Steven Urena
By Steven Urena
Dodgers vs. Giants
Well here you go, the two best teams in baseball get to square off in a best of 5 series.
The Dodgers squeaked by the Cardinals in the 3-1 pitcher’s duel with Chris Taylor’s 2-run walkoff home run. Quick takeaways…Adam Wainwright is still flat out good. He throws a 91 mph fastball that moves, a variation of dirty curveballs and he has pinpoint control. The Dodgers are clearly the better team. Even with a Max Scherzer laboring and the offense struggling, they still found a way to get it done.
The Giants did the impossible and held off the Dodgers to win the NL West. They had to win 107 games to do it. True, they were a tad better in the first half than the second half but they still proved to the league that they are tough and can grind out wins.
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
Dodgers in 5. The Dodgers have more talent, more depth, more experience and have been the hotter team. The only reason I am predicting this thing to go 5 is because the Giants are scrappy, have a major chip on their shoulder and it’s a rivalry. Expect the series to be the best one until the World Series.
Toe to toe the Dodgers seem to have the edge in almost any meaningful category. Their starting pitching is better, their hitting is better, their bullpen is better and they have guys that have got the job done in October. The Giants have the edge in close games. All season they have proved they can win the close ones. This reminds me of the Lakers vs. the Blazers in the early 2000s. It was “Two Deep” (Shaq and Kobe) vs. “Too Deep” (Blazer role players). The Giants seem to have daily heroes and get next man mentality. The Dodgers have the horses and if they run free, watch out.
The Dodgers gave the Giants a few games with bonehead mistakes. One could say the Giants got lucky. Others could say the Dodgers choked. Bottom line, you gotta get the job done. Mistakes are part of the game. Play better and you don’t have to nitpick.
The Giants win this series if their hitting is clutch. If the Giants can capitalize on mistakes and come up with big home runs and multi RBI hits then they’re going to be hard to beat. The Giants need a huge series out of Kris Bryant, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey and Mike Yastrzemski. The rotation and the bullpen just need to do what they’ve done all season, grind it out and keep their team in the game.
The Dodgers win if Walker Buehler, Julio Urias and Max Scherzer slam the door. If they can get deep in a game, with 1 or 2 runs allowed, they give the Dodgers a great chance to win. The pen is shaky and scary at times but, Dodgers Nation, it’s time to trust them and get behind them. We’ve seen our bats go stone cold in the playoffs so as long as the offense gives the staff some support, the Blue Crew should be fine. If the offense finds a way to explode, be careful Bay Area.
Let’s enjoy the fact that the two best teams in baseball are playing each other. Let’s also enjoy the fact that this is the first time the Dodgers and Giants play each other in the playoffs. Crazy!!!!!
Rays vs. Red Sox
Yesterday, we got a sneak peek at what the next two games will look like for the Rays and Red Sox. The Rays are a different beast this year. Even with the loss of Tyler Glasnow. Randy Arozarena picked up right where he left off last October. Wander Franco is a 20 year kid playing like a 10 year veteran. The baseball world got it right with this kid, he is the real deal. Nelson Cruz left the yard yesterday. Cruz knows a World Series title will only strengthen his bid for the Hall of Fame. He’s also at the tail end of his career and he wants this bad.
The Red Sox are lucky to be there. They had a good game against the Yankees. Are they the better team? I don’t think so but that is the problem with one game playoffs in baseball. It does not accurately measure how good a team played in a 162 game season. The Red Sox got some fire and might put up a fight but I can’t see this series going more than four games.
Brewers vs. Braves
I’ll stick to my prediction. The Brewers take no prisoners against the Braves. Just like the Red Sox, the Braves are lucky to be in the playoffs. Lucky they got a little hot at the end and lucky they play in the mediocre AL East. The Brewers ride their strong starting pitching and well balanced offense.
Astros vs. White Sox
I called a sweep and so far it’s looking good. When I see the White Sox, I see a team that had all the confidence in the world and then lost it in the blink of an eye. Maybe one year the White Sox will be the team but it’s not this year. I hate what the Astros did to the Dodgers in 2017 but they are still a bonafide contender every October. As long as their core remains and they add some talent, they will always have a chance at the ring. Get the brooms ready….and the video camera. Ha!
Contact Steve Urena at:
Email: theurenaexpress@gmail.com
Twitter/IG: @theurenaexpress
