Since the Boston Red Sox have failed to make the postseason, the crown will be passed onto another team. From the Bronx to Hollywood, this postseason is truly up in the air. Now that the field is set, let’s try to sort out what teams are for real and what teams are busts.

The Washington Nationals surprised many with a stellar second half, lasting out division rivals New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies to reach the postseason after a one-year absence. They welcome the Milwaukee Brewers, who, after losing their MVP Cristian Yelich to injury, have won 20 games in September to see themselves in their second postseason in a row. Though with Max Scherzer on the mound for the Nationals, the Brewers will find it hard to get on the board, and with no true number one starter, the Nationals should take this one at home.

The two teams with some of the lowest payrolls in the league finally meet in a postseason. The Oakland Athletics have had to settle for the Wild Card for the second year in a row, facing them are the Tampa Bay Rays after winning 90 plus games for the third year in a row. Charlie Morton will be on the mound for the Rays, most likely facing Sean Manaea. It is very hard to predict this game, so I’m not, because neither of these teams will beat the Astros. They have the best lineup in baseball, the best pitching rotation in baseball, and an above-average bullpen, it doesn’t get much better than that.

The most compelling series of the divisional rounds must be the St. Louis Cardinals facing off against the Atlanta Braves. If Keukhel, Soroka, and Foltynewicz can pitch well, then the Braves should win this in four. But the Cardinals are a scrappy team with a mix of veteran and young talent and will give the Braves ruckus.

The Yankees will take care of business against the Twins, moving on to face the Astros. Arguably the two best teams in the MLB squaring off are always a nice surprise. With the Yankees lack of starting pitching and the injury-ridden bullpen, the Astros will take this in six or seven. I also have the Dodgers beating the Nationals in five due to Nat’s excellent pitching. So the Braves meet the Dodgers in the postseason for the second time in a row. This time though, the Braves will get the upper hand with the help of Ronald Acuna, who will have an excellent October.

So that leaves us with the Braves and the Astros, two of the most exciting teams in baseball. The Braves have a chance and can easily get this game to seven, but with Springer, Brantley, Correa, and Altuve all heating up, the Astros will win their second World Series in three years, a true baseball dynasty.
These predictions are always hard, and they didn’t go well last year, but its October, the most unpredictable time of the calendar.