MLB Playoff Predictions 2011: Matt Moore and 3 Difference-Making Pitchers

In baseball, they say that offense sells tickets and pitching wins championships. I am of the belief that you need to have both areas of the game working in sync, but if one of those areas is going to struggle in October I would prefer it be the offense.

The beauty of the postseason is that players we don't expect to be stars can shine on the brightest stage that baseball has to offer. Look at Cody Ross last season with the Giants. He is a bench player, at best, but he is a hero to Giants fans forever because of what he did in the NLCS and World Series.

This season has been all about pitching. There has never been more dominant pitching—aside from the dead ball era—in baseball than right now.

So which pitchers are going to be true difference-makers for their teams this postseason?

Matt Moore, Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays think so much of Moore as a pitcher that if they would have had to play a one-game playoff against the Red Sox he would have gotten the call to start the game.

Aside from Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg, there might not be a pitcher with a more electric arm than Moore. He gets easy velocity on his fastball and has a knockout curveball and an improving changeup. Oh yeah, he's left-handed too.

The Rays have said that they are going to use Moore similar to the way that they did David Price in 2008.

Moore has top of the rotation stuff, but since the Rays are set in the rotation right now, he will likely be used out of the bullpen and pitch multiple innings at a time.

Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

The Tigers know what they are going to get when Justin Verlander pitches. The problem is they have no idea what they are going to get when anyone else pitches.

Their pitching has been throwing well for the last month—second best ERA (3.50) in the AL in September—but they were playing a lot of games against Cleveland, Minnesota and Kansas City.

Scherzer has a good arm. He has a low-to-mid 90s fastball with a pretty good changeup and breaking ball. He has pitched better than his stats show, 3.70 xFIP compared to 4.43 ERA.

He has to pitch well against the Yankees if the Tigers want to have a chance to win the series. He has the talent to do it. He just has to put it all together.

Jarrod Parker, Arizona Diamondbacks

Disclaimer: It is not a lock that Parker will be on the Diamondbacks postseason roster.

Parker has been Arizona's best pitching prospect since he was drafted in 2007. He made his first start for the team on Tuesday night and pitched well against the Dodgers. He has a good arm and an easy motion that gets easy velocity.

If the Diamondbacks want to use him out of the bullpen, he can give them two or three innings at a time. He is coming off Tommy John Surgery in 2010, so the team will be extra cautious with him, but he has difference-making stuff if he is allowed to pitch.

A.J. Burnett, New York Yankees

Everyone knows A.J. Burnett, but that does not mean that he does not belong on this list. Yankees fans bite their nails whenever he starts a game because he has looked terrible this season.

His stats don't support him being as bad as he has been this season. Aside from a slightly higher home run rate, his numbers are practically the same as they were in 2009 when he was the No. 2 starter on a championship team.

If he can get out of his head and just pitch, the Yankees will cruise to an American League Championship. If he can't, and CC Sabathia has to shoulder the load on his own, they will be in trouble.