MLB Playoff Schedule 2014: Breaking Down Updated Bracket After Royals Win
The MLB postseason got off to a rousing start Tuesday evening.
The Kansas City Royals advanced after coming back late in their game against the Oakland Athletics and eventually winning in extra innings. For a club that has endured a long playoff drought before this season, it was a moment of drama and tension that was both a long time coming and certainly was excruciating to experience.
It was a brilliant start to the proceedings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants will attempt to duplicate the excitement of the opening night. Below, we'll take a look at the updated bracket and make predictions for how the playoffs will play out.
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Schedule
| Wildcard | ||||
| SF at PIT | Wed., Oct. 1 | 8:07 p.m. | ESPN | |
| ALDS | ||||
| 1 | KC at LAA | Thurs., Oct. 2 | 9:07 p.m. | TBS |
| 2 | KC at LAA | Fri., Oct. 3 | 9:37 p.m. | TBS |
| 3 | LAA at KC | Sun., Oct. 5 | 7:37 p.m. | TBS |
| 4* | LAA at KC | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBD | TBS |
| 5* | KC at LAA | Wed., Oct. 8 | TBD | TBS |
| 1 | DET at BAL | Thurs., Oct. 2 | 5:37 p.m. | TBS |
| 2 | DET at BAL | Fri., Oct. 3 | TBD | TBS |
| 3 | BAL at DET | Sun., Oct. 5 | 3:45 p.m. | TBS |
| 4* | BAL at DET | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBD | TBS |
| 5* | DET at BAL | Wed., Oct. 8 | TBD | TBS |
| NLDS | ||||
| 1 | NL Wild Card at WSH | Fri., Oct. 3 | TBA | FS1 |
| 2 | NL Wild Card at WSH | Sat., Oct. 4 | TBA | FS1 or MLBN |
| 3 | WSH at NL Wild Card | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBA | FS1 or MLBN |
| 4* | WSH at NL Wild Card | Tues., Oct. 7 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | NL Wild Card at WSH | Thurs., Oct. 9 | TBA | FS1 |
| 1 | STL at LAD | Fri., Oct. 3 | 6:37 p.m. | FS1 |
| 2 | STL at LAD | Sat., Oct. 4 | 9:37 p.m. | FS1 or MLBN |
| 3 | LAD at STL | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBA | FS1 or MLBN |
| 4* | LAD at STL | Tues., Oct. 7 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | STL at LAD | Thurs., Oct. 9 | TBA | FS1 |
| ALCS | ||||
| 1 | TBD vs. TBD | Fri., Oct. 10 | TBA | TBS |
| 2 | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 11 | TBA | TBS |
| 3 | TBD vs. TBD | Mon., Oct. 13 | TBA | TBS |
| 4 | TBD vs. TBD | Tues., Oct. 14 | TBA | TBS |
| 5* | TBD vs. TBD | Wed., Oct. 15 | TBA | TBS |
| 6* | TBD vs. TBD | Fri., Oct. 17 | TBA | TBS |
| 7* | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 18 | TBA | TBS |
| NLCS | ||||
| 1 | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 11 | TBA | Fox |
| 2 | TBD vs. TBD | Sun., Oct. 12 | TBA | FS1 |
| 3 | TBD vs. TBD | Tues., Oct. 14 | TBA | FS1 |
| 4 | TBD vs. TBD | Wed., Oct. 15 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | TBD vs. TBD | Thurs., Oct. 16 | TBA | FS1 |
| 6* | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 18 | TBA | Fox |
| 7* | TBD vs. TBD | Sun., Oct. 19 | TBA | FS1 |
| World Series | ||||
| 1 | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Tues., Oct. 21 | TBA | Fox |
| 2 | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Wed., Oct. 22 | TBA | Fox |
| 3 | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Fri., Oct. 24 | TBA | Fox |
| 4 | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Sat., Oct. 25 | TBA | Fox |
| 5* | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Sun., Oct. 26 | TBA | Fox |
| 6* | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Tues., Oct. 28 | TBA | Fox |
| 7* | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Wed., Oct. 29 | TBA | Fox |
Predictions
Trying to predict what will happen in a one-game playoff is like trying to predict the next thing out of Gary Busey's mouth. It's a crap shoot, and you end up feeling all the dumber for trying to predict the unpredictable.
But I'll try nonetheless.
My first two criteria for analyzing a postseason matchup is to determine which team is at home and which team has the better starting pitcher. The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home, so they get the advantage in that regard. PNC Park will be bumping. But the San Francisco Giants have Madison Bumgarner (18-10 with 2.98 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 217.1 innings pitched), so they hold the advantage there.
It's an even split. Some folks might point out the fact that the Pirates are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now and went 51-30 at home this season, but there's that old cliche in baseball circles that momentum is the next day's starting pitcher.
Of course, the Pirates pitcher is pretty darn hot himself. As ESPN Stats & Information wrote, "In his last 10 starts this season, [Edinson] Volquez was 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, with only three home runs allowed in 66 innings pitched."
The baseball gods can be fickle creatures, but the Pirates come into this game hot, they have the better offensive squad, and they have a pitcher who is defying the odds. They are also at home. Logic would suggest the Pirates would take this game, so I'm sticking with them.
Of course, there is often no logic in baseball, so the Giants will probably win.
It doesn't really matter who wins, of course, because neither team is going to beat the Washington Nationals, one of the deepest and most well-rounded squads in baseball who just so happened to win 19 games in September. There's that pesky momentum thing again.
The thing is, the Nationals' momentum is simply the byproduct of a very talented team.
The Nationals are loaded in starting pitching, led by Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez. Four players hit 80 RBI or more (Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon). Denard Span hit .302 and stole 31 bases.
They're my pick to reach the World Series, though Clayton Kershaw and company won't make it easy. (I think the Los Angeles Dodgers will beat the St. Louis Cardinals in five, though given how good St. Louis generally is in the postseason, I don't feel terribly confident in the pick.)
I'm going to stay boring and pick the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to win the American League. Detroit is incredibly talented, but they aren't exactly coming into the postseason playing their best baseball. The Royals are a great story, but they don't have the talent yet to reach the World Series. The Baltimore Orioles are excellent, but they don't have the firepower to match that Angels offense.
Man alive, can the Angels hit. They led baseball with 773 runs scored. Mike Trout should be the MVP after hitting .287 with 36 home runs and 111 RBI. Albert Pujols hit 28 homers and 105 RBI in a nice bounce-back season. And Josh Hamilton will indeed be able to play, a great sign.
"I feel good, just like yesterday. I ran, threw, faced a lot of pitching, so I'm good to go," he told the Associated Press, via ESPN. "There's always pain, but the point is that I'm not having muscle spasms. It's been responding well every day. I didn't have any spasms after I finished, so I'll see how it responds tomorrow."
Yes, Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson are going to have to carry the rotation. But with a team that bashes in runs and one of the game's most reliable closers in Huston Street, they're going to be a very tough out.
The Nationals will be up to the task in the World Series, however. They're simply too balanced from top to bottom for an Angels side that has to hit to win. It should be a fun series, however—Trout vs. Bryce Harper!—but I'll take the Nationals in six.
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