Tank's ALCS And NLCS Preview

ALCS:

• 1. New York Yankees vs. 2. Cleveland Guardians 
• Yankees in Six

This series should be a cakewalk for the Yankees. The Guardians had their backs to the wall against the Tigers and had an edge in the bullpen with Emmanuel Clase. However, that is where the edge ends for Cleveland. The Yankees barely had to sweat in the Division Series against the Royals, winning in four games despite a poor series from Aaron Judge. 

One thing that could help the Yankees is the re-emergence of Giancarlo Stanton, who had a 1.132 OPS against Kansas City. The Yankees have a pitching advantage, with three quality starters who can go deep into games; the Guardians need their bullpen to carry them home, with Tanner Bibee and Matthew Boyd not going deep in their starts in the Division Series. The Yankees also have a deeper lineup. 

If the Guardians are to push the Yankees, they will need Jose Ramirez to get on track. Though Lane Thomas, fresh off his Game 5 grand slam, is a candidate to be a pest for the Yankees, it is hard to envision Cleveland finding a way to win this series. 

• ALCS MVP:
• Juan Soto, Yankees

NLCS:

• 1. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. 6. New York Mets
• Dodgers in Seven

The pressure is all on the Dodgers, who needed to win the final two games to beat the Padres in the division series. The Dodgers are coming into the series a tad banged up as Freddy Freeman tries to play with an ankle sprain. Had this been the regular season, he would likely have been on the IL. The Dodgers starting rotation was a mess in the NLDS as they rode their bullpen to victory. The Dodgers ended the series with 24 consecutive scoreless innings, with the Padres hitters not facing the same pitcher twice in the same game. 

The Mets continue to be magical, taking down the Phillies in four games as they fired on all cylinders. When the Mets last faced the Dodgers in May, they were at rock bottom, dropping to 22-33, while Jorge Lopez declared them "the worst team in the MLB." The Mets held a team meeting that day and began their turnaround. This series will put the magical Mets to the test. The Dodgers lineup is lethal with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts being a two-headed monster even without a healthy Freeman. The bullpen for the Mets has been good enough, but they will need to find a trustworthy setup man with Phil Maton pitching poorly in the first two rounds. They cannot put too much on Edwin Diaz, who struggles when asked to pitch multiple innings. 

To win, the Mets will need their starters at their best and an extra boost from the bottom of the lineup. It is still house money, but the smart money says the Dodgers will win the series.

• NLCS MVP:
• Mookie Betts, Dodgers