Half of the first round divisional play offs look like cake walks. Since CC Sabathia can't pitch every day, I don't expect the Brewers to put up much of a fight against the Phillies. Too much Phillies offense versus very weak Brewers pitching means Philadelphia will advance to the National League Championship Series.
Same in the American League, where I expect the Rays to beat the White Sox. That series will be tighter than the Brewers-Phillies match up, but I'm still not sold on the ChiSox despite having Obama as a fan. The Rays will drop a game but move on.
The other two series look like great match ups. Angels-Red Sox is a World Series-worthy series. The Angels were a trendy pick for a while, and I still think they will win this series. But the reason has more to do with the Sox than the Angels. Beckett is hurt, Lowell and Drew are banged up, and the Red Sox bull pen is not that strong. The Red Sox will give them a run, but I see the Angels advancing 3 games to 2.
The Dodgers-Cubs match up is another intriguing one, the best of the four first-round series. The Cubs look like the best team in the NL, but the Dodgers pitching staff will give them fits - and they have Manny Ramirez. Derek Lowe has been fantastic down the stretch, as has Chad Billingsley. Then again, Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster could equal things out. My head says Cubs, but my gut says pick the Dodgers and their pitching in a 5 game series. This one will be close and tense with some great baseball.
So I think it will be Phillies vs. Dodgers (or Cubs) in the NL, and the Rays advancing to play the Angels in the AL.
