MLB Playoffs 2010 Predictions
MLB Playoffs 2010 Predictions
Since most teams in Major League Baseball have now played their 81st game of this season, we are officially at the halfway mark. In the race for October glory, there are still plenty of tight divisional races.
Currently, the American League is led by the Yankees, Tigers and Twins, Rangers, and Red Sox. Those are the top five teams based on their position in their divisions. Don’t think of the Red Sox as just another wildcard team — the team they are second place in the division too is none other than the New York Yankees, who also happen to have the best record in baseball. The Rangers are enjoying their time in the sun after decades of playing awful baseball, and sports fans in Detroit are overjoyed (if not a little shocked) by the prowess of their starting nine.
The National League holds few surprises. Sitting pretty at the top are some familiar faces, including the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinatti Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, the LA Dodgers, and the Amazing Mets. The same story that holds true for Boston in the AL holds for the New York Mets, who sit just two games behind a dynamic Atlanta Braves team.
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Surprises
This season has its share of strange developments. From the 14-1 record and 2.27 ERA for Udalbo Jimenez in Colorado to the (nearly) three perfect games pitched within thirty days of each other. It has certainly been a wild season and we’re only halfway through.
Besides Jimenez’ fantastic season opening play, there are at least two entire club systems whose performances shock us on a daily basis. For the Cincinnati Reds to be a full game and a half up on NL powerhouse St. Louis at this point in the season is nothing short of an Ohio miracle. Should the Reds hold on to win the division while Cleveland’s NBA team somehow manages to re-sign LeBron James, there’ll be riots in Columbus for a week. The Reds have pulled off this surprising season by mixing the stellar play of a handful of veterans with plenty of talented new blood. The Reds have six players aged 26 or younger, mostlythem big-time prospects like first baseman Joey Votto (hitting .311 with 10 homeruns and 31 RBI), but much of the work is being done by otherwise “no name” young players, like outfielder Jay Bruce (.264, four homers, 16 RBI) and the Reds’ 2009 draft pick and starting pitcher Mike Leake (4-0, 2.91 ERA). Veterans like shortstop Orlando Cabrera and outfielder Jonny Gomes act as anchors to a fiery young lineup that punishes everyone they play.
Disappointments
There is no greater disappointment than the pain being felt in Philly land these days. The National League champion Phillies are beset with injury troubles and something you might call “whiff syndrome”. Their big players are hurting, and the supporting cast are swinging Wiffle bats. Put simply, a 43-40 record is not good enough for Philly nation. A dismal home record (23-18) means that home fans have seen plenty of bad baseball. Sure, there’s nothing you can do about injuries — or is there? Fans are grumbling that something needs to change, and some sources are already talking about “changes” in the front office.
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Two other teams that are playing surprisingly bad are the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs. The Mariners were 85 – 77 last season and already this year they’ve hit the bottom of the division and pretty much just sat there. When your team hits lots of losing streaks and has trouble on your home field, you’re going to be a basement dweller. As for the Cubs, they are under .500 at home. There are no fans like Cubs fans, stil waiting for that championship stolen what seems like an eternity ago by an errant fan maneuver. If any team in the league is cursed, it is the Cubbies. Any team that is 3-9 in twelve games against lowly Pittsburgh this season is in for some big changes come year’s end.
In the spirit of the halfway point of the season, here are our divisional predictions, along with 2010 MLB Playoff picks.
AL East
1st New York Yankees
2nd Boston Red Sox, 1 GB
3rd Tampa Bay Rays 2 GB
4th Toronto Blue Jays 8 GB
5th Baltimore Orioles 30 GB
AL Central
1st Detroit Tigers
2nd Minnesota Twins 1 GB
3rd Chicago White Sox 1.5 GB
4th Kansas City Royals 8 GB
5th Cleveland Indians 11 GB
AL West
1st Texas Rangers
2nd L.A. Angels 4 GB
3rd Oakland A’s 8.0 GB
4th Seatle Mariners 12 GB
AL Wildcard
1st Boston Red Sox
2nd Tampa Bay Rays 1 GB
3rd L.A. Angels 2 GB
AL Championship — New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox. The Yankees win in a seven game series during which they lose at least one key offensive player.
NL East
1st Atlanta Braves
2nd New York Mets 2 GB
3rd Philadelphia Phillies 5 GB
4th Florida Marlins 8 GB
5th Washington Nationals 13 GB
NL Central
1st Cincinnati Reds
2nd St. Louis Cardinals 1 GB
3rd Milwaukee Brewers 3 GB
4th Houston Astros 10 GB
5th Chicago Cubs 12 GB
6th Pittsburgh Pirates 17 GB
NL West
1st San Diego Padres
2nd L.A Dodgers 2 GB
3rd Colorado Rockies 4 GB
4th San Francisco Giants 8 GB
5th Arizona D’backs 19 GB
NL Wildcard
1st New York Mets
2nd L.A. Dodgers 0.5 GB
3rd St. Louis Cardinals 1.0 GB
4th Milwaukee Brewers 3 GB
World Championship: New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves. We say Atlanta wins in a tough seven game contest after tough competition in several long playoff series puts the Yankees roster on injury watch.
The MLB season is a little over halfway over. All-Star fever is here, and teams are hoping to make second half changes to improve their standings. The days are long and hot and the cool breezes of October seem forever away. Before you know it, the Astros will be making a strong second half run (ultimately unsuccesful) at the Wild Card and the Cubs will really start choking. That’s just how it goes in the second half of the baseball season.
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To find more information related to MLB Playoffs 2010 Predictions, visit the following:
- 2010 MLB Baseball Playoff Predictions at Bleacher Report
- 2010 MLB Second Half Predictions at Sprung on Sports
- Fantasy Baseball Leagues
This entry was posted on Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at 6:00 am and is filed under Entertainment, Sports, Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Not even close, lamebrains.
Really, you guys need to stop predicting. None of you have gotten remotely close or right.
hahaha … it’s fun reading back this “expert’s” prediction. Awua is so right.