MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

The Wild Card Series went as expected if you’ve followed the Dodgers as of late: The offense was awesome, the starters pitched incredibly well, and the bullpen was awful. Luckily, Blake Treinen and Roki Sasaki held it down on the back end and the Dodgers now move on to Philadelphia.

Speed-Recapping The Wild Card Series: 

Result: Dodgers over Reds, 2-0

Our prediction: Dodgers over Reds, 2-0

Our exact wording: 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. This is pretty much exactly what happened. 

Result: Yankees over Red Sox, 2-1

Our Prediction: Yankees over Red Sox, 2-1

The Yankees dropped game 1, but came back strong to win the series. They are now 11-2 in their last 13 games and travel to Toronto for another AL East battle.

Result: Tigers over Indians, 2-1

Our Prediction: Tigers over Indians, 2-1

Credit to user “Cleveland Rocks: for calling us out on our poor wording of “[The Tigers] responded to the pressure well.” They went 2-8 over the last 10, but our comment was more meant to say they did what they needed to do to make the playoffs and at least they didn’t completely lose their playoff spot. Credit to us for predicting another series exactly correct. 

Result: Cubs over Padres, 2-1

Our prediction: Padres over Cubs, 2-0

A good-ol’ fashion reverse jinx comes through! Those Benchwarmers strive to be good representations of the media, but we will do whatever it takes to get the teams we like to win and the teams we hate to lose. Unfortunately, it came on a controversy, as Xander Bogaerts struck out on ball 4 for the first out of the ninth inning. 

Here is your Division Series Primer:

Dodgers vs Phillies

Opponent: The Phillies finished a game behind the 1 seed Brewers, and really found a sweet spot in the narrative of the National League. The Dodgers and Brewers grabbed a lot of the headlines amongst the division leaders, while the Phils quietly took care of business. 

Regular Season: The Dodgers lost 4 of 6 against the Phillies during the regular season. The Phillies were the first team to beat the Dodgers this year, winning two of three in Philadelphia in April. In September, the Phillies took two of three at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers did out-score the Phillies 28-27 in their matchups. 

The Prediction: Phillies in six. The series will open with a Phillies win, followed by back-to-back Dodger wins. Game four will be a close one taken by Philadelphia, with the Dodgers getting a comfortable lead in game 5 before the bullpen blows it. The Dodgers won’t muster enough firepower in game 6, and will head home to an offseason of trying to fix the bullpen.  

Predicting the Other Division Series Matchups:

Mariners over Tigers, 4-2. The Tigers avenged their loss of the AL Central championship, but will run out of steam in Seattle.

Yankees over Blue Jays, 4-1. The Yankees are hot, and they will continue to ride the wave in the NLDS.

Brewers over Cubs, 4-2. The Cubs looked shaky in their thrilling Wild Card series with the Padres, and the Brewers will be ready to take advantage. 

The Prediction: Phillies in five. The series will open with a Phillies win, followed by back-to-back Dodger wins. Game four will be a close one taken by Philadelphia, with the Dodgers getting a comfortable lead in game 5 before the bullpen blows it. 

Predicting the Other Division Series Matchups:

Mariners over Tigers, 3-1. The Tigers avenged their loss of the AL Central championship, but will run out of steam in Seattle.

Yankees over Blue Jays, 3-2. The Yankees are hot, and they will continue to ride the wave in the NLDS.

Brewers over Cubs, 3-1. The Cubs looked shaky in their thrilling Wild Card series with the Padres, and the Brewers will be ready to take advantage.