MLB Division Series Predictions From A Lab Rat Who Never Learns - Page 3

National League

Los Angeles Dodgers (Wild Card) vs. New York Mets (East Division)

Season Meetings: New York won 4, Los Angeles won 3

The Dodgers have played everywhere from pathetic to brilliant and everywhere in between this year. They finished closer to brilliant, winning nine of their last 10 games, including six straight road wins.

But the Mets have a big orange and blue target on their chest. This is the team that general manager Omar Minaya assembled with cash and talent. Veterans in their prime like Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran blend with budding superstars David Wright and Jose Reyes. This is a team that could win next year, but so could a lot of other teams. The time is now for the Mets to strike, and they have a better shot at making the World Series this year than any of the other seven teams, based on the competition.

Game 1: Not exactly each team's No. 1 starters, but both Derek Lowe and Orlando Hernandez have won World Series elsewhere. Lowe is having the better season, but Hernandez has the better postseason track record. The onus will be on the Dodgers left-handed batters (Rafael Furcal, J.D. Drew, Andre Ethier, and Rafael Furcal) to lay off El Duque's coiling slider and bash away at his fastball.

Game 2: If you never thought you'd see Greg Maddux face off against Tom Glavine in the postseason, clear your schedule for Thursday night and watch this one. A combination of 623 wins, 17 All-Star appearances and six Cy Youngs will steal the spotlight, and I doubt one of the lineups will dizzy either of these former Atlanta Braves teammates.

Game 3: The pitchers haven't been announced yet, but it may be Brad Penny (if he's well enough) for the Dodgers and either John Maine or Steve Trachsel for the Mets. Here's where the Mets' pitching depth without Pedro Martinez — out for the year with rotator cuff surgery — begins to hurt the Mets. Neither Maine nor Trachsel has seen the postseason, but if the series is tied I'd expect manager Willie Randolph to hand the ball to Trachsel for this game. Much like the Tigers, the Dodgers need to pounce on their opponent's weak spot in the rotation as the game shifts venues, or they have no chance.

Census: A few scrappy predictors are giving the edge to the Dodgers based on Martinez' absence. For the most part, people are giving the Mets — with nine more wins than anyone else in the National League — the benefit of the doubt.

Article Author: Matthew T. Sussman

Sussman is the sports editor of BC Magazine and the executive editor of Technorati. He also writes for Deadspin and Toledo Free Press. He and Tuffy can be heard hosting the Treehouse Fort, Sundays at 12 noon ET. Plus, he Twitters. …

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