MLB postseason predictions, from Wild Card to World Series

ST. LOUIS — The first round of the postseason begins today, and we’re in St. Louis to cover the Cardinals taking on the Philadelphia Phillies. With the playoffs just hours away, it’s time to unveil our MLB postseason predictions.

From the Wild Card to the World Series, here are our MLB postseason predictions

I joined my fellow Call to the Pen co-expert David Hill to make our MLB postseason predictions. We didn’t see eye to eye on every matchup, so let us know what you think about our picks in the comments section below.

National League Wild Card — Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals predictions

Kevin: Cardinals win 2-1

Philadelphia could steal this series, but St. Louis has too many MVP candidates to let that happen in front of their home fans. Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina aren’t ending their careers with a one-and-done postseason appearance.

Dave: Cardinals win 2-0

The Phillies were 7-13 over their final 20 games in the regular season, backing into the playoffs just because the Brewers gutted their bullpen at the deadline. With the Cardinals looking to give Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols another taste of postseason glory, this series could be a bloodbath.

National League Wild Card — San Diego Padres at New York Mets predictions

Kevin: Mets win 2-0

How will the Mets respond to being swept by Atlanta and forced to play in the Wild Card round. They’ll come out like a team possessed, making sure it’s a long flight home for the Padres.

Dave: Padres win 2-1

This feels like the series that is most likely to be an upset. Buck Showalter has not exactly had much postseason success in his career and the Mets are coming off of the surprise of losing the NL East in the final days. Meanwhile, the Padres have a dangerous roster and have yet to click. That might happen in the postseason now that the games mean something.

American League Wild Card — Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays predictions

Kevin: Blue Jays win 2-1

Seattle has been one of the best stories of this season, but Toronto has too much firepower. Seattle is also dealing with injuries at the wrong time.

Dave: Blue Jays win 2-1

If there is a team that is happy to be here, it is the Mariners. That 21 year playoff drought is over. The future is bright in Seattle, but a young team without much postseason experience and injury concerns is just not ready yet.

American League Wild Card — Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Guardians predictions

Kevin: Guardians win 2-0

Like Seattle, Cleveland has been one of baseball’s most intriguing teams this season. The Rays certainly have the postseason experience and have been battle-tested through the AL East schedule, but the Guardians are really, really good. They’ll show it against Tampa Bay.

Dave: Guardians win 2-1

The Guardians are firing on all cylinders and getting hot at the right time. Interestingly enough, that is usually the Rays’ modus operandi heading into the postseason. The Rays are still a dangerous team, especially with Playoff Randy Arozarena, but the Guardians are just playing better.

Kevin’s Division Series predictions

National League Division Series — St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves predictions

Kevin: Atlanta wins 3-1

The Braves didn’t storm back to win the NL East to be knocked out in their opening round. Atlanta will be well-rested and could well have Spencer Strider back, adding to an already deep pitching talent pool.

National League Division Series — New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers predictions

Kevin: Dodgers win 3-2

Like Atlanta, Los Angeles will be well-rested and have home field advantage, which will be the difference in this series. New York will take the series to the limit, but L.A.’s depth will prove to be the difference in Game 5.

American League Division Series — Toronto Blue Jays vs. Houston Astros predictions

Kevin: Astros win 3-1

Houston has seemingly flown under the radar all season. It’s strange to say for the AL’s top seed, but they’ve done nothing but win when needed to make sure there is no drama in their division (something the other AL division winners certainly can’t say). Houston comes out of the postseason gate strong against the Blue Jays.

American League Division Series — Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees predictions

Kevin: Yankees win 3-1

New York won five of six games against Cleveland this season, including all three at Yankee Stadium. The Bronx has been a house of horrors for Cleveland, and that trend continues this postseason.

Dave’s Division Series predictions

National League Division Series — St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves predictions

Dave: Braves win 3-2

The Braves did what they did in 2021 – languish for the first half of the season, then turn it on in the second half. They’re healthy, they know how to win, and this is a team that believes in themselves. Storybook endings do not always happen, and that will not be the case for Molina and Pujols.

National League Division Series — New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers predictions

Dave: Dodgers win 3-0

This is going to be an absolute bloodbath. The Dodgers destroyed the Padres all season and that is not going to stop in the playoffs. Even with the time off, the Dodgers will use this series to smack the Padres around a bit more before heading back to their golf games.

American League Division Series — Toronto Blue Jays vs. Houston Astros predictions

Dave: Astros win 3-1

How can a 106 win team fly under the radar? When the Yankees had such a hot start and the Dodgers won 111 games. It also does not help that the Astros utterly dominated their division and coasted into the playoffs. This series will be a reminder of why they had been considered a World Series favorite all year.

American League Division Series — Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees predictions

Dave: Yankees win 3-2

After a strong start to the season, the Yankees stumbled to the finish line, even falling to the second seed after starting the year at a 116 win pace. While Aaron Judge could set a record for the most walks in a playoff series, they should have enough to beat the Guardians, although this will be a surprisingly competitive matchup.