World Series Staff Picks

Series VERDUCCI DONOVAN LUFT CHEN HABIB Astros-White Sox 4-3 4-3 4-2 4-2 4-3

Tom Verducci, SI Senior Baseball Writer

As they did against the Angels, the hot White Sox starting pitchers can prey upon another aggressive lineup. Only three NL teams walked less often than Houston. The movement on Chicago RHP Jose Contreras' splitter is unlike anything the Astros have seen. ... For Houston, look for Chris Burke to be an X-Factor. If the Series reaches a Game 7, Roy Oswalt will be up to a whopping 275 innings for the season.

John Donovan, SI.com Senior Baseball Writer

I liked the Sox after the ALCS but upon further review I think their five-game win was a little deceptive. Anaheim, remember, had trouble scoring all season long, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that the Angels struggled against the Sox and their pitching. True, the Sox have a little more punch in the lineup, and their defense is better. But I'm going with the team that I think has the better pitching staff, top to bottom.

Jacob Luft, SI.com Senior Baseball Producer

The Astros seem to be a trendy pick but the truth is the White Sox dominated the regular season and postseason against much stiffer competition. Remember last year when the Red Sox demolished a Cardinals ballclub that had run roughshod through the NL? Well, the junior circuit is still that much better than its counterpart. Top to bottom, the White Sox's staff -- starters and relievers -- is better than Houston's despite the lack of big names, and Chicago's lineup features more power at more positions.

Albert Chen, SI Baseball Writer

Houston pitchers know how to succeed at Minute Maid Park, where before Albert Pujols' unthinkable home run they had won seven straight games. You have to wonder about Roger Clemens' durability and how Brandon Backe will perform if he starts Game 4, but the Astros' mighty bullpen matches up well with the White Sox's crop of relievers, who have a full two week's worth of rest.

Daniel G. Habib, SI Baseball Writer

Take the under, and take the team whose starters have just finished throwing four straight complete games. I've believed in the Astros' starting pitching all along, but only Roy Oswalt has been bulletproof this postseason; both Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens have looked hittable, off and on. As for Houston's bullpen, Brad Lidge's meltdown in Game 5 wasn't an aberration -- his slider hasn't been 100 percent. As long as Chicago's relievers aren't rusty beyond use, they're the pick.

Championship Series Staff Picks

Series VERDUCCI DONOVAN LUFT CHEN HABIB Angels-White Sox 4-3 4-2 4-1 4-3 4-3 Astros-Cardinals 4-2 4-3 4-3 4-3 4-2

Tom Verducci, SI Senior Baseball Writer

Game 1 should be a layup for the Sox, with Jose Contreras, the hottest pitcher in baseball, going up against a fatigued Angels staff. So if Los Angeles steals the opener, the dynamic of the series is changed. But I have to go with the team that has the hottest pitcher, the better starting pitching, the more rested team and the home-field advantage. ... Houston wasn't a good enough road team all season to think they will take out the best team in the league when that team has home-field advantage. As good as Houston's starting pitching is, St. Louis' Chris Carpenter can be a difference-maker in the series. And the Astros don't have any game-changers even close to what Albert Pujols can be. Look for well-played, low-scoring games.

John Donovan, SI.com Senior Baseball Writer

The White Sox possess deep starting pitching and an offense that has more power than most realize. The Angels, ultimately, will find it too hard to consistently score against that White Sox staff. ... The Astros, it would seem, have the better pitching, and that's usually enough to turn things their way. But the Cards' pitching is pretty stout, too, better than it was last year. And the Cards clearly have the better lineup.

Jacob Luft, SI.com Senior Baseball Producer

The Angels showed in the first round that they are better than the sum of their parts, but I like the roll White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is on and the versatility of his offense. I'm sticking with the Pale Hose here. ... The Astros haven't done anything the easy way all year and I don't see this series being any different. They will grind out a roller-coaster seven-game series against the more well-rounded Cardinals after coming so close last October.

Albert Chen, SI Baseball Writer

Forget their Big Three starters: as Lance Berkman and Morgan Ensberg go, so go the Astros. St. Louis' pitching must focus on keeping that pair in control. Phil Garner might want to compensate for his team's lack of firepower by letting his players loose on the basepaths, but Yadier Molina threw out 65 percent of runners attempting to steal this season. The Cardinals aren't the run scoring juggernaut they were last year but they are much more formidable if Reggie Sanders and Larry Walker hold up. ... In the ALCS, look for plenty of runs: the teams averaged 11 runs a game in their last seven games against each other, and the Angels' pitching staff is depleted after their five-game war with the Yankees. For all the talk about Ozzieball, the balanced White Sox (nine players hit at least 10 homers) can go yard. The White Sox bullpen is loaded with options, and Orlando Hernandez will continue to be a huge factor. In the field the Angels can't afford to be as sloppy as they were against New York. The White Sox have the edge, but if Vlad gets hot, all bets are off.

