While you Weren't Watching 2012 Baseball Playoffs

For reasons I will never understand Major League Baseball started the Playoffs on a weekend against a jam packed football schedule. This combined with the lack of Red Sox involvement lead me to believe that very few people having been watching. I'm going to review everything that's happened so far and preview how each of the first round series will end.

Play in Games:
No matter what people say the games played on Friday were play in games and no part of the real playoffs.
Atlanta who rightfully won the Wild Card by six games were force to play defending champion St. Louis in a one game playoff to advance to in the NLDS. You knew this was going to end badly for Atlanta and it did when a horrendous 4 led to a 6-3 St. Louis victory. The game will be remembered for an awful infield fly call 50 feet deep into left field that thwarted an Atlanta 8th inning rally. It was a poor ending to the career of Chipper Jones who made a huge error that led to a three run inning and left four runners in scoring position.

In the American League play in game Texas completed their choke job and crushed completely out of the playoffs. Cinderella Baltimore got the pitching performance of a lifetime out of August recycle bin pickup Joe Saunders to carry them to a 5-1 victory. Free agent to be Josh Hamilton was a weak 0 for 5 and is someone no team should go near this winter.

ALDS  Tigers vs A's     (Tigers lead series 2-0 will win 3-1)
What did the Oakland A's gain for their miracle run to win the AL West? The right to start the playoffs on the road against Justin Verlander and the Tigers. Coco Crisp lead off the game with a homer, but that's all they would manage in a ho hum 3-1 defeat. Game 2 was a great game but the A's great bullpen blew one run leads in the both the 7th and 8th innings and the Tigers walked off to a 5-4 win on a sac fly in the 9th.
Projecting ahead the A's have the last three games at home but their bullpen looked tired in the first two games and they don't have an ace to steal them a game.
I think they'll win Game 3, but the Tigers will win the series in 4 and with the insurance of having Justin Verlander pitching Game 5 should easily advance.

ALDS  Yankees vs O's (Series Tied 1-1 Yankees will win 3-2)
The Yankees really lucked out with this draw as they entered the playoffs with their poorest starting rotation in years and an offense entirely dependent on the home run but wind up facing a team that can't take advantage of them. Baltimore was kind of a fluke this year riding a great bullpen and tremendous record in one run games to make the playoffs for the first time since 1997. A lineup built almost entirely of swing and miss guys proved costly in Game 1 as their inability to move runners let the Yankees hang around and eventually win 7-2 behind a five rive run top of the ninth. Baltimore used their bullpen depth to hang on for a 3-2 win in Game 2, but seem unlikely to win two out of 3 in New York. Yankee Stadium is just homer friendly for below average Baltimore starter Miguel Gonzalez and Charles Tilman to survive. I say a Phil Hughes gag of a start stretches the series to 5 with the Yanks ultimately advance behind ace lefty CC Sabathia.

NLDS Reds vs Giants (Reds lead series 2-0 will win series 3-0)
This series has been the most one sided and seems destined to end in a sweep. The Giants lineup is so poor it got shutout by Bronson Arroyo. Second baseman Brandon Phillips is red hot and with Cincinnati home for the final three games advancing and a long rest are all but assured.

NLDS Nationals vs Cardinals (series tied 1-1 Cardinals will win 3-2)
The Nationals were lucky to steal Game 1 4-3 after stupidly bunting down a run in the 8th with runners on first and third and no outs. A pinch hit two run single by rookie Tyler Morse bailed them out and gave them a victory. Game 2 was all St. Louis as they cruised to a 12-5 win. Even with the final three games in Washington the playoff experience of St. Louis has been apparent in the first two games and will carry them to a series win. Choosing not to pitch Stephen Strasburg really hurts against St. Louis as they have playoff veterans Chris Carpetner and Adam Wainwright to send to the mound in Games 3 and 5 and the Nationals don't have the pitching depth to counter. I'd love to be wrong and go to Washington for the World Series but I see St. Louis clearly advancing in five.

I'll be back to see if I was right at the end of the round. Lots more posts coming this week including some requested TV and movie reviews. So check back during the week