Best And Worst Of NFL Week Six

We have hit week six in the NFL season and there are more and more interesting story lines starting to take shape around the league. Injuries are starting to plague Gang Green and Big Blue,  the Dallas Cowboys are starting to show they're for real and are going to be a threat in the NFL, the Jets may be getting better, but not by much and the Arizona Cardinals are starting to now show just how much they miss Carson Palmer at quarterback. Oh yeah and the Seattle Seahawks were beaten at home, something that rarely happens. So, as you can tell, things are starting to get shaken up in the NFL through week six. Here's some of the best and worst performances from this past week in the National Football League.

Best:
Philip Rivers, Quarterback San Diego Chargers
This guy is really starting to make a strong case for league MVP this season. Rivers finished Sunday going 22 of 34 for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns. Those numbers were good, but what makes him so impressive is the fact that the passer rating for Rivers has eclipsed 120 (123.8) for the fifth straight week. Those numbers are freaking scary good. This guy can flat out sling the football and if he can keep this pace up, teh Chargers will not only unseat Denver at the top of the West.

Worst:
Atlanta Falcons Offense
With the line in tatters, the Falcons are now resembling their inept 2013 outfit as QB Matt Ryan gets abused (7 hits and four sacks Sunday) while the backs run to darkness. Nothing really clicked right on offense for the Falcons in the loss Sunday to the Bears. The team only put up 13 points, there was no rushing attack at all, it was a struggle for the passing game. It was just a bad day Sunday for the Falcons offense.

Best:
DeMarco Murray, Running Back Dallas Cowboys
Even though he didn't put up the top individual rushing effort in week six, that went to LeSean McCoy of the Eagles, Murray still had a very solid week once again. Murray finished the day with 29 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys big win in Seattle. That's what makes this effort so impressive. Coming into the game, Seattle had one of the top ranked run defenses in the league, and they were lit up for the 115 by Murray. Oh and Murray now has rushed for over 100 yards in every game the Cowboys have played this season.

Worst:
Seattle Seahawks At Home
So, the world champions are human at home after all. Including the loss last Sunday to Dallas, the Seahawks have actually lost two of their last five games at home, a place where people thought they were unbeatable. It may be premature to talk about playoff seeding, but the Seahawks are suddenly second in their division and now essentially two games behind Dallas (tiebreaker incorporated) in the early race for home-field advantage. The Cowboys and Chargers have both shown the Seattle D, which lost depth in the offseason, can be worn down.

Best:
Joe Flacco, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco showed that he can still sling it, looking like a flash of his old self last week. Flacco went 21 for 29, throwing for 308 yards. Oh yeah and he also threw for five touchdown passes against the Bucs. Sure the passing yards weren't the tops in the league by a quarterback this week, Tom Brady did that. But the fact that Flacco threw for five touchdown passes shows that he can still get back to the level of a Super Bowl winning quarterback once again.

Worst:
New York Giants Offense
After putting up 30 points in each of the last two games, the Giants offense went AWOL against the Eagles, getting shut out. IT was a drubbing by the Eagles, with Big Blues offense not being able to get everything set up and established the way they had the two weeks prior to this. To make matters worse, the Giants lost Victor Cruz for the season with a knee injury. Yeah it was a rough week for the Giants this week.

Best:
LeSean McCoy, Running Back Philadelphia Eagles
The 2013 rushing king is picking up steam after posting his first 100-yard game (149) of the season against the Giants. Big Blue has been decent at being able to hold down the opposing running game, but that wasn't the case this week as the best runner in the game showed off on Sunday. Is this a sign that McCoy is back to form? Maybe, but only time will tell.

Worst:
New York Jets Running Game
Yeah this hasn't been existent as of late. QB Geno Smith set the pace with 11 of New York' 31 rushing yards in a 31-17 loss to the Broncos. As much heat as Smith has taken during the Jets' 1-5 start, this team's foundation was supposed to be a strong defense and a relentless ground attack. The run game hasn't been used effectively every since the loss in week two to the Packers. The Jets do have solid running backs in Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson, but the team really hasn't been using them properly over the last few weeks. Once the Jets wake up and start using the run game the right way again, it will take some of the pressure off the passing game.

American League Championship Series Preview

We have come down to this. After a grueling regular season and the American League Divisional Round, we have reached the American League Championship series. Whoever wins this series punches their ticket to the World Series, something that neither team in this series have been able to do since the early 1980's. This year we will have the American League East champions the Baltimore Orioles taking on the American League Wild Card winner the Kansas City Royals.

To reach the 2014 ALCS, the Orioles knocked off the Tigers in the ALDS, in a three game sweep. They did so after winning the AL East during the regular season, with a record of 96-66. Meanwhile, the Royals knocked off the Oakland Athletics in the AL Wild Card Game and then defeated the Angels in the ALDS, in yet another clean sweep. Kansas City finished the regular season with a record of 89-73. These two clubs met seven times during the regular season, with Kansas City taking four of the seven games. As far as the playoffs are concerned, this marks the first time that the two teams will meet in October.

Here's the date and times for every possible game in this series:
October 10 Kansas City Royals @ Baltimore Orioles Oriole Park at Camden Yards 8:07 ET
October 11 Kansas City Royals @ Baltimore Orioles Oriole Park at Camden Yards 4:07 ET
October 13 Baltimore Orioles @ Kansas City Royals Kauffman Stadium 8:07 ET
October 14 Baltimore Orioles @ Kansas City Royals Kauffman Stadium 8:07 ET
October 15† Baltimore Orioles @ Kansas City Royals Kauffman Stadium 4:07 ET
October 17† Kansas City Royals @ Baltimore Orioles Oriole Park at Camden Yards 8:07 ET
October 18† Kansas City Royals @ Baltimore Orioles Oriole Park at Camden Yards 8:07 ET

All games can be seen on TBS.

This is going to prove to be an interesting matchup. From an offensive perspective, nobody in the American League hit more home runs than the Orioles, while nobody hit less than the Royals. In the post season both teams have hit four each. I think its safe to say that pitching is the real reason why both teams are standing where they are right now.

Baltimore got here with clutch hitting that's for sure. But there's a few differences between playing the Tigers and the Royals. The Tigers starting pitching was pretty good, being able to hold the middle of the Baltimore offense in check. Then  the Tigers handed it off to the bullpen and the wheels fell off. Detroit's pen was hammered by the Baltimore offense. We know they Orioles can score runs, but their starting pitching staff showed they had trouble with that Detroit offense. This is going to be interesting when facing the Royals pitching staff

Kansas City's pitching staff was able to shut down the high powered Angels offense during their Division Round Series.  Kansas City has the lowest ERA of any team in the AL in the playoffs, and they finished 4th during the regular season in that regards, while the Orioles finished 3rd during the regular season. As we know though, during the playoffs, for the most part, what was done during the regular season don't mean squat.

