Brewers vs. Phillies Brewers: Most of the credit for making the playoffs should be given to C.C. Sabathia who went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and seven complete games, and pitched three different games on 3-days rest to end the season. Phillies: Although somewhat inconsistent in the regular season, Philadelphia’s lineup could come alive in the playoffs, with sluggers Ryan Howard (48 HR, 146 RBI) and Chase Utley (.293, 33HR). Phillies in 4: The Phillies will get to the bullpen early and often. Dodgers vs. Cubs Dodgers: L.A. has plenty of playoff experience with manager Joe Torre, who will make his 13th consecutive postseason appearance. Manny Ramirez has made all the difference for the Dodgers during its playoff push. Cubs: The class of the NL for the entire season, the Cubs figure to be the favorite. Chicago has a deep lineup including six players with 20 or more homers. Cubs in 3: Backed by strong all-around pitching the Cubs will move on. White Sox vs. Rays White Sox: The lineup is strong, having led the league in homeruns during the regular season. Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome each have 34 homeruns, and rookie second-baseman Alexi Ramirez (.290, 21HR, and 4 Grand Slams) has been hot as of late. Rays: With one of the most shocking turn-arounds in baseball history, the Rays deserve a lot of credibility. Pitching has made the biggest difference, allowing 273 less runs than the previous year. The rotation is led by surprise James Shields (14-8, 3.56 ERA), and Scott Kazmir (12-8, 3.49). White Sox in 5: With clutch pitching, the White Sox will be able to hold the weak-hitting Rays. Red Sox vs. Angels Red Sox: The Sox have one of the strongest rotations in baseball, including Jon Lester (16-6, 3.21 ERA), Cy Young candidate Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90 ERA), and Josh Beckett (6-2, 1.73 ERA in his postseason career. Even after the Ramirez trade, the lineup is still a run-producing machine, powered by MVP-candidates Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. Angels: The Angels will be confident going into the series having won eight of nine meetings with the Red Sox and going a league best 100-62. L.A. has a powerful combination of hitters with the addition of Mark Texeira, and the speedy Chone Figgins. Red Sox in 5: The Sox will have just enough starting pitching to steal the series.
