If I were to write a World Series preview from a Cardinals perspective, it would be full of bias and spite, so I’ll instead focus my efforts on my new (temporary) favorite team, the Texas Rangers, as I preview the 2011 World Series, which starts tomorrow night (TV schedule and pitching probables here).

Image source: ESPN.com

I found myself shopping for a Nelson Cruz t-shirt on Sunday night after the Cardinals eliminated Milwaukee, because he is my one tie to the Brewers’ organization. He had a small cup of coffee with the Brewers in 2005 after spending two seasons at AA and AAA, before being traded in the deal that brought Carlos Lee and Francisco Cordero to Milwaukee. I’d like to say I saw this potential for Cruz back then. I didn’t, but I have pictured Cruz back in a Brewers jersey on more than one occasion.

I’ve seen the Cardinals play at least 20 times this season, and I think they are quite good. I thought they would win the division, and they have postseason experience. But from what I’ve seen from the Rangers, they are very similar to the Cardinals and better in a few key areas.

Starting Pitching

The starting pitching staffs are relatively similar, with each team having one ace and then a number of supporting pitchers. CJ Wilson had better regular season statistics (2.94 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP) than Chris Carpenter (3.45 ERA and 1.26 WHIP), but in the playoffs it’s hard to pick Wilson (8.04 ERA in three starts) or against Carpenter. He wasn’t great against Milwaukee, but his start in Game 5 against the Phillies was one of the best pitching performances in recent postseason history.

Image source: Huffington Post

The rest of the rotations for both teams are by no means dominant, and each game should come down to which offense is better in those matchups. Outside of Pujols at first base, I think I’d take the Rangers player at just about every other position.

Outfield

Starting in the outfield, I would pick Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and whatever third outfielder you want to put out there against just about any other outfield in baseball. Having Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday and Jon Jay certainly isn’t a bad thing, but it’s hard to argue against what Cruz did in the ALCS.

Infield

Around the horn in the infield, the closest matchup is at third base. Pujols holds the edge at first over Michael Young, the Rangers are better up the middle with Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus, but Adrian Beltre versus David Freese is close. Beltre has been the better player for a longer period of time, but Freese crushed the ball on his way to NLCS MVP honors. In this case, I’ll take the veteran Beltre, who shouldn’t be fazed by the bright World Series lights.

I’m not totally sure what is going to come of the catcher/designated hitter positions during the Series, but for argument’s sake, I’ll simply say that I’d rather have Mike Napoli in the lineup than Yadier Molina. Molina can come through with a big hit and he’s better defensively, but I like Napoli’s big bat in Texas’s lineup.

Bullpen

Texas also probably holds the edge as far as bullpen performance in the playoffs, and it will come down largely to matchup play. Neither Lance Lynn of the Cardinals nor Scott Feldman of the Rangers have given up a run in at least eight innings of work for their respective teams, and both teams’ closers are 4-of-4 in save opportunities. The edge here goes to the Rangers because of Alexi Ogando’s ability to pitch in long relief if necessary.

Prediction

I think the Rangers hold too many edges in the World Series, and they will win with competent enough starting pitching backed by a whole lot of offense and a solid pen. I think Josh Hamilton has a big series and fully completes his comeback, winning World Series MVP along the way.

World Series Prediction: Rangers in five.

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Now it’s your turn.

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I made that mistake back in 1982 when the St. Louis Cardinals won Game 3 of the World Series and had bolted to an early lead in Game 4. The Milwaukee Brewers came back to win that game and eventually had a 3-2 series lead before losing the Fall Classic in seven games.

But the first three games, as well as the National League Division Series before that, have provided some telling signs. After being a decent, but not a playoff-caliber team most the season, the Cardinals now seem to have that 2006 feel.

That World Championship feel.

To coin a phrase – could it possibly be Written In the Stars???

Right now I will give you several reasons I believe the Cards will be able to ultimately close the deal on Milwaukee.

THE #2 AND #6 HITTERS (AND ELSEWHERE IN THE LINEUPS)

At this point we would be talking about John Jay/David Freese v. whatever center fielder Ron Roenicke decides to insert into the #2 hole and Jerry Hairston. For the Cardinals, John Jay has been a total pest, whether it has been perfectly executed hit-and-runs or the bunt laid down in the first inning of Game 2 that in my opinion turned the momentum for the next two games of the series. And then there is Mr. Freese, who has just been hitting lights out.

The Brewers’ center field option in the #2 hole is a platoon between Nyjer Morgan/Carlos Gomez, or as was the case in Game 3, Mark Kotsay, as Roenicke decided to stay clear of the Nyjer/Tony Plush circus v. Chris Carpenter. Perhaps Morgan won the right for never having to pay for a drink in Milwaukee again after delivering the winning hit of the Division Series, but that was one of his few offensive contributions in the post-season. Hairston has become the default third-baseman who has settled into the #6 slot (or #2 with a lefty on the mound). He is what he is: a nice, veteran journeyman player now pressed into everyday action because after two surprising years Casey McGehee’s career blew up in his face this season.

The problem also extends to the #5 slot, as Rickie Weeks is far from 100 percent after his devastating ankle sprain back in late July. The strategy for the Cardinals is to retire the first two Brewers hitters, work around Braun and Fielder, and the rest of the lineup is more than manageable. With the Cardinals it’s Rafael Furcal (not what he was, but still a great trade deadline acquisition), then Jay, then Pujols/Holliday/Berkman/Freese/Molina. The #8 slot is the only weak area in the Cards lineup right now. Comparing the two teams offensively, clearly advantage St. Louis at this point.

STARTING PITCHING

Up until Tuesday night, the Brewers’ rotation has consisted of Yovani Gallardo and hope for three days of rain. That strategy does not work well with the retractable roof at home. And then Gallardo came up with a dud in Game 3.

Where does that leave Milwaukee now?? Randy Wolf and his 21.00 ERA from the first round goes in Game 4, with Zack Greinke in a possible elimination Game 5.

The goal starting yesterday was for the Crew to just win one game in St. Louis and get the series back to Miller Park. Game 6 would be a question mark as Shaun Marcum (as mentioned by Trenni Kusnierek) has regressed to the point of being pulled from that assignment in favor of Chris Narveson. But I would worry about getting to Game 6 before crossing that bridge. If all else fails I know someone named Johnny Wholestaff. He comes in handy in desperate times.

RELIEVERS

With the Brewers’ bullpen I have not had many complaints, especially with the last 3-4 innings. John Axford proved this year he was more than a one-year flash (see Derrick Turnbow), Francisco Rodriguez provides his usual ’15 Minutes of Terror’ but usually escapes, and even Takashi Saito and LaTroy Hawkins, although both long in the tooth, provide experience and have both closed earlier in their careers. This is where the Cards have had problems most of the year, even as recently as the final week of the regular season, giving up six ninth inning runs to the Mets in a game that appeared to be a back-breaker to their playoff chances.

But the St. Louis pen has suddenly jelled. Jason Motte throws upper-90′s and seems suddenly comfortable in the ninth, Lance Lynn also brings heat and has returned from an oblique injury earlier in the season for this round of the playoffs, and Mark Rzepczynski is the lefty specialist the Brewers lack and works for keeping Prince Fielder in check late in games. For five+ months the Cards pen was a definite sore spot, but Lynn/Scrabble/Motte suddenly look good, and October is not a bad time for that to come together rather than the other way around (see Atlanta Braves).

MANAGER/FRONT OFFICE

Doug Melvin made his move acquiring Frankie Rodriguez during the All-Star break, but the Cardinals came up just as huge filling up multiple gaps at the deadline, acquiring Furcal as a leadoff hitter, and also getting starter Edwin Jackson and Scrabble from the Blue Jays while unloading some dead weight in Colby Rasmus. All three have been as advertised in their respective roles.

And then there’s Tony LaRussa v. Ron Roenicke, or as a loyal Trekkie acquaintance of mine likes to call him, Dr. Spock – or in the opinion of one of my Twitter followers, someone who should actually be fired if the Brewers lose this series. Well, Spock won’t be getting fired anytime soon, but some of his decisions lately sure seem to be straight from out of space.