Long story short this series is going to come down to pitching. In theory, the starting pitching would be even, but that's on paper. James Shields, Yordano Ventura, Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie are projected to take the mound for Kansas City. Nobody on that staff, pen included, gave up more than two runs in a game against the Angels. Wei-Yin Chen was the only starter who really got rocked by the Tigers, otherwise the rest of the rotation looked fine. same thing with the pen. Pitching is going to be tight in this series. What the Royals have working for them is the fact that they held the heart of the Angels lineup to three hits in the entire divisional round, while the Baltimore pitching staff couldn't really do the same thing to the heart of the Tigers lineup. That could play a factor in this series.

I just have this gut feeling that the series is going to come down to the pitching staffs and Kansas City's looks a little better at the moment than that of Baltimore  Do the Orioles have good pitching? Yes. Do they have better hitters? It's debatable but from a certain standpoint yes. But Kansas City has a pitching edge, a defensive edge, and as was noted against Detroit an edge on the base paths. It's going to be a tough and very entertaining series to watch that's for sure. When all is said and done the Royals will be back in the World Series for the first time in 29 years. Kansas City will become the 4th American League Wild Card team, since the Wild Card was instituted in 1995, to play in the World Series.The others were the 2002 Anaheim Angels (beat the Giants in 7), the 2004 Boston Red Sox (beat the Cardinals in 4) and the 2006 Detroit Tigers (lost in 5 to the Cardinals).

The Pick: Kansas City in 7!

2014-15 NHL Season Preview

It's that time of the year once again. The chase for Lord Stanley's Cup is set to begin, with 30 teams looking to get their hands on hockey's ultimate prize. Every team starts with a fresh clean slate, ready for the 82 game march towards the playoffs. Some teams made improvements, others seemed to take a step backwards, while others still seemed to stay pretty content with the clubs that they have. There are some new faces in new places, looking to start making an impact on their new teams. The Los Angeles Kings are looking to defend their crown and do something that hasn't been done since 1997 and 98, that being win back to back championships.

Teams are going to be gunning for the top dog, so who knows how teams are going to finish this year. That's where this comes in. Here's who I have finishing where in the NHL this season.

Western Conference

Pacific Division
1. Los Angeles Kings*
The champions are one of the most solid teams in the entire league. Goaltending will again stand out with Jonathan Quick and Martin Jones patrolling the pipes. On the blueline, nothing was really changed. On offense, there is going to be asking more of their young guns in Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, both of whom look ready to deliver. Also throw in the fact that the Kings will have a full season of Marian Gaborik in the lineup. He had the magic working in the playoffs paired with Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. Throw all that into a pot and I'd say you got another division title out in LA. Only thing that has me worried is will there be a possible fatigue factor from the long playoff run last season.

2. Anaheim Ducks*
Last year the Ducks were the top dog in the West and then were upset in the playoffs by the Kings. Now this year, the stakes are still high for the Ducks, with a few changes. Selanne and Koivu retired while Hiller was shipped out. Ryan Kesler and Dany Heatley were brought in to help take some of the scoring pressure off Getzlaf and Perry. What's going to be the big test for the Ducks is in goal. Their success will depend on whether goalies Frederik Andersen and John Gibson can turn potential into results. They still good enough to be a top tier team and possibly hit the Conference finals.

3. Vancouver Cancuks*
New GM and New coach plus some new faces in the sweaters were brought on board to help right the ship in Western Canada. Mike Gillis and John Tortorella both let go and replaced by Jim Benning and Willie Desjardins respectively. Now throw Ryan Miller in to stabilize the goaltending position. Nick Bonino and Radim Vrbata where brought on board to help boast the offense and try and get the Sedin twins back on track. Both of the Twins will have bounce back years. The new look will help the Canucks get back into the playoffs.

4. San Jose Sharks
After blowing the 3-0 lead in the opening round last year, things haven't gotten better in the Bay Area. San Jose still has a good team, but some people around the organization my not be happy. Joe Thorton was stripped of the Cwhile Patrick Marleau lost the A. Dan Boyle, Martin Havlat and Brad Stuart all gone, with nobody in town to replace them. San Jose is hoping for big things from Tomas Hertl, whose rookie season was interrupted by a knee injury. Brent Burns is back with a defense corps that’s so-so after Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Another thing that hasn’t changed, the need for heart and leadership. This team is still decent, but they are getting older.

5.  Arizona Coyotes
The desert Dogs took a bit of a step backwards this offseason. Here's a team that lost its top two scorers from last year, Radim Vrbata and Mike Ribeiro, to free agency. So Sam Gagner is brought on board to try and fofset that, which might be the spark he needs to get his career going. They have a solid goaltending tandom in Devan Dubnyk backing up Mike Smith. But the inability to hold a lead hurt them last year and it may not get better this year.

6. Edmonton Oilers
This is a hockey club that has been in a rebuild for the last number of seasons. Edmonton may have a decent goalie tandom in the form of Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth, who are each going to see a lot of rubber. Andrew Ference leads an average team on the blueline, while the forwards have potential, but still have some holes. Yes they brought in Benoit Pouliot and Teddy Purcell to help up front, but behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, there's lack of depth in that spot. The Oilers have some of the pieces, but its not enough in a loaded Western Conference.

7. Calgary Flames
Much like the Oilers, this team is in a rebuild mode. They lost top goal scorer from last year, Michael Cammalleri, due to free agency. They did add some good pieces in the guys like Jonas Hiller, Deryk Engelland, Mason Raymond and Devin Setoguchi but they aren't balanced enough to really be able to compete in this tough conference.

Central Division
1. Chicago Blackhawks*
For the last three years running, the Blackhawks have reached the Western Conference Finals. Heading into this season, Chicago took a bit of a hit with losing Nick Leddy, Brandon Bollig and Michal Handzus. Antti Raanta looked good as the backup to Corey Crawford down the stretch last year, so expect much of the same in goal. The blueline looks pretty much the same, minus the trade of Nick leddy. On offense they did address a need, by adding a second center. Jonathan Towes really had no support on that second line. Well now he has it in the form of Brad Richards. Unless injury takes over, this team is deep, loaded and going to be top dog in this division again.

