Who would”ve thought that the Cardinals and Dodgers would be playing in the first round of the Postseason?  I didn’t.  I thought this could have been the NLCS, like last year.  I know the Cardinals play their best ball in late September and October, which leads into the preview of this series.

The NL has a better division series than the AL this year.  Giants-Nationals is sure to deliver, in which way?

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals

This series is going to be incredible.  Both teams have good lineups and pitching staffs.  Questions surround the Cardinals, though.  Can they hit the ball well enough?  Is their pitching staff good enough?

Yes and no.

Their pitching staff is good.  Just good.  And that’s a problem against the Dodgers, who can destroy you if given the opportunity.  St. Louis has Adam Wainwright, who is obviously one the best in the game, Michael Wacha, Shelby Miller, and Lance Lynn.  And that’s not good enough? Really?

Most likely.  The Dodgers are just so good at everything, and they may be underrated.  That pains me to say.  I hate the Dodgers!  And I just touted them!  They’re probably going to win this series.

The Dodgers really have no problems.  I can see why their the favorite for the World Series.  This team is complete, and really, it would be a disappointment if they didn’t get there, for baseball, and for their fans.

Prediction: Los Angeles in 3

Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants

(Homerism Possible)

The Giants shut out the Pirates at home in the NL Wild Card Game, ending the Pirates great season.  I had the Giants all the way, claiming that Madison Bumgarner would pitch well enough to get them past the Bucs.

He did more than that.  Ten strikeouts and complete game helped the Giants cruise to 8-0 win. It was a complete embarrassment for the Bucs.

The Giants find themselves playing the NL best Washington Nationals in the NLDS.  This should be a great series, and will deliver lots of pitching. These team played a three game series in the second half of the season, and that ended up the exact opposite of how I thought.

The Giants won the first game 10-3, then lost the next two, 6-2 and 14-6.  It was crazy how many runs each team scored in the series.  It could just be a overreaction, though this series could produce the same, based on what we saw before.  The Nats and Giants have better rotations than lineups.  I expect the series to be low scoring.  Both teams have pop, though.  It depends on who’s pitching for each team.

I love the Nats rotation, especially with Jordan Zimmerman coming off a no-hitter.  Both teams have a ton of momentum. This could be high-scoring, or could be a pitching duel.  I’m not sure what to think.  I do know, this will be a high competitive series, and will go five games.

Prediction: Giants in 5