Continuing to pitch to Albert Pujols? The ‘gut’ decision to throw Kotsay into center field? I get the theory of deciding against intentional walks and giving the opposition free base-runners, but doesn’t common sense have to prevail at some point?

And as I’ve said before: hate, hate, hate TLR all you want, but you also have to respect him, and he definitely knows when it’s time to crack the whip, managing out of sheer desperation the final six weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs. Roenicke meanwhile is a different cat, who does not sway much in emotion one way or another and doesn’t let anyone see him panic. But sometimes panic is good, and so is intensity – it helped Kirk Gibson and the Diamondbacks get to extra innings of Game 5 of the NLDS.

I’d like to see Roenicke beam something up at one point. If he felt compelled to play the Kotsay card in Game 3, how about throwing Taylor Green in at third base for a spark??

JUST PLAIN MOMENTUM

Last time the Brewers won a playoff game on the road was Game 1 of the 1982 World Series. At this point I would just take getting out of the first inning of a road playoff game not being down four runs. Chris Carpenter did not have his ‘A’ game, and those four runs were obviously the difference after Milwaukee’s bats went silent after the third inning, with the final 13 batters of the game being retired in order.

Nyjer was right, the Cardinals did end up watching the Brewers in the playoffs; there just wasn’t many who thought it would be from the other dugout.

Even usually loyal Cardinal Nation gave up some faith in early September as attendance actually started to dwindle. But after being 10 ½ games out of the Wild Card in late August, the Cards swept the Braves and won five of their final six against the Brewers just to get back into the race, then made the playoffs and un-seated the supposedly invincible Phillies (remember, their NL pennant was supposed to be ‘inevitable’). That was the hard part. Taking a best-of-seven from the Brewers and then whoever the American League representative may be should be a piece of cake in comparison.

As for the Brewers, there is still time to prove this analysis wrong. They still just need to win one game in St. Louis and then would earn the opportunity for Game 6 and Game 7 at home, the reward for having a better record than the Cards in the regular year. Except for Weeks being somewhat hobbled, the team is healthy and no one is on the DL, a true rarity for this time of season.

But they have just two games to match the championship polish of the Cardinals. The A.J. Pierzynski rally beer can come in handy right about now.

Both of these teams are easy to get behind. One team advances, the other will have to spend the winter waiting for their next chance.

The MLB postseason is down to its final four and these two teams could be matching up for a classic.

When Justin Verlander’s Game 1 start vs. the Yankees got postponed after he only threw one inning, it led many Tigers fans to fear that they could lose not having their ace available to pitch in two full games. It turned out, the Tigers did not need Verlander to beat New York and, despite the fact Detroit just finished off the Yankees Thursday night, they will get to use the best pitcher in the world for Game 1 Saturday night. And it will be the fifth day since his Game 3 start, meaning it’s back to routine for Verlander.

The Tigers' ace will be rested and ready to go for Game 1.

Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40 ERA) finished the season as the American League leader in Wins (24), Earn Run Average (2.40), Walks and Hits Per Innings Pitched (0.920) and is a lock to win the league’s Cy Young Award. In a seven game series, Verlander will most likely get to pitch twice, which could be just the solution for one of the most dynamic offenses in the league.

Josh Hamilton (.298/.346/.536, 25HR, 94RBI), Adrian Beltre (.296/.331/.561, 32HR, 105RBI), Ian Kinsler (32HR, 30SB, 121Runs), Nelson Cruz (29HR, 87RBI), Michael Young (.338/.380/.474 106RBI) and Mike Napoli (.320/.414/.631, 30HR, 75RBI) are the six most dangerous weapons in the Texas line-up, which is not exactly rounded out by a cast of scrubs either.

Verlander is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three career starts in Texas. However, one of his five losses this season came in his only start against Texas this season, as the Rangers defeated the Tigers 2-0 back in April despite Verlander pitching a complete game.

Matching up against Verlander will be “The Straight-Edge Southpaw”, C.J. Wilson who, despite winning 16 games in the regular season, was roughed up by the Tampa Bay Rays in Texas’s only loss of the ALDS, giving up eight runs (six earned) over five innings. He will undoubtedly be looking to bounce back. He more than has the ability to do so.

The Tigers offense, while not quite on par with the Rangers, features AL Batting Champion Miguel Cabrera (.344/.448/.586, 30HR, 105RBI), Victor Martinez (.330/.380/.470, 103RBI), and a very game Jhonny Peralta (.299/.345/.478, 21HR, 86RBI), and will be going up against a surprisingly good Rangers rotation. Although, Tampa does not have the offensive ability of the Tigers’ line-up, Texas was able to dispatch them without too much issue.

Much of that can be attributed to a very effective bullpen with Darren Oliver, Neftali Feliz, Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams and baseball’s best sideburns in Koji Uehara. This group ensures that should a game come down to the bullpen, the Rangers hold the advantage over every team in baseball.

Some facial hair flies a little too close to the sun.

Key to this series may be Delmon Young’s health. Young is listed as day-to-day and it is unsure as to weather or not he will be available for the Tigers line-up.

While the Rangers hold the clear advantage in their offense and bullpen, the Tigers have Verlander and Doug Fister. Fister could well be the deciding factor in the series. Since joining the Tigers, he went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA. That is, until the ALDS vs. the Yankees where he went 1-1 with an astronomical 6.52 ERA. While two games is the very definition of “small sample size”, Detroit can not afford for Fister’s dominance to come to an end. Beyond CC Sabathia, the Yankee’s pitching was a mess heading into the playoffs. Texas, has one of the most underrated and consistent rotations in all of baseball. For Detroit, the Rangers are much more dangerous than the Bronx Bombers.

So what does this all mean?

The Tigers were in the World Series five years ago versus the Cardinals (a return match is possible) and that team was not as good as the 2011 Tigers. That being said, outside of Verlander, the Rangers are superior in every category. Can Verlander and Fister provide a one-two punch like Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling did a decade ago for the Arizona Diamondbacks? You only need to win four games and those two will start in four games should the series require seven. Not to mention Max Scherzer and Rick Prcello are both quite capable of winning games.

I don’t see Detroit doing it. Fister has been playing over his head for the second half of 2011 and I really see CJ Wilson beating Verlander in Game 1 (not Game 5), possibly in a similar situation as Carpenter bested Halladay. Wilson will not be denied again and neither will the Rangers.

While reality often does not reflect theory, on paper the Rangers are the best team left in the playoffs and they should be able to best the Mo-Town Machine.

ALCS Prediction: Texas in 6 games

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Detroit Tigers v Texas Rangers ALCS TV Schedule and Pitching Matchups

ALCS TV Schedule

• TV Network: FOX
• Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET @ Texas
• Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET @ Texas
• Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET @ Detroit
• Game 4: Wednesday Oct. 12 at 4:00 p.m. ET @ Detroit
• Game 5: Thursday Oct. 13 at 4:00 p.m. ET @ Detroit
• Game 6: Saturday Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET @ Texas
• Game 7: Sunday Oct. 16 at 7:45 p.m. ET @ Texas

ALCS Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40) vs. CJ Wilson (16-7, 2.94)
• Game 2: Max Scherzer(15-9, 4.43) vs. Derek Holland (16-5, 3.95)
• Game 3 (probable): Doug Fister (11-13, 2.83) vs. Colby Lewis (14-10, 4.40
• Game 4 (probable): Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.75) vs. Matt Harrison (14-9, 3.39)
• Game 5 (probable): Justin Verlander (16-12, 2.82) vs. CJ Wilson (16-7, 2.94)
• Game 6 (probable): Max Scherzer(15-9, 4.43) vs. Derek Holland (16-5, 3.95)
• Game 7 (probable): Doug Fister (11-13, 2.83) vs. Colby Lewis (14-10, 4.40)

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* – Justin Verlander photo credit: The Sports Riot
* – Koji Uehara photo credit: Yahoo Sports

Things have been pretty good in Wisconsin in 2011. Outside of all that political crap, the sports scene has been unreal. From the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, to the Packers’ run through the playoffs and their Super Bowl XLV win, and even Marquette and Wisconsin making it to the Sweet Sixteen, it has been a dream season for everyone in America’s Dairyland.

