2008 MLB Playoffs: Previews and Predictions

It is not quite October, but on Wednesday, the calendars will turn and baseball's playoffs will begin.

This season had some surprising finishes. The Mets couldn't win one more game... again, the Yankees missed the postseason for the first time since 1993, the Tigers finished in last place, and the Rays turned their season around 180 degrees, finishing in first place and making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Although my Yankees are not competing for the World Series, I [still] Live For This. I love the game of baseball, and will be sharing my postseason predictions in the subsequent paragraphs.

ALDS: Angels (100-62) vs. Red Sox (95-67)

This series requires going into depth because of the similarity between the two teams.

Offense: The Red Sox are substantially better in every offensive category, other than stolen bases. Even without Manny Ramirez, Boston's lineup is still very sturdy.

Dustin Pedroia, likely the AL MVP-to-be, will lead this Boston offense with Kevin Youkilis. Weird... not Manny or Big Papi.

Boston's first five hitters will be Jacoby Ellsbury (.280), Dustin Pedroia (.326), David Ortiz (.264), Kevin Youkilis (.312), and Jason Bay (.293). Their sixth hitter will likely be Mike Lowell, who hit .274 on the season. Ellsbury stole 50 bases in 61 attempts.

Despite having worse rankings than the Red Sox, the Angels still have a solid offense. Their 1-5 hitters may not be as powerful as Boston's, but they will still get on base and cause trouble for Boston's pitchers.

The Angels start their lineup with Chone Figgins (.276), Gary Matthews Jr. (.242), Mark Texiera (.358), Vladimir Guerrero (.303), and Torii Hunter (.278). Garrett Anderson (.293) sometimes bats second instead of Matthews Jr. When Figgins gets on base, he is always a threat to steal, making pitching to Anderson, Texiera, and Vlad even tougher.

Boston's bottom of the order is better than the Angels final three hitters. Even though the stats show Boston being the much better offensive team, I don't see the difference being so great.

Edge: Red Sox

Pitching: Both teams have similar starting pitching, so the focus of this section will be on bullpen. The Red Sox have three solid relief pitchers. Their pen is highlighted by two lefties, Javier Lopez and Hideki Okajima, and closer Jonathan Papelbon.

The Angels best relievers are Darren Oliver, he may be old, but posted a 2.88 ERA in 54 relief appearances, Jose Arredondo, Scot Shields, and the holder of the single-season saves record, Francisco Rodriguez.

The Angels have a better, deeper pen than the Red Sox. I would count on Arredondo and Shields over Lopez and Okajima. Rodriguez and Papelbon are close to even. Rodriguez's advantage is his lower ERA, but his control is worse than Papelbon's.

Moving on to the starting rotation, the three Angels starters who will definitely be appearing in this series are stronger than the Red Sox starters.

John Lackey is a postseason hero for the Angels, and Ervin Santana has been good in October. Joe Saunders was 2-0 in three starts against Boston this season. Both wins were at Fenway, the site of game three, which will be started by Saunders.

Jon Lester had a stellar season, and has good postseason experience, but going up against Lackey on the road in game one, he cannot be favored to win.

Daisuke Matsuzaka was the best pitcher for the Red Sox this season. Dice-K only started one game against the Angels, but it was a 7-5 loss at home in which Matsuzaka yielded six earned runs.

An injured Josh Beckett will be starting game three against Joe Saunders. Even when healthy, Beckett lost two home starts to Saunders. Beckett has a marvelous postseason resume, but he is not 100 percent healthy.

Edge: Angels

The Series: I'll give Boston a win with Daisuke because I can't imagine the Red Sox getting swept in the ALDS, but the Angels will win the series in four games.

ALDS: Rays (97-65) vs. Twins/White Sox

The Rays will win no matter who they play. Their pitching is certainly stronger than both teams, and their decent offense will beat the weaker opposing pitching.

The Series: Rays sweep.

NLDS: Cubs (97-64) vs. Dodgers (84-78)

It has been 100 years since the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, and in order to end the drought, they will need to get by Joe Torre's Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers may have only finished six games over the .500 mark, but in October, Torre cannot be taken lightly.

Despite the Dodgers having amazing rankings in pitching, the Cubbies definitely have a more substantiated pitching staff, with Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, and Ted Lilly. All the starters need to do is hand the ball to Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood with a lead, and the Cubs will be extremely successful this postseason.

Chad Billingsley and Derek Lowe have gotten the job done for the Dodgers, and can definitely win games in the postseason. Lowe is notorious for being a big game pitcher.

On offense, Manny Ramirez is the Dodgers biggest threat, but Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Russell Martin are all quality hitters who can beat the Cubs.

The Cubs have a more consistent and powerful offense. Ryan Theriot, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto, Mark Derosa, and Alfonso Soriano all hit over .280 for Lou Piniella's offense; and, minus Theriot, they all hit twenty or more home runs.

The Series: Chicago is the stronger team, but they don't have Joe Torre. This will be an exciting series that comes down to the wire, as the Cubs win in five.

NLDS: Phillies (92-70) vs. Brewers (90-72)

The offenses for both the Phillies and the Brewers are very similar. Neither team hits for a high average, but they both hit for power. Shane Victorino led the Phillies with a .293 average, while Ryan Braun led the Brewers with a .285 average.

Five Brewers hit over 20 homers, while four Phillies hit over twenty homers. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder hit thirty or more long balls, while Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, and Chase Utley hit over thirty dingers.

It is obvious that both offenses can be explosive.

Pitching wise, the Phillies have a better starting rotation and bullpen. Ben Sheets has a sore elbow, so the Brewers have not announced who will start game one against Cole Hamels. The Brewers won't throw CC Sabathia until the third game of the series, and at that point it may be too late to come back from an early deficit.

The Series: The Phillies will only lose to Sabathia, and will go on to win the series in four games.

ALCS: Angels vs. Rays

The Angels definitely have a more defined and reliable offense than the Rays.

Both sides sport stellar pitching rotations, but the Angels have a better closer.

The Series: This series will come down to how well the Rays starters are able to cool off the Angels offense. Tampa has a good bullpen, which can and will hold a lead given to them, but the Rays offense is not strong enough to win a 7-game series against the Angels.

Angels win in six games.

NLCS: Cubs vs. Phillies

Both offenses are good, but the Cubs lead a balanced attack of average and power.

While Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer have been pleasant surprises for Phillies fans, the Cubs pitching is much more reliable. Dempster, Zambrano, Harden, and Lilly will not combine for four losses in seven games. Both bullpens are solid, but Marmol and Wood will get more opportunities than Brad Lidge to finish off games.

The Series: The Cubs pitching will be the major difference in this series, as the Cubs win in five.

World Series: Angels vs. Cubs

The Cubs are better-rounded than the Angels. Chicago has slightly better pitching, and they also have a more consistent offense.

This will be the year that the Cubs bring a World Series back to Chicago, defeating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in six games.