Doz On Life MLB Playoff Predictions: Wild Card Games

I was going to do a full on blog but I'm fucking exhausted from teaching. Luckily, that isn't going to be going on much longer. Hopefully I'll have a little more time to write, although I wouldn't bank on it since I've been jaded by the reality that I'm not as funny as I think I am and kind of suck at writing. But despite all that negativity I also know that I'm fucking hilarious and actually can write.  I just need an editor because I'm just too lazy to proof-read. I've been posting my MLB playoff predictions longer than DOL has been alive and felt like I at least had to have my official picks on the record. Just gonna do the wild card games. Hopefully I'll have more time to write and give better analysis soon for the rest of the playoffs. For now, short and sweet will have to do it.

American League Wild-Card Game. 

Minnesota Twins 85-77 vs. New York Yankees 91-71

Pitching match up: Ervin Santana (16-8, 3.28 ERA) vs.  Luis Severino (14-6, 2.98 ERA).

Even though the wild-card game has been happening since 2012, I still don't really like it. Don't get me wrong, the excitement of a one game playoff to start off the postseason is awesome. I just fucking hate how a 162 game season comes down to a single elimination game. To me it's not fair, especially in years when the wild card teams have better records than division winners. I kind of hate how winning the division matters. If it were up to me there would just be a National and American League where the top 5 teams make the playoffs. If you wanna have the 4 and 5 seeds have a one game playoff, so be it, but I hate the idea of geography mattering more than wins. If you have more wins than another team, you should be rewarded for that.

In 2015 the 98 win Pirates took on the 97 win Cubs in a one game playoff, while the Dodgers and Mets who both have less wins got automatic berths in the NLDS because they won their divisions.  To me, if you win 98 games you deserve a series, not a coin-flip. But enough about hating on the wild-card game I'm already ranting too much which is exactly what I didn't want to do here.

I feel like the Twins always end up playing the Yankees in the playoffs whenever they make it, and always get swept. So of course that's the match up here. I really, really want to take the Twins here because I fucking hate the Yankees, and like this Twins team a lot. It's great to see a future Hall-of-Famer like Joe Mauer have a bounce back year and get back in the playoffs. However, I don't think it lasts too long. While in a one game scenario it's extremely possible for the Twins to move on, I just don't see it happening. The Yankees have dominated the Twins at home this season and with their ace on the mound I expect that to continue. 

I think the Yankees win, and don't really have to sweat it out.

Yankees win 6-2.

National League Wild- Card Game: Colorado Rockies 87- 75 vs. Arizona Diamondback 93-69.
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Pitching Matchup: Jon Gray (10-4,  3.67) vs. Zack Greinke (17-7, 3.20)

Another reason why I hate the one-game playoff is that it doesn't give fun-upstart teams like the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks a big enough stage to shine. Playing on the west coast, these teams don't get a ton of national media spotlight when they should, both rosters are full of young, exciting players that need to be shown the sports world. Guys like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt should be household names. While most of the world is taking the D-backs to not only win this game, but possibly upset the Dodgers in the NLDS, I just have a weird feeling the Rockies are going to win. When everybody is all on the same team, that's when the lose, that's why Las Vegas has many big buildings. If who you always expected to win won we'd all be millionaires from gambling. 

I'll probably be wrong, but this is a shitty, get my feet wet again blog so whatever. I like the Rockies 4-3.