And then there are the Brewers.

The acquisitions of Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum in the off-season were overshadowed by the Packers somehow overcoming Jay Cutler’s dominance. There was definite hype early in the season, but that was tempered somewhat by Greinke’s hoop dreams and Ramon Hernandez’s walk-off grand slam on Opening Day. Milwaukee started off 0-4, and then lost eight straight to fall to 13-19. Then the Brewers finally got back to full strength.

Greinke got shelled in is first outing, losing to Atlanta 8-0, but then the Brewers rattled off 25 victories in their next 34 games, culminating with a three game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in early June during a weekend series at Miller Park. Greinke out-pitched Carpenter in the second game of that series, and by that Sunday evening, Milwaukee had gained control of the NL Central and didn’t look back.

That series brings us to this October weekend. If you would have told me after the Brewers swept St. Louis that weekend, that they would be facing the Cardinals with home-field advantage for the right to go to the World Series, I would have shotgunned a celebratory Old Milwaukee right there on the spot. It took a hell of a collapse by the Atlanta Braves and a hell of a September by the Cardinals, but here we are in that very situation today.

Brewers-Cardinals NLCS TV Schedule

• TV: TBS
• Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 9 at 4:05 p.m. ET @ Milwaukee
• Game 2: Monday, Oct. 10 at 8:05 p.m. ET @ Milwaukee
• Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 8:05 p.m. ET @ St. Louis
• Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8:05 p.m. ET @ St. Louis
• *Game 5: Friday, Oct. 14 at 8:05 p.m. ET @ St. Louis
• *Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 16 at 4:05 p.m. ET @ Milwaukee
• *Game 7: Monday, Oct. 17 at 8:05 p.m. ET @ Milwaukee

Brewers-Cardinals NLCS Probable Pitching Matchups

As of Saturday morning, pitching probables had not been set, outside of Greinke starting Game 1 on Sunday. Carpenter pitched a gem Friday night, and I don’t think that Tony La Russa will let him pitch again until Game 3 on Wednesday, setting up a match-up between he and Yovani Gallardo. Based on that logic, here is what I expect the pitching match-ups for the first four games to look like.

• Game 1: Greinke  (16-6, 3.83) vs. Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56)
• Game 2: Marcum (13-7, 3.54) vs. Kyle Lohse (14-8, 3.39)
• Game 3: Gallardo (17-10, 3.52) vs. Carpenter (11-9, 3.45)
• Game 4: Randy Wolf (13-10, 3.69) vs. Jake Westbrook (12-9, 4.66)

The edge here has to go to the Brewers. Greinke has been dominant at Miller Park this season, with an 11-0 record during the regular season and an ERA just a tick over 3. Marcum got rocked in his last outing, Game 3 of the NLDS against Arizona, but that game was inevitable based on where the series was at.

The key to the whole series will come down to home field advantage. If Milwaukee can hold suit and win Game 1 and 2 at home, Game 3 will be make or break. Carpenter is 36, but has shown that age doesn’t matter in this postseason so far. Gallardo got the job done in both Game 1 and Game 5 of the NLDS against the D’backs, and he’s pitched enough in St. Louis not to get fazed. I think Milwaukee rides their passionate home crowd to a 2-0 start, and which way the rest of the series goes will come down to Game 3. If St. Louis wins, I think this series goes seven games. If the Brewers win Game 3, I think they win the series in five.

As far as the offense goes, everybody knows that Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are capable of, and the Cardinals have an equally potent duo in Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols. I think these two duos will each single-handedly win a game or two for each club, so I think the sluggers for each series will be a wash.

What the series will come down to is the supporting players, and who can step up to make a big hit. Specifically, the series could swing on which No. 5 hitter can have the better series. Matt Holliday should be healthy by the start of the NLCS, having just nine at-bats in the NLDS. Rickie Weeks is also still feeling the effects of an ankle sprain he suffered earlier in the season and went just 1-for-18 in the series. Braun, Fielder, Pujols and Berkman will all get on plenty this series, but the onus will be on Holliday and Weeks to drive them in.

Jason Motte and Fernando Salas have been very good, if not great for St. Louis this season. K-Rod and John Axford struggled for the Brewers in Game 5 against Arizona, but both have performed excellently all season. I do think both bullpens will do their jobs when called up, so that the series depends more on how the lineups fare against the starting pitchers than relievers.

There’s bad blood between the two teams, as documented by both the Milwaukee and St. Louis media. Nyjer Morgan hates Pujols and Carpenter, and I know that La Russa is not a fan of the #BeastMode schtick. This series will be hotly contested, and will come down to Game 7, Gallardo vs. Carpenter.

But the game will be at Miller Park, and Tony Plush will prevail.

NLCS Prediction: Brewers in 7.

The other came nearly eight years ago when the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks went to sudden death overtime in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The game ended with Al Harris’s ‘Divine Interception’, with Harris crossing the end zone literally right in front of me.

The Milwaukee Brewers walk-off win against the Arizona Diamondbacks last night to move on to the National League Championship Series may have them both topped.

That Tigers/Brewers game thirty years ago was very much like the contest Friday at Miller Park. Jack Morris was the Detroit pitcher that day, and the Brewers could do absolutely nothing for seven innings and trailed 1-0, and it looked like the battle for the AL East ‘second-half’ division title would go down to the final day. Then, in the eighth, a lead-off hit, followed by two sacrifices that the Tigers defense misplayed, and finally two sac flies to put the Crew ahead 2-1. Rollie Fingers did the rest in the ninth to seal the playoff berth.

Friday’s game followed a similar script, with Ian Kennedy and Yovanni Gallardo dueling in the late afternoon into early evening, and the Brewers finally taking that same 2-1 score into the late innings. This time it was up to John Axford, the modern-day Rollie Fingers, to slam the door.

However, for the first time since April, Axford could not complete the job, as two hits and a perfectly executed squeeze drew the Diamondbacks even and on the verge of potentially blowing the game open. But Axford stepped up after that, retiring the D-Backs with those winning runs on base (Yuniesky Betancourt completely selling himself out on force play lost in the shuffle) and then pitching a perfect tenth.

That brought us to the bottom of the inning (VIDEO HERE).

Carlos Gomez singles then steals second with Nyjer Morgan at the plate. I knew a game-winning hit with Tony Plush driving in Gomez would have the potential of literally blowing the roof off of Miller Park (ordered closed by Major League Baseball despite a game-time temperature of 78 degrees).

Then it happens: seeing-eye single up the middle, ballgame. As Gomez was rounding third I never heard a decibel level louder this loud at any sports venue. The moment was even more than I imagined, and the ensuing delirium and celebration damn near brought me to tears witnessing it in person.

Yes, the legend that is Tony Plush actually grew ten-fold.

That helped complete a first-round of the playoffs that even Keith Olbermann is calling MLB’s most compelling (so far) post-season since 1986. And coupled with the St. Louis Cardinals’ stunning ouster of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Brewers suddenly hold home field advantage for the NLCS and the World Series (thanks to Prince Fielder’s MVP effort at the All-Star Game).

And at this point Ari Kaufman is guilty of beating a completely decomposed horse, but Ryan Howard’s returns continue to diminish at an alarming pace, and even the Philadelphia fan base and the national media are starting to figure that out. Enjoy the next five years/$125 million of that contract. And the Phillies have had a great run since 2007, but suddenly face a door that is starting to close fast.

That leaves a Final Four of the Brewers, Cardinals, Tigers, and Rangers. As someone tweeted last night it’s going to be a long fortnight in Bristol, Connecticut. Guess that Yankees/Phillies World Series was not so ‘inevitable’ after all. And as I read from some neutral non-Milwaukee based accounts, the Brewers have as good a chance as any to win it all, and may even now be the slight morning-line favorite.

