With the Division Series set to begin on Saturday, we asked our panel of experts to give us their predictions for the rest of October. Their recommendations are below.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 4 wins
ALDS: Minhou, 5-year-old twins
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Braves in 5
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Six Twins
NLCS: Braves in 6
world series
Braves in 5
WS MVP: Matt Olson
I went into this postseason on the Phillies bandwagon thinking they were poised to be the team to beat the mighty Braves (again) and accomplish the job they failed to accomplish in last year’s World Series. But now, when I look around, I see that it is quite crowded due to this trend. It makes me nervous. The same goes for the usual tendency to think the Astros will advance to the ALCS. So I’m going in a different direction. The Twins’ pitching staff is in great shape right now, and their batting lineup is solid, so it’s clear that they will escape from the American League. And even though the Braves have obvious pitching concerns, too many seem to be assuming they’ll be the latest regular-season “champion” coming up short in October. So I’m going to do something bold and… go with the #1 overall seed! (The fact that this can be construed as bold shows how beautiful and strange baseball can be.)
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 3 wins
ALDS: Minhou, 4-year-old twins
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Phillies 5th place
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Orioles 6 wins
NLCS: Phillies 7 wins
world series
Phillies 7 wins
WS MVP: Bryce Harper
If the Phillies beat the Braves in the National League — and I believe that’s where we’ll see the real upsets this postseason — they’ll have a reasonable path to winning the World Series. On paper, the Orioles look like the more complete team, but they lack the experience to play until late in October and on such a big stage. The Phillies are doing pretty well and even made it to the Fall Classic last year. It gives them just a slight edge.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 5 wins
ALDS: Minhou, Astros 4th year
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Phillies 4th place
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Orioles 6 wins
NLCS: Phillies 7 wins
world series
Phillies 6 wins
WS MVP: Bryce Harper
Philadelphia has some unfinished business after last year’s World Series loss, and with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola leading the way, the Phillies are poised to make another jump this month — by getting past the Braves, of course. If possible. Harper watched the Nationals win the World Series after leaving Washington, but with former National Trey Turner finally starting to look like a $300 million man for the Phils, Harper has a thrilling start this year. They finally got a ring with a win over the upstart Orioles on I-95. Autumn classic.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Rangers in 5
ALDS: Minhou, 5 years with Astros
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Braves in 5
NLDS: Alirad, Dodgers win 5
league championship series
ALCS: Astros in 6
NLCS: Braves in 6
world series
Braves in 6
WS MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr.
The best team in baseball for most of the season ends a magical year with a World Series title. Atlanta is a powerhouse offensive team with threats in its lineup. Perhaps the biggest challenge here is choosing which players will emerge as heroes in the Fall Classic. Sure, their starting pitching has some question marks, but they can’t and won’t stop this offense.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 4 wins
ALDS: Minhou, 4-year-old twins
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Braves in 5
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Orioles 6 wins
NLCS: Dodgers 6 wins
world series
Dodgers win 5
WS MVP: Freddie Freeman
The Orioles will continue their magic against the Rangers in an unfazed season, even without losing their dominant closer in the final month of the season. The Astros’ ability to “turn on when it matters” will finally falter against former teammate Carlos Correa, but more importantly, in addition to a deep bullpen suspended for minimal time. , against Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray, who are 1-2. Joan Duran, the famous 100+ mph specialist. Baltimore will win the long series against Minnesota, but it will expose the Twins’ lack of star power in the rotation beyond Lopez and Gray.
