League Divisional Series Preview #1

Hello everyone,

Today I'm gonna briefly look at two of League Divisional Series.

First,

San Francisco Giants (94-68) vs. Cincinnati Reds (97-65)

My first impression of the series is that this is a pretty even series. In a short five game series, anything can happen for sure. My gut tells me that the Giants are gonna take this series.

Here is why: Bruce Bochy is one of the best managers in baseball while Dusty Baker may be the most overrated in the history of the game. I believe that tis series comes down to who plays the better game of chess between these two, and I find it difficult to believe that Bochy loses. Plus, Baker will find a way to lose the series for his team. I say this because Baker is the kind of manager that has to tinker with everything in order to put his stamp on the game.

However, the Reds have a great bullpen anchored by the amazing Aroldis Chapman. If the Reds can get the game into the ninth with a lead, I like the Red's chances.

I look for Buster Posey to have a tremendous series against the Reds. He has been on an incredible hitting run over the last few months, and I suspect that it will continue into the postseason.

I think the Giants win in four.

Oakland Athletics (94-69) vs. Detroit Tigers (88-74)

The Oakland Athletics have had a surprising, but amazing season thus far. However, they have to play the Detroit Tigers in a short series.

I think the combination of Verlander and Scherzer will be untouchable especially considering they have to play the first two games in Detroit. At home, Verlander is 9-2 holding opponents to a .187 batting average against. Scherzer has had his breakout season this year coming in second in strikeouts (to Verlander) while winning 16 games. While Oakland's pitching staff has been a surprise, they are young, and I look for Detroit's lineup to take advantage of the youth factor.

I look for Miguel Cabrera to continue to prove that he is the best hitter in baseball with a huge postseason.

I think that Detroit wins in four.

Who do you think will win? Let me know in either the comments section of on Facebook.

Thanks for reading,
Marty Sabin