The Royal Post - MLB Playoff Preview & Predictions

[Tim J]

10/03/06
MLB Playoff Preview & Predictions

The MLB playoffs is a great time of the year for sport's bettors, and it provides a great opportunity to make money. In this edition, the Royal Post briefly steps away from the gridiron and onto the diamond. In efforts to put you at the ticket window we have included a MLB preview & predictions.

Oakland A's vs. Minnesota Twins

This will be a great series and most likely the outcome will depend on Johan Santana's (19-6, 2.77 ERA) performance in Game 1. If the Twins win the opener it will be hard for Oakland to bounce back, considering the A's enter postseason having lost six of their last nine games.

Santana has been good against the A's with a lifetime mark of 4-1 in 7 starts with an ERA of 3.19. At home Santana has been virtually untouchable, literally. In the dome he's a perfect 12-0 with a sparkling ERA of 0.98. The Twins are 5-2 in Santana's last 7 starts vs. the A's.

Lefty Barry Zito (16-10, 3.83 ERA) will be handed the ball in Game 1 in what should be a pitcher's duel. In his career against Minnesota he's 4-4 with a respectable 3.58 ERA in 11 starts. The Twins are 5-1 in their last 6 home games vs. a left-handed starter.

Offensively, the Twins have the edge with Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau who are swinging hot bats. Defensively, Minnesota has a slight advantage with Joe Mauer, Luis Castillo and Hunter who are strong up the middle.

The A's are 1-5 in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning record, and they are 1-5 in the last 6 meetings in Minnesota. The Twins take it in 4 games.

- A's are 1-5 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning record.
- A's are 0-3 in their last 3 Divisional Playoff games.
- A's are 0-3 in their last 3 playoff road games.
- Twins are 4-0 in their last 4 Tuesday games.
- Twins are 5-1 in their last 6 home games vs. a left-handed starter.
- A's are 1-5 in the last 6 meetings in Minnesota.

Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees

Sunday, the Tigers wasted a chance to win the AL Central, giving up a six-run lead in a 10-8 loss to the Kansas City Royals in 12 innings. The loss left the Tigers holding onto the AL wild card, meaning the they lose home field advantage.

The only thing concerning to New York is the Yankees' health, and defensively A-Rod is shaky and Gary Sheffield could be a liability at first. But even if errors are committed, the New York bats are very experienced and should be able to pick them up. If the Yankees head to the ninth with the lead it's game over with Mariano Rivera closing.

In Game 1, the Tigers send lefty Nate Robinson (13-13, 3.84 ERA) to the hill. Robinson has struggled against the Yankees with a career record of 1-4 and an ERA of 4.46 in 6 starts. In his last start against the Yankees he gave up 10 hits and 6 ERs in a loss.

The Yankees counter with Chien-Ming Wang (19-6, 3.63 ERA). Wang has been brilliant against the Tigers with a 3-0 record in 4 career starts with a sparkling 2.52 ERA. At home he's a stellar 11-3.

The Yankees have ample postseason experience and home field advantage where the Tigers are 8-25 in the last 33 meetings in New York. It was a great regular season in Mo' Town, but the Yankees take this series in 3 games.

- Tigers are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. American League East.
- Tigers are 2-5 in their last 7 games as an underdog.
- Tigers are 0-5 in their last 5 overall.
- Yankees are 3-0 in their last 3 Tuesday games.
- Yankees are 25-10 in their last 35 during game 1 of a series.
- Tigers are 8-25 in the last 33 meetings in New York.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. SD Padres

The St. Louis Cardinals enter postseason having lost nine of their last 12, nearly squandering a seven-game lead. The Cardinals are not as dominating as in recent years and now meet a good San Diego Padres team who has home field advantage.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa gambled in the regular-season finale by scratching Chris Carpenter (15-8, 3.09 ERA) for a possible playoff opener, reasoning that his struggling team needed two starts by the 15-game winner in the first round to have a chance against the Dodgers.

On the road, Carpenter is 7-4 this year with an ERA of 4.70. He's 2-2 lifetime against the Padres in 5 starts. In his last appearance against SD the Padres beat him up for 6 runs off 12 hits in a loss.

Jake Peavy (11-14, 4.09 ERA) goes for the Padres. Peavy hasn't had much success when facing the Cardinals with a career record of 1-2 manufactured in 5 starts. In his last outing against St. Louis he managed to get a win despite giving up 6 runs and 9 hits in 5 innings of work.

Offensively, neither team packs much punch, but the Cardinals have Albert Pujols. Pujols is a beast but one player can't carry a club on his back to victory in postseason play. He has a solid stand, however, the Padres get the job done in 5 games.

- Cardinals are 1-4 in their last 5 playoff games.
- Cardinals are 0-4 in their last 4 during game 1 of a series.
- Cardinals are 0-6 in their last 6 playoff games as an underdog.
- Padres are 5-0 in their last 5 day games.
- Padres are 6-1 in their last 7 games as a favorite.
- Padres are 13-3 in their last 16 games as a home favorite.

LA Dodgers vs. New York Mets

Mets' hurler Orlando Hernández brings sufficient postseason experience to the mound in Game 1, but the Dodgers are 6-0 in their last 6 games vs. a right-handed starter. As well, Mets are 0-4 in Hernandez's last 4 starts during Game 1 of a series. He's had 3 career starts against LA with a 1-1 mark. Home cookin' hasn't helped much this year as he's 5-6 in New York with a 4.67 ERA.

Derek Lowe toes the rubber for the Dodgers in hopes of giving his club a victory right out of the gate on the road where he's 6-4 with an ERA of 4.13. In his last outing against the Mets he got a win in a solid 6 inning appearance while allowing just 2 runs.

Mets' pitching suffers without Pedro Martinez and the Dodgers have solid starters and good depth out of the pen. Jonathon Broxton and Joe Beimel have been great in front of Takashi Saito. However, overall, both pitching staffs are pretty evenly matched.

This series will be won at the plate and each team has a talented lineup. The Mets scored 800 runs this year and the Dodgers posted 799. LA has a slightly better BA at .276 compared to .264 hit by the Mets.

The underdog Dodgers give the Mets all they can handle while taking the series in 4 games.

- Dodgers are 6-0 in their last 6 games vs. a right-handed starter.
- Dodgers are 4-0 in their last 4 day games.
- Mets are 1-4 in their last 5 games as a home favorite.
- Mets are 1-4 in their last 5 playoff games.
- Mets are 1-5 in their last 6 home games.

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[ronbets]

Tim,

I'm shocked you would release this info to your betting public!! It must be considered a conflict of interestED.