2018 MLB Postseason Predictions

    The 2018 MLB Postseason is officially upon us, so we're back to make our 2018 playoff predictions (post-Wild Card play in). These are just PREDICTIONS about what will happen the rest of the way in October. Feel free to share your predictions with us as well! With that said, let's jump right in:

NLDS: ATLANTA BRAVES vs. LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Machado: traded to Dodgers on August 18.

    This 2018 Atlanta Braves team has surprised a lot of people by being a year ahead of schedule and running away with the NL East in September. The Braves have a solid group of veterans, including NL hits leader Freddie Freeman, All-Star Nick Markakis and Julio Teheran, but the story for the Braves this season has been the prominent rise of their young stars like Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna and Johan Camargo. However, the Braves only have a handful of guys who have tasted the Postseason before and that's where the odds begin to skew in LA's favor. Youth brings energy, but also inexperience. This Dodger team is full of experience. Most of the big pieces the same from last year's World Series run, and they've added veterans Brian Dozier and Manny Machado to the mix. The Braves did not fair well against the Dodgers in the regular season and both Dodger Stadium and SunTrust Park bode well for home run hitting clubs-like the Dodgers. I like this Braves club, and they have a bright future, but I think their young core needs to get another year under their belts before we start talking about them as serious championship contenders. DODGERS IN 4.

NLDS: COLORADO ROCKIES vs. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
    In a tightly contested division, it took the Milwaukee Brewers 163 games to nab the NL Central crown. Similar to their improbable run in 2007, the Colorado Rockies made the postseason on the heels of a red-hot September before beating the Cubs at Wrigley Field in the NL Wild Card game in what many believe to be a shocking upset. This series will definitely be a hitter's paradise, as both mile-high Coors Field and Miller Park in Milwaukee give up their share of runs. There is star power on both sides, so I believe this shortened series will go the distance, but I give the edge to Milwaukee in this one. The red-hot bat of the likely NL MVP Christian Yelich and the playoff experience of 2015 World Series champions Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas will lead a Brewers attack that will prove to much for Rockies pitching. BREWERS IN 5.

ALDS: CLEVELAND INDIANS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
    It is truly a shame that these two clubs are meeting in the first round, as there's only potential for five games. These are the two most experienced teams in the postseason, having both been to the World Series within the last two seasons. Also, both teams come into this postseason with the nucleus of their respective World Series rosters still intact. Both however, have added huge pieces since then-Garritt Cole for the Astros and Josh Donaldson for the Indians. This is one of the most evenly matched postseason series we've seen in years and I don't see a clear cut advantage, so I'm going to air on the side of more recent history and say: ASTROS IN 5.

ALDS: NEW YORK YANKEES vs. BOSTON RED SOX
    It is the postseason when baseball rivalries come to life and there is no rivalry bigger than the Yankees Red Sox. This is yet another instance where it's a shame that the ALDS is a Best-of-5 series, because it's a disservice to baseball to not have these two meet without potential of a 7-game series. Even though they split the season series pretty evenly (10-9 Red Sox), Boston is clearly the more complete team. Boston does everything well, with a killer pitching staff and undoubtedly the top-2 AL MVP vote-getters (Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez) anchoring an offense that is very balanced, as opposed to a Yankees offense that is the epitome of "strikeouts don't matter." Unfortunately for them, in the postseason, they really, REALLY do. RED SOX IN 5.


NLCS: LOS ANGELES DODGERS vs. MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Yelich: A .326/36/110 line could earn NL MVP honors

  Both of these teams come into this series having been battle tested all season, coming out on top in the two toughest divisions in baseball in 2018. These two teams have very differing offensive styles and that will be the interesting thing to watch in this series. The Dodgers possess a relentless pursuit of the long ball and the Brewers offer a get-'em-up & get-'em-in approach. Pitching will play a huge role in this series, as to who can neutralize the opposing offensive attack better. I think L.A has the advantage there, but it's hard to bet against a brewers team that is coming into the postseason on an 8-game win streak. It will be a hard fought and competitive series, and because of that, it's a toss-up. I think home field and a more grounded offensive approach will be the X-factor. BREWERS IN 6.

ALCS: HOUSTON ASTROS vs. BOSTON RED SOX
    To put it simply: I like Boston here. The Red Sox have been set up to win a title for a couple of years, so I believe it's coming sooner rather than later. Houston boasts one of the best postseason starting rotations we've seen in a long time, but Boston seems to be a team chasing after destiny this year. The defending champs will be no easy out though. RED SOX IN 7.


WORLD SERIES: MILWAUKEE BREWERS vs. BOSTON RED SOX

Martinez: .330 AVG., 43 HR, 130 RBIs in 2018

     At this point in the season, I've learned to trust my gut when it tells me not to bet against Christian Yelich. The Brewers earned home-field advantage in a very tough National League race. They're for real. They wouldn't have gotten to this point if they weren't. With that being said, this Red Sox team feels remarkably similar to the 2013 team after the Boston bombing-a team chasing destiny. The crucial piece of that destiny run came back in the offseason when they signed J.D. Martinez, who has had  his second straight MVP-caliber season. There just seems like this team is too loaded not to fulfill their destiny. RED SOX IN 6.