Jays vs Giants/White Sox
Long gone are the days of the Gabe washing team uniforms and left handed
Adam Mortons in the lineup. The Jays started the year with good pitching, decent team speed, great hitting. Only thing that may be missing was a bona fide defensive specialist. But this is the SABL, where hitting is KING and walking is frowned up. Some salary cap issues due to the off-season signing of the diminutive
Brandon Marini may have hindered
Rob Maatman’s ability to make that last minute acquisition to put the squad over the top, but they are a very dangerous team.
The Giants have been without star outfielder
Anthony Warren for the last month as he has been nursing a sore hip. Without him in the lineup the Giants may has well mail in any chances against either the White Sox or the Jays.
If you would have bet that the White Sox would be second the league in home runs you would have made a lot of money.
Rich Singh has been fine tuning his crop for the playoff run. I am not saying that they will upset anybody, but they certainly will not roll over and die in a puff of smoke.
Probable outcome is a Giants win followed by either team being swept by the Jays.
Probable starters for White Sox vs Giants
Probable Starters for Jays vs winner of White Sox/Giants
Jays – I am told the Killer B’s so that means Brandon, Bryan, Brad, Barnes, Brent, Boulding or Basquale!!
Royals vs The Beard
The Royals will have to do a couple of things to lengthen their playoff run. 1. Avoid the Jays until a later date, and 2. Overcome the loss of
Gbenga Ajasin due to a season ending injury. They will surely miss his Gbenga’s slow stroll from the parking lot 5 minutes before the game. Rumour has it that
James (Woody) Wood will wait at Tim Horton’s until 1:00 p.m. to make his entrance as the new centre fielder. Expect
Carriere, and
Nyczyk’s wizardry to start on the weekend unless there is a change of heart by Royal management.
After signing a lucrative endorsement contract with Gillette the Pirates have started the slogan of “Fear the Beard” to start their playoff run. And there is reason to fear their ace lefty, as
John Schade is an impressive 19-8 when on the mound. Without Schade pitching are 16-26 the last 2 years. The Pirates to upset will have to rely on his arm, as it will not be Mohammed that will take them to Mecca. The Beard will certainly go game 1.
Lepan game 2, and if a game 3 is needed…it is a given the Beard will grow back!
Probable outcome is a Royals sweep
Probable starters
Braves vs Reds
Jason Forbes has done an incredible job of managing the volatile Braves since taking over the reins from
Dexter Sargeant in April. This is now easy task, as the Braves are always about one spark away from implosion. Still talent is abundant, and if the pitching arms are healthy they must be considered strong favorites to make the finals. Look for
Omer and
Fensom to go the first 2 games. But a surprise start may be in order from
Eagles or
Visconti. The real drama may be that the Braves have the 8:30 a.m. game, and the chances of
Andre Steer being there for that time are slim to none!
The Reds have been devastated by injury this year.
Mike Dymond blew out his knee and
Todd Morris has had elbow issues all year. Yet the veteran Reds lineup may still do some damage. They have remained under the radar for the full year. Maybe a surprise or two is in the horizon for them? Pitching may be an issue for the Reds. Look for the full staff to be used on the weekend, with
Todd Morris making an appearance on the mound after many weeks.
Probable outcome is a Braves sweep.
Probable starters
Mets vs Astros
The Mets have played schizophrenic baseball for the last few years. In 2015 they played .625 ball, in 2014 - .403, 2013 - .677, and 2012 - .403. What team shows up in the playoffs is not known. What is certain is that their young guns are here for the playoffs for the first time, and perhaps that is what is needed to make a big playoff run. Look for
Nasello to start game 1, after that it is a crap shoot. One thing is for certain….the diamond will be lined regardless of what time
Smardenkas gets to the park! Warmup is overrated when compared to diamond grooming.
The Astros have been a consistent team in the SABL for almost 2 decades. The veterans(
Gemmell,
Snow,
Schiralli,
Andrews) have aged, but they also seem to know how to win. Each year the Astros bring in a new group of young players to make them competitive, and feared when the playoffs start. They certainly did not want to be in the 4/5 playoff slot, but now that they are will pull out all the stops to make their run. Look for Gemmell and
Flores to start game 1 and 2 this weekend, and if there is a game three and there is no WWF on….Gemmell again!
Probable outcome is the series goes to 3 games.
Probable Starters