2012 MLB Postseason Preview: World Series

It all comes down to two teams. At this stage, the stakes are now at its highest, and every misstep, pain and failure will be the last. It takes four wins to decide the world champion of baseball. This is the World Series. Here is the matchup to end all matchups. 

Detroit Tigers vs. San Francisco Giants

Season Series: Did Not Meet

Road to the World Series

Detroit - def. Oakland 3-2 in ALDS; def. NY Yankees 4-0 in ALCS

San Francisco - def. Cincinnati 3-2 in NLDS; def. St. Louis 4-3 in NLCS

It is only fitting that the batting champions of the American League and the National League will meet at this stage of the postseason. Miguel Cabrera, owner of the first batting Triple Crown since 1967, face Buster Posey, the NL's batting champion, in a World Series matchup no one had ever dreamed of. In fact, it's been a long time since the batting champions of both leagues squared off in the World Series, and this year's edition should bring out the best in both Cabrera and Posey. But this is not the only story.

This is the first postseason meeting between the Giants and the Tigers, two storied franchises looking to add another World Series title to their resume. The Tigers arrived here with a mission, after adding Prince Fielder in the offseason. Though they had some glimpses of struggle, the Tigers were able to defend their AL Central title with an 88-win campaign. Then they had to overcome the younger Oakland Athletics in five games, all thanks to Justin Verlander, before capitalizing on a sluggish and aging Yankee bat in a four-game sweep. Meanwhile the Giants returned to form by winning the NL West with a 94-win campaign, but were pushed to the brink by Cincinnati and St. Louis both times before escaping elimination and eventually winning both series. To both Bruce Bochy and Jim Leyland's credit, both teams deserve to be here because they had the qualities of a winning team: prolific offense, strong pitching, formidable defense, and experience. 

The Giants would need only a day's rest, but who cares. They thrive with their backs to the wall, and by winning six elimination games, they showed that they are no pushovers. The offense will be backstopped by the batting champion Buster Posey, along with NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro, Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence. Leading the way for the staff will be Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong, Barry Zito, Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo and Tim Lincecum. For the Giants to win, they need both parts to work together, but if one part malfunctions, it is their series to lose.

The Tigers will enter the series well-rested, but they only hope that rust will not affect them. Pitching is the Tigers' bread and butter, led by Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez. However, their bullpen has been suspect at times, with Jose Valverde not coming close to his dominant 2011 self. Nevertheless, if the starting rotation can work at least eight innings, the Tigers may have a chance to win. The offense for Detroit will be carried by the Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, ALCS MVP Delmon Young, offseason addition Prince Fielder, Austin Jackson and Alex Avila. The Tigers always thrive in close games, and if they keep the scores low and close, they can win.

This year's World Series may be the most intriguing in a long time, so expect a long, tough series between the two teams. 

2012 MLB Postseason Preview: League Championship Series

It is down to the Final Four. Two teams from each league will slug it out for the right to claim the pennant and league representation for the World Series. This is the League Championship Series. 

All four Division Series went down the wire, a postseason first. Every game in that postseason round was as heartstopping as it can be. But now the stakes are higher, and League Championship Series promises an even greater amount of intensity and drama that every fan will love to see. Here is a preview of the two LCS matchups. 

American League Championship Series

New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers

Season Series: Yankees won 6-4

The Yankees and Tigers won their respective five-game series on the strength of their aces CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander's impressive Game 1 and Game 5 gems. Now the two AL contenders find themselves in a struggle for the coveted pennant and a trip to the World Series. 

The Yankees may have won the Division Series, but it came with a price. Alex Rodriguez was a non-factor, while Derek Jeter limped with a slightly injured foot. If the two veterans overcome both pain and anxiety, then it's a big plus. Age will again be a factor for the Yankees, as they try to rediscover the fountain of youth against a younger Tigers squad, whose heart of the order with Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Delmon Young is usually the most potent. The Tigers likewise barely made it against the younger Athletics, but now they are up against the ageless wonders from the Bronx. The Yankees only hope that history wouldn't repeat itself, having lost both postseason meetings to the Tigers in 2006 and last season. It'll be up to Sabathia and Verlander to lead their teams to the pennant.

National League Championship Series

San Francisco Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Season Series: Series Tied 3-3

The Cardinals are still alive, as they overcame a 6-0 deficit to beat the Nationals 9-7. Now they await the 2010 World Series champions from San Francisco, who beat the Reds to make it to this stage. In a rematch of the last two World Series champions, a lot of bragging rights will be at stake.