2. St Louis Blues*
St. Louis headed into the playoffs last year beat up and struggling, which is why they were bounced again by the Hawks. During the offseason, they lost Ryan Miller, Vladimir Sobotka, Roman Polak, Derek Roy and Brenden Morrow. Adding free-agent center Paul Stastny  to a very solid forward corps was a good move. The defense is rugged and productive, led by Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Kevin Shattenkirk. Off-season acquisition Carl Gunnarson, projected for the fourth spot, is recovering from hip surgery. David Backes provides excellent leadership, but the West is unforgiving. St. Louis may be just short of being a cup contender again, but they are still a playoff bound club.

3. Dallas Stars*
A season ago, the Stars were a good, solid, yet to a degree one dimensional hockey club. That was a big need that was addressed this summer. The offense is powered by Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, but when those guys got shut down early in the playoffs, Dallas couldn't really score. Now they bolstered the offense, adding in the likes of Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. The Stars defense may be a tad thin behind Sergei Gonchar, Trevor Daley, and Alex Goligoski, which could pose a small problem. Still the Stars are a good enough team to take 3rd in this division.

4. Colorado Avalanche (Wild Card)
Here's a team that went to great heights a season ago, finishing atop the Central Division. Now I think Colorado may come back down to earth just a little bit this season. Colorado took a bit of a hit up front, losing Paul Stastny and P.A. Parenteau. They did add a few pieces to replace them though, bringing in the likes of Daniel Briere and Jarome Iginla. Colorado will have good firepower up front, and solid goaltending from Semyon Varlamov, who will have to duplicate his numbers from last year. The only thing that I see hampering Colorado is the thin defense. That's why I have them falling to fourth and a wild card. They may be fighting it out with Dallas for the last lock playoff spot for the division.

5. Minnesota Wild (Wild Card)
Last year, this Wild team, who was a low scoring team a year ago, knocked off the Avalanche in the opening round and pushed the Hawks to the limit. Sure Matt Moulson and Dany Heatley are gone but Thomas Vanek was locked up to a contract, giving the Wild a solid top six forwards. The blueline, lead by Ryan Suter, is still very solid and will be a strength of the Wild this year. But there are two things that the Wild need to move up in the West. They need to stay healthy for one thing. Another thing is goaltending. Between Niklas Backstrom, Ilya Bryzgalov, Josh Harding and Darcy Kuemper, one of them needs to lock down the job for the Wild to try and go deep into the playoffs. They will get in there's no doubt.

6. Nashville Predators
Nashville now has a new era behind the bench, with Barry Trotz no longer around and Peter Laviolette taking over behind the bench. This was a team that missed the playoffs by three points last year, but may not be quite that good this season. Sure they have strength in goal with Pekka Rinne between the pipes and Shea Weber leading a solid defense corps. What has me a tad concerned is the offensive depth in the Music City. I know they added James Neal, Mike Ribeiro, Derek Roy and Olli Jokinen. At the same time the lack of depth at center is going to hurt the Preds.

7. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets have missed the playoffs all three seasons since their relocation. They’ll make it four. They have young talent in defenseman Jacob Trouba and forward Mark Scheifele, and winger Blake Wheeler is a scoring threat. But they need better from goalie Ondrej Pavelec than last season’s 3.01 goals-against and .901 save percentage. They must decide whether to keep or trade Evander Kane, who scored 30 goals in 2011-12 but only 19 in 63 games last season.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
1. Boston Bruins*
Boston is a salary cap strapped team. They had to part ways with both Jarome Iginla and Johnny Boychuk, both key players to Boston a season ago. Loui Eriksson will be counted on to try and replace some of the production lost with the departure of Iginla, but he is coming off an injury plagued season last year, so it's a bit of a question mark. Otherwise, Boston is still one of the deepest teams in the entire league. Pending they can stay healthy it'll come as a bit of a surprise if they aren't playing for the Stanley Cup come June.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning*
This was a team last year that finished 2nd to Boston, even without Steven Stamkos for most of the year due to the broken leg. Now they have Stamkos back in the lineup and fully healthy. But wait there's more with this Lightning team. Ben Bishop was hurt near the end of the season, which is why the Bolts fell short in the playoffs. Now they have him healthy, and bolstered the position with Evegni Nabokov as a solid backup. Then throw in the upgrades by adding in the likes of Brian Boyle, Brenden Morrow, Jason Garrison and Anton Stralman. Tampa Bay is going to be more of a force in the East this season.

3. Montreal Canadiens*
This team pulled off a magic run to the conference finals a year ago, with the chance to do it again this year. I know the offense took a bit of a hit losing the likes of Thomas Vanek, Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges, Daniel Briere and Francis Bouillon. i know P.A. Parenteau, Tom Gilbert, Manny Malhotra and Jiri Sekac were brought on board to help with scoring. That's going to be a small area of concern is the scoring. Sure they have Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk but the depth of scoring could be a concern. Thisteam though has solid goaltending, thanks to Carry Price. Plus throw in an outstanding defense corp lead by PK Subban. Montreal is still good enough to get into the playoffs, but if the scoring slumps badly during the year, they may be in trouble to miss out.

4. Detroit Red Wings (Wild Card)
It always seems that this streak is going to finally come to an end. During one stretch of the year it always seems like this team might miss the playoffs. But for the last 25 years now the Wings somehow manage to make it into the playoffs. This year will be just another year in the Motor City. I know they are getting a little older with Datsyuk and Zetterberg both getting up there in years, and Datsyuk will miss the start of the year with injury. Still the team has enough talent, when healthy, to be able to lock down the final wild card spot.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto remains one of those hockey clubs that remain on the bubble. New team President Brendan Shanahan was put in charge to help right this ship in Toronto. Stephane Robidas, Roman Polak, Leo Komarov, David Booth and Mike Santorelli, where brought on board to help try and solidify the offense, which is being powered by g Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and Nazi Kadri. Jonathan Bernier is expected to have another strong year in net this seaosn. The big question mark with this team is the defense, considering they didn't really do much to help out a team that surrendered a league-worst 35.9 shots against last year.

6. Ottawa Senators
Defenseman Erik Karlsson recently became the Senators’ third captain in three seasons. He follows Jason Spezza, who was traded to Dallas (where winger Ales Hemsky signed as a free agent). The Senators did well to keep winger Bobby Ryan with a seven-year, $50.75-million extension, but they have too many holes at both ends to reach the playoffs. Losing the firepower of Spezza and Ales Hemsky hurt the team a little bit. Sorry but there isn't enough scoring punch here in Ottawa to take them to the postseason.

