If the Playoffs Started Today – MLB Week 12

By John in Red Sox ⋅ June 27, 2011 at 8:30pm ⋅ Post a comment

Phillies vs Yankees: Week 12's prediction for the World Series

With the Dodgers bankrupt and the All Star break almost upon us, the season is nearly half over, and there’s still plenty of teams in the hunt. Four divisions are led by at most 1.5 games. Philadelphia lost Roy Oswalt for awhile. The top three teams aside from Philly are all in one division. And the Marlins are the home team in Seattle. Boston’s crest turned into another trough against the Pirates. Johnny Depp is pleased. Yep, there’s a lot going on right now with no clear winners yet, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Monday, June 27 at 8:30pm:

National League

#1 Philadelphia Phillies vs #3 Milwaukee Brewers

These two have the largest division leads in the majors. Milwaukee has won three straight, but Gallardo and Greinke, while very good, aren’t nearly as unbeatable as Halladay and Lee, and Oswalt won’t be on the DL forever. That pitching, combined with some decent bats, will win the day for Philadelphia.

#2 San Francisco Giants vs #W Atlanta Braves

Atlanta is good, but San Francisco has “The Freak” Tim Lincecum, and has powered its way to five straight wins. San Francisco may not have the strongest offense, but their pitching, rotation and bullpen, is good enough to make another deep run.

American League

#1 New York Yankees vs #3 Texas Rangers

New York is always a contender, and that’s despite their overall turmoil in the rotation, and lately some of the bullpen. The Rangers are still 1.5 games ahead of Seattle, but they’re having to fight to keep that slim margin. With New York’s incredibly powerful offense, and without Cliff Lee, Texas shouldn’t be able to stop them.

#2 Detroit Tigers vs #W Boston Red Sox

Cleveland finally lost the division lead to Detroit. Boston lost the first two games to Pittsburgh of all teams, but David Ortiz will be back in the lineup in an AL park. Andrew Miller is already proving to be a good addition to a starting rotation that’s had some problems. Boston’s been quite streaky this year, but they are looking up; hopefully Philadelphia (without Halladay or Oswalt going) will bring out the best in them. Detroit may be picking up steam, but Boston still has the muscle to put them back down.

What Might Change Next Week:

The Pirates will take the division. Just kidding. But they are only 4.0 games behind Milwaukee. It might be fun to watch them for the entertainment value right now.

Tags: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB Playoffs, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers