PTU Pundit '11 MLB Playoff Predictions

Much like the start of any season, the post season provides us a prime time opportunity to show make bold (and mostly wrong) predictions.

Here are some of the PTU staff’s picks, along with some commentary, series by series

Yankees vs. Detroit

The entire PTU crew like the hometown Yanks.  Resident Mets fan, Snooty, has labeled the Yanks the best team in American League.  Bottle thinks Verlander is the only Tigers player who can play making this an easy pick for him.   I see this game boiling down to game one.  Verlander has been awesome this season, but he hasn’t always been so awesome at the Stadium.  Conversely , Sabathia always seems to step it up at home, especially for big games.  Some fans will say that Doug Fister can still battle back in game two and tie this series.  Fister has been awesome since he was traded to Detroit, but this is the playoffs and Yankees Stadium, not Target Field in August.

Rangers vs. Rays

Snoot loves the Rays.  So much so, that a few nights of drinking over-proofed beer have resulted in devising a plan to bring them to Brooklyn.  Although the rest of the crew likes the Rangers, Snoot is taking the hot hand who can pitch and play some defense. 

Note: This was written prior to the first pitch, Snoot’s pick is off to a good start

Phillies vs. Cards

I’m by myself taking the Cards here.  The guys are going with the “Good pitching beats good hitting in the postseason” axiom.  It’s hard to deny the Phillies pitching but the Cards’ 3-5 hitters are as formidable as any.  Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins are also guys who can be pitched to and made to look bad if the opposing pitcher hits his spots. I think the veteran Cards’ staff knows how to pitch and does just enough for the wild card upset.

Brewers vs. D’Backs

Kirk Gibson seems to have carried over all of that good baseball fortune from 1988 to 2011.  The Backs went from a bottom dwelling team a season ago, to a team that has both a Cy Young and MVP candidate.  Snoot is the only person on this panel that thinks Gibson has one more week of luck in him.  Ideally, the Brewers would play the Cards in the next round allowing that jack ass Nyjer Morgan a.k.a. Tony Plush, the opportunity to show the world what a chump he is, keeping his mouth shut around Pujols the whole series.