With the playoffs supposedly to start tonight, let’s take a look at the matchups… and then do something dangerous and actually make predictions.
South Division: #1 Charlottesville (26-16) vs #4 Covington (19-23)
Charlottesville team stats: .260/.382/.379, 26 HR, 62 SB, 4.36 ERA
Covington team stats: .261/.352/.343, 15 HR, 90 SB, 5.25 ERA
Charlottesville has to be the favorite here, but, oddly, the offense can disappear at times, and the team has been shut out seven times this summer. The Lumberjacks don’t have the overall pitching to take advantage of this streakiness, probably, but the team is plucky enough to make it interesting or even win. However, I think Charlottesville wins in three.
South Division: #2 Waynesboro (26-16) vs #3 Harrisonburg (25-17)
Waynesboro team stats: .274/.399/.412, 29 home runs, 104 stolen bases, 4.25 ERA
Harrisonburg team stats: .257/.362/.377, 20 home runs, 81 stolen bases, 3.81 ERA
At face value, this is the closest match. Waynesboro has, by a pretty fair margin, the best lineup in the playoffs, while the Turks have a solid pitching staff. I think the Generals are the best team in the league, so I’ll say Waynesboro in two.
North Division: #1 Woodstock (27-15) vs #4 Front Royal (16-26)
Woodstock team stats: .255/.350/.347, 21 home runs, 61 stolen bases, 3.14 ERA
Front Royal team stats: .229/.347/.287, 8 home runs, 103 stolen bases, 5.83 ERA
This is all about the Bandit pitching, which is the best in the league by a huge margin. The Cardinals are run by Jo Jo Jackson and Trent Jeffcoat… will the lineup score enough to hang in there? Bandits in two.
North Division: #2 Strasburg (22-20) vs #3 Purcellville (19-21)
Strasburg team stats: .243/.364/.324, 17 home runs, 97 stolen bases, 4.10 ERA
Purcellville team stats: .243/.349/.343, 25 home runs, 64 stolen bases, 4.23 ERA
Strasburg jumped out to a great start, but were pretty average the last three quarters of the season. Purcellville went the other way; the team off to a slow start but is peaking at the right time. The Cannon bullpen is lights out, with DJ Burke, Tyler Muscar and Andrew Washington, and I think that’s too much for the Express to overcome. Purcellville wins in two.
(Making predictions is really, really dumb)