MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers
Let the Stress Begin! October arrives one day early as the Dodgers open their playoff run on Tuesday, September 29th.

Opponent: Cincinnati Reds. The last wild card entrant, the Reds made up two games on the Mets over the last week of the season, and, despite losing their last game in Milwaukee, claimed the final spot in the playoffs when the Mets lost to Miami.

Regular Season: The Dodgers won 5 of 6 against the Reds. The Dodgers won 2 of 3 in Cincinnati at the end of July, and swept the Reds in LA at the end of August. The Dodgers outscored the Red 30-15.

Reds’ Notes: Former Dodger Gavin Lux leads the Reds in batting average, and the Reds have perhaps the second most electric player in the series in Elly De La Cruz. The pitching staff has been solid, giving up less than four runs a game and striking out nearly nine batters a game.

Dodgers’ Notes: The Dodgers quietly entered October as the hottest team in the NL, winning 8 of their last 10 games, and five in a row, the best mark in the National League. The starting rotation has been superb to end the season, but the bullpen has been utterly terrible.

The Prediction: The Dodgers win game 1 in a romp, and while the Reds put up a fight early in game 2, the Dodgers get the sweep and a date with Philadelphia.

Predicting the Wild Card Series:

Yankees over Red Sox, 2-1
The only team hotter than the Dodgers right now are the Yankees, who have won eight straight and are 9-1 in their last ten games. They’ve struggled against the Red Sox, winning only 4 of 13 games, including dropping 5 of 7 at home, but they are playing at a different level right now

Tigers over Indians, 2-1
Another Divisional rivalry in the AL WC Series, and another one where we’re predicting the team that lost the regular season series to victory. The Tigers blew a huge a huge lead to lose the AL Central and home field advantage in this series, but they responded to the pressure well. That will serve them well in October.

Padres over Cubs, 2-0
The Padres have made back-to-back postseasons for the second time in their history, the first since 2005-2006. They swept the Braves last year in the Wild Card Series, and they’ll do that again this year.