7. Florida Panthers
This is a club that won't be making the playoffs, but on paper they are a better team then they were a year ago. New bench boss Gerard Gallant is going to have a lot to work with this year. he has Roberto Luongo back between the pipes for quite a while in the place where his career really took off. Free-agent defenseman Willie Mitchell, twice a Stanley Cup winner with the Kings, should improve the Panthers’ 30th-ranked penalty killing while adding physicality and mentoring their talented kids. The offense still leaves quite a bit to be desired, even with bringing in the likes of Dave Bolland, Jussi Jokinen, Derek Mackenzie and Shawn Thornton. They will be better, but not playoff caliber.

8. Buffalo Sabres
Here's a team who hit a lot of bad luck a season ago, finishing dead last in the entire league. Buffalo will be a little better than they were a season ago, thanks to the additions of Matt Moulson, Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges, Andrej Meszaros and Cody McCormick. Sabres management did a good job bolstering the lineup, but there still a problem with goaltending. Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirt are good but not outstanding. It's going to be another long winter in Western New York.

Metropolitan Division
1. Pittsburgh Penguins*
The Penguins are trying to rebound from a 2nd round exit from the playoffs a season ago. But this offseason was a rough one in the Steel City. Dan Bylsma and Ray Shero were both shown the door, being replaced by Mike Johnston and Jim Rutherford respectively. James Neal, Matt Niskanen, Joe Vitale, Jussi Jokinen, Chris Conner, Tanner Glass, Brooks Orpik and Deryk Engelland all left town for other cities. New faces emerged in their place in the form of Christian Ehrhoff, Patric Hornqvist, Thomas Greiss and Steve Downie. Oh and the Penguins still have their biggest guns of Crosby, Malkin and Fleury. The Pens are still the class of the division, but what happens after that remains to be seen.

2. New York Rangers*
This team was three wins short of the Cup a season ago. This ofseason saw some of their key parts leave town. Brad Richards, Anton Stralman, Brian Boyle and Benoit Pouliot are all in other cities. Some of that lost talent, to a degree, has been replaced with the likes of Dan Boyle, Mike Kostka, Tanner Glass and Lee Stempniak. It was a bit of a downgrade that's for sure. Missing a top line center hurts the Blueshirts quite a bit, which could make it tougher on them for a deep playoff run. But with a solid defense and Henrik Lundqvist in goal, the Rangers are still going to be a tough team to contend with this year.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets*
Last season was a cinderalla year for the Jackets, making the playoffs and picking up their first postseason win in franchise history. The contract holdout by Ryan Johansen put a bit of a kink in the plans but he's now back where he belongs.One problem for the team at the start of the year will be not having Nathan Horton and Boone Jenner in the lineup due to injury. But when both guys are healthy, and playing with the likes of Scott Hartnell will add to the big tough Jackets lineup. Having Sergei Bobrovsky be on his game is a big plus too. But lake of depth on defense has me a tad worried. Still the Jackets are a good enough team to finish 3rd and make the playoffs once again.

4. New York Islanders (Wild Card)
This may come as a surprise to a few people but with what's here now on the Island I like their chances. They added a little depth by bringing in the likes of Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and Cory Conacher will add to a decent lineup. Throw in a healthy John Tavares and Kyle Okposo coming off a career year, this Islanders team has some depth to it up front. Throw in the additions of Johnny Boychuck and Nick Leddy on the blueline gives the Isles something to work with and improve on one of their weak points from a season ago. And factor in the new goalie tandom Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson, it gives the Islanders more credability. They are a bit of a long shot but I think they have enough, if they can stay healthy, to get into the playoffs.

5. Philadelphia Flyers
Don't get me wrong the Flyers are a good, and very physical, hockey club. The team still has plenty of talent up front even with trading away Scott Harnell. But there isn't much otherwise that the Flyers were able to do because of a restriction on the salary cap. Despite the Flyers’ strength up front, Philly will take a minor step back without Hartnell and fail to qualify for the playoffs. Even with solid goalteding in the form of Steve Mason, they don’t have enough on the back end to get over that hump.

6. New Jersey Devils
Again a case of another team sitting right on the bubble. An era ended when the Devils didn’t re-sign NHL goalie wins leader Martin Brodeur, but it was time for Cory Schneider to own the crease. Their forwards are old, though 42-year-old Jaromir Jagr (24 goals, 67 points in 82 games) defies the calendar and 32-year-old Michael Cammalleri had 26 goals in 63 games with mediocre Calgary last season. Not enough here for a playoff berth.

7. Washington Capitals
This team still has the scoring punch there's no question about that. But the Caps are the type of club that is inconsistent from season to season. you never know which Caps team is going to show up. Will they play some D, or will they try to blow your doors off? Having Barry Trotz come in behind the bench will help right the ship, but not enough this year to get back into the playoffs.

8. Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes’ season ended when center Jordan Staal broke his leg in an exhibition game, sidelining him three to four months. His brother Eric, who led the team last season with 61 points, is recovering from “core muscle” surgery. They did nothing to improve their 28th-ranked power play. New Coach Bill Peters and GM Ron Francis will need patience.

So there you have it. The preview and predictions for the 2014-15 National Hockey League Season!

(Note: all previews and predictions were made BEFORE the start of the regular season)

National League Division Series Preview

The next round of the Major League Playoffs kicks off as the National League Divisional Round gets underway. Three of the four teams left standing in the National League have won World Titles. The Dodgers have six crowns (last coming in 1988), the Cardinals have 11 titles (last coming in 2011) and the Giants have 7 titles (last coming in 2012). Only the Washington Nationals have yet to win a crown, or even play in a World Series for that matter. This will be the first postseason meeting between the Nationals and Giants. The Dodgers and Cardinals will meet in the postseason for the fifth time, with the Cardinals having won three of the first four, including last year's NLCS which the Cardinals won 4–2.

Now then, let's get into it. Here's a breakdown of both division series.

First up we have the best team in the National League the Washington Nationals taking on the Wild Card winners the San Francisco Giants. Washington comes in as the NL East champions with a record of 96-66, the best record in the league. As for the Giants, they come in with a record of 88-74, taking the wild card game in convincing fashion over the Pirates on the road. This marks the first meeting between the two teams in the playoffs, while the Nationals won five of the seven meetings during the regular season. San Francisco is used to being an underdog in a series, look no further than what happened against the Reds two years ago. Plus, since this is an even number year, the Giants have had fate on their side. So let's see how these two teams stack up.