But first comes the St. Louis Cardinals, the team Nyjer Morgan and many others had left for dead with just 3 ½ weeks left in the regular season. 18 meetings already this year, with each team winning nine. For those who actually miss the now-stale Yankees/Red Sox encounters I’ve got news: Cardinals/Brewers has quickly become THE most intense rivalry in MLB.

And a lot of the hostility has actually been in place long before Nyjer Morgan stirred the pot in the team’s final regular season meeting. I can go back to the days of Geoff Jenkins and Seth McClung to trace back the bad blood between the teams.

The perception remains (and was reading that Friday night in Twitter-land) that the Cardinals are the ‘classy’ team with the squeaky clean home white uniforms while the likes of Fielder, Braun, Gomez, and Nyjer Morgan/Tony Plush are perceived as ‘arrogant’. A post-game ritual (started by Mike Cameron) of players merely un-tucking their shirts after wins was called out a few years back, and the Brewers latest gimmick of ‘Beast Mode’ no doubt has the Cardinals fuming as well.

Not to mention the sign-stealing, the supposed dimming of the lighting, and everything else that Tony LaRussa has thought up and alleged over this season and past seasons.

Yes, it feels a lot like 1982 all over again with Cards v. Brewers, just this time with a lot more sizzle.

One of these days fans and the media will finally discover that it doesn’t take the Yankees and/or Red Sox for MLB to put on a compelling show.

With the divisional round in full swing, and multiple series set to be decided with compelling Game 5 matchups, Amanda tries her hand at five of Ari’s most challenging trivia questions of the season before delving into series playoff talk.

Stay tuned after the trivia to hear Amanda’s thoughts on:

• AJ Burnett’s surprising Game 4 performance
• The underrated greatness of Miguel Cabrera and Robinson Cano
• Which non-Phillies team in the NL is the most dangerous
• How Texas stacks up with both Detroit and New York.
• Plus much more…

You can follow Amanda on Twitter and track her thoughts about baseball and a variety of other sports topics over at ESPNW.com.

Click play on the player below to listen to this week’s episode:

Click here to take MLB Trivia Challenge Podcast Quiz #13

The link above skips you to the bottom of this page where quiz is embedded. Podcast will continue playing.

Quick Standings Update (as of October 5th, 10:57 PM CT):

1. John Krampf, Louie Tartaglia, Dan Greenham, Tony Nelson – 75
2. Chuck Dombrock, Kevin Luljak, Jeff Wallack – 74
3. Adam Swank – 68
4. Pedro Diaz, Andrew Schwartz – 67

A few quick notes:

• The MLB Trivia Challenge is available on iTunes. Listen and subscribe here.
• Be sure to follow the MSF Trivia Challenge Podcast on Twitter: @MLBTriviaMSF.
• If you like the intro and outro music, and I know you will, it was provided to us by the Twin Cats out of Indianapolis. We encourage you to like them on Facebook or check out their music here.

Here are links to all the old quizzes, in case you missed one:

• Episode 1 with Ken Rosenthal
• Episode 2 with Will Carroll
• Episode 3 with Big League Stew
• Episode 4 with Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors
• Episode 5 with Derek Schultz of XL950 in Indianapolis
• Episode 6 with Deadspin founder Will Leitch
• Episode 7 with Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports
• Episode 8 with Scott Sargent of Waiting For Next Year
• Episode 9 with Jonah Keri of Grantland
• Episode 10 with Jim Margalus of South Side Sox
• Episode 11 with Al Beaton of Bless You Boys
• Episode 12 with Trenni Kusnierek
  

Your Turn to Compete and Win Prizes

Now onto the fun stuff: your chance to match wits with the “experts” and win prizes.

As explained on the rules and information page, we will be rewarding one winner each time a new MLB Trivia Challenge Podcast and quiz are posted. This winner will be awarded as follows:

• Each correct answer nets you one point. Most points wins.
• In the event of a tie, we will choose from the top group at random.
• The winner receives a $20 gift certificate to Chili’s*, which is perfect for a Chili’s Lunch Break.

• Weekly winners can go bold with the new six-dollar lunch break combo at Chili’s. Choose a house made soup or salad and then pick a half Texas Toast sandwich like the Southwestern BLT smothered in cilantro lime mayo.
• See all the great Lunch Break combos at Chilis.com.
• Note: You have ONE WEEK from today to submit yours answers and be eligible for the weekly prize. Next Thursday at 11:59 pm CT, entries are closed and we award a winner.

In addition to the weekly prizes, a grand prize winner will be chosen at the end of the season. Simply put, the grand prize winner will be the person who tallies up the most points throughout the season, regardless of when the quiz is taken.

A few final notes you need to know before we let you have at it:

• LISTEN to the podcast; each week we will be including one bonus question taken directly from our discussion.
• ONLY your first entry counts, for the weekly prize and grand prize.
• MAKE SURE you use the same UserID throughout the season. This is how we will keep track of your scores.
• PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to the instructions after each question. Due to the parameters of the quiz program we are using, and our inability to hand-grade thousands of quizzes each week, we must request that you very specific and particular in how you answer the questions. Thus, you MUST spell names correctly. Think of it this way: attention to detail is paramount in baseball, so shouldn’t it be part of the challenge? Absolutely.

And now, drumroll the please, we give you your chance to answer. Have fun!

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Obviously we cannot post the answers because this is an ongoing trivia challenge.

Check back in two weeks when we’ll post the 14th AND FINAL episode of the MLB Trivia Challenge sponsored by Generational Equity. Remember: someone is winning an iPad and a subscription to MLB.tv when this is all said and done…it might as well be you.

* – Chili’s gift certificate good in U.S. only.

Anyway, here are some things we learned this week:

1. Minneapolis is the Mecca of bad football.

Major football teams that make their home in Minneapolis are a combined 1-8, and things were especially bad this weekend. The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, who already have home losses to New Mexico State and North Dakota State on their resume, lost 58-0 in Ann Arbor on Saturday. Sunday, the Vikings dropped to 0-4 after losing to the similarly hapless Chiefs.

Wisconsin is lovely in the autumn.

2. States that have shores on Lakes Michigan and Superior are having a great fall.

Maybe Minnesota’s problem is that it borders only Lake Superior and not Lake Michigan. Things are much better in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Michigan is home to the Lions, who made yet another second-half comeback Sunday to remain undefeated; the Wolverines, who shut out the aforementioned Gophers 58-0 and have risen to #12 in the AP poll and #11 in the USA Today poll; and the Tigers, who are headed back to Detroit tied 1-1 with the Yankees in the American League Division Series.

Meanwhile in America’s Dairy, the Packers are a perfect 4-0, the Brewers are one game away from advancing to the National League Championship Series, and . . .

3. Wisconsin is a national championship contender

The Badgers, after a 48-17 creaming of Nebraska, are #4 according to the AP and #5 according to the coaches. Wisconsin’s toughest remaining game is either October 22 at Michigan State or November 19 at Illinois. Wisconsin should be favored in both. The Badgers have a clearer path to an undefeated season than any team other than Boise State. Don’t be surprised to see Wisconsin in New Orleans on January 9.

4. So is Clemson.

Yes, really. Clemson, currently #8 in both polls, may have a better trio of quality wins than anyone in the country. The Tigers are coming off of consecutive victories over defending national champion Auburn, preseason top-5 Florida State (albeit without starting QB EJ Manuel), and Virginia Tech in Blacksburg (by a score of 23-3). Clemson still has Georgia Tech in Atlanta, South Carolina in Columbia, and (possibly but probably) the ACC Championship Game, but the Tigers are more than capable of winning all three.

5. Brady Hoke made all my football dreams come true.

I’ve long been an advocate of 2-quarterback formations. Having 2 good quarterbacks should never be reason for controversy. Just play them both at the same time. (I’m not really an Xs-and-Os guy.)

Saturday, on the second play of Michigan’s public shaming of Minnesota, coach Brady Hoke put back-up QB Devin Gardner under center and lined up Denard Robinson as a third halfback. The Wolverines used the 2-QB set 4 times against the Gophers. I can only hope that they’ll return to this formation next week at Northwestern.

