Division Matchups Hold Surprises, Keep Us in Suspense

The divisional round of the MLB playoffs has not followed any predestined blueprint thus far, and that's good, unless you hate surprises. But there's a reason they play the games, and if everything went according to plan, why would one bother watching in the first place. As with every MLB playoff matchup, some aspects of each series follows "the plan," while others leave the viewer surprised, stunned, or baffled. This is playoff baseball the way it was intended. North American sports engage themselves in an extended playoff format unlike other leagues around the world that place the regular season in higher regard. The regular season is everything when it comes to foreign league championships. Only domestically, are fans given the opportunity to root for their team in a "second season" a.k.a. the playoffs. Here, we place everything on the line in a best-of-series format to determine a champion. The best teams during the season have to prove they are the best, and they get this opportunity in the postseason.

Each of the Division Series matchups have produced suspenseful, stimulating baseball. In a short playoff series, any team can upset the favorite, and that's why we watch, whether it be to see the favorite march on as expected or witness the underdog upset unexpectedly.

ALDS

Yankees/Twins

As expected, the Yankees are up 2 games to none versus a hot Twins team. But unexpectedly (to some), the Twins have still put up a great fight against the Yankees, a team which has every to lose. To this point, the Twins have held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in Games 1 & 2, only to lose both games to a sleeping giant with offensive juggernauts like Mark Teixeira (39 HR) and Alex Rodriguez (30 HR). Making no excuses about playing a 12-inning AL Central tiebreaker game the night before, the Twins came out to an early lead in Game 1, ultimately losing 7-2. In Game 2, up 3-1 in the 9th, sure-handed Twins' closer Joe Nathan showed his lack of postseason experience, serving up a 2-run bomb to A-Rod tieing the game, and sending it to extra innings, where 17 runners left on base did in the Twins efforts. Teixeira would hit a self-described "wall scraper" walk-off homer to win in the 11th, putting the Yankees up 2 game to 0.

Angels/Red Sox

This series could have gone either way as it pitted playoff regulars all too familiar with one another. Do the Red Sox win because of past postseason successes against the Angels or do the Angels with all their .300 contact hitters take the cake this year? The Angels' starting pitching staff of John Lackey and Jered Weaver got the job done holding the Red Sox to 1 run combined over the first 2 games, each going deep with 7.1 innings pitched. Lackey out-dueled Lester (6 IP, 3 R), and the Angels got to Beckett late with 3 runs in the 7th to win 4-1 in Game 2. In Game 3, the Red Sox appeared safe to live another day, leading 5-1 in the middle innings, and despite a rally by the Angels that resulted in a 5-4 and 6-4 deficit in the 7th and 8th, respectively, you can depend on Jonathan Papelpon to close in out in the 9th, right?... wrong. Papelbon, who has never given up run in a playoff game, gave 3 runs in the 9th, including a 2-out, 2-run single to Vladimir Guerrero, blowing the save and ending the Red Sox' playoff run. Swept for the first time since 2005, who could have seen this coming? Now, you have to believe this Angels team is serious; their top-line pitching and consistent hitters make for an exciting ALCS matchup against the Yankees(?).

NLDS

Phillies/Rockies

You almost have to say that you're not sure what exactly is going on in this series, and that you could see either team winning. After a dominating 6-hit complete game by Cliff Lee against the Rockies in Game 1, the Phillies' mid-season deal for the 2008 AL Cy Young pitcher never looked better. However, some of that enthusiasm was given back as Aaron Cook and the Rockies won Game 2 by a score of 5-4 at Citizens Bank in game where Cole Hamels looked anything but the NLCS and World Series MVP of last postseason, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. Joe Blanton pitched 1 inning in the game, and J.A. Happ appeared briefly before exiting after a hot-shot up the middle hit him in the knee. Because of this, 37-year-old Pedro Martinez was poised to make the Game 3 start before record freezing temperatures and the threat of snow postponed the game until Sunday 10:07 pm ET. Charlie Manuel will look instead to Happ in Game 3 for the start, and try to wrest home-field advantage back from the Rockies. If the 2 teams split in Colorado on Sunday and Monday, expect Game 5 to be Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

Dodgers/Cardinals

The Dodgers 5-3, 3-2, 5-1, 3-game sweep of the Cardinals is probably the shocking result this postseason. Vegas even had the Cardinals as the odds-on favorite to represent the NL in the World Series. Cy Young candidates Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24) and Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63), along with Joel Pineiro (15-12, 3.49) were supposed to be the difference in this series. Chris Carpenter was uncharacteristically shaky, but held in there long enough to give the Cardinals a chance in Game 1. In Game 2, we saw the importance of each game in a short best-of-five series. Seemingly having the game won 2-1, and one out away from tieing the series at 1-1 before heading to St. Louis, Cardinals' left fielder Matt Holliday lost view of the ball as it went above his glove and hit him in the groin, ouch! Double ouch really as Holliday became the goat of this series, with the damage having been done, and the Dodgers winning Game 3 with a nice offensive output against Pineiro. You have to give the Dodgers credit as they will open up the NLCS at home against either the Phillies or Rockies.