World Series Preview

Audio/Story posted October 17, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by Zech Lambert

Host Logan Bourandas, Zech Lambert, Ben Serfass and Gabe Angieri break down Washington's NLCS victory and preview the World Series between the Nationals and the Winner of Astros-Yankees:

As more and more teams get eliminated from the playoffs, the elite teams are making deep runs. Players like José Altuve and Howie Kendrick are playing some of the best baseball of their lives, even though the pitching this postseason has been nothing short of spectacular. Let's take a look at what's going on in postseason baseball:

National League

The Washington Nationals just clinched their first National League crown after they swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games in the NLCS. The Nats did not trail at all during the entire NLCS and looked completely dominate.

Their starting pitching is their greatest strength and it showed during this series. Aníbal Sánchez and Max Scherzer each took no-hitters into the seventh inning in games one and two respectively. Stephen Strasburg struck out 12 in game three, and Patrick Corbin did the same in game four. The Nats rotation is what gives them a chance against whichever power comes out of the American League, but the long week they will have off could hurt them.

Typically, teams struggle coming off long breaks because hitters lose their timing. Even though the Nats’ offense has been strong, if they have to face the dominant pitching of the Astros, they could be in trouble. Regardless of what happens, the Nationals and their fans should rejoice in a magical season. They were 12 games under .500 in May, came from behind to win the Wild Card game, and beat the team with the most wins in the NL. This season was nothing short of special and they would love to see it end as World Series champions.

American League

On the American League side of things, the Houston Astros currently hold a 2-1 series lead on the New York Yankees. After a robust 7-0 win in game one, the Yankees fell in extras off a Carlos Correa walk-off home run in game two. When the series shifted to the Bronx for game three, the Astros jumped out early on a first inning home run from José Altuve and never looked back, winning the game 4-1.

The Astros have looked good in games two and three, and Jose Altuve has been playing like an MVP. Unfortunately for the Yankees, if they want to win this series, they will have to beat either Gerrit Cole or Justin Verlander at least once. That fact makes game two an even harder pill to swallow, as a win against Justin Verlander was within reach and slipped away.

The Yanks have to capitalize on the next two games at home if they want a chance to win this series. Either team will match up well with the Nationals, but the Astros probably have a better chance of beating them because the Astros’ pitching trio of Verlander, Cole and Greinke lines up well with Scherzer, Strasburg and Corbin. The Yankees simply do not have the pitching to compete with the Nats rotation, but the Yankees lineup is capable of hitting any pitcher.

Prediction: Astros over Yankees

World Series Prediction: Astros over Nationals in World Series

 


Zech Lambert is a sophomore majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email zbl5146@psu.edu.