6. Alex Smith might be an NFL quarterback after all.

Smith went for a respectable 21-for-33 for 291 yards, 2 touchdowns, and zero interceptions in the 49ers’ road win over the Eagles on Sunday. I was going to make an “Alex Smith has gotten more chances than anyone not named ________” joke, but I couldn’t think of anyone in sports, entertainment, or any other walk of life who has gotten more chances, without doing anything to earn them, than Alex Smith.

At any rate, Smith is the starting quarterback on a team that is 3-1 (and was very nearly 4-0) and already has a 2-game lead in its division. He’s also 8th in the NFL in quarterback passer rating. (I know it’s a flawed stat, but still.)

7. Chris Johnson might still be an NFL running back.

In his first 3 games this season, Johnson rushed for a total of 98 yards on 48 carries. That’s barely 2 yards per attempt. Sunday against the Browns, he ran for 101 yards on 23 carries. Granted, it was one game, against the Browns. But for Titans fans and fantasy owners who had been waiting for C.J. To have a breakout game, “Johnson (101)” was a welcome sight.

8. Devin Hester is the most accomplished punt returner in NFL history.

Hester took a punt 69 yards into the end zone during the Bears’ victory Sunday over the Panthers, setting an NFL record with 11 career punt returns for touchdowns. You know who didn’t send Hester a congratulatory text? Hester’s old friend Nevin Shapiro.

9. Three NFL teams started Purdue quarterbacks this week.

Purdue football fans haven’t had much to feel good about lately. But on a weekend when the Boilers lost 38-10 to Notre Dame, 3 former Purdue quarterbacks started for pro teams (Brees, Orton, and Painter). Sure 2 of the 3 lost, but Curtis Painter (281 yards and no picks) played better than expected, and Purdue fans need something take pride in right now. Boiler up.

10. The MLB Playoffs have lived up to their opening act.

I feared that there was no way baseball’s Playoffs could be as exciting as the final night of the regular season, but so far the postseason hasn’t disappointed. Three of the 4 series were tied after 2 games, and there have been plenty of close games, lead changes, and gutty performances.

Last night the Rangers scored 4 runs in the 7th to edge out the Raymonds, and Justin Verlander pitched an 8-inning, 11-strikeout win against the Yankees. Sunday night, the Cardinals came back from down 4 to prove that Cliff Lee isn’t invincible in October. Perhaps last Wednesday was just an hors d’oeuvre.

11. Angel McCoughtry is the best professional athlete you’ve never heard of.

If you live in Minnesota and you’re depressed about the Vikings, Gophers, Twins, etc., you might want to follow the Lynx, who have a 1-0 lead in the WNBA Finals. If you do watch the remaining Finals games between the Lynx and the Atlanta Dream, pay attention to the Dream’s Angel McCoughtry, the best professional athlete you’ve never heard of.

Even people who ignore the WNBA have heard of Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, and Maya Moore (of the Lynx). Casual fans know Cappie Pondexter and Tamika Catchings (this year’s MVP). But few know about McCoughtry who is as good as any of them. The 6-1 forward has carried the Dream through the Playoffs—along the way eliminating my Indiana Fever with a barrage of jump shots that would have won her a HORSE tournament—and Sunday night scored 33 in a losing effort. McCoughtry already holds WNBA records for points in a Conference Finals game (42) and in a Finals game (35). Don’t be surprised if she saves the Dream from elimination and leads them to a title.

12. Kobe Bryant is getting ready to return to his childhood home.

Bryant and Italian club Virtus Bologna are working on a deal to bring Bryant to the country where he spent much of his childhood. Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Kobe’s dad, signed with an Italian basketball team when Kobe was 6. Joe retired and moved the family back to the states when Kobe was 13. Bryant has said it would be a “dream” to play in Italy, but I’m guessing that he’d have no trouble letting go of that dream if the NBA lockout were to end today (and it almost certainly won’t).

13. Disney is really counting on people taking Real Steel seriously.

For each hour of sports you watched this weekend, you saw no fewer than 7 ads for Disney’s forthcoming movie Real Steel. Apparently, Disney believes that people will flock to theaters next week to see the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie. Disney is probably right. As a species we can’t resist special effects.

In fairness, Real Steel wasn’t inspired by Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots but by a pretty good 1956 Richard Matheson short story (“Steel”) that was the basis for a pretty good Twilight Zone episode. Neither the story nor the Twilight Zone episode were about a kid building a fighting robot with his estranged father. Rather, both were about an aging former boxer who refused to give up on his battered, out-of-date boxing robot. In a desperate effort to win money to repair his bot, the old fighter takes the robot’s place in the ring. (It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds.)

So I found ESPN.com’s treatment of Sabathia tonight to be particularly unnecessary.

This was on the front page of the WWL’s website tonight while ALDS Game 3 – Sabathia versus Verlander – was going on:

Image source: Imgur via Reddit

Having the headline “Gut Check Time” beneath of picture of CC Sabathia that conspicuously displays the big man’s gut? I see what you did there ESPN…and it’s not cool.

Here on the Interwebs, we call that trolling.

Unfortunately for Sabathia and the Yanks, CC did not pass the on-field gut check. He pitched 5.1 innings, walking six, and giving up four earned runs. As I type this, the Yankees are down 5-4 to the Tigers and Verlander. Now is the real gut check time. We’ll see how it ends.

“Where still n 1st and I hope those crying birds injoy watching tha Crew in tha Playoffs!!! Aaaaahhhhh!!!”

I can’t be the only person who wouldn’t mind seeing the Brewers have to get through the Cardinals setting up a Morgan vs. Pujols confrontation.

Unfortunately, that won’t end in the same manner Gaby Sanchez’s displeasure with Morgan did. Take a moment and watch Morgan get victimized by the finest pro wrestling clothesline since John Bradshaw Layfield retired.

Philadelphia Phillies vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview

Roy Halladay’s first trip to the postseason was quite a memorable one, (he threw only the second no-hitter in playoff history in his first playoff start) though it ended in bitter disappointment. The two-time Cy Young Award winner, his teammates, and just about everyone else in Philadelphia expects the Phillies to win the World Series this time around.

Then again, the city of Boston thought the same thing

Led by their Four Aces, the Phillies cruised to their fifth straight NL East title, winning a franchise-record and major league-best 102 games.

The Cardinals needed an incredible collapse by Atlanta and help from Philadelphia to earn the wild card. St. Louis trailed the Braves by 10 1/2 games on Aug. 25, but went 23-8 the rest of the way and got in after Game 162 when the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of Atlanta.

The Cardinals (90-72) won six of nine against Philadelphia during the season, with two of those wins coming right after the Phillies wrapped up the division.

The health of Matt Holliday (hand) is a huge question mark. Holliday is one of the most underrated elite hitters in baseball and will be an integral part of the Cardinals attempt to solve The Philly Phour

During the Cardinals’ mad dash toward the top of the National League Wild Card standings in September, Lance Berkman played in 25 games, batted .374, had an OPS of .941, drew 14 walks, scored 16 runs and had seven extra-base hits.

Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35 ERA, 220 K’s), Cliff Lee (17-8, 2.40 ERA, 238 K’s) and Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79, 194 K’s) combined for a 50-23 record, 2.51 ERA and 652 strikeouts in 682 1/3 innings. They also compiled an arrangement of numbers no starting trio had assembled in the modern era of baseball.

Entering the 2011 season, five teams since 1901 had two starting pitchers throw at least 200 innings, average at least eight strikeouts per nine innings and finish the season with an ERA+ of at least 130. Halladay, Lee and Hamels all surpassed these thresholds in 2011.

The Phillies had the poorest September (16-14) of the eight postseason teams. That may have been related to the fact they were the first to clinch, on Sept. 18.

Of all their possible NLDS matchups, this could be least favorable to the Phillies. By personally eliminating the Braves, they arranged a date with the only team against which they had a noteworthy losing record (3-6).

But what does all this mean?

