With the NFL, College Football seasons underway, and new steroid allegations, many people have forgotten...that the MLB Playoffs start Tuesday!  With that, it is time for my predictions, with MrNFL's MLB Preview Extravaganza!


Oakland A's vs Minnesota Twins

The A's are the team that everyone has forgotten in the MLB.  All of the talk has been about the Yankees, Twins, and Tigers.  The A's had a solid season winning the AL West.  However, let's break down the stats.  This year, the Twins during the regular season scored more, and allowed less runs than the A's.  Also, the Twins had the best record at home of any MLB team.  The Twins surging late, (Or the Tigers falling) to win the division will pay off in this series.  The Twins have had guys like Morneau and Mauer bat great all year, while no one on the A's really stands out.  Plus, I like the Twins pitching staff over the A's. 

Twins win series in 4 games.

Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees

The Tigers faded very fast toward the end of the year, losing the division lead they had all season almost.  The question is, can the Tigers revive the early season success against everyones World Series Pick, the Yankees.  The Yankees have scored more runs than anyone else, and the Tigers have allowed less runs than anyone else.  The Yankees did play without Gary Sheffield and Matsui for most of the year.  With them back, along with the other great batters, it seems that the lineup is unstoppable.  Altough the Tigers young aces in Bonderman and Verlander have been great all year, they are young and lack playoff experience.  For the Yanks, even without Johnson, they have Wang and Mussina who have both pitched great this season. 

Yankees win in 4

St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres

The Cards nearly blew their playoff spot to end the year, while the Padres had to fight with the Dodgers all year.  However, momentum is the next days starting pitcher.  The Padres won with pitching, pitching, and how bout some more pitching?  They say that pitching wins championships.  They have solid starters, and Hoffman, who has been a beast this season.  The Padres don't have any batters that really jump out at you, while the Cards have Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds.  They also have solid pitchers with Carpenter and Suppan.  I think it may come down to the closer, where Hoffman is more proven than whoever the Cards got.  Plus, the Cards were terrible away from Busch Stadium, and that will be the final factor.

Padres win in 5




Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets

The Mets were incredibly dominate all season.  However, they have been in cruise control for the last month, while the Dodgers have had to fight like crazy just to get a playoff spot.  The Mets do have some great batters with Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, and Lo Duca.  The Dodgers lineup does have a few question marks.  Both teams have some questions at pitcher.  The combo of Lowe, Maddux, and Penny are pretty good, while the Mets have the veterans Glavine and El Duque.  The Mets are the most vulnerable to lose in this 5 game series, and if the Dodgers get a hot start, they could pull it out.  But I believe the Mets pull this one out.

Mets in 5.

That's all for the MLB Preview Extravaganza!  Around the Horn will not be on ESPN on Friday, so this Friday, expect the return of Bloggers Around the Horn.  If you are interested in being a part of it, email me at slocum_moo@hotmail.com