ALCS Preview

Its been a while for both teams left standing in the American League. The Toronto Blue Jays haven't made the World Series since 2993, meanwhile Cleveland is look for its first World Series appearance since 1997. Both teams got here completing sweeps in the Divisional Round, Toronto taking out Texas and Cleveland downing Boston. This is going to be a battle of hot hitting teams, both powered, at least in the playoffs, by the long ball. So enough with the fluff, here's what we got for the American League Championship this year.

We have the American League Central Champions, the Cleveland Indians, taking on the American League Wild Card Winners, the Toronto Blue Jays. Cleveland won the Central with a 94-67 record. Then to start the playoffs, the Indians dispatched the Boston Red Sox in a three game sweep. Cleveland is now 47-42 all time in the playoffs. This will be Cleveland's fifth appearance in the ALCS. The Indians won the ALCS in 1995 and 1997 but would go on to lose the World Series both times. The Indians lost the 1998 and 2007 series.

As for the Toronto Blue Jays, their 89-73 record was good enough to get a Wild Card spot. The playoffs started for the Jays with a Wild Card game win over the Baltimore Orioles, they then followed it up with a three game sweep of the Texas Rangers in the ALDS. Toronto is now 26-26 all time in the post season. This will be Toronto's second consecutive ALCS appearance and seventh overall. The team lost the 2015 American League Championship Series to the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals. The Blue Jays had previously made consecutive ALCS appearances in 1991, 1992 and 1993, losing in the former but winning both the 1992 and 1993 World Series.

This will be the first postseason meeting between the Blue Jays and the Indians. This is the first ALCS since 2014 to feature two teams that had swept their ALDS opponents. The Indians won the regular season series, taking four of the seven meetings.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
October 14 Toronto Blue Jays @ Cleveland Indians Progressive Field 8:08 PM EDT
October 15 Toronto Blue Jays @ Cleveland Indians Progressive Field 4:08 PM EDT
October 17 Cleveland Indians @ Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre 8:08 PM EDT
October 18 Cleveland Indians @ Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre 4:08 PM EDT
October 19 Cleveland Indians @ Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre 4:08 PM EDT
October 21 Toronto Blue Jays @ Cleveland Indians Progressive Field 8:08 PM EDT
October 22 Toronto Blue Jays @ Cleveland Indians Progressive Field TBD

One of the things that helped both teams get to this point is their hot hitting. Toronto's had the power game working in the playoffs, something they had going for themselves last year as well. It was just a season ago that Toronto had the highest scoring offense in all of the American League. This year, it wasn't exactly the same thing as the team battled through injuries to get into a wild card spot. They got in never the less. Once the divisional round came up, it looked like Toronto's bats came alive again. They scored 22 runs in three games against Texas, which included eight long balls. Lets face it, the Jays are a home run hitting team and they're back to hitting that way again. Some might not think that could be a recipe for success in the playoffs, but hey, its been working for the Jays so far. Maybe this will be the year that it finally gets them over the hump for the first time since 1993.

During the season, Toronto took the final two games of a four game set at Rogers Center. Toronto has an even split amongst home and road games this year, which is important come the playoffs. Toronto won 46 home games and 43 more on the road. Scoring runs came in bunches in both home and road games. Toronto had a positive run differential both at home and on the road. Toronto's home record was better then its road record, but they had a higher run differential on the road (both were in the plus which is an advantage for the Jays). And don't knock them, Toronto's pitching staff of J.A Happ, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and Marcus Stroman have been pitching quite well in the playoffs. Sure they got knocked around a bit by Texas in the Divisional Round, but they did well enough to leave a lot of those Rangers hitters stranded on the basepaths during that three game sweep.

Here's though where I think Cleveland may have an advantage. They've got home field in this series, something which has been huge for the Tribe this year. Cleveland won 53 games at home, the only team with more home wins in all of baseball then Cleveland was the Chicago Cubs. Cleveland also has a +105 run differential at home, one of the best in baseball. They aren't quite as good on the road, as they are in the negative in run differential on the road, but they still do have a winning record on the road too, at 41-39. Most of the damage that the Tribe did this year was at home, which is why having home field for them could be huge in this series.

And I know the Toronto bats are waking up, but who knows if they can keep it up against Cleveland. i mean the Red Sox had the best offense in the AL, yet the Indians held Boston to just seven runs and a .136 batting average with runners in scoring position in a three-game sweep, something that no other pitching staff was able to do this entire season. Plus Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin, and Corey Kluber are going to be tough to deal with if your Boston. Oh yeah, lets not forget about the bullpen as well. Terry Francona wasn't shy about being aggressive with his bullpen against the Red Sox in the last round, so don't be too surprised if he's wanting to be doing that again in this round as well. Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw, and Cody Allen faced 37 percent of the hitters the Red Sox sent to the plate in the ALDS. So if your Toronto you have an idea of what might happen in this series.

But the way I look at it, I don't know if Cleveland is going to get that lucky again in this series. This will be a very happy series for hitters that's for sure. Toronto's bats are coming around at the right time and Toronto's starting pitching has had the best ERA so far in the playoffs in the AL at 3.78. Cleveland is going to put up a fight, but at the end of the day, its not going to be enough

Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays in 7!

Best & Worst Of NFL Week Five

Five weeks in the National Football League season and things are already taking shape quite quickly. Minnesota stands as the only unbeaten team left in the league, while Cleveland is the only team in the league that's looking for its first win on the year. Tom Brady made a statement in his first game back from suspension, while Brock Oswiler had an absolutely horrible week. Atlanta is starting to put their mark on the league that they maybe a force in the NFC, while the defending NFC Champions the Carolina Panthers have looked human, actually maybe even a little less then that, the last few weeks. Oakland continues to surprise teams week after week, showing that they might have finally arrived back in the league again as a good team. Same thing with Dallas, who prove that their two rookie studs are carrying that football team on offense. So here's some of the best and worst performances from around the NFL in Week Five.