First off, which has the more potent offense? The Giants already have a batting champion in Buster Posey, along with equally reliable batters Pablo Sandoval, Marco Scutaro, Hunter Pence and Angel Pagan. The Cardinals counter with Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina and David Freese. In the six regular season meetings, the Giants outran the Cardinals 30-22, underscoring a more potent offense. But the Cardinals have been an opposing batter's nightmare in the past two postseasons, as manager Mike Matheny continued to mix and match with his pitching staff. No surprise that Kyle Lohse, Chris Carpenter, Jason Motte and Lance Lynn lead the parade. The Giants are no slouches either in the arms, with Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Barry Zito and Sergio Romo as their primary pitching weapons. Both teams' pitching staffs are not far behind in terms of ERA. However, for a victor to be decided, the offense has to step up, otherwise we are in for a long series. 

Hockey Locked Out

The NHL entered another lockout on September 15, and is on its third week. The season was supposed to start October 11, but the NHL cancelled the first week of the regular season last Thursday. The issues that the NHL Players Association and the owners face involves revenue sharing, cutbacks on player contracts, repeal of salary arbitration, and amended free agency rules.

Meetings between the players, the owners and commissioner Gary Bettman has been tense at times, concluding without any solution with regards to ending the lockout. This is already the third lockout of the Bettman era, the last being the 48-game 1994-95 season, and the cancelled 2004-05 season. In both cases, many of the NHL's top stars left for the European leagues, while the rookies and younger players were assigned to the minor league affiliates, such as the American Hockey League. Now when will this lockout end? And will hockey really come back? We only hope that 2005 does not repeat itself. 

2012 MLB Postseason Preview: Division Series

The quest for the World Series begins for the division winners, while it continues for the Wild Card survivor. This year's Division Series promises to be as exciting as the opening Wild Card playoff, with every game treated with greater intensity and purpose. Due to the late addition of the Wild Card round, the last three games, two if necessary, will be held at the ballpark of the team with the better record, thus lessening the need of travel and time. Here is a preview of all four Division Series. 

American League Division Series

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

Season Series: Series Tied 9-9

The return to the Cartoon Bird logo coincided with the Orioles' resurgence. After defeating the Rangers in the Wild Card playoff, the Orioles now have a chance to erase memories of Jeffrey Maier and his infamous catch in the 1996 ALCS. 

The Yankees are business as usual, making the postseason an unprecedented 17th time in 18 seasons, thanks to a potent offense (Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano) and superb pitching (CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Rafael Soriano). The Orioles' countered with power from both bat (Chris Davis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Mark Reynolds) and arm (Joe Saunders, Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen, Jim Johnson). They are both evenly matched offensively and defensively, so expect the series to go the distance between the two AL East rivals.

Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers

Season Series: Tigers won 4-3

The A's made it through their rookie pitchers, who combined to win a league-record 53 games. A sweep of Texas gave them the AL West on the final day, overachieving despite pre-season predictions of them finishing in last place. The Tigers blew hot and cold before clinching the AL Central for the second straight year despite winning only 88 games. 

The Tigers will again rely on the powerful bats of Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Austin Jackson and Delmon Young, while relying on the arms of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Jose Valverde. The Tigers were inconsistent all year and they need their top guns to beat Oakland's young pitching staff led by A.J. Griffin, Jarrod Parker and Grant Balfour. Oakland will also rely through Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick and Seth Smith to lead the offense. While the Tigers have the experience advantage, the A's are also expected to go out fighting through grit and youth to win the series. 

National League Division Series

Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Season Series: Nationals won 4-3

The Nationals made it through their pitching, though Stephen Strasburg won't be pitching in the postseason. The Cardinals romped past the Braves thanks to some lucky Braves errors and 'small ball' tactics. It will be experience vs. youth in this series.

Youth will be about the Nationals. Most of the players are appearing in their first postseason. Nevertheless, the power of Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond and playoff veteran Jayson Werth, and the arms of Gio Gonzalez, World Series winner Edwin Jackson, Jordan Zimmermann and Tyler Clippard will be crucial for the Nats' success. The Cardinals will rely on most of their World Series-winning crew, led by last year's hero David Freese, along with Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina and new acquisition Carlos Beltran. Even with Chris Carpenter in less than full strength, their arms remain as potent, led by Kyle Lohse, Lance Lynn and Jason Motte. The series is expected to have an unpredictable ending, perhaps four or five games will decide the winner of the experience vs. youth battle. 

Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants

Season Series: Reds won 4-3

The 2010 World Series champions are aching to get back on the big stage, but first they have to face a team that also has World Series aspirations. Both the Reds and the Giants made it through their offense and pitching, and these aspects will decide this series.

Even with Tim Lincecum struggling and Brian Wilson out, the Giants did prevail thanks to the equally potent arms of Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Madison Bumgarner and Sergio Romo. The Giants also had success offensively, thanks to the return of Buster Posey and the consistency of a pre-suspension Melky Cabrera. With Cabrera out, they need the likes of Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan and Joaquin Arias to fill the offensive void. As for the Reds, they will rely on the bats of Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and youngsters Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier, and the arms of Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Bronson Arroyo and Aroldis Chapman. With an equal distribution of offense and pitching, expect this series to last four or five, and whoever starts quickly will win the series. 

2012 MLB Postseason Preview: Wild Card Playoff

The chase for October has ended, and the chase for the World Series title gets underway. This year, Major League Baseball introduced the Wild Card playoff, where two Wild Card qualifiers in each league play in a one-game elimination tournament to determine who will face the top-seeded team in the division series. The introduction of this round enables a more exciting finish to the season, and most importantly, a greater chance of qualifying for the postseason. However, the new format also lessens the chance of a Wild Card team winning the World Series, as they have to win 12 games instead of the 11 given to the division winners. Still, the addition of an extra playoff round adds revenue to the league and gives fans something to cheer for.

AL Wild Card Playoff

Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles

Season Series: Rangers won 5-2

The Rangers collapsed down the stretch to lose the AL West lead and eventually down to the Wild Card game, while the Orioles couldn't put away the Rays when it mattered most, losing out on their first division title since 1997. Now a date with the Yankees is on the line on this one game, and if either team is to win, offense will be the key.

Texas has the heart of the order in play, led by Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli, while Baltimore counters with Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Mark Reynolds. Yu Darvish and Joe Saunders are expected to start in this game. The pitching of either Darvish or Saunders will decide the winner of this winner-take-all game, even as the offense takes center stage. 

NL Wild Card Playoff

Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Season Series: Braves won 5-1

The Braves played consistently well, but not consistently enough to win the NL East. Still, making it to the Wild Card game was an achievement. As for the Cardinals, they were only lucky to have reached this playoff even as they played baseball on its highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Unlike in the AL, the NL is a pitcher's game, and 'small ball', a traditional tactic for both teams, is a key to victory.

The Braves only hope that a Kris Medlen start will be their key to victory, considering that they have won 23 straight Medlen starts. Leading the way offensively are retiring legend Chipper Jones, young bats Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward, and veteran Dan Uggla. The Cardinals, despite the loss of Albert Pujols, still have Matt Holliday, David Freese, Allen Craig, Yadier Molina and new addition Carlos Beltran to lead the offense. Starting for them pitching-wise is Kyle Lohse. Expect a pitching battle between Medlen and Lohse, as they look to book a ticket to D.C. and the top-seed Washington Nationals in the NLDS. 

Baseball in Review: August-October

We have come to the end of the 2012 Major League Baseball season, but before officially closing the curtain on the regular season, we look back at the best and the worst of the final third of the season, where the postseason race reached its conclusion.

Most Surprising Teams: AL

Who would have thought that by the end of the season, the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics would win their respective division titles at the end of the season? The A's returned to form thanks to their league record 53 wins by rookie pitchers and a final series sweep of the Texas Rangers while the Tigers leaned on Miguel Cabrera's batting Triple Crown effort to snatch the AL Central for the second straight time. Whether they were inspired by the movie 'Moneyball', the A's are indeed back in the postseason, and Oakland fans were there to witness. As for the Tigers, a return to postseason was a decent achievement, especially after signing prolific slugger Prince Fielder for millions in the offseason. 

Most Surprising Teams: NL

The St. Louis Cardinals are happy that they kept their season alive despite losing Albert Pujols to the Angels. The defending World Series champions quietly maintained a winning record for much of the season, eventually clinching one of two Wild Card slots. This despite missing ace Chris Carpenter for a long stretch due to injury. Their Wild Card playoff opponents, the Atlanta Braves, made sure there were no late-season collapses by storming through the final two months with consistent hitting and 'small ball' offense. The Braves are happy to be in the postseason again, but unless they dethrone the Cardinals on Friday, Chipper Jones' legendary career may end sooner than expected.

