2008 MLB Playoff Predictions – Cubs Over Red Sox

by Cliff Nadar

While I have been known to be a bit of a fantasy guru, making predictions has never been a strength of mine.  I never win football pools or march madness pools.  I certainly haven’t made my money gambling, but I still like to play.  And with that, my Major League Baseball Playoff predictions are on the record…

Division Series

CUBS OVER DODGERS IN 3.  Do the Dodgers make me nervous?  Yes.  Do they scare me?  No.  Derek Lowe’s always been a clutch performer, but Chad Billingsley and Hideki Kuroda scare me a lot less than Brad Penny and Jason Schmidt.  And I don’t see the Cubs losing game one at Wrigley with Ryan Dempster.  Manny Ramirez is a scary one-man show, but the North-Siders face Albert Pujols 16 times a year, so they know how to work around a freak.
UNLESS…Zambrano can’t keep his composure at an explosive Wrigley, but that would just make it Cubs in 4 or 5.
PHILLIES OVER BREWERS IN 4.  C.C. Sabathia can’t pitch every game.  And with him going in game 2, that should assure Cole Hamels takes game one over what is still a slumping lineup.  I don’t know who Milwaukee will throw in games 3 or 4, but I am sure I’m going to favor the Phillies lineup against him.  And with the Brewers needing late-inning rallies to beat the Iowa Cubs over the weekend, particularly Ted Lilly who is remarkably similar to Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer, I don’t see Milwaukee’s first playoff appearance in 26 years being a long one.
UNLESS…The Brewers steal a non-Sabathia game, and he goes again in game 5, showing how hot pitchers in a best-of-5 series can kill you.

RAYS OVER WHITE SOX IN 5.  Tampa loves a good bandwagon.  And I saw a stat yesterday showing how the Rays home winning percentage increases as the attendance goes up.  Well, the games are going to be sold out and, while I don’t see them beating the Sox at the Cell, I don’t see them losing at the Trop.
UNLESS…The Rays remember they haven’t been here before.  Not even close.  And the White Sox ride the momentum of winning three straight must-win games against division rivals who would have loved to end their season.

RED SOX OVER ANGELS IN 5.  AL West lineups will make any pitching staff look brilliant.  These are the champs we’re talking about, and while 100 wins is an impressive job of qualifying…the World Champions know when the best baseball needs to be played.  Josh Beckett remembers he’s Josh Beckett in a huge swing game after the Angels take the first two.
UNLESS…The Angels bullpen is as lights-out as I’ve been told.  Much of the Red Sox success over the past several years has been built around clutch late-inning at-bats.

Championship Series

CUBS OVER PHILLIES IN 6.  This year, I found myself asking if there were any American League lineups I would prefer over the Cubs when Zambrano is batting ninth.  Recently, I’ve found myself asking if there were any American League lineups I would prefer over the Phillies if my little sister were batting ninth.  But, I love the Cubs at Wrigley and think they can steal one in Philly.  It’s going to be a close, well-played series, but expect the Cubs to wrap it up at Wrigley.  Hopefully, it will still be standing for the World Series.
UNLESS…The lefty-heavy Phillies lineup dominates the righty-heavy Cubs rotation.  Maybe Harden only throws five and the Cubs can’t get to Marmol, or Zambrano can’t keep his head.  And keep in mind, Lilly, the lone lefty-starter for the Cubbies, tends to be susceptible to the long ball.

RED SOX OVER RAYS IN 5.  I fully believe the Red Sox would have won the division if they wanted it.  But, they aren’t looking to fly division pennants at Fenway and this team knows what it takes to win in October.  Tampa doesn’t even know what it takes to PLAY in October.  Pack up the parkas Tampa, because Boston in the fall is a long ways from sunny St. Pete and the climate-controlled Tropicana Field.  Red Sox fans usually draw HUGE in the bay area, so I expect a split in the opening two games at Tampa, followed by three close games, still dominated by the champs.
UNLESS…The Rays are young, fast, play great defense, and cocky as all-hell.  Sometimes that’s what it takes to rise above the pressure.  If it comes down to simply playing baseball, don’t be surprised to see the Rays in the Series.

World Series

CUBS OVER RED SOX IN 5.  The Cubs can steal one or two at Fenway, and the explosion of the World Series making it’s return to Wrigley will be visible from space.  Call it wishful thinking, but I want it on the record…THIS IS THE YEAR!!!  These are the Cubs, but how could they come this far and fall short?
UNLESS…The pressure of 100 years and fan expectations becomes too great the pipe bursts.  These are the Cubs, so how could they not fall short?

Tags: chicago cubs, Chicago White Sox, MLB, mlb playoffs, predictions

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