Best:
Tom Brady, Quarterback New England Patriots
He's Back! If there was any doubt as to whether or not the 39 year old, four time Super Bowl winning quarterback would have any rust from not playing in over a month, they were quickly put to rest. Brady finished with 406 yards in 28-of-40 passing, including three touchdown scores. On his first possession of the football since last years playoffs, Brady just happened to complete five of six passes for 65 yards, including two to Rob Gronkowski for 53 yards. Rob Gronkowski and receiver Chris Hogan went over 100 yards thanks to Brady's passing talents in the Patriots 33-13 win over the Browns. Many people knew that Brady was going to come out with a fire in his eyes and have himself a day. He didn't disappoint.

Worst:
Brock Osweiler, Quarterback Houston Texans
When Houston shelled out $21 million to have Brock Osweiler start at Quarterback, they thought they had an answer to the problem at that position. They were wrong. Sunday, it hasn't been good for Brock, going up against the Vikings tough defense. Not only did the Vikings blow out Houston, it ended 31-13 in favor of the Vikings, Brock was just an innocent bystander at times. His throws were bad and he was rattled when put under pressure from the Minnesota defense. Brock finished with just 184 yards (much of which was gained in garbage time) on 19-of-42 passing with a late touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins and one interception. Not good numbers for a guy making that much money. Yes the Vikings defense has been doing this to quarterbacks all year long, but Osweiler has been average at best during games this year. I'm sorry to break it to Houston but Brock isn't worth what you've been paying him.

Best:
Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back Dallas Cowboys
Dallas has had an impressive one, two rookie punch in the backfield this year. Dak Prescott has done very well under center while replacing an injured Tony Romo. I mean Dak has throw 155 passes without a pick, 2nd most ever to start a career (behind the 162 of Tom Brady). As good as Prescott has been, I think that Zek Elliott has been better. Dallas came away with a 28-14 win over the Bengals Sunday. Cincy had allowed just 3.8 yards per carry and no rushing scores. Zek went off on the Bengals, finishing with 134 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries. Ezekiel capped off his brilliant game with a 60-yard score in the third quarter that put the Cowboys up 28-0. Dallas got an early jump on the Bengals and Cincy couldn't recover from it. Dallas now sits on top of the NFC East with a 4-1 record, a lot of it having to two with Zek Elliott.

Worst:
Breshad Perriman, Wide Receiver Baltimore Ravens
He was the Ravens first round pick in 2015. Perriman missed all of last season due to a knee injury. He's had a chance to show himself worthy of being a first round selection in the Ravens 16-10 loss to Washington on Sunday. Late in the fourth quarter, Perriman beat All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman for what looked like a go-ahead touchdown. It was the kind of play the Ravens wanted when they drafted Perriman. It was a great effort to go up and make a nice catch against a very good cornerback. And his second foot landed just out of bounds (officials ruled it a touchdown, but it was reversed after a replay review). The Ravens couldn’t score after that and lost 16-10. Even though Perriman barely missed out on his chance with that play, it offered hope that he can make plays like that going forward

Best:
Joey Bosa, Defensive End, San Diego Chargers
At long last, the waiting for Joey Bosa is over. He missed time due to a contract holdout in camp, then missed the first four games of the season due to a hamstring injury. When Bosa did finally make it to an NFL Field for his debut, which turned out to be a Chargers 34031 loss to the Oakland Raiders, that was nothing against the play of Bosa. He was fantastic in his first professional game. The 3rd overall pick from this years draft had himself a nice day, getting his first two sacks in the NFL, to go along with two QB hits four total tackles and two assisted tackles. He was a terror against the Raiders on Sunday. This doesn't seem like its going to be a good season for the Chargers, but they’ll be looking for signs of hope going forward. Bosa seems to be one.

Worst:
Miami Dolphins Hopes
Things really don't look very good for the Dolphins this year. Miami is 1-4, sitting in last place in the AFC East and showing very little signs of improvement from the team. Case in point, Sunday's game against the Titans. Tennessee came into Hard Rock Stadium and made it their own, winning 30-17. Marcus Mariota dominated Miami’s pathetic, overpaid defensr, finishing the day with just 223 total yards but made them all count, scoring four times, once on the ground and three times through the air. DeMarco Murray added to his strong campaign with 137 total yards, and Derrick Henry got into the action with 54 yards on seven carries. Lets face facts here, the Titans aren't all that great a team yet. They just did that to Miami, so what does that say about how bad a team the Dolphins are.

Best:
Matt Ryan, Quarterback Atlanta Falcons
Some quarterbacks have great careers because of their receivers. Big Ben has Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh, Andy Dalton has AJ Green in Cincy. And of course Matt Ryan has Julio Jones in Atlanta. Ryan had that monster 503 yard passing game last week, and 300 of those passing yards went to Jones. Some wondered if it was just a flash in the pan type of thing for Matt Ryan. Well Sunday, Ryan proved that it wasn't a joke. With Jones locked down, he still put up 267 yards through the air, proving he’s a huge part of what makes this Falcons offense one of the NFL’s best. Tevin Coleman, a running back, had 132 receiving yards. Mohamed Sanu had 43. Jones, in fact, was the team’s fourth-leading receiver, but that didn’t slow down the Falcons offense much. Matt Ryan still makes that team go, no matter who they're playing. He's putting up a strong case right now for possible offensive MVP in the league this year he's been that good.

