Around The Majors- Wednesday

It's playoff time, and if Monday night's thriller is any indication of the October excitement we're gonna have, then it's gonna be a wild ride. The Mets won't be on this ride known as the postseason, but they will keep manager Willie Randolph but the rest of the coaching staff could be a different story. As heralded as Rick Peterson is, the staff faltered down the stretch and he could pay for it with his job. Another Met that was key to the collapse was Tom Glavine, he'll be declining his option for next season and rumors are already starting that he could head to either Washington or back to Atlanta. Speaking of the Braves, GM John Schuerholz has told CF Andruw Jones that they will not be resigning him, and he will head elsewhere. Jones batted a paltry .222 in 2007, his worst year since becoming a starting player 10 years ago, all spent with Atlanta. In managerial news, Jim Leyland had his contract extended by the Tigers until 2009, and Cards skipper Tony LaRussa will take some time to decide whether he'll return to the Cards in 2008. Carlos Pena and Dmitri Young were named the comeback players of the year, congrats to them and their terrible teams.

Division Series Notes
- The Red Sox will be without supersub postseason pitcher Tim Wakefield because of a back injury, and will carry a 3rd catcher in Kevin Cash instead. Jon Lester will be used in long relief. Their opponents the Angels will be without both Bartolo Colon and Gary Matthews Jr. Reggie Willits will be in CF and Erik Aybar replaces him on the LDS roster. Adam Eaton will be off the postseason roster for the Phillies after a 10-10 season with an ERA of 6.29. Hamels, Kendrick, Lohse, and Moyer will start for Philadelphia.

Divsion Series Picks
Angels vs Red Sox
The BoSox are banged up, but the Angels are a good matchup for them. John Lackey has to pitch at Fenway Park in game one, where he has a lifetime ERA of over 7. But if the Halos can manage a win in Boston, they could easily take the series with their MLB leading home record and some Rally Monkey mojo. The Angels will have to scratch and claw for every run they get, and their bullpen hasn't been that great as of late. Neither has Boston's pen, but a deeper staff will win them the series in 4.
Indians vs Yankees
Everyone is concentrating on A-Rod, but the pitching will have to do much more with the series. The Indians have a clear advantage over the Yankees in the starting staff, but if New York gets a lead after 6, the Joba Rules have been lifted and it's him and Mariano Rivera for the finish. Both lineups are really talented, but a psychological edge shouldn't be discounted. Not only do the Yanks have that experience factor, they're also 6-0 this year against the Tribe. But SOS, the Yankees never faced CC Sabathia? Cleveland never faced Chien Ming Wang, and Joe Borowski has been trouble this season. I'll take the Yankees in 5.
Diamondbacks vs Cubs
Both pitching staffs have been excellent this year, but the deciding factor could be keeping Carlos Zambrano away from the Wrigley mound. His road record is sensational, and he'll be throwing games 1 and 5 on the road in Phoenix. The depth in the starting staffs also go the Cubbies way, with Doug Davis and Livan Hernandez going after Brandon Webb. I think this will be the tightest series, with Chicago winning in 5.
Phillies vs Rockies
Both lineups are fantastic, and both clubs have incredible momentum. High octane baseball and lots of homers will be on the menu, but none of the Rockies have been there before. The Phillies bullpen has been terrible, but they have guys like Tom Gordon and JC Romero who have climbed the mountain before. But sometimes inexperienced power arms like the ones Colorado have in Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales could be the difference. This is really tough to call, so i flipped a coin and have the Rox in 5.