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Teams hit the 100 game mark of the season this week and with just 62 games left, the race for the playoffs is heading into the home stretch. Three teams from the American League and three from the National league are guaranteed a slot in the Best-of-five division series with another 2 teams from each league a one-game wild card playoff. Despite one wild-card world series winner in the past four years (St. Louis Cardinals in 2011), we aren’t putting much stock in the wild-card winners this year. Here’s who we like:
#5: Washington Nationals – The Nationals have it all. They have pitching, they can hit, run and score. Stephen Strasburg is ready to unleash his true potential in the off-season and sitting him in 2012 might finally pay dividends. Bryce Harper continues to improve as Nationals bats start to heat up in August. The Atlanta Braves will continue to put pressure on the Nats in the NL East but we see the team from the Nation’s Capital coming out on top.
#4: Baltimore Orioles – The O’s biggest hurdle is coming out of the AL East. But with fading hopes from the Red Sox and Yankees, the Orioles will put pressure on the Toronto Blue Jays. The Os picked up Andrew Miller from the Red Sox before the trade deadline and that addition should give some strength to the talented Baltimore pitching. The bats of Manny Machado, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones could be the punch they need to get them to the final round.
#3: Detroit Tigers – The Tigers look to return to the promised land in 2014. Their pitching gained post-season experience in Max Scherzer and Jason Verlander. And with the recent addition of David Price, look for an impressive rotation heading into the playoffs. They are sure to come out of the AL Central as a powerhouse. The only concern is their first round matchup, which could be against the As.
#2: Los Angeles Dodgers – The perennial favorite to win it all, the Dodgers are going to run away with the National League West. Stacked bats and terrific pitching behind Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers could certainly make it difficult for any team in the NL. But their youthful mistakes could ultimately cost them in the Series and that’s why we like them as the runner up.
#1: Oakland As – The Oakland As continue to do things the Billy Bean way with a microscopic payroll. The money flexibility allowed the organization to scoop up lefthander Jon Lester, who brings a deadly 2.57 ERA and plenty of World Series experience to the As. The best offiense in the game took a hit watching Yoenis Cespedes traded to Boston. And while Jonny Gomes doesn’t bring the talent back to the As, he brings World Series experience and we think that’s going to be enough. CheapSeatsTickets is also based out of CA so we’re a little biased!