Worst:
Philadelphia Eagles Unbeaten Season
Philly had been perfect through their first thee games. They got a bye week in week four, coming out of it against Detroit, a team who hasn't been very good through the first four games of the year. That plan went out the window by the end of the day Sunday, as Detroit ruined the Eagles perfect season with a 24-23 win. Carson Wentz finally threw his first NFL pick and he was outplayed by Matthew Stafford. Matt Prater hit the go ahead field goal with 1:29 to go in regulation. Detroit put the game away when Darius Slay made an over-the-shoulder interception on the next snap. This is no real knock on the Eagles, they have surprised quite a few people this year in that they are a good team and they can play up to their competition. Don't believe me, just ask the Steelers. But things don't look too easy for the Eagles the rest of the way. I mean look at who they have the rest of the way: at Washington, vs. Minnesota, at Dallas, at New York Giants, vs. Atlanta, at Seattle, vs. Green Bay, at Cincinnati, vs. Washington, at Baltimore, vs. Giants, vs. Cowboys. Where’s the easy game in there?

NLDS Preview

Here we go. After 162 regular season games and a Wild Card Game, the National League Divisional Series is set to go. The final four in the National League is all set. Three of the four teams have played in at least one World Series, while the fourth, Washington, is trying to get to the series for the first time in franchise history (Montreal never made it to a World Series in its time in Canada). This marks the 12 trip to the Divisional Round for the Dodgers, the 8th for the Giants, 6th for the Cubs and 5th for the Nationals.There's a lot on the line in this round. Can the Nationals win a round for the first time since 1980? Can the Dodgers get past the Nats? Does the even year magic still have something left for the Giants? Is this really the year for the Cubs. So lets get right into it shall we.

First up we have the National League East Champions, the Washington Nationals, taking on the National League West Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Los Angeles won the NL West for the 4th straight year, doing it this year with a 91-71 record. Los Angeles hasn't gotten out of the divisional round since beating the Braves in 2013. LA hasn't made it to a World Series since their last win in 1988. The Dodgers  have made the world series 18 times, winning the title six times. Los Angeles is 72-89 lifetime in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Nationals come in after winning the National League East for the 3rd time ever, all in Washington. The Nats finished with a 95-67 record, a nice bouncback from the collapse last year. This team is looking to make the NLCS for only the 2nd time ever, the last appearance coming when they were still in Montreal in 1981. This will be the second postseason meeting between the Dodgers and the Nationals franchise. Their most recent meeting was in the 1981 National League Championship Series, in which the Dodgers won the National League pennant over the then-Montreal Expos in five games. Los Angeles won five of the six meetings between the teams during the regular season.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
October 7 Los Angeles Dodgers @ Washington Nationals Nationals Park 5:38 EDT
October 8 Los Angeles Dodgers @ Washington Nationals Nationals Park 4:08 EDT
October 10 Washington Nationals @ Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium TBD
October 11 Washington Nationals @ Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium TBD
October 13 Los Angeles Dodgers @ Washington Nationals Nationals Park TBD

This could be a solid series. A lot of people talk about the Giants and their luck with even years, and with good reason. An interesting note here, though, is the Nationals have won their third-straight even-year NL East title while missing the playoffs in every odd year of their existence. So Washington has the same luck as the Giants do, but for them it doesn't always end the way the Nationals want. These Dodgers have won four division titles in a row, but they were bounced from the NLCS in 2013 in six games. In each of the last two years, they've lost in the NLDS round. This with Clayton Kershaw in his prime, too. Meantime, they've seen their biggest rival win three of the last six World Series. So both teams are really looking for something to prove in this series. As noted before, Los Angeles won five of the six meetings, with the only win for Washington coming in a lopsided 8-1 game. Los Angeles outscored the Nats 25-13 in the other five games. They won one on a walk-off, a few pitcher's duels and essentially a blowout (the score ended 8-4, but it was 7-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth). Being the home team in this series favors the Nationals. Besides the fact that the Nats finished with the better record, the Dodgers aren't as good away from Chavez Ravine. Los Angeles is 38-42 on the road this year and they've given up 2 more runs then they've scored on the road. Washington won 50 games at home this year and are balanced at both home and on the road.

Los Angeles had only two guys drive in 90 or more runs this year, Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner.  Four Dodgers hitters, Turner, Yasmani Grandal, Corey Seager and Joc Pederson hit twenty or more home runs. Seager was the only Dodgers regular to hit over .300 on the year, he finished hitting .308. As a team, the Dodgers can't hit lefty's. As a team, the Dodgers hit .235 against lefty starters and if you throw in relievers too, the Dodgers are hitting just .213. That's not good, especially come playoff time. If Washington is smart, they will load up on lefty relievers so that way if the Nats get a lead, it pretty much means the Dodgers chances of a comeback aren't good.

Then we have the Nationals. A good hitting team, led by one of the big hero's of last years playoffs Daniel Murphy. Murphy had a career year, hitting .347 with 25 homers and 104 RBI, numbers that were better then the MVP in the NL last year, Bryce Harper. Harper was no slouch this year, hitting .243, but he did hit 24 homers and he drove in 86 RBI While the Dodgers may have set a record for most guys put on the DL this year, they are healthy right now by comparison to the Nationals at the moment. All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos is out for the season with a torn ACL and it happened so late that we didn't really see them in an extended stretch without him. Stephen Strasburg is unlikely to toe the rubber at all due to an elbow issue. Bryce Harper has dealt with various injuries all season and the best guess is that's why he hasn't quite himself at the plate. Max Scherzer has been dominating force this year, winning 20 games , with a 2,96 ERA and 284 strikeouts. I think he can top anybody in LA right now, only because Clayton Kershaw hasn't come back to full health yet.

