Divisional Series

Rays over Rangers
Tampa Bay’s pitching staff will be too much for Texas to overcome, even in a short series. I expect the Rays to close this one out in four games.

Yankees over Twins
Minnesota’s Justin Morneau has been ruled out for the entire playoffs. He’s been gone since mid-July and the Twins have done well in his absence, but I don’t think they match up well with the firepower in the middle of the Yankee lineup. I expect the Yankees to sweep.

Phillies over Reds
What a magical season for Dusty Baker and the Cincinnati Reds. That magic ends after a short stay in the postseason, however. The Phillies just have too many good arms to lose to the Reds. They coast into the NLCS with a three-game sweep.

Giants over Braves
Bobby Cox has been the best manager of my generation, maybe of any generation.  It’s hard to imagine he’s been at the helm since 1990, and it’s even harder to believe some of the teams he’s somehow guided to the playoffs. It’s no surprise he did it again with this injury-depleted Braves squad. No Chipper, no Prado, and the Braves still made it. The talent just isn’t there to advance though. I expect errors to cost the Braves severely as they lose in four games to the Giants.

The rest of my playoff picks after the jump:

Championship Series

Rays over Yankees
You’d be hard pressed to find a MLB executive who would rather have the Rays in the World Series instead of the Yankees… the team has the worst fans in baseball and can’t even sell out in the thick of a pennant race. But this could be the last chance for the Rays. Ownership will cut payroll after the season. I think David Price wins two – if not three – games in this one, and earns ALCS MVP as the Rays nip the Yankees in a thrilling seven-game series.

Phillies over Giants
As exciting as the ALCS could be, the NLCS could be wrapped up in just four games. The Phillies are too talented… with Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels, not to mention a loaded offense. Lincecum is an amazing pitcher, but I think he might struggle in the bright lights of the NLCS. It’s old hat for Philly. They win in five.

World Series

Rays over Phillies
I expect Philadelphia to have all the advantages in this one – home field and more rest by way of an easier Championship round opponent. I think they jump out to a 2-0 lead, but the Rays will roar back and win the last four in a row, beating the Phillies in six games to win the Rays’ first World Series.

Then, maybe, just maybe they’ll move to a city that cares about baseball.

MVP – Carl Crawford (who will be playing in Boston next season)