Plenty of new blood and a few familiar faces have made the 2015 MLB postseason arguably the most exciting one in years.
Six new teams reached the playoffs this year, and one of the four remaining will quench a lengthy title drought. The Toronto Blue Jays, here for the first time since 1993, have faced adversity at every corner despite being the early favorites. The Kansas City Royals snapped a 29-year playoff drought only a year ago, yet they are the most veteran group among the remaining teams.
The New York Mets are seeking their first World Series title since 1986 behind a youthful yet powerful rotation. The Chicago Cubs are hoping to throw a party that is 107 years in the making.
Parity has presented a refreshing new era for baseball. Now only a week away, here’s a look at the Fall Classic schedule:
NLCS: New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs (Mets Lead 2-0)
The Cubs trail 2-0 in the National League Championship Series and have already used their top starters, Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta, who gave up an uncharacteristic three runs in the first inning of Game 2—snapping a streak of 26 consecutive starts without allowing a run in the opening frame.
The Mets offense continues to hang with the best and is now a combined 4-2 against Chicago’s duo and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the playoffs. In Games 3 and 4, the Mets will face Kyle Hendricks and likely Jason Hammel, who each made one National League Division Series start with a combined 5.86 ERA over 7.2 innings.
Manager Joe Maddon insists he won’t start Lester on three days' rest, per CBS Chicago. Regardless, the Cubs are in trouble, as Arrieta admitted to Jon Tayler of Sports Illustrated. "We’ve got work to do," he said. "The good thing is we get to go home, play three games in Wrigley Field, and come out ready to go, which we will be. The series is not over."
Chicago can't blame everything on its pitching. The Cubs offense manufactured just one run of support and struck out 20 times in Games 1 and 2. The team's hopes will now ride to Wrigley Field, where seven Chicago players smacked a combined nine home runs in the team's NLDS win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Mets will counter with Jacob deGrom, whose two regular-season losses to the Cubs—in which he allowed seven earned runs with six walks and seven strikeouts over 10.1 innings—seem like ages ago. In two NLDS starts, he allowed two runs over 13 innings against the Dodgers.
Game 3 is a must-win for the Cubs. A loss would put them down 3-0, and only once in postseason history has a team come back from such a deficit. But even if the Cubs manage to pull out a victory, New York’s offense will be too much to surmount.
Prediction: Mets win in six games.
ALCS: Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Royals Lead 2-1)
The Royals held the high-powered Blue Jays offense to just three runs in Kansas City, but Toronto countered with 11 runs in a return home in Game 3—capturing a must-win and proving the series is far from over.
The Blue Jays have proved to be resilient throughout the playoffs, overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the American League Division Series while dealing with ongoing attrition. They'll host two more games at Rogers Centre, where the Royals have now lost four of their last five this year.
R.A. Dickey will take the hill in Game 4, riding seven days' rest after pitching just 4.2 innings in Game 4 of the ALDS. Marco Estrada, coming off a trying Game 1 in which he allowed three runs over 5.1 innings, will likely pitch Game 5.
They’ll be complemented by an offense that’s averaging six runs per game at home in the postseason. Troy Tulowitzki blasted a pivotal three-run home run in Game 3 and is proving his postseason worth after the trade-deadline deal the Blue Jays made for him.
The Royals should be discouraged by the performance they got from No. 1 starter Johnny Cueto, who allowed eight runs and didn't make it out of the third inning.
While the Royals were convincing in their two wins, those contests seemed like an uncharacteristic Blue Jays stumble. The Blue Jays will be tough to beat at home, but even if they sweep the three games in Toronto, they'll still have to head back to Kauffman Stadium.
Toronto has taken the momentum and should return to Kansas City with a 3-2 edge. And with two opportunities to close out the series, the Blue Jays will slug their way to the Fall Classic.
Prediction: Blue Jays win in seven games.
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