MLB PLAYOFFS: American League

The American League Divisional Series are starting today.  The Rays travel to Boston to take on the Red Sox in the first game. The two AL East teams have formed a rivalry beginning at the start of the century and and heated up during the 2008 season when Tampa Bay became relevant. That season Tampa Bay went from being the worst team in baseball when they were the Devil Rays to winning the division after they drop the Devil and gained a new team chemistry. That season the Rays defeated the Red Sox in the ALCS and went on to come up just short of winning the World Series. Since then the Rays have been at the toward the top of the division making the playoffs in 4 of the last 6 seasons.

The Red Sox had a big bounce back season. Winning only 69 games last season (worst in the east) they found a way to have the best record in the American League therefore earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Much credit is due to the underrated free agent signings over the offseason.  Players like Johnny Gomes, Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, and the most underrated, relief pitcher Koji Uehara. Midseason Koji took over the closer role when injury struck the pen. Since becoming the closer he's been as close to perfection as a human can be. He is not the prototypical power closer but his splitter is just straight up nasty. Opposing hitters can't seem to put the bat on it when it dips at the last second out of the zone.   

The Rays strength is their pitching. David Price Matt Moore and Alex Cobb are three of the top pitchers in the league and have each had outstanding seasons.  Lead by Even Longoria and rookie phenom Will Myers, the Rays bats should give the Sox a tough series. 

All season the Sox resiliency has been their best asset. No matter how much they are down, they never give up. Something last years team could have used. 

It should be a great series and it could go either way. Personally as a life long Sox fan I don't think it comes as a shock for me to predict them to win. However I will not be shocked if the Rays advance.

The other ALDS is between the the Oakland Athletics and the Detroit Tigers.  The Athletics have been a great story in baseball for the past two seasons. Winning the division two years straight, they quickly have become the power house team of the AL West. Their lineup can hit anyone but it may have trouble hitting pitchers of the likes of arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Justin Verlander, the current probable Cy Young award winner in Max Scherzer and crafty big free agent signing Anibal Sanchez.  The stacked line up lead by Last years  triple crown and AL MVP winner and this years probable AL MVP, Miguel Cabrera. However Cabrera has been plagued with a nagging hip injury that has kept him out of several games and debilitated his defensive ability. All they really need is his bat but its no guarantee that he'll have the pop he normally has.  

my picks are the Red Sox over Rays. Athletics over the Tigers. In the NL the Dodgers over the Braves and the the Pirates over the Cardinals. 

For the World Series I am licking the Red Sox over the Dodgers in a greatly ironic series considering the Sox Dodgers Blockbuster Waiver Claim Trade last season. 

That being said there's no better time than October. Everyone enjoy the show!