ALCS and NLCS predictions

[Jon]

I'm going to go with the Sox and Phillies both in 6. 

I'd be a lot more confident with the Sox if Lowell was playing and I was 100% sure that Beckett was healthy.  Still, I think that when they're healthy (and they're about as healthy as they've been all year given their plethora of injuries), I think the Sox are far and away the best team in baseball.  If Ortiz hadn't missed a month and a half and Lowell and Drew had been healthy, the Sox would have easily beaten the Rays out in the regular season and won the toughest division in baseball. 

As for the Phils, I think both the Dodgers and Phillies are drastically less talented than the Rays and Sox.  But I think the Dodgers are worse.  Lowe's starting the first game for them?  He'd maybe the 4th starter on the Sox.  Despite his experience, I can't imagine a roster with that type of pitching winning. 

[cdif911]

I predict I'll try to watch all the sox games and invariably fall asleep because they're on way too late for someone who wakes up at 5:30 am =(

[noro]

Sox in 5.
Despite the Rays winning the season series 10-8, they are relatively untested, and won't be able to beat Lester, and depending on which Beckett shows up, this series won't be that close.

Dodgers in 6
The Phillies rotation doesn't matchup well with the Dodgers, and the Dodgers' lineup is just as dangerous as the Phils', as they showed against the Cubbies.

[Nerf DPOY]

  Lowe's starting the first game for them?  He'd maybe the 4th starter on the Sox. 

You might be confusing D. Lowe now with the Red Sox D. Lowe version. He might not be a flashy strikeout pitcher, but he gets the job done. He had an excellent second half( 7-3, 2.38 ERA ), albeit in the NL.

[LB3533]

  Lowe's starting the first game for them?  He'd maybe the 4th starter on the Sox. 

You might be confusing D. Lowe now with the Red Sox D. Lowe version. He might not be a flashy strikeout pitcher, but he gets the job done. He had an excellent second half( 7-3, 2.38 ERA ), albeit in the NL.

I agree, a sinkerball pitcher in the non-juiced ball era and non-steroid era is gonna be pretty decent in EITHER league.

If Wakefield is our 4th or 5th starter...Lowe would clearly be a 2nd or 3rd.

It doesn't surprise me that Lowe is the Dodgers "ace", save for Chad Billingsley (and Brad Penny being injured).

[Steve Weinman]

I'm going to go with the Sox and Phillies both in 6. 

I'd be a lot more confident with the Sox if Lowell was playing and I was 100% sure that Beckett was healthy.  Still, I think that when they're healthy (and they're about as healthy as they've been all year given their plethora of injuries), I think the Sox are far and away the best team in baseball.  If Ortiz hadn't missed a month and a half and Lowell and Drew had been healthy, the Sox would have easily beaten the Rays out in the regular season and won the toughest division in baseball. 

As for the Phils, I think both the Dodgers and Phillies are drastically less talented than the Rays and Sox.  But I think the Dodgers are worse.  Lowe's starting the first game for them?  He'd maybe the 4th starter on the Sox.  Despite his experience, I can't imagine a roster with that type of pitching winning. 

The team with that type of pitching led the National League in ERA in 2008.

-sw

[wdleehi]

Sox in 5.
Despite the Rays winning the season series 10-8, they are relatively untested, and won't be able to beat Lester, and depending on which Beckett shows up, this series won't be that close.

Dodgers in 6
The Phillies rotation doesn't matchup well with the Dodgers, and the Dodgers' lineup is just as dangerous as the Phils', as they showed against the Cubbies.

Do you still think the Phillies rotation doesn't matchup well with the Dodgers?

[noro]

Sox in 5.
Despite the Rays winning the season series 10-8, they are relatively untested, and won't be able to beat Lester, and depending on which Beckett shows up, this series won't be that close.

Dodgers in 6
The Phillies rotation doesn't matchup well with the Dodgers, and the Dodgers' lineup is just as dangerous as the Phils', as they showed against the Cubbies.

Do you still think the Phillies rotation doesn't matchup well with the Dodgers?

Hahaha. Apparently I stand corrected...