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Season Preview: Playoffs and World Series predictions
Oct 3, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of game one of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
I see the 2015 playoff picture looking rather different than last season, with four new teams. I don’t envision any new division winners in the National League. I foresee the three top teams to be Washington, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, and all of them will be better than any American League team. The Pirates will have a solid season, winning 88 games, while the Marlins will win 87 (the Mets will fall only three games short of a playoff berth). Jose Fernandez will pitch the Marlins into the NLDS at age 23. But alas, the young Marlins will be overpowered by baseball’s best starting rotation since…a few years ago…while the Dodgers will squeak by St. Louis. But the Nationals will take care of them too.
As for the American League, I foresee another year of October golf for Boston and New York. Toronto will win their first division title in 11 seasons, while Cleveland will capture an underrated AL Central and Los Angeles will fend off a late season surge from Seattle. King Felix will pitch Seattle into the ALDS in his long awaited playoff debut. Seattle will be no match for KluBot and the Indians, however, and Los Angeles will silence Joey Bats’ Blue Jays. The Indians powerful lineup will overcome a fantastic performance by Mr. Pujols in the ALCS to win the pennant.
The Nationals will be the best team in baseball all season long, and they will win the World Series. Their bullpen holes are overblown, and they are simply head and shoulders ahead of the pack in every other facet of the game.
National League
Wild Card Game:
Marlins (2nd WC) over Pirates (1st WC)
NLDS:
Nationals over Marlins (3 Games)
Dodgers over Cardinals (5 Games)
NLCS:
Nationals over Dodgers (6 Games)
American League
Wild Card Game:
Mariners (2nd WC) over Tigers (1st WC)
ALDS:
Indians over Mariners (5 Games)
Angels over Blue Jays (5 Games)
ALCS:
Indians over Angels (6 Games)
World Series:
Nationals over Indians (6 Games)
Next: Cassandra Negley's Playoffs and World Series predictions