By Jacob Becquey

Every Baseball fan spends the late summer months counting down the days to October. The Postseason is the culmination of every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears shed by every team in the league. Some only dream of seeing October Baseball, others feel it to be an inevitability. With the division races in full swing for the final stretch of the season, lets look at every current playoff matchup, predicting winners, losers, and the eventual World Series champion.

The AL Playoff Picture

In the AL, the Toronto Blue Jays currently stand as the No. 1 Seed at 68-48, a whole 2 games ahead of the No. 2 Seeded Detroit Tigers. With these two teams receiving the 1st-round byes, lets take a look at the Al Wild Card:

No. 3 Houston Astros Vs No. 6 New York Yankees: The Yankees and Astros have had a colorful Postseason rivalry the past few years, with the Astros coming out on top at nearly every turn. The Yankees have a solid rotation headlined by Carlos Rodon and Max Fried, a good-on-paper Bullpen with Camilo Doval and David Bednar, and a potentially deadly offense with names like Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton. However, if the season ended today, the Yankees Postseason hopes would be cut almost instantly. The Astros have a better rotation with Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, a better Bullpen with Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader, and a lineup with players that can go toe-to-toe with the Bronx Bombers in Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Cam Smith, and Jesus Sanchez. The Astros would take this series in 2 games, especially considering the state of the Yankees right now.

No. 4 Boston Red Sox Vs. No. 5 Seattle Mariners: The Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in MLB, going 8-2 in their last 10 games and sweeping the Houston Astros. However, their first opponents in the August Playoff would be the equally deadly Seattle Mariners. Both teams are seemingly equally matched in a 3 game series. Rotation? Boston has Garret Crochet, Bryan Bello, and a hot Lucas Giolito against Seattle’s Luis Castillo, Bryan Woo, and Logan Gilbert. Bullpen? Both have dominant closers in Aroldis Chapman and Andres Munoz respectively. Lineup? Boston has Alex Bregman, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, and Roman Anthony against Seattle’s Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, Julio Rodriguez, and Randy Arozarena. This may be the closest and best series of the 1st round. With the teams so close in almost every category on paper, a lot of the series would come down to how well they play. With their recent heroics and hot streak, Boston takes down Seattle in 3 games, though the 3rd goes to extra innings.

With the Wild Card sorted, lets check the ALDS Matchups.

No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays Vs. No. 4 Boston Red Sox: The August ALDS would feature a showdown between two AL East powerhouses in Boston and Toronto. While Boston has been so good and would definitely play a great series, the Blue Jays have been so good that they can take them down. Rotation wise, Toronto would sport a hot Kevin Gausman (who recently went blow-for-blow with Tarik Skubal), Jose Berrios, Eric Lauer, and Max Scherzer. Their Bullpen is one of the most well-rounded in the sport, headlined by Yariel Rodriguez, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, and Jeff Hoffman. The lineup is heavy and strong throughout with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Daulton Varsho, Alejandro Kirk, and Addison Barger. Toronto is a complete team that outweighs Boston in both bullpen and Offense, while having the talent to go band-for-band in the rotation. Toronto defeats Boston in 4 games, leading them to their first ALCS since 2016.

No. 2 Detroit Tigers Vs. No. 3 Houston Astros: The Detroit Tigers have severely slowed down from their very hot start, but they still have all of the necessary pieces to win a playoff series. Their rotation is stacked with Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, and Casey Mize, the bullpen is decent with Kyle Finnigan and Tommy Kahnle, and the lineup is bolstered with power in Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres, Kerry Carpenter, and Javier Baez. However, this Tigers squad has been very cold in July and August, while the Astros outmatch them in overall starting pitching, bullpen, and lineup performance. With the current state of the Tigers, the Astros defeat them in 5 games to secure another trip to the ALCS.

The ALCS matchup is now set, so who will win?

No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays Vs. No. 3 Houston Astros: The Astros and Blue Jays are two teams defined by their grit. Both lineups produce even when the big guys falter, both bullpens pick it up after bad starts, and both teams are built to win close games. However, even with Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, the Blue Jays have too much grit to drop a 7-game series. The lineup is deep, the starters can play up to the moment, and the bullpen can lock down games in any scenario. Toronto takes this series in 6 games, booking their first World Series trip since Joe Carter touched ’em all in 1993.