Daniel G. Habib, SI Baseball Writer

The Cardinals left little room for doubt while walking over San Diego, and Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder both had solid starts, at least some reason to believe they've kicked their late-season problems. The Astros won't roll over, simply because their starting pitching is too good, but those 25 runs they scored in the NLDS are deceptive; more than half came against the dregs of the Braves bullpen. ... Los Angeles showed the strength of its bullpen against the Yankees, and its starting pitching is still superior to Chicago's. As long as Jarrod Washburn and Bartolo Colon are 100 percent physically, L.A.'s pitching makes the difference.

Division Series Staff Picks

Series VERDUCCI DONOVAN LUFT CHEN HABIB Yankees-Angels 3-2 3-1 3-1 3-2 3-1 Red Sox-White Sox 3-2 3-2 3-2 3-0 3-2 Padres-Cardinals 3-1 3-0 3-0 3-2 3-0 Astros-Braves 3-2 3-2 3-0 3-2 3-1

Tom Verducci, SI Senior Baseball Writer

The series is aligned just right for the Angels, with hot starters Bartolo Colon (10-3, 3.55 in the second half) and John Lackey (8-1, 2.57 in second half) opening at home. The Yankees get only one start out of Randy Johnson and, if the series goes the distance, are looking at two West Coast trips in a five-game series after being on the road all last week -- not good for a team with old legs. ... The White Sox's starting pitching seemed to get back on track in the last two weeks. The only way they beat Boston is if those starters go deep into games -- but that's tough to do against a team that grinds out tough at-bat after tough at-bat ... Padres ace Jake Peavy will give St. Louis trouble and Pedro Astacio hasn't lost a game in two months, so this won't be as easy as it may look on paper. ... Home-field advantage means nothing for the Braves, who are 13-17 at Turner Field in postseason games.

John Donovan, SI.com Senior Baseball Writer

The White Sox have the pitching, which usually tips the scales. But it's not been all that good in the second half -- and you have to be really good against the banging Red Sox, the highest scoring team in the game. ... The Yankees' pitching, on the other hand, is better than it's been all season and, with their lineup, they should be able to get past the overachieving Angels. ... No team in the postseason is more balanced than St. Louis, even if Chris Carpenter is in a slump. The Padres, with weak pitching, a weaker lineup and the worst record of the Elite Eight, don't stand much of a chance. ... The closest divisional series may be Astros-Braves, which features a great pitch/bad hit team in Houston against a sketchy pitching, big punching team in Atlanta. That series could go either way -- so the scale tips to the pitching of the Astros.

Jacob Luft, SI.com Senior Baseball Producer

Even Red Sox and Yankees fans aren't sure if they can take another Red Sox-Yankees ALCS. All those late nights (can these clubs squeeze in a playoff game in under four hours?) and gutwrenching moments took their toll on the snooty Northeast corrider the past two years. Don't worry, though, the White Sox will save us by edging the Red Sox in the best-played series of the first round. ... As for the Yankees, unless Steve Finley and Garret Anderson have stumbled onto a fountain of youth, the Bombers have nothing to worry about. ... In the NL, how far can the Braves go with one decent reliever (Kyle Farnsworth)? ... The Padres don't belong on the same field with the Cardinals.

Albert Chen, SI Baseball Writer

Face it: Red Sox-Yankees Episode III is an inevitability. For the third straight year, it'll be a New York-Boston ALCS but the road to the ALCS won't be easy for either clubs. The Halos provide a tough one-two punch of Bartolo Colon and John Lackey and could go up 2-0 when the series shifts back to the Bronx. But the Yankee bats are too powerful for Anaheim, which lacks a left-hander out of the bullpen to stop Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi in the late innings. ... The White Sox might have the best starting pitching in the AL field, but Boston will ride Manny and Big Papi to the Big Dance and Bobby Jenks is too big of a question mark. ... In the NL, the Cardinals -- with Chris Carpenter and Matt Morris struggling -- are ripe for an upset. Too bad the Padres are really this bad. The Astros, meanwhile, have the big edge over the Braves in pitching, but can Phil Garner's troops muster enough runs to scratch out three wins? It says here they will.

Daniel G. Habib, SI Baseball Writer

The two best teams in the postseason will meet in an NLCS rematch; Houston's absurdly deep starting pitching -- Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt have a combined 2.39 ERA this season -- will unbuckle the Braves, while St. Louis is too well-rounded and too fundamentally sound to stumble against the Padres, who are just lucky to be alive in October. ... Bartolo Colon might be the best pitcher in the AL, and Los Angeles's bullpen will put the Yankees down late. ... Chicago woke up in time to prevent an historic divisional collapse, but Boston's patient, potent lineup will chew through the White Sox' rotation.