Hot Corner - MLB Playoffs

With the playoffs starting Tuesday, I decided to make a list discussing the positives and the negatives of each team in the playoffs.

AL
New York Yankees
Positive: The Bronx Bombers live up to their name and they've got more October experience than Halloween.
Negative: Weak starting rotation. The Yanks no longer have Clemens, Pettitte and Wells. They will have to settle for Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez, who has no playoff experience.

Boston Red Sox
Positive: The Red Sox learned a lot from their ALCS Game 7 last year. Curt Schilling was added to the rotation and their lineup led the majors in on-base percentage (OBP). Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are huge factors in the 3 and 4 hole.
Negative: Pitching is inconsistent and Pedro Martinez is currently in a slump as of late.

Anaheim Angels
Positive: Vladimir Guerrero, Garrett Anderson and a strong bullpen could lead the Angels far into the playoffs.
Negative: Adam Kennedy (DL) and Jose Guillen (suspended) are missing from the team and the Angels will be forced to go deep into their bench.

Minnesota Twins
Positive: Great team chemistry and one of the best defenses in the majors.
Negative: Weak when it comes to driving in runs. Torii Hunter was the leading RBI man with 81.


NL
St. Louis Cardinals
Positive: Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds are tearing it up and show no signs of stopping.
Negative: Ace Chris Carpenter is injured and besides Matt Morris, the rotation is looking a little weak.

Houston Astros
Positive: The Astros are red-hot and do not show any signs of letting up. They won their last 18 games at home and can go far under Roger Clemens' play and leadership.
Negative: An inexperienced manager in Phil Garner will most likely not be able to make the big decision.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Positive: With Adrian Beltre and Steve Finley both on fire and Eric Gagne near perfect, plus the fact that the Dodgers have not backed down all year, the Dodgers will give it all they got.
Negative: The Dodgers rotation is shaky and Gagne can do nothing about it until the 8th-9th inning.

Atlanta Braves
Positive: The Braves haven't won the NL East 11 times in a row for nothing. With an improved rotation and experience, the Braves are overdue to exceed their low playoff expectations.
Negative: Shaky defense and the fact that they haven't gotten past the NLDS in 4 years.




More Stories - < Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 Next >