Starting Lineup
San Francisco is coming off putting up an eight spot against the Pirates. During the regular season, the Giants, who hit .255 as a team, finished 4th in the league in hitting. The Giants look to ride Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, who have both been hitting the cover off the ball this year. Throw in the likes of Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford, this gives the Giants a solid middle of their lineup.

Lets not sleep on the Nationals here either. The Nats finished 3rd in the NL in runs scored and 5th in home runs. Denard Span  and Jayson Werth  ranked in the top 10 in batting average in the NL. Then take into account that Adam LaRoche led the team in home runs (26) and RBI (92) while Ian Desmond also drove in 91 runs. Oh and the Nationals were able to have the high powered offense without the services of Bryce Harper, who missed 57 games due to a thumb injury but is batting .288 since the All-Star break.

Edge: Nationals

Starting Rotation
Since the all star break, the Giants starting rotation has a 3.67 ERA, which is 5th worst in the league. Their best pitcher in Madison Bumgarner had 18 wins and four complete games. The only problem is he pitched the Wild Card Game and won't be available until Game 3 on Monday. Jake Peavy, who was acquired from the Red Sox in July, has the lowest ERA in the majors since Aug. 13 (1.35) while Yusmeiro Petit is sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.23) among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched. So there is some hope for the Giants rotation, but not much.

Meanwhile, the Nationals could have the best rotation in not only the National League, but maybe even all of baseball. All five of the National starters, Doug Fister (16 wins), Tanner Roark (15 wins), Stephen Strasburg (14 wins), Jordan Zimmermann (14 wins) and Gio Gonzalez (10 wins) each hit double digits in victories. Fister and Zimmerman each finished in the top ten in ERA, while Strausberg lead the league in strikeouts with 242.

Edge: Nationals

Bullpen
San Francisco is certainly tested as standbys Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt are used to postseason baseball. Casilla converted 19 of 23 save opportunities and allowed just three runs in 34 1/3 innings on the road. Tim Lincecum, who is also used to the postseason albeit as a starter, will also be in the bullpen. It goes to show just how deep a pen the Giants have.

In Washington, Rafael Soriano had 32 saves while Drew Storen has not allowed an earned run in 23 appearances since Aug. 5. There’s not a lot of postseason experience among the relievers, which could be a detriment.

Edge: Giants

Bench
San Francisco doesn't have much of a bench. Really, the Giants bench is not that deep, which showed up during the second half of the season when injuries almost derailed their postseason hopes. Joaquin Arias appeared in 100-plus games for the third consecutive season but batted a career-low .254. Most of the remaining bench players are in the postseason for the first time.

As for Washington, they do have Scott Hairston coming off the bench. Hairston  is the majors' active leader in pinch-hit home runs with 13. Jeff Kobernus is a pretty good utility player who can also be used as a pinch runner. The rest of the bench offers plenty of versatility.

Edge: Even

Final Analysis
We saw this in the Wild Card game, the San Francisco Giants are the best pressure team, come playoff time, in the league right now. You put them in an elimination situation in October, the Giants will find a way to fight it off. That's what makes them so good, they know what it takes to pull a win out of the fire. Washington was favored a few years ago in this same round against the Cards, but they couldn't hold the fort down. This is what's going to be so intriguing about this matchup and makes it so hard to predict. San Francisco won't go away quite.

Prediction: Nationals in Seven!

Next up, we have a rematch of last years National League Championship Series. It's the NL West Champions the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the NL Central Champions the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis finished the year with a 90-27 record, while the Dodgers come in with a 94-68 record. A lot of the faces are the same, but now the circumstances are different. This year, its the divisional round, which is best of five, instead of the best of seven the NLCS is. Plus the home field advantage goes to the Dodgers this time around, not the Cards. Los Angeles took four of the seven meetings between teams this season. So now let's look at how they stack up.

Starting Lineup
Despite the fact that the Cards managed to win 90 games this season, they actually managed to score fewer runs than they did last year. St. Louis scored 165 fewer runs than a year ago, finishing tied for ninth in the NL. That's a big dip considering they lead the league in runs scored last season. The Cards main problems? Their batting average with runners in scoring position fell from a historic .330 to a mediocre .254 and they finished last in the NL in homers. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta led St. Louis with 21 homers, while left fielder Matt Holliday was right behind with 20 homers and a team-high 90 RBI.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, have what the Cards had a year ago. Los Angeles has a high scoring offense. The Dodgers had the best offense in the league, leading in scoring after the All-Star break and was at its best in September, hitting .295 as a team and averaging 6.24 runs a game. Outfielder Carl Crawford hit .448 in the final month and wasn't the only one to put up gaudy numbers in the second half. Outfielder Matt Kemp led the NL with 17 homers after the break and had 54 RBI, two fewer than first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the MLB season leader with 116. Four of the NL's top five runs leaders in September were Dodgers: Kemp, right fielder Yasiel Puig, second baseman Dee Gordon and Gonzalez.

Edge: Dodgers

Starting Rotation
Both teams have 20 game winners in their rotations, but hands down the Dodgers have the best pitcher in the game in Clayton Kershaw. He is almost a lock to win the Cy Young, in my book, and may have to make room for a possible MVP trophy as well. He isn't the only solid pitcher in that LA rotation. Zack Greinke proved more than a capable No. 2, going 17-8 with a 2.72 ERA. He scuffled a bit in August but finished strong, going 4-0 in five September starts. There's a considerable drop-off after the top two, though, partly because of shoulder woes that have limited lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu. No. 4 Dan Haren has struggled in his past two starts against St. Louis.

St. Louis is no slouch though. They have the other 20 game winner in the form of 20-9 Adam Wainwright. Behind him the Cards have Lance Lynn, playoff veteran John Lackey and Shelby Miller, who began relying more on a sinker in August and enjoyed his best stretch of the season. What has me wondering is Michael Wacha, who was the MVP of last year's NLCS but has not quite worked his way completely back after missing 2½ months with a shoulder reaction. Or has he?

Edge: Dodgers

Bullpen
Pat Neshek has been dominant for the Cardinals. He emerged early as a dominant setup man and allowed only three runs before the All-Star break. Over the last month, he has stumbled a little, which can be a bit of a concern because he has started to wear down. Fear not though, the Cards have Trevor Rosenthal and Seth Maness, who have also appeared in more than 70 games for St. Louis. Both guys have been pretty lights out from the pen.