Both teams are banged up and hurting going into this series,. Los Angeles does appear to have a bit better bill of health, but I think because of all the problems they've had scoring on the road, its going to make things very tough on LA. This series will go the distance, but at the end of the day I just think the Dodgers will have too much of a hill to climb.

Prediction: Washington Nationals in 5!

Next up we have the National League Wild Card Winners, the San Francisco Giants, taking on the National League Central Champions, the Chicago Cubs. Chicago comes in having won the Central for the first time in 2008. Chicago finished the year with the best record in all of baseball, with a 103-58 mark. This was the first time since 1935 that the Cubs have won more than 100 games in a season. Chicago is looking to make it to the NLCS for the 2nd year in a row. Chicago hasn't won the Pennant since 1945. Chicago is 32-60 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Giants, they made it as a wild card team, finishing the year with an 87-75 year. To get to this round, the Cubs had to beat the Mets in the NL Wild Card Game. Even years have been good to the Giants, winning three World Series since 2010. San Francisco is 96-87 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between the teams in the playoffs. Their last meeting was in the 1989 National League Championship Series, which the Giants won in five games. Chicago won four of the seven meetings between the teams during the regular season.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
October 7 San Francisco Giants @ Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field 9:15 EDT
October 8 San Francisco Giants @ Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field 8:08 EDT
October 10 Chicago Cubs @ San Francisco Giants AT&T Park TBD
October 11 Chicago Cubs @ San Francisco Giants AT&T Park TBD
October 13 San Francisco Giants @ Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field TBD

There's a lot on the line in this series. Can the magic of the even number year keep up for San Francisco? Can Chicago get the job done after running rough shot over the league all year?  This is going to be a very good, very even series, maybe the best matchup of this round.  If your Chicago, playing at home is a big help this year. The Cubs won more than 70 percent of their games played at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, resulting in the best home record in baseball. Of course, the Cubs also boasted the second-best record on the road. What that means is, this year at least, it didn't matter where the Cubs played, they won. San Francisco is an OK road team, they had a winning record at both home and on the road. But if you take run differential into account, then the Giants maybe a little more uncomfortable playing three of the possible five games in this series at Wrigley Field. If your the Cubs, its worth noting that, even though you dominated everybody during the regular season, nothing is set in stone come playoff time. An interesting stat to look at is that, from 1995 (the first postseason with a wild-card team) to 2015, 22 teams won 100 games, but only two of them won the World Series (the 1998 and 2009 Yankees), and just six won pennants (the '95 Indians, '99 Braves, '03 Yankees and '04 Cardinals were the others). What's more, the teams with the best record in baseball have won just four World Series in that span: the aforementioned Yankees plus the 2004 and '07 Red Sox. So you never know.

Chicago has the numbers to back up why they are so good. Bryant and Rizzo but had over 100 RBI and both guys hit over 30 homers. Addison Russell was the only other Cubs hitter to drive in more than 90 runs, as he finished the year with 95. Ben Zobrist was the only other Cubs hitter to drive in more than 70 runs, as he finished with 76. Chicago is stupendous at smothering everything put into play. Their .745 defensive efficiency was the best in the majors this season by nearly three percentage points Those numbers back up the fact that the Cubs are a good hitting team. Oh yeah, they can pitch too. Chicago had the majors' stingiest rotation, with a 2.96 ERA. All five Chicago's starters, Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jason Hammel and John Lacky, won 11 or more games. Lester and Hendricks each had an ERA under three. As for their bullpen, the unit's 3.56 ERA ranked fourth in the league, and its 9.9 strikeouts per nine was tops. Chicago was even more dominant in the second half after adding Aroldis Chapman. Facts are the Cubs are good.

San Francisco got here thanks to a brilliant pitching performance from Madison Baumgarner in the Wild Card game. The man is brilliant come playoff time that's nothing new. San Fran has other pitchers besides Madison. Johnny Cueto won more games then Bumgarner did during the year. One thing that worries me about the Giants is the pen. The Giants’ bullpen led the league with 32 blown saves and lost nine games in which it led in the ninth inning, including five in September and October. But its overall marks, like its 3.66 ERA, are the highest of any NL playoff team. Numbers like that have to give anybody heartburn. Bochy’s three World Series rings attest to his deft touch with the bullpen and willingness to break from orthodoxy. San Francisco can hit a little. The Giants' offense ranked ninth in scoring (4.41 runs per game) and OPS+ (94) and 13th in homers (130), including just 55 at AT&T Park; they didn't have a single player with 20 overall. They were solid against righties (.737 OPS, sixth), less so against lefties (.703 OPS, 11th).

As good as the Giants are, the Cubs are just that much better. This pick is kind of easy to make.

Predictions: Chicago Cubs in 4!

ALDS Preview

Here we go. Divisional round has arrived for the American League. After 162 regular season games and one wild card game, we're set with the final four teams standing in the American League. Both matchups in the American League Division Series are rematches of past series. Boston is facing Cleveland for the first time since the 2007 ALCS, a series in which Cleveland blew a 3-1 series lead. Then there's the bigger matchup of the two, at least as far as tension goes. Its rematch of last years ALDS as Texas battles Toronto. Both series are going to be highly entertaining and both are going to drew huge ratings on TV and radio. So lets not waste anymore time on the fluff and get right into it. Here's how the American League Divisional Series are going to play out.

