Steven Urena
By Steven Urena
WILD Card
This is getting out of hand. It started in the NL. The Padres took a dive and the Reds made a push. The Reds cooled down, the Padres got things under control and then the Cardinals won 17 games in a row. Winning 17 games in a row in baseball is absolutely ridiculous. It looks as though the dust has settled. The Giants hold a two game lead on the Dodgers with four games left. The Cardinals will face the Dodgers in a one game elimination. Win and face the Giants, lose and go home very, very disappointed. September baseball did not disappoint!
The AL was also a wild ride. After the Rays took control of the AL East it came down to the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays (late push). The Mariners, yes the Mariners, have made a push of their own. One game separates four teams. Every time I look at the standings someone new is one top. I gotta say, having two teams play in a one game elimination makes things very interesting and keeps many ball clubs in the hunt.
Baseball is a different beast though. On any given day a pitcher can be in the zone, a hitter may have a bad day or a team may have everything fall their way or not fall their way. The best team does not always win on any given day. It’s very different from football or basketball. There is a lot of chitter chatter about a Dodger team, with over 100 wins, having to face a Cardinals team that barely has 90 wins. It doesn’t seem quite fair but that’s just the way the pickle squirts. I proposed an idea a few weeks ago. If a team has a 10 game lead over the second wild card then they should be an automatic bid. Just a thought. Especially since I am a Dodger fan. Ha!
The Road to the ‘Ship
American League
Tampa Bay Rays
The steady and balanced hitting attack of Brandon Lowe, Randy Arozarena, Austin Meadows, Mike Zunino and newcomer Wander Franco is tough for any pitcher. The Rays do not have a starting pitcher with more than 10 wins. Insane for a team that will end up with at least 97 wins. Yet, their staff continues to get it done. The starting staff does just enough and the pen takes it from there. This team is scary.
Chicago White Sox
This was a team composed of a lot of young hot shots that flew out of the gate. No one told them about the dog days of August. Carlos Rodon and Lance Lynn both have sore arms. Their hitting has cooled down and Tony LaRussa is about 100 years old! The ChiSox looked like the team to beat not too long ago. Now it looks like they just might get beat. I don’t see them getting past an angry Astros club.
Houston Astros
I heard a funny comment last year during the playoffs. “If the Astros lose, America wins.” I had a few friends recently attend an Angels/Astros game and they said the fans have not let up on the Astros. Imagine in the playoffs? It puts pressure on the squad but it also fuels their engine. We saw what a hot Astors team was capable of last season. I can see them getting past the White Sox but they will meet their doom in the ALCS. Bang, bang.
Dog fight: Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners
Flip a coin. Which two teams are playing in the one game elimination? Which team moves on against the Rays? I still think it’ll be the Yankees and Red Sox with the Yankees moving on. I would not mind seeing Vladdy and Blue Jays in the playoffs. What a great story for the M’s to move on as well. September baseball at its best!
National League
Atlanta Braves
“Hotlanta” looks like they will slip right into the NLDS versus the Brew Crew. We all know that a team that is just happy to be there will most likely not stay in the playoffs very long. The Braves caught fire in last year’s 60 game season and almost knocked the Dodgers out. I don’t see the magic this year.
Milwaukee Brewers
Aside from the grade A butt kicking the Cardinals gave them, the Brewers have been brewing! Consistency kills and that’s what the Brewers have been. Yes, the NL Central is not a great division but wins are wins. They don’t have a bunch of superstars like the Dodgers. They have a bunch of punch-the-clock and go to work grinders. Can David beat Goliath in the playoffs?
San Francisco Giants
The Giants are the real deal. They can blow you out, win close games and they know how to grind. I would, without a doubt, take them over any team not named the Rays or Dodgers. Their flaw? Playoff experience. Some guys got it, some guys do not. Lets roll!
Dog fight: Dodgers and Cardinals
Two titans clash in this epic battle. Two of the best organizations in baseball will meet in a one game elimination. The Dodgers will send Max Scherzer to the mound. The Cardinals will send Adam Wainwright. Both considered years past their prime but both are having fantastic ends to their season. Don’t blink. Don’t flinch. Games like this are what you prepare for your whole life. The team with the most guts and the most focus wins and faces the Giants.
Contact Steve Urena at:
Email: theurenaexpress@gmail.com
Twitter/IG: @theurenaexpress
