Adam Dawson's 2021 Championship Series Preview

Introduction: Boy, was that an awful ending to the NLDS or what? As I am typing this introduction, the Dodgers have just advanced to the NLCS, Max Scherzer has gone shirtless....again, and the Giants faithful are exiting Oracle Park shaking their heads in disgust. Let's not waste anytime and get straight into the preview!

Braves vs. Dodgers

Since I mentioned the Dodgers in the introduction, I might as well start with the National League Championship Series.

How They Got Here: Atlanta Braves:

The Braves edged out the Brewers in four games, as Freddie Freeman came up clutch and hit a go-ahead home run against Josh Hader in Game Four in the eighth inning to advance them a round further. A home run over the left-center field wall put a dagger into the hearts of Milwaukee, as Hader had not given up a home run since July.

Steller pitching from leftie Max Fried in Game Two played a crucial role as well. Firing six scoreless innings at Miller Park, while striking out nine, Fried will look to carry his momentum into the NLCS. As a result, manager Brian Snitker will give the ball to Fried for Game One on Saturday night.

Ian Anderson had a great performance as well, pitching five scoreless frames in game three. The young rotation of Atlanta, no offense to Charlie Morton, has really shown up so far during their playoff run.

Joc Pederson was arguably the best offensive player in the series itself, as he hit an absurd .429 over seven at-bats.

How They Got Here: Los Angeles Dodgers:

The Giants and Dodgers went to war in the Division Series. Logan Webb of San Francisco seemed to shut down the Dodgers whenever he was on the mound, but it was simply not enough.

Max Scherzer received his first save of his career in game five on a very questionable strikeout call, that should have never been called in the first place. Wilmer Flores was 0-17 against Scherzer prior to the at-bat, as it probably would not have mattered, but you never know.

Mookie Betts and specifically Cody Bellinger seemed to come on in the series after they had a below average regular season. Betts hitting .450 in the series and Bellinger .267 respectively has to give Dave Roberts a bit more reassurance moving forward.

Of course, the bullpen of the Dodgers is where they tend to beat everyone late in games. Whether it was Brusdar Graterol firing a 103 MPH sinker, Blake Treinen a former closer for the A's setting down opponents in the later innings, or even Corey Knebel, a former closer in his own right for Milwaukee, who was given a spot start in game five, the Dodgers bullpen is amazing!

The Final Verdict: This series will be a chess match between the Dodgers arms and Atlanta's bats. Nobody can keep up with LA's rotation, although the Giants came close. In the end though, I just cannot see anybody beating the Dodgers. If Atlanta plans on upsetting Los Angeles, they better bring all they have left in the tank. This series will be good though, as I predict Atlanta will take a few games and make it competitive.

The Dodgers, I believe will be celebrating by the end of the series and maybe Max Scherzer will take his shirt off again in celebration! The saying "Shirtless Shirt-zer" should be made into T-shirts and be sold everywhere, as I get a laugh out of the whole deal.

My Prediction: Dodgers win four games to two and advance to the World Series

Red Sox vs. Astros

The ALCS matchup should be just as good, although it should be noted that Lance McCullers Jr. is off the roster for the Astros.

How They Got Here: Boston Red Sox:

After beating the Yankees in the Wild Card game, the Sox decided to go on and beat the best team in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays.

Kike Hernandez was on fire during the Division series, hitting .450 with two home runs. Hernandez also hit the game-winning sacrifice fly to left field to advance them to the Championship Series.

J.D. Martinez was as advertised, as he hit .467 in the series against the Rays. He continued and continues to be one of the offensive leaders in the lineup.

Rafael Devers hit .333 with two home runs and an OBP of .400. Rafael is turning himself into one of the elite players in the game, as I have learned to not bet against Devers' offensive ability.

How They Got Here: Houston Astros:

The Astros beat the White Sox in four games, as they pour it on in game four. Houston scored 10 runs, resulting in a 10-1 finish, topping off Chicago.

Yordan Alvarez or Godzilla as I call him, was a beast in the series against Chicago. Alvarez led the team in OPS at a 1.166 mark. Look for the young slugger to continue his dominant run against Chris Sale and company in the ALCS.

The duo that has been in Houston forever, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa went crazy against Chicago. Both had an OPS above 1.000 and were key pieces in the series.

Michael Brantley, as usual led the Astros in batting average at a .368 mark. The man deserves more love, as he is underrated in that lineup. Look for his smooth stroke to continue in the series against Boston.

The Final Verdict: Houston's pitching took a bit of a blow as they lost McCullers for the series. Expect Valdez, Greinke, Luis Garcia, and even the bullpen to have an even bigger impact.

The bats of Boston is what makes this team, as they tend to rely on their offense. For them to win, their offense will once again have to carry them.

The loss of McCullers puts a bit more of an advantage in Boston's favor. With that being said, I expect the series to go a full seven games. The playoff experience of the Astros will lead them to victory, as I predict them to win in seven games.

My Prediction: Astros win four games to three and advance to World Series.

Final Thoughts: I hope you all have enjoyed my Championship Series post, as the best part of it is watching it all unfold. Bring on the best part of the Postseason, as this will shape up to be an exciting finish to the 2021 season!

See you at the Ballpark!!!

Adam