2011 MLB Playoffs - World Series Predictions

The Fall Classic will get underway tomorrow night at Busch Stadium in Saint Louis. And by the way it makes a ton of sense to give the team with the worst record amongst playoff teams home field advantage for the World Series. Way to go National League! And way to go Major League Baseball for this asinine way to try to give the All-Star game meaning.

OK, now that I'm done with my rant we get into the Series itself. Texas makes a return trip to the World Series after losing to San Francisco in 5 games in 2010. They are the first team to make it back to the World Series the year after losing in it since the Atlanta Braves in 1992. They will face off with the Saint Louis Cardinals who are making their third World Series appearance since 2004, and their first since winning it all in 2006.

Many think that this series will be decided more by the bats and less by the pitching. The only starting pitcher on either staff that has ever been a bona fide ace is the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter. Other than a dominant outing in Game 5 of the NLDS, Carpenter has been average in the playoffs. Both teams have been hot with the bats though. Texas strikes fear in opposing pitchers from 1 through 9, and Saint Louis has a lineup consisting of the game's best hitter in Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman, and NLCS MVP Doug Freese.

Let's see how the 2011 World Series will play out.

World Series

Texas (-155) vs. St. Louis (+135)

Did not play in Regular Season

Texas Probable Lineup1. 2B Ian Kinsler
2. SS Elvin Andrus
3. CF Josh Hamilton
4. DH Michael Young
5. 3B Adrian Beltre
6. C Mike Napoli
7. RF Nelson Cruz
8. LF David Murphy
9. 1B Mitch Moreland

Texas Probable Rotation1. CJ Wilson
2. Colby Lewis
3. Derek Holland
4. Matt Harrison

St. Louis Probable Lineup1. SS Rafeal Furcal
2. CF Jon Jay
3. 1B Albert Pujols
4. RF Lance Berkman
5. LF Matt Holliday
6. C Yadier Molina
7. 3B Doug Freese
8. 2B Ryan Theriot
9. P Jamie Garcia

St. Louis Probable Rotation
1. Chris Carpenter
2. Jaime Garcia
3. Kyle Loshe
4. Edwin Jackson

Prediction - Texas over St. Louis 4-2

The Texas Rangers will bounce back this year and win their first ever World Series title. The Cardinals may have home field and a slight edge in the pitching matchups, but Texas will slug their way to a title. Their lineup is deadly, and their hitting will make Dallas the new "Title Town".