First up its the American League West champions, the Texas Rangers, taking on the American League Wild Card winner, the Texas Rangers. Texas comes into this series having won the American League West with a 95-67 record. This marks the 2nd year in a row, and the seventh time in franchise history, that the Rangers have won the division. Texas is looking to win a playoff series for the first time since going all the way to the World Series in 2011. The Rangers have never won a World Series. Texas is 21-28 lifetime in post season play. Meanwhile, Toronto has gotten to the playoffs as the wild card team, finishing the regular season 2nd in the AL East with an 89-73 record. This marks the first back to back playoff appearance for the Jays since winning back to back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. To get to the Divisional Round, Toronto beat the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Game. Toronto has two World Titles to their credit and are 26-26 lifetime in the post season. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between the two teams in the playoffs, with the Blue Jays beating the Rangers in last years ALDS in five games.

Here are the date and times for every game in this series:
October 6 Toronto Blue Jays @ Texas Rangers Globe Life Park 4:38PM
October 7 Toronto Blue Jays @ Texas Rangers Globe Life Park 1:08PM
October 9 Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre 7:38PM
October 10 Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre TBD
October 12 Toronto Blue Jays @ Texas Rangers Globe Life Park TBD

You want to talk about a budding rivalry, you got one right here. Look no further then last year in this very same round, with the Jays walking away with the win. I think what set this whole thing off was the Jose Bautista bat flip in game five after hitting the series ending home run. Some feel that the teams got their feelings out when they got into a brawl on May 15th at Globe Life Park, but don't be surprised if there are a few more fireworks that go off in this series after last years events. Oh and if the regular season numbers mean anything, Toronto took four of the seven meetings between the teams this season. To look into those numbers a little deeper, Toronto outscored Texas 36-21 during those seven games, if that means anything. You know good and well that regular season numbers don't mean squat come playoff time.

These two teams haven't seen eachother since the brawl in Texas on May 15th, Texas has done a bit of retooling since then. Texas improved by the call-up of Matt Bush (he was summoned to the majors just in time for the second Jays-Rangers series) and the return to health of Tanner Scheppers. As far as the lineup goes, the pre-deadline additions of Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Beltran directly addressed to significant holes. Oh, and the surge that Carlos Gomez has enjoyed since being plucked from the scrap heap appears to be sustainable. In other words, this is a significantly better Texas roster than the Jays encountered during the regular season. Sure the Rangers got 95 wins this year, a very impressive number and the best mark in the American League. It is worth noting that, in order to do that, Texas finished with a run differential of eight. They scored eight more runs then they allowed.

Toronto, on the other hand, actually had a good run differential. Yes they won less games, finishing with 89 victories. But they also scored 93 more runs then they gave up. With a run differential like that, you'd think Toronto would have won more games. Toronto also had to do it against a slightly tougher schedule, with their opponents having a .506 winning percentage. Texas opponents had a .503 win percentage. The middle of Toronto's lineup, lead by Joey Bats, Tulo, Donaldson and Edwin, can hang, and even outslug, a lot of teams in this league. Sure Beltre, Odur and Desmond put up good offensive numbers for Texas, Toronto just had the better power and offensive pops.

Pitching may balance out, with a slight edge to Toronto, who had more guys hit double digits in wins and had starters with a lower ERA. Texas is a good team no doubt, They won more games then any other team in the American League. But Toronto just has the mojo working right now. Texas makes it a good series but it won't be enough.

Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays in 5!

The other series pits the American League Central champions, the Cleveland Indians, taking on the American League East Champions, the Boston Red Sox. This marks the first playoff appearance for the Sox since winning the World Series in 2013. Boston won the East this year with a 94-69 record, making it the 15th division title the team has won. Boston has won three world titles in their last seven trips to the post season. The Sox are 90-77 lifetime in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Cleveland comes in with a 94-68 record, good enough to win the American League Central. This division title was the 11th in the teams history, its first since 2007. Cleveland is searching for its first playoff win since beating the Yankees in 2007's ALDS. The Indians have two World Series to their credit, but haven't made it to a Series since 1997. The Indians are 44-42 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 5th meeting between the teams in the playoffs. Cleveland won in 1995 and 1998, while the Red Sox claimed victory in 1999 and 2007. Boston won four of the six meetings between the teams this season.

Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
October 6 Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Indians Progressive Field 8:08PM
October 7 Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Indians Progressive Field 4:08PM
October 9 Cleveland Indians @ Boston Red Sox Fenway Park 4:08PM
October 10 Cleveland Indians @ Boston Red Sox Fenway Park TBD
October 12 Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Indians Progressive Field TBD

At various points this season both the Red Sox and Indians looked not only like the best team in the American League, but arguably the best non- Chicago Cubs team in all of baseball. The Indians had a franchise record 14-game winning streak back in June while the Red Sox had an 11-game winning streak in September. Interesting fact, there are only two players from the 2007 ALCS that are playing in this series, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz. During the regular season, Boston won four of the six meetings, outscoring the Tribe 31-18. Now here's a surprising stat. The split between the two teams in home vs. road games. Cleveland won 52 home games and scored 105 more runs then they allowed. they won 41 road games and gave up four more runs then they scored. Boston on the other hand, was more balanced. Boston won 47 home games and scored 97 more runs then they allowed. On the road, Boston won 46 games and scored 87 more runs then they allowed. Pretty stark contrast I'd say.