The NL Playoff Picture

As it stands, the No. 1 Seeded Milwaukee Brewers and No. 2 Seeded Dodgers receive the Wildcard byes. With the matchups set, lets take a look at the NL Wild Card.

No. 3 Philadelphia Phillies Vs. No. 6 New York Mets: The Phillies have one of the best overall rosters in Baseball. Their rotation has big names in Zach Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, and Christopher Sanchez, while their bullpen has a top-tier closer in Jhoan Duran surrounded by pieces like Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm. The Fightin’ Phils also have a really good lineup, led by Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber. The Mets, who are seriously cold, match up well on paper with heavy hitter in Pete Alonso, Juan Soto, and Francisco Lindor. However, their pitching is far worse, with their rotation mot matching up well with names like Sean Manea, Clay Holmes, and Kodai Senga, while the bullpen proves to be similar to the Phils with Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto. After their hot start, the Mets just fizzle out. The Phillies take this series in 2 games.

No. 4 Chicago Cubs Vs. No. 5 San Diego Padres: The Cubs have an absolutely electric offense with Pete Crow Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Michael Busch lighting it up all season. The pitching staff does well to compliment the bats, as Shota Imanaga and Cade Horton bolstering the rotation, with other pieces like Andrew Kitteridge and Ryan Brassier holding down the bullpen. The Padres have been equally impressive, sporting a rock-solid rotation with Dylan Cease and Michael King, a great bullpen with Robert Suarez and Mason Miller, and a great lineup in Fernando Tatis Jr., Ramon Laureano, and Manny Machado. Both teams are absolutely electric, but with the Cubs going cold as of late and having the worse pitching, I’ll take the Padres in 3 games.

With the NLDS set, here’s the matchups and subsequent predictions:

No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers Vs. No. 5 San Diego Padres: The Brewers have been the biggest surprise team in Baseball, getting to the insane record of 70-44. The Brewers are no joke and a seriously hot team, with a solid rotation in Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester, and Jose Quintana. The bullpen has been good with Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe, and the lineup has been very decent with Christian Yelich, William Contreras, and Bryce Turang. This Padres team matches up very well against Milwaukee, housing a better lineup and slightly better bullpen. The Padres are better on paper, but the Brewers have all the grit and grind to win the series. Personally, I’ll take San Diego in 5 games, but there is no shame in picking a hot Brewers team that can surprise everyone come October.

No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers Vs. No. 3 Philadelphia Phillies: The Dodgers are a team full of superstars. The rotation is insane with Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Clayton Kershaw. The bullpen has names like Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott holding down leads. The lineup has heavy hitters all over the lineup with Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Andy Pages, and Teoscar Hernandez (plus a cold Mookie Betts). However, the team has struggled through injury and cold streaks, while this Philli roster has more consistent pitching and hitting. While the Dodgers will be favorites come October, if the playoffs started today, give me Philadelphia in 4 games.

Finally, here’s the NLCS matchup:

No. 3 Philadelphia Phillies Vs. No. 5 San Diego Padres: The Padres and Phillies face each other in a rematch of the 2022 NLCS. The Phillies sport the better rotation, but the Padres sport a better bullpen. The lineups are similarly dominant, although the Phillies have more great hitters. Really, this series comes down to how the teams play, so this is a toss-up. The Padres are so hot right now and have all the pitching necessary to win this series, so I’ll take them, but the Phillies could easily win as well. I have the Padres in 7.

The World Series: No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays Vs. No. 5 San Diego Padres

The Padres and Blue Jays meet in the Fall (or in this case Summer) Classic, with the Jays trying to break their 32-year Championship drought and the Padres trying to get their first ring. San Diego has the pitching, Toronto has the lineup. What this matchup really comes down to is grit. The Padres have serious grit and can hold down leads, but Toronto’s lineup is built for the comeback. As long as the Jays’ rotation keeps up, the Blue Jays should be able to deal with the Padres. I have the Jays breaking the drought in 5 games.

A lot can change in 2 months, but the August Playoff Picture shows so many great matchups and potential moments to get excited for. With only around 50 games left in the season, all eyes are on October.