The Wild Card Games are behind us, now the “real” playoffs in the MLB are just around the corner.Who are the favourites, who is the best cast and what should we be looking forward to the most?Axel Goldmann from the podcast “Just Baseball” and Ryan Fagan from Sporting News discuss with SPOX editors Lukas Zahrer and Marcus Blumberg the high point of the baseball season in October.
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Axel Goldmann (Just Baseball): The Indians proved with their excellent intermediate sprint – the 22 victories in a row – that they are the “Team to beat” in the American League, have with Terry Francona the probably best in-game manager and the best rotation in the league.However, it will be a challenge to win the ALDS against the Yankees and in the ALCS against Boston or Houston, even better teams will come.Nevertheless, I certainly trust the Indians to win the AL title.In the NL, however, I don’t really believe in the Dodgers, because their performance was too mediocre, too weak, in late summer.Many (mental) mistakes, few hits, the Dodgers are still living a little bit from the fantastic first half of the season.In addition, like every year, the question arises as to how Clayton Kershaw will sell during the postseason.His current playoff ERA is 4.55, a dramatic deterioration compared to the 2.31 in the regular season.All in all, I don’t trust the rotation of the Dodgers one hundred percent.Here I see a really big “maybe”.
Ryan Fagan (Sporting News): As Axel said, the Dodgers had a long distance where they played amazingly good baseball.And winning 104 games at all is impressive.But October baseball is a short sprint and they will have to face elite offenses.And I’m just not convinced that this pitching team is good enough to win the World Series.You have an elite starter, Clayton Kershaw, and an elite closer, Kenley Jansen.But of course, these two can’t pitch every inning.In the AL, I’m swaying between Cleveland and Houston.Both teams are very capable of winning the championship.It would be the first title of the Astros ever and the first for Cleveland since 1948.
Marcus Blumberg (SPOX): The two wildcard games have shown again what can happen in October.People get nervous, make mistakes rather than in the regular season and as a result, the games are even more unpredictable than in baseball.Moreover, no one can really rely on their starting pitcher.Who would be surprised if Kershaw were to break in again in October – or Corey Kluber with the Indians?Sale of the Red Sox has never pitched in the postseason, and neither has Gray with the Yankees.How are they gonna present these guys?Who knows these days?But while the Indians, who undoubtedly have the best team in the AL, have an outstanding bullpen and can compensate for this, the Dodgers cannot be said to have.In addition, they have recently experienced too many total failures resulting in bankruptcies.If such appearances happen during the postseason, it can all be over very quickly.In short: The Dodgers have dominated the regular season too much and mentally ended it too early to find the right tension again.The Indians, I think they’re title-worthy, the Dodgers are not.
Lukas Zahrer (SPOX): I go one step further than the previous speakers, because I have the feeling that neither of them makes it into the World Series.The Indians have already experienced the climax of their season, but for two weeks Cleveland was reported as they watched their victorious run soar.Maybe that’s what the strong pitcher’s been doing a little bit of robbing her energy.In addition, the sting of last year’s bitter defeat is sitting low.Once it starts not to run smoothly in the playoffs, this memory could quickly return to the minds and slow the Indians’ performance.I refer to the Dodgers: With eleven defeats in a row, no team has ever won the MLB Championship in history.This negative series in August gives all other teams the certainty that the Dodgers are beatable despite the highest payroll in baseball.Playoff disease will spread to LA.continue.I also appreciate other teams in the NL.
Page 1: The Indians and Dodgers reach the World Series
Page 2: Having the best bullpen…
Page 3: The Cubs fail in round one
Page 4: Most of all I’m looking forward to…
Page 5: Become a champion…