Most Disappointing Teams: AL

The Chicago White Sox led the AL Central for much of the second half, but then coughed up and eventually ceded the division to the Tigers in the final two weeks of the season. The Cleveland Indians also led the AL Central at one point, but their collapse was more dramatic than Chicago's, ending the season near the AL Central cellar amidst a poor combination of injuries, mediocre play from both sides, and questionable managerial decisions on now-dismissed manager Manny Acta. Both teams have a lot of questions to answer in the offseason. Also worth noting is the 93 losses by the Boston Red Sox, who just couldn't put their act together under Bobby Valentine.

Most Disappointing Teams: NL

Thankfully the Houston Astros will no longer be in the National League after a pair of 100-loss seasons. The latest, a 55-107 record, was a typical 'throw in the towel' bombshell, going deeper to their farm system to develop their talent. But with a new manager and a move to the pitcher-friendly American League (designated hitters replace batting pitchers), the Astros only hope that this latest rebuilding project won't stall for the next several years. As for the Chicago Cubs, their rebuilding process under Theo Epstein began on a sour note, losing 101 games. Still, there's a long way to go for Epstein to build the team like what he did in Boston, in hopes of ending a 100+ year title drought. Honorable mention goes to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who endured another late-season choke job to again finish with a losing record for the 20th straight time. 

Most Valuable Player: AL

A unanimous choice for AL MVP, Miguel Cabrera surged late in the season to capture the first batting Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski achieved the mark in 1967. Despite moving back to his original position of third base, Cabrera maintained his hitting form for much of the season, leading the Tigers to another AL Central title. The high point of Cabrera's hitting spree was when hit .357 with eight homers, 24 RBIs and 35 hits. He picked up his play in the final month of the season, norming .339 with 11 homers, 30 RBIs and 38 hits. Finishing with a .331 batting average, 44 homers and 139 RBIs, Cabrera's romp would one day lead him to Cooperstown once he is done. 

Most Valuable Player: NL

Ryan Braun may be in line for another NL MVP award, but Buster Posey is also a deserving contender. Posey stepped up his game in the wake of Melky Cabrera's PED scandal, norming .371 with six homers, 21 RBIs and 33 hits. In the final month of the season Posey continued to hit .371, this time with five homers, 21 RBIs and 39 hits. Finishing with a .336 average, Posey made sure that the batting title stayed in San Francisco. More importantly, Posey returned to form after suffering a broken ankle last season, helping the Giants return to the postseason two years after their World Series triumph. 

Best Rookie: AL

Mike Trout was just several hits away from becoming the first rookie to win the batting title since Ichiro Suzuki, but he nevertheless made his case for the AL Rookie of the Year award with a .326 average, 30 homers, 83 RBIs, and 182 hits. He also became the youngest player of the 30-30 club upon finishing with 30 homers and 49 stolen bases. Trout stayed consistent despite dropping to .284 and .279 batting average in the final two months, helping the Angels stay in the postseason hunt until the final week of the season. The future looks bright for Trout as he emerged as one of baseball's most versatile offensive players.

Best Rookie: NL

Becoming a reliable offensive weapon at only 19 was an achievement for Bryce Harper. Helping the Washington Nationals earn the league's best record was an even higher achievement. To be honest, Harper should win the NL Rookie of the Year after playing  139 games and norming .270 with 22 homers, 59 RBIs, 144 hits and 18 stolen bases. September saw Harper at his best with a .330 average, with seven homers, 14 RBI, 37 hits and five stolen bases. Though no longer a teenager come the postseason, Harper's surge to the NL's batting elite should serve him well in the years to come. 

Best Pitcher: AL

Before Jim Johnson, the last 50-save pitcher was Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels in 2008. His rise as one of the best closers in the game coincided with the Orioles' renaissance. Finishing with 51 saves, Johnson helped lead the Orioles back to the postseason after a 15-year absence. Combined with the Orioles' extra-inning dominance, Johnson's value to the team proved enormous through every save converted. The last reliever to win the Cy Young Award was Dennis Eckersley in 1992, but Johnson's impressive performance in a relief role should earn him a nomination, if not a Cy Young Award victory. 

Best Pitcher: NL

With Stephen Strasburg on the shelf due to recovery from Tommy John surgery, Gio Gonzalez stepped up his game to become the postseason ace of the Washington Nationals. Winning 21 games proved to be his calling card, as he led one of the NL's best pitching staff to the league's best record at the end of the season. And coupled with prolific offensive weapons such as Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman, Gonzalez's emergence proved to be a huge benefit in leading Washington to the top of the Major Leagues at the end of the season. He should be a cinch to win the Cy Young Award.