Post by White Sox GM (Michael) on Sept 6, 2014 12:11:20 GMT -5
The Wild Card matchups are still in action through Sunday, but we already know two of our four LDS matchups.
American League
#2 Chicago White Sox (192-85-17) vs. #3 Baltimore Orioles (178-95-21)
This will be a matchup between the winners of the American League Central and American League East champions.
The White Sox are in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, yet they are still looking to win the American League for the first time. The offense is led by soon-to-be MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Upton, Edwin Encarnacion, and Buster Posey. Well-rounded and powerful, the lineup has been the best in the AL this season. Starting pitching is more of a question mark without a true ace, but the team can run out six strong pitching options to keep them afloat. The bullpen will certainly get its share of saves and strikeouts with Kenley Jansen and Francisco Rodriguez.
The Orioles' offense has been very viable this season, with credit due to two Joses: Altuve and Bautista. With Altuve, Ben Revere has helped the O's lead the league in stolen bases this season by a comfortable margin. The starting rotation has been led by a duo of aces - Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka - but it looks like neither pitcher will be available this week. The fate of Baltimore's pitching will fall on the shoulders of C.J. Wilson and Travis Wood. In addition, the bullpen will have to turn in a strong performance as it has throughout the year. Jon Papelbon, Sean Doolittle, and Tony Watson are all great late-inning options for the O's
The O's are coming in with a banged-up rotation, but they also have some hot hitters that can keep them in the hunt. The White Sox - specifically, the rotation - will need to be up to par in order to win this matchup.
National League
#2 Chicago Cubs (197-82-15) vs. #3 Washington Nationals (185-78-31)
We are all looking forward to this one. Again, this is a face-off of Central and East champions.
The Chicago Cubs have successfully pulled off a huge rebuild and have become one of the league's premier teams. There are perhaps no hitting stars on the Cubs, but the lineup is strong 1 through 9. Outfielders Jayson Werth and Jorge Soler have both been on fire recently, and Dee Gordon is an elite stolen-base machine. The pitching is perhaps the best in all of ODC. David Price, Jon Lester, and Cole Hamels head a rotation that is eight-deep with great options. The bullpen is also strong in all categories.
Headed by the league's most controversial owner/general manager, the Nationals have surprised many teams (though clearly not themselves) and have become true pennant contenders. The hitting is alright overall, but much of that has to do with Miguel Cabrera, who is not at his 2013 level but is still a ferocious hitter. After that, the Nationals have good sources of production in Dustin Ackley, Justin Morneau, and Torii Hunter, though none of them are reliable or stand-outs. Like the Cubs, the pitching is where the Nationals shine. Felix Hernandez is the Cy Young if Clayton Kershaw wasn't so damn amazing, Stephen Strasburg is a second ace, and there are five or six very good pitching options behind them. The bullpen won't get any saves unless Joaquin Benoit is healthy, but the team will rack up holds and maintain a low ERA in the process.
The Cubs have the more well-rounded team, but perhaps the Nationals have been underrated leading up to this matchup. It will take a strong performance from either side to come out ahead in this head-to-head, and we'll be watching it every pitch of the way.
American League
#2 Chicago White Sox (192-85-17) vs. #3 Baltimore Orioles (178-95-21)
This will be a matchup between the winners of the American League Central and American League East champions.
The White Sox are in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, yet they are still looking to win the American League for the first time. The offense is led by soon-to-be MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Upton, Edwin Encarnacion, and Buster Posey. Well-rounded and powerful, the lineup has been the best in the AL this season. Starting pitching is more of a question mark without a true ace, but the team can run out six strong pitching options to keep them afloat. The bullpen will certainly get its share of saves and strikeouts with Kenley Jansen and Francisco Rodriguez.
The Orioles' offense has been very viable this season, with credit due to two Joses: Altuve and Bautista. With Altuve, Ben Revere has helped the O's lead the league in stolen bases this season by a comfortable margin. The starting rotation has been led by a duo of aces - Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka - but it looks like neither pitcher will be available this week. The fate of Baltimore's pitching will fall on the shoulders of C.J. Wilson and Travis Wood. In addition, the bullpen will have to turn in a strong performance as it has throughout the year. Jon Papelbon, Sean Doolittle, and Tony Watson are all great late-inning options for the O's
The O's are coming in with a banged-up rotation, but they also have some hot hitters that can keep them in the hunt. The White Sox - specifically, the rotation - will need to be up to par in order to win this matchup.
National League
#2 Chicago Cubs (197-82-15) vs. #3 Washington Nationals (185-78-31)
We are all looking forward to this one. Again, this is a face-off of Central and East champions.
The Chicago Cubs have successfully pulled off a huge rebuild and have become one of the league's premier teams. There are perhaps no hitting stars on the Cubs, but the lineup is strong 1 through 9. Outfielders Jayson Werth and Jorge Soler have both been on fire recently, and Dee Gordon is an elite stolen-base machine. The pitching is perhaps the best in all of ODC. David Price, Jon Lester, and Cole Hamels head a rotation that is eight-deep with great options. The bullpen is also strong in all categories.
Headed by the league's most controversial owner/general manager, the Nationals have surprised many teams (though clearly not themselves) and have become true pennant contenders. The hitting is alright overall, but much of that has to do with Miguel Cabrera, who is not at his 2013 level but is still a ferocious hitter. After that, the Nationals have good sources of production in Dustin Ackley, Justin Morneau, and Torii Hunter, though none of them are reliable or stand-outs. Like the Cubs, the pitching is where the Nationals shine. Felix Hernandez is the Cy Young if Clayton Kershaw wasn't so damn amazing, Stephen Strasburg is a second ace, and there are five or six very good pitching options behind them. The bullpen won't get any saves unless Joaquin Benoit is healthy, but the team will rack up holds and maintain a low ERA in the process.
The Cubs have the more well-rounded team, but perhaps the Nationals have been underrated leading up to this matchup. It will take a strong performance from either side to come out ahead in this head-to-head, and we'll be watching it every pitch of the way.