As for the Dodgers, they have a solid closer in their pen in the form of Kenley Jansen, who did manage to record 44 saves this year in Los Angeles. But the problem the Dodgers have is, outside of JP Howell, getting the ball to him from the rest of the pen. Brian Wilson hasn't been the same pitcher.

Edge: Cardinals

Bench
St. Louis got a big bolster to their bench as the season went along. Picking up the likes of Randal Grichuk and Oscar Taveras plus last winter's trade for speedy Peter Bourjos and the July pickup of veteran A.J. Pierzynski give the Cardinals a deeper bench than a year ago. Two key bench players in Shane Robinson and Pete Kozm are in flux right now. Still it's a loaded bench for the Cards to have.

Same can't exactly be said for the Dodgers. Adding Justin Turner, who hit .340 coming off the bench was a nice plus. And yes they still have solid outfielders in Scott Van Slyke and Andre Ethier. Other than that, the Los Angeles bench leaves a little to be desired.

Edge: Cardinals

Final Analysis
This is a different scene that it was a year ago when these clubs met in the playoffs. Yes there were pressure on the Dodgers to perform big and it just didn't happen. Now its a little different. They have a healthy Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez. Plus just look at the numbers. Last year's Cardinals team had good pitching and an outstanding offense. This year the pitching is good but the offense can't match it. The Dodgers have good pitching and a balanced offense, making it a pretty easy call.

The Pick: Dodgers in Four!

(Author's Note: Thanks to Fox Sports and EPSN for contributing to this Post)

American League Division Series Preview

We have come down to the nitty gritty of the Major League Baseball season. The divisional round of the playoffs set to get underway with the American League getting the series going. It's worth noting that this is the first postseason played under the current divisional alignment, going back to 1995, in which neither the Boston Red Sox nor the New York Yankees will compete in an ALDS. Out of the four teams left standing, each have won at least one championship: Kansas City has one (1985), Los Angeles has one (2002), Detroit has four (last coming in 1984) and Baltimore has three (last coming in 1983). So all of these franchise know the taste of the World Series crown.

So lets get down to it, here's the breakdown of the two American League Divisional Series.

First up we have the Kansas City Royals taking on the AL West champions the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. These two teams met six times during the regular season, each team winning three. Los Angeles comes in as the AL West champions, going 98-64 during the regular season. As for the Royals they come in as the wild card team with a record of 89-73, and come off a thrilling wild card win over the Oakland Athletics just to make it to the divisional round. The two franchises have never faced eachother before in the playoffs. This is a mtachup of the best team in baseball taking on the most exciting team in baseball. Lets see how they stack up.

Starting Lineup
The Angles scored 773 runs during the season, the highest total in the American League, while the Royals finished 9th in the AL in scoring, pushing 651 runs across the plate. Los Angeles has a balanced lineup, with leadoff man Kole Calhoun, who's very adept at messing with a pitcher's timing and setting the table for the two who need no introductions: Mike Trout in the two-hole and Albert Pujols batting third. Josh Hamilton is healthy and all parties have said he has hit the ball well in recent workouts and the five and six spots are formidable with Howie Kendrick (.293 average, 85 runs) and Erick Aybar (.278 average). Los Angeles has a tendency to strike out a bit and don't really steal bases, but with the sluggers they have in their lineup, it more than makes up for it.

Kansas City is a team that's at the other end of the spectrum. The Royals are a team that may get on base, but when they do, they can run you right out of the ballpark. What has helped keep the Royals in this thing in the playoffs is their ability to play small ball, case and point it worked against Oakland in the Wild Card. They finished 3rd in the Al in total hist during the season, trailing only the Angeles and Tigers in that category. There are times, though, the Royals offense has been somewhat pedestrian. No one has hit 20 home runs and no one drove in more than 74 RBI in the regular season. Alex Gordon (19 homers, 74 RBI) is the biggest threat, but the real threat is the way they move runners over.

Both teams can hit, one uses the long ball while the other goes with small ball. When it comes right down to it, Anaheim has the stronger offense than that of Kansas City.

Edge: Angels

Starting Pitching
This is an interesting point on interest. Both teams have four guys in their rotation to hit double digits in wins. Jared Weaver has the most out of any starter in this series with 18. Matt Shoemaker has been alright in the Angels rotation, but outside of those two guys, there is a little bit of inconsistency. Garrett Richards, was lost to a torn patellar in August. Right now, C.J. Wilson and Hector Santiago have been inconsistent at best.

Kansas City isn't a slouch, having James Shields, Jeremy Guthrie, Yordano Ventura and Jason Vargas all hitting double digits in wins. Shields is the only one of the four to have fewer than ten losses on the season, but he won't start until game three of the series, with Vargas and Ventura starting off the series.

On paper, the Angels starting rotation is better, but they are banged up right now.

Edge: Royals

Bullpen
This is where the debate gets harder to argue. If you look at the Angels from a year ago to now, its a totally different pen. Joe Smith, Fernando Salas, All-Star closers Jason Grilli and Huston Street were acquired to bolster what was a weak pen. Then throw in the likes of Kelly Jepsen (19-straight scoreless appearances from June-August) and Mike Morin (2.90 ERA) round out a unit that has pitched more innings than any other team's bullpen.

The bullpen has been the foundation of the Royals pitching staff this season. Greg Holland and his 46 saves have been a big reason why the Royals stand where they do. Plus throw in the fact that Wade Davis has 33 holds, Aaron Crow has 11 and Kelvin Herrera has 20. Those three guys have been critical in bridging the gap from the starters to Greg Holland.

Edge: Even

Bench
Expect guys like outfielder Collin Cowgill and catcher Hank Conger to be utilized in defensive roles for the Angels, but both can swing the bats as well. There's a battle between outfielders Brennan Boesch and Efren Navarro. Navarro is versatile and can spell Pujols at first, utilized as another lefty bat as a DH or pinch hitter or play a corner outfield position. But Boesch, also a lefty, made good use out of his September call-up. He's arguably the better outfielder and has a .263 postseason average.

The Royals bench boasts speed and skill. Christian Colon, a Cal State Fullerton product, came through with a single, a stolen base and finally the game-winning run in the Wild Card Game. Jarrod Dyson hit .269 with 36 stolen bases off the bench; and Raul Ibanez, a shell of his former self, always seems to have some sort of postseason magic.