Cleveland has home field advantage because they had the better record. All five of their starting pitchers had double digits in wins, but only Corey Kluber has an ERA under 3.30. The Indians have that flexibility with Andrew Miller, who's done a fine job since joining the Indians in a trade with the Yanks. He's done well, as has closer Cody Allen and primary setup man Bryan Shaw. On offense, Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana have been powering the Tribe, both hitting over 30 home runs on the year. Not only can the Indians hit, they can run too. They were fourth in baseball with 134 total steals. Cleveland can hit and run wild so it's something that the Red Sox are going to have to keep an eye on. Only down side is Cleveland. Thy're missing some key players. Michael Brantley has played only 11 games this year due to shoulder surgery and subsequent complications. Carlos Carrasco is out for the postseason after a comebacker broke a bone in his hand in mid September. And Danny Salazar is currently working his way back from a flexor muscle problem and could be on the ALDS roster as a reliever.

Don't count out the Red Sox, they are kinda good. David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts each hit over 30 home runs and drove in over 100 runs. Jackie Bradley and Xander Bogarts hit over twenty homers and drove in over 80 runs on the year. Boston is top heavy in their rotation. Rick Porcello went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA. And there's David Price, who went 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA. Boston has solid starting pitching, but there leaves a few questions at the back of pitching staff. Sure Kimbrel saved 31 of his 33 chances. But he walked the bases loaded prior to Teixeira's grand slam, and in his final three regular season appearances, he walked six of the 13 batters he faced. He'd walked four of the previous 57 batters he faced prior to that. That's not so good. Koji Uehara and Brad Ziegler are good pitchers leading to Kimbrel, but they aren't as overpowering as Miller and Shaw in Cleveland's pen.

I'll come right out and say it I think the Indians have the slightly better pitching staff. But Boston's hitting is just going to be too much to deal with. There's a reason why the Red Sox have the balance scoring difference that they had during the regular season. Cleveland isn't as good on the road and if they go down early in this series, I can't see them overcoming the difference. Its been a fun ride for the Indians but this is where it comes to a close.

Predictions: Boston Red Sox in 4!

Best & Worst Of NFL Week Four

A quarter of the way through the NFL Season and we've already got a few things shaken up around the National Football League. We started the week with five teams with perfect records, now we're down to three, the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles. Oh yeah and there was the crazy week that was in week four. Lets see. New England gets shut out by Buffalo in their last game without Tom Brady under center, Arizona seems to have lost its collective mojo (they can't find a win right now), and Denver is using two no name quarterbacks and are still unbeaten. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones went off in a huge win by Atlanta. Carolina can't catch a break with Cam Newton now possibly to miss time with a possible concussion. A lot has gone down in week four and we will help you get caught up. So here's some of the best and worst of week four in the NFL.

Best:
Matt Ryan, Quarterback Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta put a beating on Carolina on Sunday, walking away with a 48-33 victory. Ryan went off the charts, going 28 of 37 for 503 yards, throwing four touchdowns and one pick. It was the first time ever that Ryan had thrown for that many yards in a game. Ryan threw for 182 more yards then any other quarterback in the league this week, which is really an eye popping number when you look at it. Atlanta has the most productive offense in the NFL through the first quarter of the season so far, Matt Ryan and his favorite target Julio Jones are a huge reason for that.

Worst:
Jamies Winston, Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Talk about an up and down performer. This week was a bad game for Winston. He went 17 of 35 for 179 yards. He was picked twice and sacked five times. I know your going up against the best defense in the league in Denver and you get spanked 27-7 but still. And this was coming one week after he threw for over 400 yards passing (granted in a losing effort as well) but still. You'd like to think that Winston would be able to build off of that performance. Part of the fault has to go to Dirk Kotter the Bucs head coach. He left Winston in the game too long. By the end of the game, Denver already had a commanding lead. Winston was just getting beat up at that point, so leaving him in the game wasn't a good thing for Jamies both mentally or physically.

Best:
Julio Jones, Wide Receiver Atlanta Falcons
You want to talk about a guy who was in a groove, look no further than Julio Jones on Sunday. Not only did Atlanta beat up on Carolina in a 48-33 win, Julio Jones was FEELING IT! He was Matt Ryan's favorite target on Sunday, finishing the day with 12 catches for 300 yards and a touchdown. Yes, you did read that number correctly, Julio Jones had 300 yards receiving in a single game. Jones became just the 6th player in league history to have 300 receiving yards in a single game. He joins Flipper Anderson (336 yards vs New Orleans, 1989), Calvin Johnson (329 yards vs. Dallas 2013), Stephone Paige (309 yards vs. San Diego, 1985), Jim Benton (303 yards vs. Detroit, 1945), and Cloyce Box (302 yards vs. Baltimore, 1950) to do that. He and Matt Ryan became the first QB-WR combo to have 500+ passing yards and 300+ receiving yards in the same game. Impressive day for Atlanta on Sunday.

Worst:
Carolina Panthers Defense
Its no secret that Carolina was supposed to have one of the top defenses in the entire league. Well it didn't look like that Sunday. We already touched on what Matt Ryan and Julio Jones did to the Panthers defense. But wait there's more. In total, Atlanta gained 571 yards, averaging 8.8 yards per play and converted eight third downs. Oh yeah, Atlanta also marched down the field for scoring drives of 92, 98 and 99 yards. The stunning defensive collapse has left the defending NFC champions with a 1-3 record to start 2016. Things really aren't looking good for the Panthers right now, they need to get there act together.

