MLB League Championship Series Predictions – 2018

Stylized banner of Carlos Correa, Chris Sale, Clayton Kershaw, and Eric Thames

Was it just me or was that kind of an undramatic Division Series round? No series went past 4 games and 2 were done in 3.

After a 9th inning comeback to tie Game 1 the Rockies didn’t score again. Losing in the 10th. Then getting shutout 4-zip and 6-zip to end the series.

The Braves on the other hand waited until Game 3 to score. And barely held on to get the 6-5 win. Then blew a 2-1 lead in Game 4 to lose 6-2. They actually only scored in 3 of the 35 innings they had on offense.

Over in the AL the the Indians completed their forgettable season by getting outscored 21-6 in a 3 game sweep. Turns out beating up on the AL Central and cruising to a division doesn’t set you up great for the postseason.

The Red Sox and Yankees were the only series tied after more than 1 game with the Yankees taking Game 2 in Boston. They then got obliterated in Game 3 at home 16-1. But, hey, at least a dude hit for the cycle in the playoffs for the first time ever. Game 4 at least had a little bit of drama with the Yankees having runners on first and second down 1 in the 9th. Unfortunately they weren’t able to extend the series to a Game 5 and the Division Series round was wrapped up.

Let’s hope that little burst of excitement carries over to a fun League Championship Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers

The Dodgers and Brewers have gone a combined 8-1 in the playoffs. With the Brewers not having lost a game since September 22nd to the Pittsburgh Pirates. That’s 11 in a row for anyone counting.

Both teams are going to have some rest by the time they take the field in Milwaukee on Friday. The Brewers will have 4 days while the Dodgers will have 5. You’ve got Kershaw going for the Dodgers in Game 1 against TBD for the Brewers.

David: I hate going with this pick, but since I was 1-3 in the division series, I’ll go with the favorite in this series. Brewers made quick work of the Rockies in the NLDS, but I expect this to be a slightly longer series as the Dodgers have better pitching than the Rockies. Also the Dodgers did win the season series 3 games to 4 so I have that number in my pick’s favor. Lastly, I wouldn’t mind seeing some more fall classic magic from David Freese if the Dodgers were to make it to the World Series.

Dodgers over Brewers in 7.

Los Angeles Dodgers logo

Tim: I have seen many recent articles comparing this Brewers team to the 2015 Royals who won the World Series. However, the Brewers remind me of the 2007 Rockies.

The Brewers won 10 of their final 12 games, then beat the Cubs in a one-game playoff to win the division. The ‘07 Rockies won 13 of their final 14 games, then beat the Padres in a one-game playoff to win the Wild Card. The Brewers swept their first round series by a combined score of 13-2. The Rockies swept their first round series by a combined score of 16-8. The Brewers are led by MVP candidate Christian Yelich. The ’07 Rockies were led by MVP candidate Matt Holliday (he was robbed by Jimmy Rollins in the final vote).

Just like the Rockies, I think the Brewers keep the magic going for another series.

Brewers over Dodgers in 7.

Milwaukee Brewers logo

Jason: The Brewers have been an an absolute tear. I talked myself into #Rocktober in the Division Series thinking in a short series the flawed team could get some bounces. Turns out after that nearly happened in Game 1 the Brewers took care of business the rest of the series.

For the Brewers I think Manny Machado is the x-factor. He’s been kind of quiet since going to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. He did come up with some big hits in Game 4. And the Dodgers do have the Freese factor.

But I think the Brewers take care of business with home-field.

Brewers over Dodgers in 6.

Milwaukee Brewers logo

Steve: I think the Brewers have all the pieces and are redhot right now. The Dodgers will give them a fight, but I’ll take the Brewers to win it in 6. Also, f*ck LA. You gotta root for the mid-market team here. The Brewers have a payroll that is $100MM less than LA and it makes me happy when those teams win.

Brewers over Dodgers.

Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox

The two top teams from the AL square off for the ALCS. These are two solid rosters that took care of business in their Division Series matchups. Game 1 features Justin Verlander against Chris Sale while Game 2 has Gerrit Cole squaring off with David Price.

Price may seem like he doesn’t fit with those other names, but he’s actually held the Astros to a .159 average in 12.1 innings this season. He had a bit of a turnaround in the second-half. Actually 18 of the 70 earned runs he gave up this season were to the Yankees. So without facing them he did pretty solid.

David: Astros absolutely destroyed the Indians, outscoring them 21-6 in the ALDS. Sure they’re playing without home field advantage, but they took 2 of 3 in Boston back in mid-September. Hard to go against a team that has homered in 12 straight playoff games and when they’re the defending World Series champions. Sadly, I’m guessing they’re still the underdogs in this series so everyone likes an underdog to prevail.

Astros over Red Sox in 7.

Houston Astros

Tim: Both teams were impressive in the first round. The Red Sox took out their rivals who won 100 games this year. However, I was more impressed with the Astros thrashing of the Indians. They swept the 3 game series by a combined score of 21-6. This was against a Cleveland line-up that was stacked with talent.

I also give the advantage to Houston due to their experience from last year’s World Series run. They won’t be phased by the pressure situations. We all know about David Price’s struggles in the post-season. And I’m not completely confident in Chris Sale. While he has had a good year and a good career so far, he spent 7 years pitching for some bad White Sox teams with not many high-pressure games. And in last year’s ALDS against Houston, Sale pitched in 2 games and had in ERA of 8.38.

Astros over Red Sox in 6.

Houston Astros

Jason: Oh yeah, I forgot the Astros are really, really good. Or maybe just really good and Cleveland is that mediocre.

This series is a couple of heavy-weights going at it. I kind of like the Astros pitching matchups with Verlander and Cole. Then again I like Sale and Price at home.

I get the feeling the unique dimensions of these ballparks could come into play in this series with these teams being very evenly matched.

I’ll take the Astros in a tight one.

Astros over Red Sox in 7.

Houston Astros

Steve: As much as I hate the Red Sox, I think it’s going to be hard for them to lose… but f*ck Boston sports teams. The Astros won the season series and played them tough. I’d much rather see the Astros go for back-to-back WS wins than the city of Boston win another one.

Astros over Red Sox in 7.

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