5 Bold Predictions for Finish of 2015 MLB League Championship Series
The Toronto Blue Jays came up with a big victory over the Kansas City Royals in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series to avoid going down 3-0 in that series, as their offense finally snapped to life and plated 11 runs.
Now the Chicago Cubs will look to do the same thing in their National League Championship Series matchup with the New York Mets as the series shifts to Wrigley Field with the Cubs trailing 2-0 after dropping the first two games at Citi Field.
So how will the rest of the championship series play out, and who will wind up meeting in the 2015 World Series?
Here are five bold predictions for the rest of the 2015 ALCS and NLCS.
The Chicago Cubs Will Beat Jacob DeGrom
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The Chicago Cubs need a win in the worst way heading into Game 3 of the NLCS, but the pitching matchup is not on their side as the New York Mets send Jacob deGrom to the hill against Kyle Hendricks.
DeGrom was brilliant in two division series starts, allowing just two earned runs and striking out 20 in 13 innings of work as he picked up in the win in starts against Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.
However, history is on the Cubs' side here, as they handled deGrom well during the regular season:
- May 11: L, 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
- July 2: L, 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
"I haven't looked back at it too much," deGrom told reporters, per Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. "I know they weren't very good starts. I'm going to flush that. I know this is the playoffs, so it's going to be a good start for me."
As the series shifts to Chicago, the Wrigley Field fans will no doubt be out in full throat just like the Mets fans were at Citi Field.
That could be enough to spark an offense that has struggled through the first two games of the series.
Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant both took deGrom deep during the regular season, and getting them going would certainly help the offense.
Don't expect him to get shelled, but behind a strong start from Hendricks and the Cubs offense finally waking up, the Cubs beat deGrom in Game 3 to pick up the much-needed victory.
Matt Harvey Won't Pitch Again in the NLCS
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Even if the Chicago Cubs are able to pull out a victory against deGrom in Game 3, the Mets will still be in a great position to turn around and pick up the victory in Game 4 when the Cubs send a struggling Jason Hammel to the mound against Steven Matz.
Chances are that will turn into a bullpen game for the Cubs, and we'll say the Mets come out on top in that one to take a 3-1 series lead and put themselves in position to clinch the series in Game 5.
That commanding series lead could be enough for the team to opt to skip Matt Harvey as the Game 5 starter, and this time it's not an innings issue.
Harvey took a liner off his right triceps when Dexter Fowler hit one back through the box in the sixth inning of Game 1, and according to reporters his arm has swelled up.
"He's pretty sore and pretty swelled up," manager Terry Collins told reporters, per Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. "He, as we sit here today, is a go. But that could certainly change in next couple of days...I was pretty surprised at how swelled up it was yesterday. So we certainly are going to keep a really close eye on it the next couple of days."
If the Mets aren't facing a 2-2 series heading into Game 5, it would make a lot of sense to get Harvey some extra rest and throw either Jon Niese or Bartolo Colon out there as the Game 5 starter.
Assuming things play out as predicted in Game 3 and Game 4, we'll say Harvey doesn't pitch again in the NLCS, as his turn in the rotation is skipped on Thursday.
Jose Bautista Will Have a Multi-Homer Game
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Since launching that memorable three-run shot in Game 5 of the division series and turning in an even more memorable bat flip, Jose Bautista has gone relatively quiet at the plate.
He finally picked up his first hit of the ALCS in the eighth inning of Game 3, when he lined an RBI single to left field to give the Blue Jays their 11th and final run of the game.
Could that be the start of a big conclusion to the series for the slugger?
While he was 0-for-7 prior to that hit, he had drawn six walks against just three strikeouts, so he's still seeing the ball well.
It may not be Coors Field, but Rogers Centre does play as a hitter's park, and Bautista did put up significantly better numbers at home (.989 OPS, 23 HR) than he did on the road (.842 OPS, 17 HR).
With two more games to be played in Toronto, we'll say Bautista finally explodes in one of them with a multi-homer game.
For the record, he had five multi-homer games during the regular season, including one against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 1 when he took Yordano Ventura and Wade Davis deep.
That was one of just three home runs Davis allowed on the season, and interestingly enough Royals second baseman Ben Zobrist also hit a pair of home runs that day.
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Yordano Ventura Will Finally Match His 2014 Postseason Success in Game 6
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Thrown into the postseason fire as a rookie last season, Yordano Ventura wound up posting a 2.52 ERA in four playoff starts.
That included a gem in Game 6 of the World Series when he allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings with the Royals facing elimination to force a decisive Game 7.
Expected to step into the role of staff ace this year with James Shields gone, his season got off to a rocky start, as he had a 5.29 ERA through his first 17 starts and actually spent some time in the minors.
However, he finished strong at 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA over his final 11 starts, and that earned him the Game 1 nod in the division series.
The postseason has not gone particularly well to this point, though, as he's still searching for his first quality start:
- ALDS G1: L, 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
- ALDS G4: ND, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
- ALCS G2: ND, 5.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
His next start will likely come back at Kauffman Stadium in Game 6, and if the Blue Jays go on a roll here and win the next two games at home, he could once again find himself on the mound in a potential elimination game.
That will be the start where he finally matches his brilliant outing in the World Series last season, as he steps up with a gem to force a decisive Game 7.
Both Series Will Go at Least 6 Games
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The Toronto Blue Jays managed to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the ALCS with an offensive explosion and a win in Game 3, and we're predicting the Chicago Cubs do the same thing in their must-win situation in Game 3 of the NLCS.
Let's take it one step further, though.
We'll say both series wind up going at least six games.
The Blue Jays offense has come to life, and with two more games at home it's hard to not see Toronto walking away with at least one more win before things shift back to Kansas City.
Meanwhile, if the New York Mets do in fact turn to Bartolo Colon or Jon Niese in Game 5 in an attempt to protect Matt Harvey, that would put the Cubs in a great position to pull the series to 3-2 and push things back to Citi Field for Game 6.
My prediction heading into the postseason was Mets vs. Blue Jays in the World Series, and I still think that winds up being the case.
We'll say Blue Jays in seven and Mets in six, as both series wind up being better battles than it appeared they would be heading into their respective Game 3 meetings.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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