2010 MLB Division Series Preview

My favorite sports time of the year has arrived, nicely alleviating the dreariness of wetter and colder temperatures along with later sunrises and earlier sunsets - it's time for the Major League Baseball playoffs. Happily a couple of my favorite teams are in it, so this is my uneducated by as-objective-as-I-can-possibly-be stab at how things will unfold.

American League

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins. For those of us who are Yankee fans, let's be honest that this is the best possible matchup for the Bombers, losing home field advantage notwithstanding. If you look at how the Yankees and Rays both struggled during the last week games of the season, it's easy to speculate they were both tanking to avoid facing Cliff Lee twice in the season. The Yankees losing twice to the Red Sox at Boston isn't a shocker, but the Rays getting beat up by Baltimore and Kansas City? C'mon.

So the Yankees get the Twins, who have had an amazing run considering they lost their star closer, Joe Nathan, at the start of the season and didn't have Justin Morneau for most of the season due to a concussion. Neither will make an appearance in the ALDS, leaving it to a banged up Joe Mauer to carry the team. Who else is going to hit? Delmon Young, a struggling Jim Thome? And after a great stuff but pressure untested Francisco Liriano, does anyone on the Twins staff remotely worry the Yankees? Surely not "American Idle" Carl Pavano.

Now the Yankees don't have great starting pitching, and insomuch starting pitching is the key to the playoffs, they're not in great shape. Is it possible that this is repeat of 2006, when the Yankees begged for and got a matchup with the Tigers, only to get sent home in four games aided by the revenge of Kenny Rogers (with Pavano playing the ex-Yankee revenge part)? It's possible. But I still think the Yankees match up too well against a team which has had zero success against them in the playoffs.

Yankees in four.

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays winning the American League East earns them a home field advantage plus the pleasure of facing Cliff Lee twice. The Rays really struggled during the homestretch and Evan Longoria's been hurt. It'll largely come down to the matchup between David Price and Cliff Lee, which for our purposes will call a split. Assuming that the fans at Tropicana Field pack the stadium with cowbells to provide at least some semblance of a home field advantage for the Rays, I think the Rays will take the series in a tight series - doing just enough to get it done, setting up a battle between two American League East heavyweights. Speaking of American League East heavyweights, let me tip my cap to the hated Boston Red Sox. I've got to hand it to them - their team was absolutely decimated by injures but they still amazingly managed to win 89 games. That's impressive. That being said, please take your seats and enjoy the rest of the playoffs with the likes of the Royals, Pirates and Nationals.

Rays in five.

National League

Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants. The Braves needed to start their ace pitcher on the 162nd game to ensure they got into the playoffs and two of their best players (Chipper Jones and Martin Prado) are out for the season. The good news is that they did win that last game and punched their tickets for the postseason. The bad news is that based on how they looked in the last week against a Phillies team that had nothing to play for, they might not be here for long.

The Giants have very impressive pitching and with their midseason acquisitions of Pat Burrell and Jose Guillen, it looks like they've shored up their offense to at least look respectable. The bet here is that rolling out Lincecum, Cain, Zito and Sanchez along with home field advantage will be too much for the Braves to withstand.

Giants in four.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies. I'm a Phillies fan, and try as I might, I can't really see the Reds taking this series. The Phillies have a three-man rotation which is unparalleled. I mean, when you have former NLCS and World Series MVP Cole Hamels as your third starter, that's saying something. Now in fairness, the Braves had as good of a trio in the mid-to-late 90's with Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz, and they have only one World Series to their credit, so anything can happen. In theory, the Phillies bats could go silent and they could lose a series of heartbreaking 1-0 and 2-1 games. But possible isn't probable, and the bet here is that Citizens Bank Park will be hosting NLCS games.

Phillies in three.