can throw triple-digits (Carlos Martinez) and Trevor Rosenthal.
This team is not only great now but they are flush with cheap, young talent. If they don't win this year they will have plenty of other opportunities. Of course, with the Dodgers payroll it's not like this is their only bullet for the decade. They still have to resign Clayton Kershaw but once that is done they could probably find a suitor for Andre Eithier and think about signing Robinson Cano and/or David Price a few years later. Neither are likely but with the way the Dodgers have done business thus far, nothing can be off the table. George Steinbrenner is probably giving them a nod of approval in heaven or hell, depending on the team you root for.
Adam Wainwright is a beast, nobody will doubt that, but the Dodgers can counter Waino's output with the best pitcher on the planet in Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw will also pitch twice (if need be) while Waino will likely only step on the mound once this series. The starters behind Zack Greinke aren't that impressive as Ricky Nolasco and Hyun-Jin Ryu have both struggled of late but Joe Kelly is starting game one of this series and may have to pitch twice. That's not a good thing.
Another non-good thing is the Dodgers health. The Cardinals are without Allen Craig but as anyone who has followed the Cardinals or scoured the waiver wire in fantasy baseball knows, Matt Adams can hit and there has been no downgrade from Craig to The Big Mayo besides the possible late-inning pinch hit at-bat. The Dodgers meanwhile are without Matt Kemp. Even though they have played admirably without him all season, that's still a blow. Another blow is Andre Eithier who may or may not be able to play more than pinch hitting duties. Eithier has his flaws, particularly against left-handed pitching but the downgrade to Skip Schumaker is a pretty sizeable one.
Any list of the top relievers/closers in baseball would certainly have to have Kenley Jansen and Trevor Rosenthal on it. Jansen struck out 111 batters and walked 18. Rosenthal struck out 108 and walked 20. These guys are among the best in the biz, hands down. Behind Jansen the Dodgers have the rejuvenated Brian Wilson with Paco Rodriguez to set up from the left side . Meanwhile the Cardinals have the flame-throwing Carlos Martinez and lefty Kevin Siegrest (0.45 ERA) to set up from the left side. These bullpens might be a draw and the kicker could be Shelby Miller. Miller slowed down as he reached his career innings total in September and he didn't see a game in the division series, starting or relieving. If Matheny were to use him in the rotation one would think he would get the nod over Kelly. So, if he's on the roster I would assume he'll enter a game at some point and Miller as a reliever for multiple innings might play a big role. Something to look out for.
I didn't think it would come to this but even after spending time talking about how starting pitching is overrated in the postseason, starting pitching is my rationale in choosing this series. Joe Kelly, assuming Shelby Miller doesn't start, will have to pitch against Zach Greinke twice and that's just too big of an advantage for me to call this one for the Cardinals. Dodgers in six.
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