Now the last teams start into the MLB playoffs.In the National League Division Series, the Washington Nationals will face reigning champion Chicago Cubs, while the Los Angeles Dodgers will have an unpleasant draw with wild card winner Arizona Diamondbacks.What are the chances of NLCS move-in?SPOX analyses the initial situation.
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Starting position: Nationals’ start-finish victory in a weak NL East, and so one could look ahead early on to a possible World Series run to finally end the World Series drought in the capital, which has been going on since 1924.The squad is great: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez are three pitcher players who should win the CyYoung election – and Scherzer was supposed to win the game.The lineup is also well staffed with Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy and Trea Turner – plus MVP candidate Anthony Rendon on third base.
In the first half of the season there was actually only one problem zone with the Nats: the bullpen.With one or the other trade, however, there was diligently helped.Now you’re standing very solid in the later innings.The biggest question for skipper Dusty Baker is injuries: All too often he hasn’t had his stars together in the last few months, Harper has just returned from a knee injury.And Scherzer had to get down with a cramp at the beginning of the last season.Is he fully fit for the show?
The Cubbies had to sleep it off in the first half of the season after the World Series win.At least it seemed that way, some of them even fought a foursome with the Brewers, Cardinals and Pirates in the NL Central.Which is not so unusual: Since 2012, all champions had missed the playoffs the following year.And especially with the pitchers, last year’s aces were suddenly only good average.
But in the end, manager Joe Maddon’s team was just too talented.After the All-Star-Break, the competition was ahead of the competition and the division managed to secure a relatively confident position in the end.The lineup with Anthony Rizzo and MVP Kris Bryant was delivered, and the starters were topping it off.The defense’s correct, too.However, it’s still going to be difficult: Since the Yankees in 2000, no team has defended the title.
Players to watch: There are actually only two themes in the District of Columbia: Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper.After Scherzer jumped off the Mound on Sunday, the team was calm: the cramp in his thigh was not so bad, no reason to panic.Nevertheless, according to Baker, the rotation is “probably” influenced.If Scherzer should be used only in Game 3 of the series – and thus definitely only once – this would be an enormous weakening in case of doubt.
Harper has been working since the 12th century.After his knee injury, the Nationals were extremely careful with their extravagant superstar.In the few at-bats in the final spurt, however, he was far from his best form and could even make himself felt negatively in this form at the top of the lineup.
The Cubs are likely to bet on Kyle Hendricks in Game 1 after Jake Arrieta’s thigh problems mean that they will not start in the third game at the earliest.The 27-year-old, for Maddon “one of the best pitcher in the league”, played an ERA of 2.01 in five starts in September.With gorgeous old-fashioned baseball: Hard to believe, but Hendricks doesn’t even break the 90 miles on Radar Gun with his pitches – and is nevertheless incredibly effective.
Prognosis: When Scherzer is fit, all duels in terms of rotation on paper are actually going to Nationals.And the bullpen of Maddon wasn’t as effective as usual.That won’t rip out the double-headed Bryant-Rizzo for the Cubs.Sorry, but there’s no point in defending the title.Nationals in 4.
Page 1: Washington Nationals vs.Chicago Cubs
Page 2: Los Angeles Dodgers vs.Arizona Diamondbacks