{"id":78760,"date":"2016-10-04T18:46:20","date_gmt":"2016-10-04T18:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=78760"},"modified":"2023-04-13T15:04:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T15:04:22","slug":"behind-mic-mlb-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/behind-mic-mlb-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Mic: MLB Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The American League<\/strong>
\nThe Rangers <\/a>had the best record (95-67) in the American League.\u00a0 Amazingly, they won 36 one-run games.\u00a0 And, more amazingly, their bullpen has not been all that good, ranked 14th<\/sup> in the league.\u00a0 That does not bode well for them in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Indians <\/a>pitching staff WAS strong, but no longer.\u00a0 Their three top starters are probably out of the postseason, so they will need plenty of players to step up.\u00a0 If their starters can get the job done until the Indians get to the bullpen, they have a chance.<\/p>\n

The Red Sox <\/a>could make some noise if, and it\u2019s a big IF, David Price looks like the David Price of last year and not this year.\u00a0 Their ace is Rick Porcello and he should get his job done, which is win when he pitches. \u00a0If he wins and Price is the old Price, the Red Sox will be formidable in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Blue Jays<\/a> did not play well at all down the stretch going 26-26 since early August.\u00a0 Their hitters didn\u2019t hit and their bullpen was dismal.\u00a0 Based on recent performances, they should not make it to the World Series.<\/p>\n

No team hits the ball as far as the Orioles <\/a>(253 home runs \u2013the best in the majors).\u00a0 Six players hit 20 or more and Mark Trumbo hit 47.\u00a0 However, the playoffs are almost always about pitching, but maybe the Orioles can change that perception.<\/p>\n

As you can see, choosing a pennant winner in the AL is difficult \u00a0\u00a0I am picking the Red Sox and the onus for that prediction lies on David Price.<\/p>\n

The National League<\/strong>
\nThe Cubs <\/a>last won the World Series in 1908 and, in case you don\u2019t want to tax your math skills, that\u2019s 108 years ago. They last played in the World Series in 1945.\u00a0 They then went 39 years without getting into the playoffs.\u00a0 The Cubs were one victory away from the World Series in 1984 and again in 2003.\u00a0 Last year, they made it to the National League Championship Series.\u00a0 The Cubs have the best record in baseball, but it\u2019s the playoffs \u2013 will that matter?\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at their biggest competition.<\/p>\n

The Nationals <\/a>won 94 games and won the NL East easily.\u00a0 But they have problems going into the postseason.\u00a0 Their catcher is out, Daniel Murphy hasn\u2019t played for two weeks, Bryce Harper has a sore thumb, and Stephen Strasburg hasn\u2019t pitched since the first week of September.\u00a0 These players are the heart of this team.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers <\/a>really struggle against left-handed pitching and do not seem strong enough to make the NLCS.\u00a0 The Mets are just too banged up with six players out due to injuries. And did you know that only the Phillies posted a worse second half record than the Giants?<\/p>\n

The Cubs should be in the National League pennant.<\/p>\n

The Cubs will beat the Red Sox in six games and the 108-year drought will come to a close!!<\/p>\n

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Ryan Howard played his last game as a Phillie on Sunday and the Philadelphia crowd showed their appreciation. He made his Philadelphia debut on September 1, 2004, at the age of 24, and played 13 years with the Phils.\u00a0 He hit 382 home runs; his last, a two-run shot on Saturday.\u00a0 His MVP year, Howard hit 58 home runs and batted .313, with 149 RBIs.\u00a0 Many think he will become an AL designated hitter.<\/li>\n
  2. The #3 Louisville at #5 Clemson game came down to the wire with an interesting 4th<\/sup> and 12 play. If you want to watch an analysis of that play, check this out:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    http:\/\/www.sbnation.com\/college-football\/2016\/10\/2\/13136970\/louisville-clemson-football-james-quick-first-down<\/a><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Speaking of officials\u2019 calls, we had an interesting one on Friday at the Emmaus-Freedom game. Emmaus \u201cpooched\u201d a kickoff near the end of a tight game and their own player caught the ball in mid-air.\u00a0 The officials seemed very confused with what to call.\u00a0 The rule says the ball must touch the ground or a receiving player before the kicking team can touch the ball.\u00a0 Interference was finally the call and was correct, but it seemed that it was not enforced properly.\u00a0 Emmaus should have been penalized 15 yards and Freedom taking the ball after the penalty.\u00a0 Instead, there was a penalty and \u201crekick\u201d.<\/li>\n
    2. The Ryder Cup is the best of television golf. Instead of your attention being on a few leaders, every match and every player is significant.\u00a0 Sunday\u2019s crowd and the drama of watching some great matches made it scintillating television.\u00a0 For that given Sunday, I chose the golf over the NFL.<\/li>\n
    3. On Friday, October 7, the RCN-TV crew will have the Parkland \u2013 Bethlehem Catholic game LIVE at 7:00 PM followed by a Freedom facing Whitehall. That game is on at 10:00 PM.\u00a0 The crew will have a Saturday to themselves with Lafayette traveling to the Bronx to take on Fordham.\u00a0 You can watch on campusinsiders.com at 1:00 PM.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \"Gary's<\/p>\n

      Gary\u2019s Guesses: NFL Picks \u2013 (Last week \u2013 7-8; Overall \u2013 36-27 \u2013 57%)<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Week Five<\/strong><\/p>\n

      ARIZONA<\/strong>
      \nMINNESOTA<\/strong>
      \nMIAMI<\/strong>
      \nNEW ENGLAND<\/strong>
      \nPITTSBURGH<\/strong>
      \nBALTIMORE<\/strong>
      \nPHILADELPHIA<\/strong>
      \nCHICAGO<\/strong>
      \nATLANTA<\/strong>
      \nBUFFALO<\/strong>
      \nOAKLAND<\/strong>
      \nDALLAS<\/strong>
      \nGREEN BAY<\/strong>
      \nCAROLINA<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The American League The Rangers had the best record (95-67) in the American League.\u00a0 Amazingly, they won 36 one-run games.\u00a0 And, more amazingly, their bullpen has not been all that good, ranked 14th in the league.\u00a0 That does not bode well for them in the playoffs. The Indians pitching staff WAS strong, but no longer.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index exclude","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behind-the-mic","category-featured","category-sports"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBehind the Mic: MLB Playoffs - ATVN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Behind the Mic: MLB Playoffs - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The American League The Rangers had the best record (95-67) in the American League.\u00a0 Amazingly, they won 36 one-run games.\u00a0 And, more amazingly, their bullpen has not been all that good, ranked 14th in the league.\u00a0 That does not bode well for them in the playoffs. 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