Leon Jackson - Cobbfather Post Gazette
The playoffs are upon us, with the play-in round starting this afternoon. Let's take a look at the first round matchups, and we'll even throw in a Gazette prediction! Unfortunately She-nayay and her crystal ball were unavailable for this article, but we'll do our best to provide a solid prediction for each series. Let's get to it!
AMERICAN LEAGUE
(6) Burlington Huskies vs. (3) New York Pride of the Yankees
This is a battle of two very teams whose primary strength is their offense. Burlington’s plays small ball very well, with a number of speedsters who can swipe bases at will. This could be a problem for New York’s poor defensive catchers. New York’s offensive comes from their power game, as they have several players who can go deep at any time, supplemented with a few good contact hitters to get on base for their power guys to drive in. Looking at the pitching staffs, both teams have lights out closers, so there should be few runs given up in the late innings. The middle relief looks about even, with New York having great setup guys and Burlington having some quality long relief guys. The starting pitching advantage goes to New York, Burlington will have to catch lightning in a bottle at the number 2 and 3 rotation spots to keep up.
Gazette Prediction: New York in 4
(5) Monterrey Ducks vs. (4) Oakland Bruisers
Looking at this matchup on paper, it would seem that Monterrey has a clear advantage, as they outperformed Oakland offensively and pitching wise this season. Unfortunately for Monterrey, they will be without MVP candidate Stuart Paulson for this series, which levels the playing field a bit, certainly on offense. DH Andre Becker and C Jim Spencer will have to pick up the slack power wise. Oakland’s power source also comes from the catcher position with Aaron Tam. The rest of their lineup features mostly contact hitting speed guys. Spencer doesn’t have a great arm for Monterrey, so look for Oakland to take advantage. Pitching wise, it will be tough for Oakland to keep up with Monterrey’s one-two punch of Tony Saunders and Bronson Jefferies, both who posted sub-3 ERA’s, although Oakland will do it’s best with it’s trio of sub-4 ERA starters of Fitzgerald, Martin and Diaz.
Gazette Prediction: Monterrey in 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
(6) Honolulu Haoles vs. (3) Cincinnati Flying Pigs
These two first round opponents have similar philosophies. Win with the power game and great pitching. Honolulu was 3rd in the majors in ERA this season, while Cincinnati finished in the top 10, despite playing in the bandbox that is the Great American Ballpark. Honolulu will look to ride the arm of Octavio Solano during this series, who went 19-3 with a mind blowing 2.10 ERA this season. Cincinnati doesn’t have an ace quite the level of Solano, but they can match their #2, and have the advantage when comparing #3 starters. Bullpen advantage appears to go to Honolulu led by yet another Cy Young candidate, closer Richie Burks, who was nearly untouchable this season. Cincinnati took advantage of their park, crushing home runs regularly led by LF Marlon Merritt with 57. Honolulu can matchup with 3 30+ HR guys, plus they seem to have better contact hitters than Cincy.
Gazette Prediction: Honolulu in 5
(5) Houston Rockets vs. (4) New York Primetimers
This is probably the tightest matchup in the first round. Houston was 5th in ERA, New York was 6th. Houston had the better batting average, but New York had the better power numbers. Pitching wise, New York has the best pitcher in the series in Walt Lowe (11-5, 2.72 ERA). But Houston’s pitching staff is deeper, and will definitely have the advantage when the #3 starters go head to head. Overall, Houston’s bullpen performed better, but New York has the more dominant closer. As mentioned prior, New York has a lineup deep in power hitting, led by Kevin Byrd with an incredible 67 HR! They had 5 other guys with 20 HR or more as well. New York runs more on the bases too, but may be tamed by Houston’s great defensive catchers. Offensively, Houston has a few good power hitters too, and their team seems to be able to hit for average more consistently across the board. This is going to be a tight series indeed!
Gazette Prediction: New York in 5
Good luck to all the teams in the first round!