Last year, I did three of these posts leading up to the playoffs. This year, I'm planning on doing two. One today and then another next Friday. May these posts increase your excitement for the best month of the year, October.
Playoff Picture
American League
| Team | W-L | Playoff Odds* | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indians | 96-58 | 100% | @SEA, MIN, CWS |
| Astros | 94-59 | 100% | LAA, @TEX, @BOS |
| Red Sox | 89-64 | 100% | @CIN, TOR, HOU |
| Yankees | 85-68 | 100% | @TOR, KC, TB, TOR |
| Twins | 80-74 | 86.4% | @DET, @CLE, DET |
| Angels | 76-77 | 6.4% | @HOU, @CWS, SEA |
| Rangers | 76-77 | 5.1% | @OAK, HOU, OAK |
National League
| Team | W-L | Playoff Odds* | Last Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 97-56 | 100% | SF, SD, @COL |
| Nationals | 92-61 | 100% | @NYM, @PHI, PIT |
| Diamondbacks | 89-65 | 100% | MIA, SF, @KC |
| Cubs | 86-67 | 99.8% | @MIL, @STL, CIN |
| Rockies | 83-71 | 56.8% | @SD, MIA, LA |
| Cardinals | 81-72 | 30.3% | @PIT, CHC, MIL |
| Brewers | 81-73 | 13.2% | CHC, CIN, @STL |
* Playoff Odds come from FanGraphs.
Weekend Series Worth Following
3. Cardinals @ Pirates: The fact that this series is number three reveals how weak our playoff races are this year.
2. Angels @ Astros: Houston is just one game back of Cleveland for best AL record (and three of the Dodgers). The Angels need two out of three.
1. Cubs @ Brewers: First two games have been a blast. Great atmospheres.
October Moments
As it stands right now, the Astros and Red Sox would meet in the ALDS. The last time the Astros made the playoffs was 2015. Houston was six outs away from punching their ticket to the ALCS, before giving up a four-run lead in the eighth inning. I remember following this comeback at Wrigley while waiting for Game 3 of the Cubs-Cards NLDS to start.
Baseball is here! And more importantly, that means the over/under game is back. It seems as though everyone is an expert this time of year. Somehow we convince ourselves that we are better at predicting baseball outcomes than everyone else. Well, AFITB is putting that to the test for the third year in a row. Think you know more about baseball than us? You probably do. But go ahead and prove it anyway.