What I have seen over the past month is a Philly team that has become complacent. Throw in the declining skills of the entire offense (Hunter Pence discluded) and the Phillies, despite the fact they aren’t “supposed” to lose, really could be in trouble here.

The Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in the MLB right now. If they have Matt Holliday back, they become even more dangerous. Throw in the fact Pujols is back to playing like Albert Pujols and you can not count this team out.

I think Philadelphia wins Game 1, Carpenter, on the heels of a 2-hit shutout on Wednesday, beats Cliff Lee in Game 2 and that momentum will help carry St. Louis to victory. I also think Carpenter will be back for Game 5 on short rest and shut down his former rotation mate Halladay.

How can I say that? Easily. St. Louis is on a roll ever since their deal with the Blue Jays. Corey Patterson has been key off the bench, Edwin Jackson is as good as he’s ever been and Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski have taken a decent bullpen and made it elite. Not to mention the fact they both have two of baseball’s best names (yes, I know Philly has Antonio Bastardo).

The big key here is Carpenter. Lost in Wednesday’s craziness was a dominant effort by one of baseball’s most underrated pitchers. Right now, he’s pitching better than anyone not named Kershaw and with two potential starts, I see that as two definite losses for Broadstreet.

Baseball is a game of momentum and Philadelphia is not playing well enough to beat a St. Louis team that has never looked better.

NLDS Prediction: St. Louis in 5 games

Philadelphia Phillies v St. Louis Cardinals NLDS TV Schedule and Pitching Matchups

TV Schedule

• TV Network: TBS (Game 2 on TNT taking the spot of WCW Saturday Night)
• Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 1 at 5:07 p.m. ET @ Philadelphia
• Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 2 at 8:07 p.m. ET @ Philadelphia
• Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 4 time TBA ET @ St. Louis
• Game 4: Wednesday Oct. 5 time TBA @ St. Louis
• Game 5: Friday Oct. 7 time TBA @ Philadelphia

Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: Kyle Lohse (14-8, 3.39) vs. Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35)
• Game 2: Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45) vs. Cliff Lee (17-8, 2.40)
• Game 3: Jamie Garcia (13-7, 3.56 vs. Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79)
• Game 4 (probable): Edwin Jackson (12-9, 3.79) vs. Roy Oswalt (9-10, 3.69)
• Game 5 (probable): Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45) vs. Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35)

The Rays have a juggernaut of momentum going their way as they closed the season with five straight wins to bamboozle a stunned Boston Red Sox team and storm into the playoffs. They set a record by being the first team to make the playoffs after heading into the final month 9 games out. Tampa posted a 32-17 record after Aug. 8, showing that their surge is for real.

The Texas Rangers, on the other hand, led the AL West for the majority of the season and just concluded the best season in franchise history with 96 wins.

From a historical standpoint, Texas holds a distinct advantage. These two teams faced each other last year in the playoffs with Texas coming out on top en route to their first World Series appearance. Texas won five of its nine meetings with the Rays this season, taking two of three in Arlington, while splitting six games at Tropicana Field.

The thing I most look forward to in this match-up are the pitching matches as these two teams rank 2nd and 3rd in pitching the AL. Since the MLB postseason often becomes a pitcher’s game, these two squads are built to go the distance.

Joe Madden dropped a starting rotation pipe bomb earlier this week with his decision to start rookie pitcher Matt Moore for Game 1. Moore has only pitched in 3 big league games in his career, only one of which was a start. Now, the kid (we are all older than him, if you aren’t, you should be doing your homework right now young man) is obviously going to be the next in a long line of fantastic young pitchers for Tampa, but wouldn’t the nerves of starting the first game of the postseason get to a 22-year-old?

His task will not be easy on Friday, as he goes up against not only a lethal Texas line-up, but he goes toe-to-toe with “The Straight-Edge Southpaw” C.J. Wilson. Wilson, in addition to being Texas’s clear ace, was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball this past season.

Rangers Ace C.J. Wilson, who will start Game 1

Game 2 will feature a very game Derek Holland facing “Big/Complete Game” James Shields. He and Ian Kennedy have really come up huge this season, like a pair of Roy Halladay impersonators. Shields always had the talent and the ability, but this season he has really turned the swag on to join David Price at the front of the rotation.

Holland, no slouch in his own right, also had a breakout season in Texas that went largely under the radar. The pitching complete match-ups are at end of this preview and show Holland’s record. Tell me you expected him to have a record that good. If you knew he went 16-5, you obviously had him on your fantasy team or are Nana Holland.

From there, the probable pitchers are me going with my gut on match-ups. Nothing has been announced, but with the likes of Price, Hellickson, Ogando, Lewis and Harrison all available, these two teams have way too many weapons to utilize.

For an offensive perspective, there is 100%, absolutely no question that Texas dominates. In fact, of all eight playoff teams, Texas boasts the most dangerous offense in my opinion.

Josh Hamilton (.298/.346/.536, 25HR, 94RBI), Adrian Beltre (.296/.331/.561, 32HR, 105RBI), Ian Kinsler (32HR, 30SB, 121Runs), Nelson Cruz (29HR, 87RBI), Michael Young (.338/.380/.474 106RBI) and Mike Napoli (.320/.414/.631, 30HR, 75RBI) read like a laundry list of hitters any other team in the league would want in their lineups. Can you believe Napoli was traded by both the Angels and the Blue Jays last offseason? Or that Texas nearly traded what they believed was a declining Michael Young? In both cases Texas benefited huge from other teams napping, as almost every member of the roster has had a big season.

By contrast, the Rays have focused on “The Extra 2%” (if you don’t get that, you need to read more. Great book), but coming into this year, their offense looked anemic compared not only to previous Rays teams, but most of the rest of the league.

Their one incoming ace-in-the-hole, Manny Ramirez, played five games before “retiring” due to failing another drug test. Things looked bleak. Tampa however was able to come up with offense when needed (unless Price was starting). Evan Longoria (31HR, 99RBI) led the majors in second-half RBI, including 2HR and 4RBI in Tampa’s now famous 8-7 victory vs. The Yankees to make the playoffs. They also received a shot in the arm from “The Desmond Jennings Experience” but that came at the expense of playing time for Twitter’s favorite son Sam Fuld.

To me, Tampa’s offense, which does not boast a .300 hitter besides a surprising Casey Kotchman, a single 100RBI guy ,and only three players with 20HR (Longoria, Zobrist and the crappy Upton brother) only has one statistic going it’s way: success.

Tampa is a true-life example of that awful sports cliché of a team that “finds a way to win”. A team comprised of spare parts and utility players should not be this successful, but they just are. Yes, the reason Tampa wins games is amazing pitching, but you won’t win any games 0-0.

Joe Madden has this successful team in the AL East playing like a National League team from the 1980s. Smallball, speed, and “clutch” performances. The only thing missing is Keith Hernandez’s glorious lipjacket and wide-spread cocaine use.

Now let’s point out the elephant in the room here: Joe Madden is a super genius. He’s counting cards or has a time machine or something. No manager in baseball always seems to make the right move like he does.

Wednesday’s game vs. the Yankees, while a thin slice of the season, is the prototypical example of his ability to manage. Not to mention his demeanor and coaching style has to be something special the way he always brings these rag-tag teams to victory. He could call for a triple play with 2 outs and somehow record baseball’s first 5 out inning.

At this point, I not only drink the Joe Madden Kool-Aid, I’m smashing through brick walls and saying, “OH YEAH!”

He is the intangible, the X-Factor and the reason why, despite equal pitching and an inferior offense, Tampa Bay will somehow beat Texas when they have no right to.

