The Playoffs are finally here....

Its been an awfully long season, for us die-hards we have been going at it since mid-February. All working towards one thing, the postseason.... and its finally here. Things get underway this afternoon on TBS.

The Match-ups:

ALDS

Chicago White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays

What a year for the Rays, I remember thinking at the start of the year that there were a few teams in baseball that had absolutely no chance of ever making the playoffs. The Pirates and Royals came to mind and also... the Rays. I never could have guessed this one.

Why the Rays might win....
Pitching. The Rays have done it with pitching all year long. Kazmir, Garza and Shields might be the best playoff rotation in the AL. It doesn't get much easier in the bullpen either.... Balfour, Howell, Wheeler and Bradford have been lights out. The Rays may be the best built team in the AL to go to the World Series.

Why the White Sox might win....
Momentum, Looking over the two squads on paper, this should be a Rays win, however the White Sox are coming off 3 victories in must-win situations. They also have a lot of power, when an offense like that gets hot, it might not matter what pitcher they are facing.

CubsFella's pick: Rays in 4



Boston Red Sox vs. LA Angels of Anaheim

This is a giant match-up, TBS is watering at the mouth at the chance to have 5 games in this series. Two major markets with large fan bases, the meda will be all over this one.

Why the Angels might win...
The most complete team in baseball. The Angels don;t really have an MVP candidate or a Cy Young candidate, but they are solid in every aspect of the game. Above average starting pitching, a strong offense and a great bullpen, and while Closer may be an overrated position during the regular season, in the postseason a shutdown closer like K-Rod can make a huge difference.

Why the Red Sox might win...
Confidence and Experience. The Red Sox might be the most confident team in the bigs. After struggling for decades they have shown the world they have what it takes to win. It won't be easy with a banged up Josh Beckett and without Manny Ramirez, but the Red Sox still have a lot of talent and character and they have been here before.

CubsFellas pick: Angels in 5

NLDS

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs

As, mentioned before, here at the Sportsfellas, this is the matchup to watch. I myself have been a die-hard Cubs fan sine I was a very small kid. I haven't missed more than a handful of Cubs games all season and I am hoping and praying somehow the this is the Cubs year. As for Gaddeus he has been a Dodger fan for many years, the Dodgers have won just one playoff game in 20 years so he will be hoping for a change in fortune as well.

Why the Cubs might win...
Depth. The Cubs, like the Angels don't really have an MVP or a Cy Young, but they are strong at literally every position across the board. 4 very good starting pitchers a stacked lineup and two power arms at the back of the bullpen. The Cubs will need good outings from the starters as middle relief has been suspect.

Why the Dodgers might win...
Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez. Derek Lowe has been the best pitcher in baseball since August, an ERA well under two and a 6-1 record. Not to mention he has had a lot of past success against the Cubs. He will take the ball twice in the series and that might make things tough on the Cubs. Manny Ramirez is also the best hitter in the game right now.

CubsFella's pick: Cubs in 5

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

This might be the most low key match-up of the postseason, this one might fly under the radar a bit in the media. The Phillies look to be huge favorites in this one as the Brewers limp in without Be Sheets and a tired Sabathia

Why the Phillies might win...
Utley, Howard, Burrell. The Brewers bullpen has struggled mightily and they also really only have one good starting pitcher, The middle of the Philies order may feast on the rest of the Brewers pitching staff and put this one away early

Why the Brewers might win....
CC Sabathia. There really isn't any other way, The Brewers will need two more dominating short rest outings from CC to win this series. Sabathia has been lights out since coming to the Brewers in a trade 3 months ago, but he has been overworked big time. Still the big man looks strong, he will have to stay that way if he wants to carry the Brew into the NLCS.

CubsFella's pick: Phillies in 3

Down the Stetch They Come......

Its autumn time again.... what a great time of the year. The weather is getting cooler, football is now in full swing and the playoff races in baseball are coming down the home stretch. With only 9 days left in the baseball season, we still have some interesting races to watch.

In the American League, one division has been settled for some time now. The Angels clinched the West with little resistance and is now playing only for home field advantage. Whether they succeed or not however, they will match-up with the winner of the AL Wildcard. Due to some unique and pretty stupid baseball rules, two teams from the same division can not play first round.

K-Rod and Vlad look to lead the Angels back to the World Series

As for the AL East it appears they have all but secured two playoff teams, the Red Sox and the surprising Rays. The only question is who will get home field and play the AL Central and who gets the wildcard and has to travel to Anaheim.

The AL Central is the only real race left in the AL where someone is going to be left out. Going in to Saturday's action, the White Sox had a lead of 2.5 games over the Twins. The teams still have 3 games left against one another in Minnesota. The Twins will likely need to win 7 of their last 8 games and/or sweep the White Sox to still come away with the title.

As for the National League, they also have one division where it has pretty much already been decided. The Cubs have a 9 game lead in the NL Central going into Saturday, leaving them only one win, or one Brewers loss away from clinching the division title. The Cubs are also very likely to end with best record in the NL and home field advantage. Who they will be playing however is still a long way from being decided.

The Cubs hope to celebrate in the postseason for the first time in ages

The NL East and wildcard races are definitely the most open as we head down the stretch. The Mets and Phillies are in a seesaw battle at the top. Whoever fails to tie up the division will have to out battle the Brewers for the wildcard. Just a short time ago, the Brewers looked almost certain to make the playoffs, but so far have had a terrible September. They now trail the Phillies by 1.5 games in the Wildcard. With Ben Sheets likely out for the remainder of the season as well, they have an uphill battle.

The NL West is a division that has become much more clear of late. After battling the Diamondbacks at the top of the division for months, the Dodgers, who have been rejuvenated by the deadline acquisition of Manny Ramirez, have now opened up a 3.5 game lead. With only 9 days left and a cupcake schedule remaining the Dodgers should easily hold on to the title.

Manny being Manny has been enough to vault the Dodgers to the top of the NL West

So what will the first round playoff matches look like?

I'll say the Rays and White Sox will both hold on to their division leads, setting up ALDS matchups of Angels vs. Red Sox and Rays vs. White Sox.

In the NL, I think the Phillies will win the NL East and that the Mets will out battle the struggling Brewers for the wildcard leaving matchups of Cubs-Mets and Phillies-Dodgers in the NLDS. Where things go from there is anybody's guess.

For the first time in our lives, both my Cubs and Gaddeus' Dodgers should be in the postseason though, meaning the Sportsfellas will be paying close attention this year..... and with a possible NLDS or NLCS Cubs-Dodgers showdown, things could get pretty interesting this October.