Best:
Le'Veon Bell, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
He's Back! The best running back in the league returned with a force on Sunday. In his first game back from his three game suspension, Bell had the best numbers of any back in the league Sunday. Bell had 18 carries for 144 yards in his return against Kansas City, helping lead Pittsburgh to a convincing 43-14 win over the Chiefs. Oh yeah, he also had five catches for 34 yards, which proves how much of a double threat the guy is. He's the best in the game for a reason, there are few defenders in the league who can knock him off his feet when he's rolling. His first game back really showed that nothings changed from last season. Bell is a beast in the Pittsburgh backfield and now that he, Antonio Brown and Ben Rothlesberger are all healthy and on the field and same page at the same time, the Steelers are going to be a very tough team to beat.

Worst:
San Diego Chargers
This comes as a bit of a surprise. Think about what happened Sunday between the Chargers and Saints. The Chargers had full control of the game, leading by the score of 34-21 with less than seven minutes left on the clock. Most football fans would think that with less then seven minutes left and your team up by two scores, you should be getting set for a victory party in the parking lot after the game right? Right? Not in this case for San Diego. Melvin Gordon fumbled the ball away, giving the Saints a chance to pull to within one score, which they did. On San Diego's next possession, it was Travis Benjamin’s turn to develop a case of late-game butterfingers, coughing the ball up leading to a New Orleans go ahead score. Philip Rivers had a golden chance to play hero and send everybody home happy with a comeback. On cue, he threw an interception on San Diego’s final offensive possession, throwing away any hope the Chargers had of winning in the process.

Best:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
There had been some questions as to the health of Russell Wilson and his leg going into Sunday's matchup with the Jets. Well, he quickly put those worries to rest.Russell went 22 of 32 for 309 yards, good for three touchdowns and no picks. The only dent on his day was that he was sacked twice, but that fact can be overlooked with how well Russell played. He and Jimmy Graham had some great chemistry, and the one thing that really stuck out to me was how easy Russell made it look. Christine Michael was left wide open in the middle of the field to catch his first NFL touchdown. The score was a nice way, for Seattle anyway, to cap a four-play, 61-yard drive that gave the Seahawks a 24–10 lead. Russell seems to play pretty well when his a little banged up I think.

Worst:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Quarterback New York Jets
I feel like a bit of a broken record with this one, at least the last couple of weeks I have. Not only did Fitz throw six picks against KC two weeks ago, he added three more this week against the Seahwaks. Oh yeah, all three picks came in the 2nd half of the game, and all three picks lead to ten points for Seattle. Which, just in case anybody forgot, was the difference in the ballgame as Seattle walked away with a 27-17 win. Fitz has ten picks on the year, a scary number. To make that number even worse, Fitz has thrown for only four touchdowns this season. Ouch. I know Jets head coach Todd Bowles showed confidence still in his starting quarterback, but it really does leave one to wonder. If Fitz keeps struggling like this, how short a leash does he have before he gets yanked in favor of either Geno Smith of Bryce Petty? As much as I like Fitzpatrick, he really needs to get his game back on track.

Best:
Michael Crabtree, Wide Receiver Oakland Raiders
Don't knock the guy, Crabtree still has something left in the tank to be a good receiver in the NFL. He had seven catches for 88 yards in the Raiders 28-27 win over the Ravens. Three of Crabtree’s seven catches produced touchdowns, including a pair of scores in the fourth quarter. Crabtree’s touchdown receptions just kept getting better. After hauling in a short fade from Derek Carr in the first quarter, Crabtree snagged a second score in traffic on third down and then beat the Ravens by making an over-the-shoulder catch and getting two feet in the end zone with 2:13 left in the contest. Through four games, Crabtree has four touchdowns and two game-winning plays (including the two-point conversion to win in Week 1). Yeah, the guy can still produce in the National Football League.

Worst:
Matthew Stafford, Quarterback Detroit Lions
Just by looking at the two teams on paper, you'd like to think the Detroit Lions would be better then the Chicago Bears. Right? Well, as the old saying goes, that's why they play the game. Chicago pulled out a 17-14 win over the Lions, thanks to a little ineptitude from the Lions QB, Matthew Stafford. Stafford threw two key interceptions, both of which likely cost his team points in a game that was won by three points. Both occurred right outside the red zone, meaning the Lions were denied two chances to at least attempt field goals. The first interception was likely the fault of receiver Golden Tate, who ran the wrong route and Jacoby Glenn pounced on the pass for an interception right before the half. The second was thrown into traffic and intercepted by Deiondre’ Hall. He was trying to get the ball to tight end Eric Ebron, but the throw was well off target. As much as I like Matthew Stafford, playing poorly on the road is an unfortunate Stafford trademark. He finished with 213 yards on 23-of-36 passing with no touchdowns and the two costly interceptions.

NL Wild Card Game Preview

We'vbe played 162 games and it comes down to this. Wild Card time has arrived in the National League, as the New York Mets battle with the San Francisco Giants. In the past, the winner of the NL Wild Card has gone on to the World Series seven times. Four times, the NL Wild Card winner has won the World Series. The Florida Marlins did it twice, in 1997 and 2003, then you had the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals and the 2-14 San Francisco Giants. The 2002 San Francisco Giants, 2005 Houston Astros and 2007 Colorado Rockies all came up on the short end of the stick in the fall classic. Since the expanded format, this is the 2nd time that the Giants have played in the game, while this marks the first trip to the one game playoff for the Mets.

