As Borat would say….
The juxtaposition of the NLCS to the ALCS should be on a powerpoint for English literature students. A perfect example is what I mean. The Nats and the Cardinals produced the least heart thumping series with the Nationals cleaning up with a four-game sweep, wherein the last two games were over after the first inning. Just a complete trouncing. The most excitement we got from that series was in the first game where Anibal Sanchez flirted with a no-hitter through 7 and two thirds. That’s right, the highest my heart rate went came in the form of pitching domination.
Now when we look at the ALCS, we get what the pinnacle of every young ballplayer’s fantasy. Playing in front of your home crowd. Title game on the line. And you hit a walk-off home run. Altuve’s clutch hit in the ninth lifted the Astros to their second World Series in three years. I don’t want to turn this into a Red Sox blog, but guess what I like the Red Sox and this is my blog. I hate that the Red Sox didn’t make it to October and that I can’t celebrate any series wins for the hometown team. But the Yankees losing in the fashion that they did is almost equivalent to the Red Sox taking a series dub late in the [ost season. I mean to be down 3-1, catching a win at home before playing on the road, then feeling like the game is lost in the ninth inning of the clincher, to feeling like there is a slight chance of hope off the bat of a bright young star. And then. Oh boy then, a 5 foot 6 inch man dashes those dreams created a mere 10 minutes ago with 1 out remaining in the inning. It’s just so poetic. Robert Frost couldn’t have crafted something so beautiful in the English language.
The Nationals will now face off against a team that is not the Yankees, which means all I’m rooting for is a game 7. I want all the baseball. All the pitching matchups, which there will be great ones. And all the young bloods flipping bats to the moon. This series can ultimately go two ways. The route which I just stated. Or the Astros prove to be the team we all know they really are and just sweep through the Nationals.
The Nationals’ biggest weakness is their bullpen, but if Stras, Max, and Sanchez hold it down till they can get Doolittle or Fernando in for 3-4 outs they’ll be solid. However, that is by no means sustainable over what I think will be a 6-7 game series.
My prediction; In a 6 game series the Houston Astros win their second World Series in franchise history with Justin Verlander winning series MVP.
Anything But E 