Edge: Even

Final Analysis
Kansas City is coming in hot, winning 6 of the final 10 during the regular season and winning the wild card game. We have seen in the past teams get hot at the right time and ride it deep into the playoffs, with the 2002 Angels and 2004 Red Sox winning the Championship from the Wild Card position. So it is possible to see teams get hot and ride it all the way. Plus the Angels closed out the regular season with a three game losing streak, which could play a factor. Kansas City may take the opener of the series, but I think the pop in the Angels lineup will be too much for the Royals to handle.

Prediction: Angels in 4

Next up we have the AL Central Champions the Detroit Tigers taking on the AL East Champions the Baltimore Orioles. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the playoffs. Baltimore comes in with a record of 96-66 while the Tigers have a record of 90-72. Detroit won five of the six meetings between the two clubs, who haven't faced each other in a game since early May. Lets see how these teams stack up.

Starting Lineups
With the Tigers, their offense is a great strength, and at the same time a weakness as well. The first half of the lineup can easily put together big innings for Detroit. They have Ian Kinsler leading off, and while he had a rough second half of the season, he homered four times in September to show some precious signs of life down the stretch. Torii Hunter, now 39, hit .286 with decent power and helped set the table for the three players who make Detroit's offense run: Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez. The trio combined for 115 doubles and 80 homers, while all hitting at least .313 with slugging averages well into the .500s. After that, however, the lineup falls off. Nick Castellanos and Alex Avila both had disappointing seasons, while Andrew Romine is in the lineup for his glove and Rajai Davis is there for his speed.

Baltimore does have pop in their lineup, but they have guys missing from the lineup which might end up hurting them. Sure their big bat is Nelson Cruz, who crushed 40 homers this year. You can also throw in Adam Jones and Steve Pearce, who along with Cruz can match the heart of the Tigers lineup pretty well.  Other than that, then only really offensive punch in Baltimore is Nick Markakis and Delmon Young. But Chris Davis is out due to suspension and Matt Wieters and Manny Machado are out for the season with injuries, thus limiting the punch in the Baltimore order.

Edge: Tigers

Starting Pitching
Detroit still has the last three AL Cy Young winners in Scherzer Verlander in Price. Scherzer and Price have lived up to the hype and been pitching well in the Motor City this season. Price struggled a little bit after being brought over from the Rays, but was able to settle in and return to form. Verlander has been a bit of a disappointment, by his standards at least. Verlander can still deliver, but isn't quite the same guy baseball fans have become used to seeing the last few years. Then throw in the fact that Rick Porcello has become a factor this year, finishing the season at 15-13. Numbers aren't that great but he still been a factor, in a good way, for Detroit this year. Those four guys give Tigers fans confidence.

By comparison, Baltimore isn't in quite the same boat. Don't get me wrong, the four big starters in the Orioles rotation in Chris Tillman (13 wins), Wei-Yin Chen (16 wins), Bud Norris (15 wins) and Miguel Gonzalez (10 wins). They are good, but there is one problem with this Baltimore staff, that being the proclivity to give up home runs, something that could be serious trouble against Kinsler and Hunter, much less the middle three in the Tigers order.

Edge: Tigers

Bullpen
This was a problem for the Tigers last year in the post season, something that wasn't really improved upon this year. Joe Nathan has looked every one of his 39 years as the closer, blowing seven saves and posting a 4.81 ERA. Joba Chamberlain has slowed after a blazing start as the eighth-inning guy, and although Joakim Soria has been lights-out since returning from injury, manager Brad Ausmus has made it clear than Nathan and Chamberlain will still handle the last two innings.

Baltimore has had it differently this season. Zach Britton closes with his 1.65 ERA, Darren O'Day sets him up with his 1.70 ERA, and Andrew Miller can pitch the seventh or go after a lefty with his 1.35 ERA. Tommy Hunter is also a solid late-inning presence, while 23-year-old rookie Kevin Gausman will be headed to the 'pen after looking impressive in 20 regular-season starts.

Edge: Orioles

Bench
Both teams have relatively weak benches to speak of. The Orioles reserves are mostly on the field, replacing Davis, Machado and Wieters. Caleb Joseph has a bit of power as the backup catcher for Nick Hundley, and Johnny Paredes has hit well in limited time as an reserve infielder.

If the Tigers had much of a bench, they wouldn't have Andrew Romine in the starting lineup. Don Kelly is one of baseball's good guys, and is the ultimate utilityman, but his only offensive skill is the ability to draw a few walks. Bryan Holaday won't play unless Avila takes another shot to the head, and the rest of the bench is made up of light-hitting rookies who will see action as pinch runners or defensive replacements, if at all.

Edge: Even

Final Analysis
Detroit has the advantage when it comes to playoff experience, but there have been times where Brad Ausmus has looked like a rookie manager. He has had a little trouble managing his pen at times, which could hurt him a bit. Detroit has come in winning 6 of their final 10 games down the stretch and are still feeling confident in their lineup. Baltimore can't say much of the same. Buck Showalter knows what he's doing as a manager, after doing it for 16 years in this game. But not having three key players in his lineup in Machado and Wieters, nor could he stop the suspension to Davis. Those three would make Baltimore the clear favorites in this series.

Prediction: Tigers in 4!

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Four

The first month of the NFL season is now in the books, with a lot of things going down that people never really saw coming. The Patriots got crushed by Kansas City, which not too many saw coming. Washington has struggled again, this time getting blown out by the Giants. Cincinnati and Arizona are the only undefeated teams left, due to having bye weeks this week, while Oakland and Jacksonville still can't buy a win even if they tried. Week four was the first week of the season where there weren't too many players going down to injury, Vernon Davis of the 49ers (hip) and Joique Bell of the Lions (concussion) were the only real stars who went down with injuries. With all that going on, there were some exciting games played in week four, here's some of the best and worst from this past week on the gridiron.

Best:
Steve Smith, Wide Receiver Baltimore Ravens
Smith wasn't happy when the Carolina Panthers let him go. What was Carolina's loss was Baltimore's gain. Smith went out and proved that the wide receiver still had a lot left in the tank, with 7 catches for 139 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, the best numbers for any receiver this past week. Yeah I think it's safe to say that Smith is still a threat in this game and Carolina made a big mistake in letting him walk. I'm sure that Joe Flacco and the Ravens are very happy he's in their lineup.

Worst:
Carolina Panthers Defense
A year ago the Panthers had a stellar defense. In fact, only the Seahawks had a better defensive unit than the Panthers in 2013. This year, however, it has been a bit of a different story. Over the last two weeks, Carolina has been cracked for 75 points and more than 900 yards, something you never expected to happen. Plus throw in the fact that Steve Smith lit these guys up for 139 yards didn't help their case much. Still the Panther defense has the potential to be great again, they just really need to tighten up and play better.