First pitch for this game is set for 8PM, with the game being televised on TBS. Noah Syndergaard (14-9, 2.60 ERA, 218 SO) gets the start for the Mets, he will be opposed by Madison Baumgarner (15-9, 2.74 ERA, 251 SO). Mets got home field advantage for this game by finishing with a 87-75 record. As for the Giants, they finished with the exact same 87-75 record. Home field went to the Mets, because they had won the regular season series, taking four of the seven games between the two teams. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between the two teams in the playoffs, the last time they played the Mets beat the Giants in four games in the 2000 NLDS. Winner of this wild card game moves on to face the Chicago Cubs in the National League Divisional Series.

For the Giants, even though it is an even number year, it has to be a little dishearting to be playing in the wild card game, considering that before the all-star break they had the best record in Baseball. Since the game, they've had the 3rd worst record in the sport, going just 30-42 down the stretch. The biggest thing that the Giants have going for them right now is the man they have going to the mound tonight. Everybody knows that Madison Baumgarner is one of the best in the game. Come playoff time, the guy is almost unhitable. Lifetime in the playoffs, Baumgarner is 7-3 with a 2.14 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 88.1 innings in 14 games. He was damn near perfect in the Giants last title run in 2014. During that year, he went 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA and won MVP of both the NLCS and World Series. The Wild Card Game will be nothing new for him, either, considering he pitched nine shutout innings in that environment against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014, striking out 10 along the way. Lets not forget that the Giants can hit too. Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford all drove in over 80 runs for the Giants this year. Belt lead the team in home runs with 17 during the season. So they can provide some offensive support for Mad Bum.

The guy starting for the Mets is no slouch. Noah Syndergaard is the last ace left standing. COnsidering what the Mets started with its a little surprising Thor is the only one left. Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz to season-ending injuries, and Zach Wheeler never threw a single pitch in the Majors this year. Yet here the Mets are and Thor is a big reason for that. He finished the year going 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 218 Strikeouts. Thor is also 5-3 lifetime against the Giants. So Syndergaard knows how to handle his own against San Francisco. The pitching has been solid this year, just look at the back end of the pen. Jeurys Familia had 51 saves this year, to set the club record for saves in a season. If Syndergaard can get through seven innings, it'll lead to Addison Reed in the 8th and Familia in the 9th. Oh yeah and the Mets have a little bit of pop in offense. Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes both hit 30 home runs for the year. Cespedes was the only Mets hitter to drive in more than 80 runs, he finished with 86. Asdrubel Cabrera came in second with 69 RBI. The Mets will have to try and scratch out something because they are slightly behind the Giants as far as having a balanced attack is concerned.

Yes Baumgarner has been dominant, more so in the playoffs. This time however, it won't end well for the Giants. Mad Baum got knocked around when the Mets played them in San Francisco last time. The Mets are at home, winning 44 games in front of the Citi Field Crowd. Oh yeah  the Mets are playing red hot baseball and they keep that going. They get the job done and give us a rematch of last years NLCS!

Winner: New York Mets!

AL Wild Card Game Preview

The time has arrived, Wild Card time is now! After 162 regular season games, it comes down to this in the American League. Odds of going to the World Series are slim for one of these two teams, as only four times in history has the AL Wild Card team. The first two teams to do it, the 2002 Anaheim Angeles and 2004 Boston Red Sox, have gone on to win the title, while the other two occasions, the 2006 Detroit Tigers and 2014 Kansas City Royals, both lost in the fall classic.

First pitch is scheduled for 8PM on TBS, and the game takes place at Rogers Center in Toronto. Starting pitchers for this game will be Chris Tillman (16-6, 3.77 ERA, 140 SO) going against Marcus Stroman (9-10, 4.37 ERA, 166 SO). Both teams finished with the exact same 89-73 record, but Toronto got home field advantage by taking the season series by a 10-9 advantage. Winner of this game will advance to the Divisional Round to take on the Texas Rangers

This should be a very enojyable baseball game between two divisional rivals, both who had aspirations of winning the division, but came up short of an AL East crown. If your Baltimore, you've gotta be feeling comfortable going into the wild card game. They finished the season going 17-12 over the final month of the season, including 10-5 on their final 15 road games. Baltimore really has the power bats that can match with anybody in baseball. Three hitters in the Baltimore lineup, Manny Machado (37 HR), Kris Davis (38 HR) and Mark Trumbo (47 HR) all slugged over 30 dingers during the year. Oh yeah, Adam Jones (29 HR), Jonathan Scoop (25 HR) and Pedro Alvarez (22 HR) each added another 20+ homers each.

While Baltimore had their bats going at the end of the month, Toronto slumped a bit towards the end. The Jays had the lead in the division when September started, but it didn't end that way, closing out the final month of the season going 13-16 over the final 29 of the games of the year. Toronto, much like Baltimore, relies on power. Edwin Encarnacion lead the way for the Jays, with 42 homers and 127 RBI. Behind him is Josh Donaldoson with 37 homers and came one RBI short of hitting the century mark. Then there's Jose Bautista and his 22 homers and 69 RBI, but he missed playing time this year with injuries. Michael Saunders and Troy Tulowitzki each contributed 24 homers. When it comes to offense it's going to be power against power in this ballgame.

Pitching is going to be big in this one. While yes Marcus Stroman has had a solid year, Chris Tillman has had the better one. So the O's have the advantage there. They also have it in the bull pen as well. Sure, Roberto Osuna has been good for the Jays, he has converted 37 saves in 41 chances. Baltimore's pen has been better though. Once you get to the late innings with a lead, its a lock for Baltimore that its over. Zach Britton has a 0.54 ERA and is 47 for 47 in save chances. As good has Toronto has been all year, Baltimore has played better baseball as of late, coming on hot to end the year. Will be a close baseball game but at the end of the day, the team south of the boarder comes away with the win.

Winner: Baltimore Orioles!