2022 MLB Division Series Preview

American League Division Series

1. Houston Astros vs. 5. Seattle Mariners

The strength of the Astros starts with their lineup, but they have a bevy of arms at their disposal for the rotation and bullpen. Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez and Christian Javier each struck out at least 185 batters during the season. Their bullpen has been solid at the back end with Ryan Pressly saving 33 games and having a 0.89 WHIP. Rafael Montero had 14 saves with a 2.37 ERA. Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman were the run producers for Houston with each of them driving in at least 93 on the year. Jose Altuve was his usual self getting on base consistently scoring 103 runs. If Jeremy Pena can add some extra pop or likewise deadline acquisitions Trey Mancini and Christian Vazquez, Houston will be in a good position for another ALCS appearance.

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Week 4 Review of the NFL

Baltimore, You Have A Problem

In today’s NFL, you are bound to blow a significant lead in at least one game. When you do it in two of your first four games, that isn’t a good sign. Granted when Baltimore blew their 21-point lead against Miami in Week 2 it was worse in that it happened in the 4th quarter. With the latest one coming against Buffalo it was slow and meticulous and it started before halftime. QB Lamar Jackson had a terrible performance and his last pass of the game was everything you’re not supposed to do as a quarterback in the NFL. The receiver was open in the back of the end zone, but Lamar doesn’t rollout to his right and rather back peddles and throws off his back foot. This gave time to the Bills defender to close the gap and intercept the pass. Buffalo would go on to drive the length of the field for the eventual game winning field goal. This one is going to sting for a while and that doesn’t bode well for this team. Also what makes these blown leads worse is that both of them happened at home.

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2022 Wild Card Series Preview

American League Wild Card Series

3. Cleveland Guardians vs. 6. Tampa Bay Rays

The one constant for the Rays the past decade has been a pitching staff that has plenty of depth and is the main reason they are Postseason participants. That is no different this year as their rotation is as strong as its ever been with Shane McClanahan as their ace. Tyler Glasnow has returned from Tommy John surgery and could be that extra spark to make a deep run. Jason Adam has been a force in the bullpen this year and with the return of Pete Fairbanks that only adds to their arsenal. Randy Arozarena had a fantastic run in September and his Postseason heroics of 2020 weren’t that long ago. Expect him to make some noise again. There needs to be more from the lineup if they want to play in the Division Series. Could that be Wander Franco with his return from injury?

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Week 3 Review of the NFL

A New Way To Lose

The Buffalo Bills possessed the ball for 40 minutes in a 60 minute game and still lost. They totaled almost 500 yards for the game. Converted 31 first downs and were 11-18 on 3rd down conversions. Buffalo scored only 19 points, but the one flaw that the Bills need to remedy going forward is establishing the run game without using your quarterback in Josh Allen. Give credit to the Miami Dolphins defensive scheme that was able to sack Allen four times and was a disruptive force for most of the game. If Buffalo figures out the dilemma with the running backs this game will be an afterthought. That isn’t to say that Miami isn’t a force that will be vying for a playoff spot come December.

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Week 2 Review of the NFL

An Impressive Win

A lot needed to go right for the Miami Dolphins in their comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens. Other than giving up a 79-yard touchdown run by QB Lamar Jackson, the Dolphins’ defense didn’t allow anyone else to establish the run. This helped in keeping the clock from running out to allow Miami the chance to score 28 points in the 4th quarter. Baltimore’s defense didn’t do them any favors by blowing coverage of WR Tyreek Hill for 48 and 60-yard touchdown receptions. It was a perfect storm that was setup beautifully and it needed to be executed in order for it to work. QB Tua Tagovailoa ended the game with 6 touchdown passes for 469 yards and had a 72% completion percentage to boot. Miami proved they are serious and that Tua is their guy.

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