2019 Divisional Playoff preview

Well, we went 0-2 on the Wild Cards, so let's move on to the Divisional Series.

American League (starts Friday):

Tampa Bay @ Houston: Houston has the advantage in terms of pitching. When your front end of the rotation is Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, & Zach Greinke, it usually means the party's over before it really starts. All three are in postseason form. Verlander recently had a no-hitter, and Greinke nearly followed suit. Cole is a 20 game winner.

Tampa may have gotten a few good bounces in ousting Oakland, but if they don't get the jump on the Astros' big 3, it's over.

Pick: Houston in 4.

As noted in part 1, we're going with the Yankees over Minnesota in 5.

National League (starts tonight):

Washington @ Los Angeles: Much has been made of the fact that the Nationals, who needed an 8th inning rally Tuesday to beat Milwaukee, have never gotten past the divisional round. Patrick Corbin was imported from Arizona last offseason for this kind of scenario, filling the void in the rotation created when Jordan Zimmermann left for Detroit as a free agent. That it took Washington this long to have that extra ace says something about their postseason struggles.

Walker Buehler gets the nod for the Dodgers in game 1, and Los Angeles could have Rich Hill back in the rotation in this series. Given Clayton Kershaw's poor postseason history, it makes sense he's not the game 1 starter. Hyun-Jin Ryu or Kershaw will go in game 2. The Dodgers have too many weapons in their lineup, and while Washington has made the playoffs without Bryce Harper, it won't change destiny.

Pick: Los Angeles in 5.

As noted last time, we're picking St. Louis over Atlanta, also in 5.

Of course, I could be wrong.