ALDS Prediction: Tampa Bay in 5 games

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Tampa Bay Rays v Texas Rangers ALDS TV Schedule and Pitching Matchups

TV Schedule

• TV Network: TBS (Game 2 on TNT taking the spot of WCW Saturday Night)
• Game 1: Friday, Sep. 30 at 5:07 p.m. ET @ Texas
• Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:07 p.m. ET @ Texas
• Game 3: Monday, Oct. 3 at 5:07 p.m. ET @ Tampa Bay
• Game 4: Tuesday Oct. 4 time TBA @ Tampa Bay
• Game 5: Thursday Oct. 6 time TBA @ Texas

Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: Matt Moore (1-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. CJ Wilson (16-7, 2.94)
• Game 2: James Shields (16-12, 2.82) vs. Derek Holland (16-5, 3.95)
• Game 3 (probable): David Price (12-13, 3.49) vs. Colby Lewis (14-10, 4.40
• Game 4 (probable): Jeremy Hellickson (13-10, 2.95) vs. Matt Harrison (14-9, 3.39)
• Game 5 (probable): James Shields (16-12, 2.82) vs. CJ Wilson (16-7, 2.94)

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* – C.J. Wilson photo credit: Sports And Meat
* – Joe Madden photo credit: cltampa.com

And with all of the possible scenarios that could have possibly shaken out this week, I’m very happy with the ways things turned out for the Brew Crew. Home field advantage and no Phillies in the first round? Fine by me.

Here is a preview of the NLDS matchup between Milwaukee and Arizona.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (94-68) beat the Brewers four out of seven times in the regular season, with all seven games coming within a three week series in July. It should be noted that Ryan Braun did not play in the first three games, sitting out with a calf strain. The D-Backs won two of those three games, and the two teams split the final four-games series.

Milwaukee Brewers v Arizona Diamondbacks NLDS TV Schedule and Pitching Matchups

TV Schedule

• TV Network: TBS
• Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 1 at 2:07 p.m. ET at Miller Park
• Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 2 at 4:37 p.m. ET at Miller Park
• Games 3-5: Times TBD

Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: Ian Kennedy (21-4, 2.88 ERA) vs. Yovani Gallardo (17-10, 3.52)
• Game 2 (probable): Daniel Hudson (16-12, 3.49) vs. Zack Greinke (16-6, 3.83)
• Game 3 (probable): Joe Saunders (12-13, 3.69) vs. Shaun Marcum (13-7, 3.54)

Milwaukee Brewers v Arizona Diamondbacks NLDS Preview

The first two games will feature four of the best pitchers in the National League, but the slight edge goes to the Brewers.

GAME 1

Kennedy has been lights out, in the conversation for the Cy Young, and shut down the Brewers on July 21 by throwing seven innings of four-hit ball, allowing zero earned runs. On the same token, Gallardo has beaten the Diamondbacks twice this season and with the home crowd behind him and has quality starts in seven of his last eight outings. I think Game 1 will be a low scoring game, with the edge going to the Brewers because of their bullpen.

Speaking of bullpens, John Axford has had a phenomenal season and has been even better since the Brewers acquired K-Rod. J.J. Putz has been equally spectacular, but Arizona does not have that second dominant arm in the bullpen.

GAME 2

Game 2 isn’t as close, as Greinke has gone 10-0 at Miller Park this year, feeding off the support of the home crowd. This could be a homer pick because I’ll be in the left field bleachers Sunday afternoon, but I believe Greinke will prove why the Brewers paid a hefty price for him in the offseason.

GAME 3

With the Brewers up 2-0 heading back to Phoenix, I think the D-Backs get the best of Shaun Marcum in Game 3, probably beating him up pretty bad. I like Yovani coming back to pitch in Game 4, sending the Crew to the NLCS with a 3-1 win.

ANALYZING THE LINEUPS

The Diamondbacks have a clear advantage at catcher, third base and right field, but the other five positions lean toward the Brewers.

Catcher

Miguel Montero has been one of the best catchers in the league this uear, hitting .282 with 86 RBI. Jonathan Lucroy has been solid, hitting .265, but Montero has been better.

First base

Prince Fielder is much better than whoever Arizona decides to play at first. Lyle Overbay and Paul Goldschmidt see most of the work, but neither can shake a stick at Fielder, who hit .299 with 38 home runs, including a .981 OPS.

Second base

Aaron Hill has been solid, hitting .246 with 61 RBI, but Rickie Weeks seems to be regaining the form he had before a serious ankle injury. I particularly like Weeks’ OPS of .818 compared to Hill’s .655.

Shortstop

As much as I dislike Yuniesky Betancourt, he’s been as good as anything the Diamondbacks have run out there. Josh McDonald and Willie Bloomquist both see time at short for Arizona, and neither has been great. Betancourt has his average over .250, with some pop in his bat at 13 home runs and 68 RBI.

Third base

Outside of his walk-off grand slam earlier this week, Ryan Roberts has not been playing that well recently, but he’s still been better than Casey McGehee. McGehee is hitting just over the Mendoza line at .223, and Roberts’ OPS is much better than Casey’s, holding a .768 to .626 advantage.

Left field

Ryan Braun has made his case for NL MVP, posting 33 home runs and 111 RBI, to go with a .332 average, 33 steals and an OPS of .994. That’s pretty good. Gerardo Parra has played well against the Brewers this season, but he’s no Ryan Braun.

Center field

The platoon of Nyjer Morgan and Carlos Gomez has been surprisingly better than Chris Young this season. Morgan and Gomez have more steals, and are hitting a combined .274 with 12 home runs and 61 RBI. Chris Young has more home runs and RBI, but is hitting only .236.

Right field

Justin Upton is one of the best sluggers in the National League, and his 31 home runs and 88 RBI back that up. Corey Hart hit .285 with 26 home runs and 63 RBI, many of which coming from the lead-off spot, but Upton holds an advantage here.

Milwaukee Brewers v Arizona Diamondbacks NLDS Prediction

Even with all of the sluggers in this match-up, the series will come down to pitching. I think the Brewers hold the advantage in the rotation as well as the bullpen, and always have Braun and Fielder to look to if necessary. Brewers win in four games.

It’s not all that exciting when teams have the division essentially wrapped up in June, which is why the Wild Card race is the most interesting, at least to me.

NL East

The Phillies have the best pitching staff in the National League, and perhaps in all of baseball. They are getting Chase Utley back as we head into the heart of the season, and he may just be what the .246-hitting Phils need. If you’re wondering, that batting average is tied for ninth in the NL, with Fred Wilpon’s very own New York Mets. I think the Phillies will distance themselves from the rest of the NL East soon enough.

NL Central

St. Louis is leading the NL in hitting at .281, which is surprising considering the “down” year that Albert Pujols is having. Lance Berkman and Matt Holiday are each hovering around .350, and even if they drop off I expect Pujols to pick up the slack the rest of the season.

NL West

The Giants suffered a huge blow losing Buster Posey for the rest of the season, but I think the rest of the NL West is mediocre enough that the Giants still should be able to win that division.

I’m going to pencil in Philadelphia, St. Louis and San Francisco for those three divisions, leaving just one spot left for a few deserving teams.

As of Thursday, the Marlins were leading the (yes, admittedly very early) NL Wild Card race at 28-19. The Braves were two games back at 28-23, the red-hot Brewers 2.5 games behind at 27-23, and the Cincinnati Reds coming in at 26-25, four games behind the Marlins.

Obviously, for any one of these teams to make the playoffs, a few things have to go right, but I think a few things stand out for each team as must-haves over the course of the season if they want to be playing playoff baseball in the fall.

4. Braves

I think the Braves have the smallest chance of the four teams I listed to make the playoffs. They have the best ERA in the NL at this point but only have the 12th-best team batting average and the 14th-best OBP. On top of all that, the injuries are starting to accumulate, with both Jason Heyward and Tim Hudson missing time this week. If they are going to make they playoffs, they need to stay healthy, especially Heyward and Chipper Jones.

3. Marlins

I like the youth that the Marlins have, especially the way Gaby Sanchez and Mike Stanton are really starting to break out. I think they are about two years away from being really good, though whether they can keep that core around for a few years is an entirely different story. For this year though, I think they are still a bit raw, especially having to face teams like Atlanta and Philly more often. The Marlins will make the playoffs only if they can keep up the production their youth has put up early in the season.