In the National League, the Dodgers are good enough to beat Arizona, where they will eliminate the D-backs and celebrate in the pool at Chase Field. The Braves will get revenge against the Phillies in a tough NLDS, but they won’t have enough pitching to stop the Dodgers’ veteran batting lineup in the NLCS. In the World Series, the combined ability of the Dodgers’ pitchers and their experience and stamina to play until early November will be the difference between winning their second World Series in four years.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 5 wins
ALDS: Minhou, 5 years with Astros
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Phillies 5th place
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Astros in 6
NLCS: Phillies 6 wins
world series
Phillies 6 wins
WS MVP: Torii Turner
I can’t wait to see this unfold, and I can’t wait to be completely wrong about everything. These Phillies were doing better than last year, making it all the way to Game 6 of the World Series. Last year, we saw the Astros win the entire season after losing in the Fall Classic, so why not add him to that list? When it comes to MVP, we’ve seen Turner be a game-changer in the post-ovation era. Let’s hope to see World Baseball Classic level Trea on the big stage again.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 4 wins
ALDS: Minhou, 5-year-old twins
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Phillies 5th place
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Seven Twins
NLCS: Phillies 6 wins
world series
Phillies 6 wins
WS MVP: Torii Turner
All year long, teams have struggled to keep their pitching healthy and have largely failed to do so. And even now, the Dodgers (and to a lesser extent the Braves) enter the Division Series with a lot of questions about their pitching staff. . While the Orioles have one unit in development (the rotation) and one unit returning to earth (the bullpen), the Phillies and Twins are the two clubs with the strongest top-to-bottom pitching right now. Each of their bullpens have a completely different face than they did earlier this year. However, Philadelphia’s lineup may have a slight advantage over Minnesota’s. They definitely have home field advantage. As the Phillies often say, smell.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Rangers in 4
ALDS: Minhou, 5-year-old twins
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Phillies 5th place
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Six Twins
NLCS: Phillies 7 wins
world series
Phillies win 5
WS MVP: Bryce Harper
Normally I’d throw a bunch of numbers at you in this space, but guess what? Atmosphere is paramount when it comes to choosing a postseason winner, and the Phillies’ atmosphere is off the charts. It feels like there’s some unfinished business after losing to the Astros in last year’s Fall Classic, but now everything is going well and Citizens Bank Park has become a house of horrors for visitors. ing. Having to go through the Braves and possibly the Dodgers makes Philadelphia’s difficulty extremely difficult, but this group appears to be up to the task. It’s time to make it happen – and Harper will carve some more legendary moments on his career resume.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 5 wins
ALDS: Minhou, Astros 4th year
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Braves in 5
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Orioles 6 wins
NLCS: Braves in 7
world series
Braves in 7
WS MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr.
Home runs often make a big difference in October, and the 2023 Braves hit many of them. So while there are question marks over Atlanta’s rotation ahead of the NLDS, expect the best team in baseball to make it all the way to the World Series in the regular season. The Braves were missing a key weapon when they last played in the World Series in 2021. Acuña was out with a torn ACL. Acuña is doing everything he can right now, and will continue to torment opposing pitchers at the plate and on the bases even after a historic 40-70 season. Meanwhile, in the American League, the Orioles cap off a magical 100-win season with an appearance in the Fall Classic, but fall just short against the mighty Braves.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 4 wins
ALDS: Minhou, 5 years with Astros
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Braves in 4
NLDS: Alirad, Dodgers in 3rd place
league championship series
ALCS: Astros in 6
NLCS: Dodgers win 7
world series
Astros 6th place
WS MVP: Kyle Tucker
If the Astros can beat the Twins, it’s truly amazing what they will accomplish. ALCS for 7 consecutive years. Every year, we try to talk ourselves into someone other than the Astros, and every year, it’s the Astros. I don’t know why this year is different than previous years. As teams that just won the World Series tend to do, the Astros sleepwalked a little this year, but that sleepwalking helped them win the division title. And they’re close to being in top shape heading into the playoffs. There have been no consecutive World Series champions this century. It’s time.
division series
ALDS: TEX-BAL, Orioles 5 wins
ALDS: Minhou, 4-year-old twins
NLDS: PHI-ATL, Phillies 4th place
NLDS: Ari Lad, Dodgers 4th place
league championship series
ALCS: Six Twins
NLCS: Phillies 6 wins
world series
Phillies 7 wins
WS MVP: Torii Turner
It’s been less than a week since October started, but Phillies fans are already starting to define the 2023 postseason. Their support for Trea Turner helped turn his season around, but the raucous atmosphere they are creating at Citizens Bank Park will make the visiting team miserable. Of course, there are plenty of possibilities for the Phillies to win the World Series for reasons that have little to do with the crowd’s reaction to Bryson Stott’s grand slam. The Phillies have two aces in Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler who missed the bat in the playoffs. Their lineup is balanced and strong. Meanwhile, the Twins have ended a 19-year postseason championship drought, so why stop now? Pablo López and Sonny Gray have the potential to be the leadoff hitters on their way to the American League pennant, with a batting lineup that includes genius Royce Ruiz and postseason favorite Carlos Correa.
