Staff Writer
This postseason the
National League and the American League have been completely different. The
American league has two of the most improbable teams imaginable playing in the
ALCS, while in the National League there are two perennial teams. Here is a preview
on what should be an exciting League Championship Series.
ALCS: Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals
If you told somebody at the beginning of the season that the Orioles
and the Royals would be playing in the ALCS, they would probably say something
along the lines of “this isn’t the ‘80s.” Well, here we are and these two teams
are playing and partying like it is the 1980s (the Orioles won World Series in
’83 and Royals won World Series in ’85). Yes, it is Baltimore and Kansas City,
two teams who from 1998 to 2011 never played a single game in October. In fact,
they were both so bad that in that same stretch the O’s never finished a season
above .500 and the Royals finished only one season above .500 (.512 in 2003). These
are two teams whose odds to win the World Series at the start of the year were
50-1 (KC) and 40-1 (BAL), but now both Baltimore and Kansas City are four wins
away from giving us something we haven’t seen in nearly 30 years. As improbable
and shocking as it may be, the O’s and Royals beat some serious talent to get
here and they didn’t just win; they brought out the brooms and swept their
opponents. The Orioles beat the past three Cy Young award winners while the
Royals swept the team with the best record in the league.
There are so many similarities between Baltimore and
Kansas City, starting with their pitching. Their starters aren’t the biggest
names in the business and may not be the greatest, but both teams have shutdown
bullpens. They both proved that they can put up an abundance of runs and hit
home runs. They also have an unbelievable fan base as their crowds are electric
and can have an effect on a game. The key to this series is going to be
offensive efficiency; both teams can put up runs, but they do so in different
ways. The Orioles have more power and rely on the long ball while the Royals
like to play small ball and manufacture runs through bunting and stealing
bases. Regardless, it will be a very exciting with Baltimore winning their
first ALCS since 1983 in seven games.
NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants
Since 2010 the representative for the National league in the World
Series has either been the Cardinals or the Giants. Both of these teams have
two World Series championships within the last decade and are second and third in
most World Series titles ever. Unlike the teams in the ALCS, these franchises know
what it’s like to be in the postseason. The Cardinals and the Giants both beat
the two best teams in the NL (the Nationals and Dodgers) and now they will meet
with a ticket to the World Series on the line. The Cardinals absolutely
derailed Clayton Kershaw in two games against him scoring 11 total runs on him.
Kershaw was undoubtedly the best pitcher this season, and the best player in
the whole league. His ERA was 1.77 and his record was 21-3. The Giants can
throw any pitcher they want at the Cardinals, but they have proven they can
beat the best.
San Francisco, on the other hand, realized it is
another even year in this decade which means it is time for them to win a World
Series (Giants won in 2010 and 2012). They started by winning the one game
Wild-Card and went on to beat the best team in the NL, the Nationals. The only
concern for the Giants they never scored more than three runs in four games
against the Nationals. That has a lot to do with Washington’s unbelievable
pitching rotation, but the Nationals offense hit a slump at the wrong time with
Bryce Harper being the only player who decided to show up for the NLDS. The
Giants pitching is not great, so in order for them to beat the Cardinals they
are going to have to put up runs. The Cardinals are the better team in this
series and the results will prove that as it will be St. Louis winning in six
games.
