Heck with the positive feeling going into the playoffs, it is important you know why your MLB team won’t win the World Series! The playoffs begin for real today. Sorry Wildcard games we are not including you. It’s all about the Great Eight! You may not like it, but here is why your team will leave you shaking your head at the television! Let the Heartbreak begin.
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS:
1 Boston Red Sox (108-54)
The Red Sox will not win the 2018 World Series because the starting pitching turns into a pumpkin when it counts the most. When its October this current starting staff has an ERA well over 5, In fact, David Price acts as if he is the New York Yankees pitching coach (ERA over eight as a member of the Boston Red Sox vs. N.Y. Yankees). Don’t believe me? Watch this montage! The bullpen is also very shaky before Craig Kimbrel with a lot of red flags as the Yankees come to town. Who is Ryan Brasier and when will that bubble burst! Other than that, the Red Sox are deep and have the MVP on it (take your pick, Mookie Betts or J.D. Martinez). They set all kinds of team records (108 wins). The pressure is entirely on Boston who if they don’t win it all, like Seattle in 2001 (116 regular season wins), the season would be considered an epic failure! J.A. Happ a Red Sox Killer? Yup, he has a 1.78 ERA against the BoSox since 2015. Ouch, he starts in game one! Sorry, Beantown this hurts me, but the pitching will break those Dirty Water hearts.
2 Houston Astros (103-59)
It’s pretty simple; it’s tough to repeat. The 2018 MLB playoffs have many stacked teams, and unfortunately for the Stros, they are all in the American League. You want proof look at these additions by those sharing the playoff spotlight with Houston (Red Sox got J.D. Martinez, Yankees got Stanton, Britton, and Happ, and the Indians added a ton of bullpen arms and Josh Donaldson). The bullpen is still a significant concern for me. Closer Roberto Osuna (2-2 2.37 ERA 21 Saves) is better than Giles but this team has to find a way to get to him. Also, the line-up does not seem as scary as it was last year when the Astros won it all. Carlos Correa is just not the same this year end of story. Look, if I were to put money on a team, this is who I’d take but Houston, we have a problem! They are not going to make it two in a row.
3. New York Yankees (100-62)
The Bronx Bombers will not win because those record-breaking Home Runs get neutralized by great pitching in October. The A’s didn’t offer excellent starting pitching; they turned to some reliever from Australia to start. Who do the Yankees get to open up the series versus the Red Sox at Fenway? Not a reliever but certified Yankee killer Chris Sale. New York also has some concerns with the starting pitching. J.A. Happ, Servino, and Tanaka do not match-up to the other four teams rotations in the AL playoffs. If you were to rank the four AL teams and the starting staffs, the Yankees would be last! The bullpen is the best in baseball so who knows maybe the Yankees should start David Robertson! Sorry, Frank Sinatra, your song will not be played with World Championship implications for the Bronx Bombers.
4. Cleveland Indians (91-71)
The Cleveland Indians will not win the World Series because they are the Cleveland Indians. It’s been 70 years since they last won and this teams bullpen scares nobody late in games. Sure they added 100 arms at the deadline but Andrew Miller is not Andrew Miller (2-4 4.24 ERA), and Cody Allen has been a pinata the whole year (4-6 4.70 ERA). The starters are excellent, and strikeout bandits but they are going up against an Astros team whose rotation is deeper. The Tribe is destined to let its faithful down probably in heartbreaking dramatic fashion so no, in 2018 they will not rock! Sorry, Drew Carey maybe next year.
NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS:
1. Milwaukee Brewers (96-67)
The Brew Crew will not win the World Series because they never do. Look, I remember Harvey’s wall bangers (Yount, Cooper, Molitor, Thomas, Oglive) in 1982, what a team. They had good starting pitching as well but when you are starting the bullpen for game one, it just doesn’t sound right. It didn’t work for Oakland versus the Yankees and it won’t work for Milwaukee. The starting rotation (Wade Miley really?) is just not good enough, but I will say this, Christian Yelich is out of his mind awesome right now. When you look at all these teams left in the playoffs, the Brewers starters just don’t match-up and why they won’t win it all! Hey Aaron Rodgers, Old Milwaukee Beer, and those cheese curds will keep you happy in late October!
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (92-71)
Not since Kirk Gibson took Dennis Eckersley deep have we seen championship baseball in Dodgertown. I believe Ronald Reagan was the president and the year was 1988. LeBron is a Laker, Rams are undefeated at 4-0, and the Azul barely got into the playoffs. Kenley Jansen is not the same, Clayton Kershaw is 7-7 4.35 ERA in the post-season, Rich Hill will get a bad blister, this team is not clutch. Do you feel right about Ryu as your game one starter? Nope! The dream, “Hollywood” ending for the 2018 MLB Playoffs will once again slip away for the Doyers, but hey the Rams are good!
3. Colorado Rockies (91-72)
I’m Sorry, the Coors will not be chilling in championship mode this October. The Rockies barely got by the Cubs thanks to Tony Wolters (.170 AVG. got his first hit in like a month) dramatic single. You have to love baseball right, Tony Wolters the 3rd catcher are you serious? The Rockies made such an impressive run just to make the 2018 MLB playoffs. This team has power and some sneaky good players, but the pitching is not deep enough despite Kyle Freeland’s brilliance (17-7 2.85 ERA) to raise that championship banner. Getting closer but not there, have some Rocky Mountain Oysters next year is just a few months away.
4. Atlanta Braves (90-72)
No question the biggest surprise in the 2018 MLB Playoffs! Maybe the team with the best and most exciting young players in the postseason. Unfortunately for Atlanta, Youthful exuberance does not add up to a championship. Look, the Braves fans who show up are excited they forgot what playoff baseball was (It has been 5 years). Yes, we get to hear that annoying Braves chant for a week or so but that will be it. Like the Rockies, the Braves could be real contenders for years to come but not this year! When you read stories written, “Braves pin playoff hopes on rich history” I’m sorry Smoltz, Glavine, and Maddux are not part of this rotation. Go ahead name me the four starting pitchers on this team right now? I didn’t think so!
The 2018 MLB playoffs are wide open. MLB playoffs are drama filled and arguably the best of all four major sports. One pitch can change an entire series and one player possibly the last guy on the bench can be a hero. So you have compelling reasons why your team will not win the World Series. Who will win and why? Listen to the Unafraid Show (3 pm – 5 pm PST/ 6 pm – 8 pm EST on Friday evening/afternoon on Dash Talk Live), and we will tell you but realize that seven cities will be left counting the days until why your MLB team won’t win the World Series yet again! It’s a hard thing to do to win 11 or 12 games in October.