Best:
Andrew Luck, Quarterback Indianapolis Colts
When the Colts started the season 0-2, Andrew Luck was getting ripped on for underachieving. Now Luck has flipped the switch and got Indy back on the right track. Last week, he topped all passers going 29 for 41, throwing for 393 yards and 4 touchdowns. In total, over the last two weeks Luck has thrown for 763 yards and eight TDs. It's safe to say that he has brought the Colts quite a bit of Luck over the last two weeks.

Worst:
Geno Smith, Quarterback New York Jets
Sometimes a second year quarterback has their struggles. It happens to everybody in this game. players do struggle from time to time. This, however, may be getting a little ridiculous. Sunday, Smith barely completed half his passes and turned the ball over two more times as the Jets lost to an NFC North team at home for the second time in six days. Smith also cursed at one of the many upset fans with his performance on his way off the field, though he later offered a thorough apology. Still, head out to the bullpen, Mr. Vick. Rex Ryan says he's sticking with Smith, but the leash has to be getting tight.

Best:
Minnesota Vikings Running Game
Without Adrian Peterson on the field for the Vikings, it looked like the run game in Minnesota was going to take a big hit. Think about it, Minnesota now has Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon running the ball. Two guys nobody ever heard of at the start of the year. This week, however, they made a statement that they can carry the ball in the Twin Cities. This week, against Atlanta, the two combined for 252 yards from scrimmage and three TDs. At least for this past week, the Vikings found a solid running game.

Worst:
Atlanta Falcons Offensive Line
Not the league's most formidable quintet to begin with, Atlanta lost LG Justin Blalock, RT Lamar Holmes and C Joe Hawley to injuries Sunday, forcing second-year TE Levine Toilolo to shift to right tackle. Even with all that going down, they didn't do a very good job of allowing Matt Ryan and that offense to get set up, which is part of the reason the Falcons got blown out in week four by the Vikings.

Best:
Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver Indianapolis Colts
There were some question marks about Wayne heading into this year. He's 35 years old and coming off the ACL injury that cost him most of last year. So there was no guarantees as to whether or not he could still produce at a high level. This week, Wayne showed he still has quite a bit left in the tank. He snared seven of Luck's passes for 119 yards and a TD. With 1,029 career grabs, Wayne moved into seventh place all-time, and his 13,873 career receiving yards now rank him in the top-10 in NFL history.

Worst:
Ben Roethlisberger, Quarterback Pittsburgh Steelers
This wasn't a bad performance by Big Ben, but more a case of back luck than anything. Ben had a good game, throwing for 314 passing yards and three TDs. The problem is he got little help from his blockers (five sacks), or backs (85 rushing yards, 3.1 yards per carry), or defense (squandered seven-point fourth-quarter lead). Ben deserved a little more help than he got on Sunday.

So there you have it, some of the best and worst from week four in the NFL!

NL Wild Card Preview: Pirates Host Giants

One Game. One game to determine who moves along in the National League Post Season. The last time the Pirates and Giants faced each other in the post season was in 1971, when the two star power laden teams met for the National League pennant. Pittsburgh took the series three games to one. That was then, in a five game series with two teams who have talent heavy ball clubs. Fast forward to now, when the teams are meeting again in the playoffs. Both teams still have very talented clubs but this is a one game playoff, not a five game series. Still the park will be rocking.

Both teams come into tonight's game having identical records of 88-74. The reason the game is being played in Pittsburgh is because the Pirates won four of the six meetings between the teams this season. Playing the game in Pittsburgh is going to be a huge factor in this game for a couple of reasons. First is the fact that PNC Park is going to be very very loud and going to rock, just like it did last year. That played a factor last year when the Pirates beat the Reds in the playoffs. Plus think about this. Pittsburgh is 51-30 at home this year during the regular season, while they went 37-44 on the road. San Francisco was over .500 in both situations, going 45-36 at home and 43-38 on the road. The disparity between the Pirates home and road record is a little startling, which is why it benefits the Pirates more to play at home. Besides home field, there's more to it than that for tonight's game.

Starting Pitching:
Madison Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98) gets the ball for the Giants, while Edinson Volquez (13-7, 3.04) gets the start for the Pirates. No surprise Bumgarner got the ball for the Giants in this game, as he has been the best starting pitcher for the Giants this season. In fact, Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum, who's now coming out of the pen, are the only Giants pitchers with winning records and more than 10 wins this year. Bumgarner faced the Pirates once this year, back on July 28th, getting hammered out in San Francisco. Bumgarner does have good numbers in the playoffs, having a record of 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA in 35 2/3 career postseason innings spread across six starts and one relief appearance. All of those numbers came during the Giants' 2010 and 2012 World Series runs. The problem here is, Bumgarner has gotten hit pretty good by the Pirates. Sure Andrew McCutchen has not had much luck against Bumgarner (2-for-10) but Russell Martin (3-for-7), Jordy Mercer (3-for-7), Gaby Sanchez (3-for-9) and Neil Walker (3-for-9) have all had some success in limited samples. Leadoff man and third baseman Josh Harrison has owned Bumgarner in their relatively short careers, going 4-for-5 with a home run and walk.

Meanwhile, Volquez has been good for the Pirates, being one of three starters with double digit wins and winning records for Pittsburgh. Volquez knows the Giants hitters, having faced them while a member of the Dodgers. Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt  and Buster Posey have had success against Volquez over the years. On the other hand, Brandon Crawford (.150/.150/.150) has been helpless. Gregor Blanco has been okay (.263/.364/.263).

Advantage: Pirates

Offense:
Pittsburgh had better numbers during the season than the Giants. The Pirates were able to out score, out slug and out hit the Giants over the course of the season. San Francisco struggled down the final stretch, while the Pirates started to heat up. San Francisco utalized the long ball a little more than the Pirates, but Pittsburgh's offense is a little healthier and is getting hotter right now than that of the Giants.

Advantage: Pirates

Final Analysis:
The game being played in Pittsburgh is going to be huge, considering how good the Pirates have been at home. Not to say that the Giants aren't a good road team, because they are. But I think how loud the crowd was last year against the Reds, its going to play a factor again tonight. Ever since the all-star break, the Pirates have gotten hot and the Giants have been around average. San Francisco is a good ball club and they can probably go punch for punch offensively with the Pirates, but Pittsburgh pitching staff has been better as of late than that of the Giants.

Winner: Pittsburgh Pirates