2. Reds

Last season’s version of the Reds was the young team that got a bit too wide-eyed when they actually made it to the postseason and found out they were perhaps a year too early. This season’s team can still mash the ball as well, leading the NL in homers and RBIs. Their offense carried them to the playoffs in 2010, but that offense will have to overcome the 14th-best ERA in the NL, as well as a bullpen that has already blown seven saves.

1. Brewers

The Brewers have a very potent mix of pitching and hitting, and they seem to have everyone back and healthy at the right time. Shawn Marcum was the ace of the staff early on the season, but Yovani Gallardo and Zack Greinke are coming on to give Milwaukee three ace-quality starters.  Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder have been as good as advertised, but they will need some more production out of the bottom of their lineup if they want to keep their hot streak alive and eventually end up in the playoffs.

The Rockies have the next best chance of getting hot and making the playoffs, as they have shown they can do, but I think the NL Wild Card team will come from one of these four. The Braves and the Reds kick off a weekend series Friday, the Brewers starts a series in Cincy on Monday and the Marlins after that, with Florida facing the Braves on June 7.

By the middle of June, we should have a pretty clear idea of which team may emerge from this pack.

This is about as predictable as the now-annual proclamation by NFL commish Roger Goodell during the International Series week festivities that he is very serious about expanding the NFL’s profile in Europe, and adding a franchise in London. My only question is who would exactly be a natural rival to an NFL London entry? Myself I feel that the possible outsourcing of franchises to Europe would be better left to the NBA or NHL, who could very well add several European markets who would have natural interest in the respective leagues.

And as soon as the NFL’s possibly extended upcoming off-season begins, we will again hear the talk of returning a franchise to the Los Angeles market – as Magic Johnson’s name has surfaced as someone with possible interest. You could combine the efforts of Magic, David Beckham, and Ashton Kutcher/Demi Moore combined, and a Los Angeles franchise is not happening without a new stadium, and considering California’s current economic market I would not hold my breath.

But back to Selig’s dream of expanding baseball’s post-season field to at least 10, and maybe eventually even up to 16 teams. ala what is already featured each spring in basketball and hockey. All such proposals come with questions, most notably how this could possibly be accomplished without the end of the World Series clashing with the holiday season.

One sensible improvement would be expanding the current Divisional Series format from best-of-five to best-of-seven. As it stands right now, the first-round series are so brief that the Cincinnati Reds participation is now a mere rumor. Also, the Twins effectively had the wind taken out of their sails after the Yankees came back on them in Game 1, in a best-of-five that was too big a dagger to overcome.

Selig’s idea of an expanded playoffs will not get far, and various templates have been floated in the past. In theory, there are advantages. The most talked about format would be two Wild Card teams in each league participating in either a one-game or best of three playoff for the right to advance to the divisional round. In such a format, division champs would get time off to set their rotations for the Divisional Series, and would had given the AL East race between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays added significance if the loser would had been forced into a play-in series.

But with the added Wild Cards would come chaos, mainly at least one, if not more teams tied for the final Wild Card spot. That would conceivably mean a one game playoff to determine who advances to the Wild Card Series before even getting to the Divisional Series. That may be too much for traditional baseball fans to handle.

And you could also consider eventually expanding to 16 teams, like in basketball and hockey. But would fans tune out if teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays or Florida Marlins make it to the World Series after knocking off the top seeds, as frequently happens in the NHL – would that prove to be good or bad??

For a sport that drags it’s heels on ideas that make way too much sense (see getting DH or no-DH on the same page or expanded use of instant replay), Selig sure hasn’t been bashful with testing the waters with various ideas in the past, such as…

Contraction (2001)

Outside of the Twin Cities, most have forgotten about this one.

Coming off a dramatic and memorable World Series in November 2001, it was announced that the Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins had been offered up for contraction, and at one point that winter the proceeding were considered a fait accompli. Respective owners Jeffrey Loria and Carl Pohlad would had gotten $250 million to eliminate their franchises, and MLB had the votes needed to make the elimination happen.

Frustrated in efforts at getting money for a new stadium, Pohlad had previously considered relocating the Twins to North Carolina. To be fair, during that time the Twins and MLB were running against the brick wall and thick head of what was then-Governor Jesse Ventura, who was adamant in no public money going to house new venues for professional sports teams. Given Ventura’s theologies (his conspiracy theories and all the rest) and his current residence somewhere in Mexico (in his words ‘an hour away from pavement and an hour away from electricity’), the Twins and Vikings could play in candlelight for all he cared. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed – Ventura left office after one term, a court order bounded the Twins to their Metrodome lease, and eventually Target Field was built.

Meanwhile the wheels were put into motion to relocate the flat-lined Expos franchise to Washington. More recently, the NBA has rattled the contraction saber ahead of what’s sure to be a contentious CBA negotiation, while the same is expected in the NHL, where Donald Fehr was recently hired as the NHLPA’s head.

Radical Realignment (1997)

This was born out of the Tampa Bay/Arizona expansion of 1998, with the Diamondbacks earmarked for the National League while the AL wanted the Devil Rays. This necessitated eventually moving an existing an existing AL team to the National League to create a 16-14 format, as opposed to 15-15 which would had forced MLB into year-long interleague play.

Eventually Selig’s own Milwaukee Brewers were relocated to the NL, a move that went smoothly. But before that, Selig floated a ‘radical realignment’ plan – it would had seen all 14 teams in the Eastern Time Zone comprise of the American League while the western 16 teams would had formed the National League. The selling point would had featured Yankees/Mets, White Sox/Cubs, and Athletics/Giants as division rivals, but would had also mirrored MLB/NHL in basically turning into Eastern and Western Conferences. In time enough teams were against the idea to nix the plan. The Brewers were moved to the NL, with Selig promising a more extensive look at realigning more teams in the future, which since has not come to pass.

With the season now complete, MLB can not get to hot stove talk, and before long (3 1/2 months) it will be time for pitchers and catchers to report throughout Florida and Arizona. And while some change is welcome (like the 7-day DL idea), hopefully expanded playoffs will be another Selig idea that eventually falls by the wayside.

This post is for one thing: predictions.

Vote in the poll below and use the comment section to explain your vote. (My pick under the poll.)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

I think Texas has the clear offensive edge, but San Francisco has enough pitching to win a couple of games. With the chemistry and confidence that the Rangers have, plus how convincing they were in discarding the AL’s two best regular season teams, I can’t find a reason they won’t win this series.

The one Achilles’ heel for the Rangers is their bullpen. If the starters can go deep into games and hand the close ones off to Neftali Feliz (following the White Sox model from 2005), I think this is a quick series. If the bullpen has to get involved regularly, I think Giants’ chances improve greatly.

But I think Texas has the best pitcher (Cliff Lee), the best hitter (Josh Hamilton), and a catcher in Bengie Molina who will have insight on how to pitch to the Giants hitters. I haven’t heard that mentioned much yet, but it has to be at least a small factor.

Add it all up and I think the Rangers are the better all-around team. I’m going with the Rangers in 6.

And that’s just how baseball go.

**********

In 2010, there is one that easily stands out above all others as the most mind-blowing of all.

Care to wager a guess what it is?

I’ll end the suspense very simply with the image below:

Cody Ross photo source: Chris McGrath/Getty Images via ESPN.com
Roy Halladay photo source: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images via ESPN.com

Okay, so it’s not perfect. It’s actually “Ssory Doc”, but still. Even if you hang onto the “s” sound a bit long, you’re still saying “Sorry Doc”, and certainly Cody Ross owes Halladay and Phillies fans an apology for spoiling their supposed runaway World Series freight train.

Yes, seeing as how Ross has helped to stake the Giants to a 2-1 series lead (of this posting), which includes two HRs of the great Roy Halladay and another in Game 2, I’d say “Sorry Doc” is pretty appropriate.

Note: all the credit for this factoid goes to the sublimely named Reddit user strasburgers who pointed it out here. Outstanding work good sir. I hope you won’t mind me posting with proper attribution given.

Update: I see that this was already pointed out earlier in the week here, which is why Big League Stew should always be your first stop for sports blog baseball coverage.