Wild Card Round Preview
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
The excitement of a 1-game playoff in the MLB doesn't sound as exciting as March Madness, but it gets fans excited for the playoffs. 10 teams are remaining and only 8 will be left come Thursday Morning.
AL Wild Card: Baltimore Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays: This game has all the tools to be a 11 to 10 game. Both teams have powerful offense. It also has the potential to be a home-run derby. Baltimore has Chris Davis, Manny Machado, and Mark Trumbo. Toronto has Russell Martin, Josh Donaldson, and Jose Bautista. The pitching match-up features Chris Tillman vs Marcus Stroman. Baltimore plays better fundamental baseball than Toronto does.
Pick: Baltimore 8-4.
NL Wild Card: San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets: The batters might be swinging and missing a ton because the pitching match-up features Madison Bumgarner vs Noah Syndergaard. These are the last 2 teams to represent the National League in the World Series. San Francisco is a small ball team, and New York is a long ball team. It is better to play small ball in the postseason, but home-runs seem to give teams an energy lift.
Pick: New York 5-3.
