Baseball guide Scott Kendrick and contributing writer Kevin Kleps have pored through the matchups and the trends in order to make thesepredictions about the 2010 National League playoffs.
Will the Braves give Bobby Cox a going-away present or be one and done?
Scott: It's fitting that Cox will manage in the postseason for the 15th time in that Braves uniform. It would also be fitting if they go out quickly in the Division Series round, since that's what Cox's teams have done five of the last six times they've made the playoffs. They're a nice story, but I can't see that young lineup hitting too well in San Francisco. Martin Prado is joining Chipper Jones on the bench in the postseason, leaving it to Omar Infante, Brian McCann and Jason Heyward to carry the load. Can't see that happening for too long.
Kevin: They'll make a series out of it, taking it to five games, but lose to Tim Lincecum in the deciding game in San Francisco -- also appropriate, since one of Cox's recent Division Series letdowns was in five games to the Giants in 2003. The Prado injury is huge, and any outfield that features Matt Diaz or Melky Cabrera in left and Rick Ankiel in center can't be a serious threat to win a couple rounds in the postseson.
The NL has a clear favorite. Which team could pose the biggest problem for the Phillies?
Scott: I think the Reds have too many deficiencies, assuming the Phillies are playing well. But the Giants have the 1-2 combo of Tim Lincecum (finally pitching like Tim Lincecum) and Matt Cain, with Jonathan Sanchez throwing pretty well, too. (They should just park Barry Zito in the bullpen.) San Francisco is the only team in the NL that has the horses to match up with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt.
Kevin: Definitely the Giants. I'd be surprised if the Reds even made it a series in the first round, but the Giants have the pitching to hang with the team that has played in the last two World Series. Lincecum and Cain were a combined 8-2 with ERAs in the 2.00 range in September, and Sanchez (4-1, 1.03 ERA since Aug. 30) and rookie Madison Bumgarner (2-2, 1.13 ERA in September) were even lower. Pitching like that is your only chance against Philly.
How can the Reds hang with the Phillies?
Scott: Here are the starting pitching matchups: Edison Volquez vs. Halladay. Bronson Arroyo vs. Oswalt. Johnny Cueto vs. Hamels. Yikes. That's as one-sided a matchup as I can remember in a short series. I think the only way the Reds can win the series is to hang around late in games, pounce on a few bad pitches with home runs and get to the Phillies' bullpen, which is their biggest issue. Brad Lidge in a one-run game? That's where the Reds could do some damage.
Kevin: They have to beat Halladay in Game 1 with a lineup that doesn't have a lot of big names but did finish with the NL's best batting average (.272). If they can somehow find a way to knock off a 21-game winner on the road, the natives will be restless in Philly, and the Reds' best pitcher, Arroyo, will oppose Oswalt in Game 2. Do I think that scenario will play out? Uh, no.
The playoffs always have unsung heroes. Who will fill that role in the NL?
Scott: Does Buster Posey qualify as unsung, even as a Rookie of the Year front-runner? He's playing in the playoffs for the first time, but he certainly wasn't star-struck in his first tour of the NL. He played catcher every day down the stretch and could be wearing down, but the off days should help him recover. I can see him getting some big hits for the Giants.
Kevin: Scott, to answer your question, he doesn't qualify (by the way, thanks for letting me respond to your answers, thus preventing you from taking shots at me instead). If you want unsung, how about Raul Ibanez? He's not going to get much attention surrounded by Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino, and he hit only 16 home runs -- his lowest total since 2004 and 18 below his '09 total. But look at Ibanez's September numbers -- .385, four homers, 16 RBI, 15 runs and a .962 OPS in 97 at-bats. Plus, who wouldn't want to scream "Raul!" during a tense October moment.
On to the predictions
Scott: I can't see the Reds-Phillies series being that good, unless you're a Philly fan. If the Reds win one, consider it a victory. The Phillies in a sweep. I like the Giants over the Braves. It will take four, though. Bobby Cox's crew wins Game 3 at home. But that's it.
And in the NLCS, the Phillies have too much firepower. I'll take Philadelphia in five, becoming the first team to win three NL pennants in a row since the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals.
Kevin: I don't see the Phillies losing, either, but I think the Giants pose a bigger threat than my esteemed colleague. I'll give the Reds one win in the Division Series, and San Francisco will need five games to oust the Braves.
Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and Bumgarner, top to bottom, can rival the Phillies' big three plus Joe Blanton, should Charlie Manuel not elect to pitch Halladay on short rest in Game 4 of the NLCS. The problem for the Giants is their lineup sometimes struggles to score runs against ordinary pitchers, let alone a trio that has lost once since Aug. 29. Phillies in six.