This year's Major League Baseball postseason is winding down, though there is still plenty to be decided. The New York Mets are awaiting the winner of the Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals series to determine which franchise will be crowned the American League champion.
The Royals can lock up their spot in the World Series Friday, while the Blue Jays need a win to force a winner-take-all seventh game at Kauffman Stadium Saturday.
It's been a wild unpredictable ride thus far, so let's take a look at what the oddsmakers are looking at heading into the Fall Classic.
Latest Playoff Odds
MLB Playoff Ticket Info
World Series tickets at Citi Field can be found at ScoreBig.com.
American League Championship Series tickets at Kauffman Stadium can be found at ScoreBig.com.
Playoff Predictions
It seems unlikely the Royals won't reach the World Series. As formidable as the Blue Jays are, having won four straight games this postseason when facing elimination, they face an uphill climb.
Toronto was a sub-.500 team in the regular season on the road (40-41), while the Royals had the American League's third-best home record (51-30). Despite having more talent on paper, this hasn't been a good series for the Blue Jays.
The one thing working to the Blue Jays' advantage is David Price and Marcus Stroman will start Games 6 and, if it gets there, 7. Those two are better than Kansas City starters Yordano Ventura and, presumably, Johnny Cueto.
However, as ESPN's Baseball Tonight shows on Twitter, Price hasn't had much success in the postseason:
The misery isn't all Price's fault, as Kevin Burkhardt of Fox Sports 1 notes the former Cy Young winner has only gotten 12 runs of support in those seven starts.
The Blue Jays do have a potent lineup, but Kauffman Stadium isn't the place to hit homers. Per ESPN's Home Run Tracker, the Royals' park surrendered the fewest home runs in the American League (130) this season.
The Royals have won their last three home games in the postseason; they have a lineup that doesn't strike out, and the BABIP gods have been kind to them throughout October. They will be the first team to repeat as AL champions since Texas in 2010 and 2011.
This sets up a New York vs. Kansas City World Series. The Mets boast one of the best young starting rotations any of us have ever seen, with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz all aged 27 or younger.
New York's starting rotation is not just shutting down opponents, it's blowing them away with power stuff, as noted by Joel Sherman of the New York Post (h/t ESPN's Jayson Stark):
Yet if it is Kansas City on the other side of the field, the Mets will face a lineup the likes of which they have yet to see.
The Royals aren't an overpowering offense, but they make contact better than anyone and frustrate pitchers who are used to racking up strikeouts.
Kansas City has proved in series against Houston and Toronto that just being able to put the ball in play can lead to a lot of good things.
Eventually, the Mets will have to win one against Kansas City's bullpen, which is a monumental task. Wade Davis, per ESPN's Buster Olney, has been virtually untouchable since 2014:
If Davis was the only weapon Royals manager Ned Yost had out of the bullpen, there would be a problem. Being able to use Kelvin Herrera, who has allowed just one run in seven innings this postseason, and Ryan Madson allows Yost to limit how much starting pitchers need to do.
The Mets offense has been very good, scoring 45 runs through nine playoff games, but eventually Daniel Murphy has to come back down to earth.
One big potential problem for New York's lineup is Yoenis Cespedes' shoulder, which caused him to leave Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. The slugger is expected to play in the World Series, but his effectiveness will be worth watching in the early games.
It's stunning the Mets have made it this far. It would be a great story if they finished this run off, but the Royals can win games in many different ways and are going to redeem themselves after San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner shut them down in Game 7 last year.
Prediction: Royals win World Series in six games.
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