MLB Predictions: Full Playoff, World Series Winner Picks with One Month to Go

Down the stretch they come!

There is now officially one month left to the 2011 MLB regular season (well, 28 days if you really want to get technical about it) and there are still several teams scrambling to the finish line. While some teams may appear to have their postseason fate wrapped up (Milwaukee Brewers), others are desperately trying to come up with the winning formula over the last 26-30 games.

It will certainly be a mad dash right up until September 28, and while some teams will be toasting with champagne and beer baths after attaining postseason glory, others will be left to wonder all winter what could have been.

So, we at Bleacher Report will take our stab at who we believe will prevail down the stretch, who will walk away with a blanket of flowers around their neck, and who will be spitting the bit.

I just love horse racing metaphors, don’t you?

But, I digress. Here are the predictions for the MLB playoff and World Series winners with just one month left to the regular season.

American League Division Series: Texas Rangers over New York Yankees

The Texas Rangers were wheeling and dealing on Wednesday, picking up reliever Mike Gonzalez from the Baltimore Orioles and Matt Treanor from the Kansas City Royals in separate waiver deals. With the added depth, the Rangers will have enough to hold off the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.

The New York Yankees will fall just short in the AL East, and will represent the Wild Card slot in the American League, moving on to face the Rangers in the first ALDS.

The Rangers, battled tested from last year’s run to the World Series, will be ready with C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and Matt Harrison leading the way in the rotation. With a healthy Adrian Beltre back in the lineup, the Rangers are a potent team offensively.

The Yankees have at this point one reliable starter they count on-CC Sabathia. As well as Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon have pitched throughout the season, they will not be able to hold back the Rangers’ offensive juggernaut.

Prediction: Rangers in four games

American League Division Series: Boston Red Sox over Detroit Tigers

The Boston Red Sox will hold off the New York Yankees and take the AL East title. With the American League’s second best offense, they will continue to score, and score often.

The Detroit Tigers currently hold a 5.5 game lead over the Cleveland Indians and six games over the Chicago White Sox. It’s unlikely that either the Tribe or the Sox will have enough left in the tank to overtake the Tigers during the final month, pitting the Tigers against the Red Sox in the second ALDS.

What’s not to love with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester in a five-game series? The Tigers have 20-game winner Justin Verlander and… well, Verlander. Max Scherzer has looked good over the last few weeks, but the playoffs are a different monster altogether.

Prediction: Red Sox in five games

National League Division Series: Philadelphia Phillies over the Arizona D-Backs

The Philadelphia Phillies’ vaunted pitching staff that was hyped so highly in the beginning of the season has lived up to that hype, easily walking away with the NL East over the Atlanta Braves.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been the feel-good story of the summer, with fiery manager Kirk Gibson leading his troops over Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants on the way to an improbable NL West title.

However, with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, the Diamondbacks’ run to the postseason will be short-lived.

Prediction: Phillies in three games

National League Division Series: Milwaukee Brewers over Atlanta Braves

The Milwaukee Brewers’ remarkable run during the month of August has them 8.5 games ahead of the sinking St. Louis Cardinals, and only a disastrous collapse will stop them from easily winning the NL Central title.

The Atlanta Braves would be on top of three other divisions right now with their record. However, no matter how gamely they have played, they will have to settle for the Wild Card slot in the National League, and will move on to play the Brewers in the second NLDS.

With Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum, the Brewers will be just too tough to overcome in a five-game series.

Prediction: Brewers in four games

American League Championship Series: Boston Red Sox over Texas Rangers

As much as I love the Texas Rangers’ offense, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are just plain nasty when it comes to pressure-packed games. Andrew Miller could also play an important role for the Sox in a seven-game series as well.

The Rangers have been able to get great pitching from their starting rotation all season long, and with a restocked bullpen that added Koji Uehara, Mike Adams and Mike Gonzalez to the mix, I would love them in a seven-game series—against anyone but the Red Sox.

Prediction: Red Sox in six games

NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies over the Milwaukee Brewers

The Philadelphia Phillies’ postseason ended last season with their loss to the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. The one thing in life that starting pitcher Roy Halladay absolutely cherishes is the chance to win a World Series and avenge last year’s NLCS loss.

The Brewers have not advanced this far in the playoffs since 1982, and while they had a remarkable second half of the season, the bet here is that Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Roy Oswalt continue living up to their hype.

Prediction: Phillies in five games

2011 World Series: Philadelphia Phillies over the Boston Red Sox

If one were to believe in such things, this would seem to be the year that the Boston Red Sox would be likely to win. They won the World Series in 2004, followed it up three years later with another win in 2007, and then four years later in 2011, five years later in 2016…. I think you get the picture.

I know…that’s is silly.

While Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are indeed nasty in postseason play, that dynamic duo just may not be enough. Good pitching beats good hitting—at least that’s what the traditional experts tell you. I believe in this case, they’re right. The Phillies Fab Four will be too much for the Red Sox to handle, and there are no guarantees for the Sox beyond Beckett and Lester.

Prediction: Phillies win World Series in six games

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.