Jim “my wife is my rock” Thome (I hope you Phils fans remember that classic press conference) jacked a mammoth homer to lift the South Siders into the playoffs by a 1-0 score and thus completing the 8 team post-season field. In the AL: Angels, White Sox, Rays, and Red Sox. In the NL: Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, and Brewers.

When I look at what to try and breakdown first, I remind myself of something paramount: Major League Baseball playoffs are remarkably difficult to predict. Out of the 4 main sports, no other sport comes close to the inexplicable moments, the ridiculous upsets, and surprise champions that baseball presents year in, year out. Football? There’s almost always a 1 or 2 seed matching up. Basketball? It was Lakers, Celtics, gimme a break. Hockey? Now, hockey comes the closest, but still doesn’t match the sheer unknown of the baseball playoff landscape. Remember the Seattle Mariners in 2001, the team that won an MLB record 116 games? They survived the Indians in 5 games and then got smoked in the ALCS in 5 games. That’s inexplicable. That’s just unbelievable. That’s playoff baseball.

So, with that, here’s a quick look at each of the 4 LDS series with predictions of course. I wouldn’t be shocked if the 4 teams I choose to win all lose, the parity right now in the sport is unbelievable. Here goes…

FULL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE HERE

ALDS: White Sox v. Rays

Young versus old, experienced versus the newbies, been there and done that versus eyes wide open. This series couldn’t pit teams that are more different than the south siders and the upstart Rays. The White Sox are in the playoffs for the first time since winning it all just a few years back, and this might be their last good shot in quite a while. The core of this team is old and Griffey Jr, Dye, and Thome could be making their last push for a ring. On the other hand, the Rays are still a surprise to many. Who are these kids, and what have they done with our beloved losing Devil Rays of years past? Well, when you have Longoria and Upton and a ridiculously good starting rotation, success finally came. So, where’s the edge?

The difference in this series is what separates the winners in October from the losers: starting pitching. I saw John Danks throw 8 scoreless innings tonight in a huge game, but can he do that again? Tampa’s pitchers: James Sheilds 14-8, Edwin Jackson 14-11, Andy Sonnanstine 13-9, and Percival at the end have all been so good and so consistent. These kids can pitch and while they don’t score a lot of runs as compared to some other AL teams, they won over 95 games for a reason. The White Sox are a home run hitting team, like the Phillies last year (and somewhat this year too). I don’t expect Chicago to get rattled if they drop the opening 2 in Tampa, but I do expect the Rays to show that experience won’t matter in this series.

Rays in 5

ALDS: Red Sox v. Angels

Talk about starting pitching, my goodness. Take a look at the probable pitching match-ups for the first 3 games of this series…Game 1: John Lackey (12-5) v John Lester (16-6), Game 2: Ervin Santana (16-7) v Dice-K (18-3), Game 3: Josh Beckett (12-10) v Joe Saunders (17-7). Are you kidding me? The game three starters are a world series MVP and a 17 game winner? Need I mention K-Rod on the Angels who broke the single-season save record, or Papelbon who’s closed out a world series clincher on his own? Expect low numbers, very, very low numbers in these games.

These two teams are more similar than you would think looking at them on paper. You’d think of Boston as the big bats with Ortiz, Drew (who will play), and Youkilis - he set career highs in just about everything. But they’re deceptively fast, good baserunners, and can play good small ball. Dustin Pedroia made his MVP case racking up 213 hits and Ellsbury is a man possessed when he gets on base. The Angels counter with their own small ball: after all, this team was 10th in the AL in runs scored. But they play efficient baseball - they move runners over and they get them in. What could separate this series is if one starter gets rocked for some reason unexpectedly. Otherwise, these teams are both experienced and know how to get it done. If there’s any edge, it’s to the Angels, who have the first 2 at home and a possible game 5 - that will probably be necessary.

Angels in 5

NLDS: Dodgers v. Cubs

The Dodgers are this years Rockies - that team playing the right kind of baseball at exactly the right time of year. Except…they aren’t as talented. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good team in LA, but the Rockies had it all going last year - power, speed, starting pitching, and relief. Look at the teams the Dodgers faced in their crucial month of September: San Diego (three times), Arizona, Colorado, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco (twice) - just one of those teams finished the season above .500, Arizona at 82-80. You win the games you’re supposed to win, they did that, but Chicago is a different beast.

Chicago’s first 3 starters: Ryan Dempster 17-6 (14-3 at home), Carlos Zambrano 14-6 (no hitter few weeks back), and Rich Harden 10-2. Uh, yikes. Chicago won 5 of 7 this year from the Dodgers, including 2 games in LA. But while this could be a quick 3 game sweep preparing for the NLCS, remember, playoff baseball…..ah nevermind, Cubs are just better with pitching and with hitting. The Dodgers won the awful NL West, their pitching isn’t all that great, and I don’t think I’m going to even give them the gentleman’s one win here.

Cubs in 3

NLDS: Brewers v. Phillies

Everyone is picking the Phils to take this series in 4 games which makes me completely and utterly nervous. Remember last year? All the experts said Phillies in 3 or 4, their offense is just too potent for the nice feeling story that were the Rockies. A sweep later, and a no show from Utley, Howard, and just about everyone else, it was one and done after 14 years out of October for Philadelphia. This year is remarkably different, and not just because those same hitters have the experience of last year and are still, well, good hitters. The pitching is what makes the Phillies this year. Jamie Moyer, age 45, is winning, winning, winning. Joe Blanton, after 85 no-decisions, is 4-0 and doing well. It’s truly unreal how the strengths of this team have shifted. They also caught a tremendous break when Ben Sheets was declared out for the year. This leaves just CC as the Brewers pitching, and he can’t pitch every single day.

The Brewers have a tremendous offense: Ryan Braun hits for average and power, Price Fielder even with a down year had some pop during the stretch run, and guys like Corey Hart and JJ Hardy are tenacious at the plate and can scorch some pitches too. But even with that offense, it all comes back to pitching. And it all comes back to September. The Phillies have Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Ryan Madson, and Brad Lidge. The Brewers have CC, and uh…Eric Gagne? I’m not saying it’s a shutout that’s going to happen every game, that’s ridiculous. We’ve seen Cole not handle high pressure situations like an ace, but when he doesn’t handle it, he still gives the team a chance to win. Giving up 4 runs over 5 innings is a struggled outing for him, but this Phillies offense can kick this series in the butt at any time. The Phillies also had the better month of September, and as it is in any sport, playing hot going into the post-season is crucial - something the Brewers did not do at all.

Phillies in 4

Bottom line - anything at all can happen. Enjoy October.

FULL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE HERE