ALDS Playoff Preview

Now that I've had some time to for the events of Wednesday night to sink in, although I'd rather forget about it altogether, its time for my predictions for the ALDS, which begins tonight on TBS. Look for my NLDS predictions tomorrow when those series get underway.

Tigers-Yankees: The postseason is starting the same way for these two teams as the regular season did, with C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander on the mound. Both pitchers enjoyed great seasons, especially Verlander who posted a 24-5 record with 250 strikeouts. Each teams comes in with a lineup loaded with stars, more so on the Yankees side with former Tiger, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, A-Rod and Mark Teixeira. However, the Tigers lineup is no slouch in itself with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez leading the charge. Watch for a great series, featuring a solid mix of great pitching in Game 1 and maybe a few high-scoring affairs in Games 2 and 3.
Prediction: Tigers in 5

Rangers-Rays: Can the Rays keep the good mojo going following the September comeback? It may be a tough go in game 1 with unproven rookie Matt Moore taking the hill, opposed by C.J. Wilson who looks to lead the Rangers back to the World Series for the 2nd year in a row. The edge in lineups goes to Texas, which features Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Ian Kinsler among others. The Rays may have a hard time generating runs outside of Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist. Overall, this seems like the series that could end in a sweep, although last year's ALDS proved to be better than expected. The only question for the Rays is how will their young guns perform in the October spotlight, many of them making their 1st appearance in the playoffs.
Prediction: Rangers in 3