MLB Playoffs

There's the slightest of chills creeping into the air, football is once again dominating Sundays and, at least in a few American League cities, the tension of a Wild Card race inserts itself into everyday living. 

The MLB postseason is nearly upon us, folks.

The American League Wild Card race may not be over yet, but the National League playoff picture is finally set, and we can begin making our predictions for that entire half of the playoff bracket. 

The Wild Card teams have been set, with the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates taking the spots in the first year with two wild card teams playing a one-game playoff round to determine who will advance to the NLDS.

The 2013 MLB postseason kicks off this coming Tuesday with the NL Wild Card Game, with the AL Wild Card Game the following day before getting into full swing on Thursday.

The AL wild-card picture has yet to be sorted out, and there could still be some movement as far as seeding is concerned in each league, but for the most part the postseason picture has already taken shape.

As such, here is a look at my complete predictions for the 2013 MLB playoffs from the Wild Card Round all the way through the World Series.

A 7-0 rout of the Chicago Cubs on Friday night assured the St. Louis Cardinals of an NL Central title, their first since 2009.

Despite dominating for most of the regular season, they face a whole new set of challenges in their pursuit of the 2013 World Series Championship.

Here are three reasons why St. Louis may succumb to an early playoff exit.

During the MLB postseason, the best of the best are pitted against each other. Not only are there interesting battles with the teams involved, but there are also a number of matchups between players that should be watched as well.

These games will pit power hitters against power pitchers as well as speedsters against top-flight catchers. Ultimately, these in-game matchups will be ones to keep an eye on as they could lead to some of the biggest moments of the postseason.

No young MLB prospect is more intriguing than Billy Hamilton, who in a month has gone from struggling in Triple-A to becoming a huge asset to the Cincinnati Reds. The playoff-bound Reds need more of the same come October for a World Series run.

There are just six days left in the 2013 regular season, and while four teams have clinched their divisions, there is still a lot left to be decided in the season's final weekend.

As October approaches, a few teams in the playoff hunt are vying for better playoff position: Three teams in the National League Central − Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati − are separated by just two games, while one game separates three teams for two American League wild-card berths.

With the MLB playoff picture finally taking shape in the last week of the regular season, three teams are getting hot at just the right time. The Oakland Athletics have won their past five games, and have locked up the AL West. The Tampa Bay Rays are fresh off a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, and the Cincinnati Reds have won seven of their past nine games.  

Baseball season is fast approaching its 162nd game and regular season conclusion. For the second year, though, four teams will be playing game 163. Since being implemented last season, much has been said about the incongruity of a one-game playoff after a 162-game marathon, and the debate will likely continue as long as it exists. For now, though, 90-plus wins may only be good for one extra game.

Congratulations to the 11 MLB teams that entered play on Monday with at least a 25 percent chance of making the playoffs, but only five of them are actually contenders to win the 2013 World Series.

Not all World Series champions are created equal, but recent winners have a handful of things in common that suggest a possible formula for identifying the true candidates to win it all.