Posted by Brandon Heikoop on Thursday, October 9, 2008 at 4:00 pm

After a semi-successful go at for the Division Series, the writers here at Baseball Digest Daily again put on their predictor caps and pick winners of this years Championship Series round. Here’s how things shook out:

Wow, the Tampa Bay Rays have certainly stolen the hearts of the writers here at BDD. Despite the fact that I have personally been the Rays biggest non-fan, non-Tampa resident supporter, I simply could not pick them to win here.

B. Joseph

Philadelphia Phillies in 7.  Manny gets his but it’s just not quite enough in front of a raucous Citizens Bank crowd.

Tampa Bay Rays in 7.  The Red Sox have to use four pitchers in this format and that will cost them one game in this series as will the Rays’ home field.  Jon Lester looks unbeatable but so did CC Sabathia before the Phillies finally got at him.  Even if Lester is unbeatable, he will likely only pitch two games.  The Red Sox provided the most exciting series in the ALDS and should do it again here but with a little different outcome.

R. McQuown

Phils over Dodgers - Lefty bats will  be telling.  Expect some high-scoring games!

Rays over Boston – Home field advantage will be enough to tip the balance in this battle of juggernauts.

T. Davis

Dodgers over Phillies in 7. As much as I should be picking the Phillies here
(and I see a lot of them during the regular season being a Braves fan and
all) I just think the Dodgers will test the limits of the Phillies and give
them a bit more than they can handle. Hamels can’t pitch in every game, and
Blanton really isn’t as good as he showed during the Brewers series. It’s
going to be a close and tense series with the Dodgers just coming out ahead
when the smoke clears.

Rays over Sox in 7. Yeah I picked both series to go the maximum. The Sox
aren’t going to just roll over but without Lowell and Drew always
questionable they’re not as dangerous as people like to make them out to be
(not to mention, why start Mark Kotsay over at first when you have Sean
Casey?). The one hurdle they’ll have is John Lester, he is the ace of that
staff. Beckett isn’t himself and anytime you have to throw Tim Wakefield
you’re asking for trouble.

C. Brown

Dodgers over Phillies in 6.  To me, this is a series that that
is very evenly matched, but the edge goes to LA.  Who can get Manny
out? That’s kind of a rhetorical question, but the answer is no one -
at least not consistently.  I love Cole Hamels, but unless he starts
four games I’m not too sure Philly has the starters to hang with LA.
The key could be when Philadelphia’s left handed bats get a look at
Joe Beimel late in the game – Utley has had some success against him
in the past and he’s usually pitched around Howard (3 walks in 4 PA’s
this year against him).  This is going to be a well pitched, low
scoring series.

Rays over Red Sox in 6.  If I hear someone describe Tampa as a
“Cinderella” team, I’m gonna throw up.  There’s nothing Cinderella
when a team wins 97 regular season games and finishes off an
experienced opponent on the road in a divisional series.  To me, it’s
interesting to look back at the six games the two teams played in
September.  First, they went on the road to Boston holding a game and
a half lead.  They lost the first game and then won the next two -
including a win when they were a run down in the ninth.  Then they met
in Tampa.  Again, Boston won the first game to pull into a first place
tie.  Again, Tampa won the next two including another ninth inning
nail biter.  Both series, the Rays were set up for failure… They
could have folded and everyone would have said something like, “What
do you expect?  Tampa is young and they can’t hang with the heavy
hitters of Boston.”  They didn’t just hang with Boston, they beat them
soundly when the games counted… Just like they will in the ALCS.
Fear the Rays.

M. Street

Rays over Red Sox in 7. Losing Lowell and a gimpy Beckett will mean
more in a longer series, and the Rays don’t seem at all shy of the
playoffs. These two teams are familiar with one another, and the home
team won 15 of 18, which is why it will take the distance to decide
this one.

Dodgers over Philly in 6. The Tao of Torre has LA getting hot at just
the right time, while Philly had trouble with the Brewers’ far
inferior rotation. Here, too, the home team won the matchup during the
season–swept, in fact. If that carries over, this will be a long
series, too. But I see the Dodgers taking at least one in Philly and
sweeping at home.

B. Heikoop

Red Sox over Rays in 5. The Red Sox ought to be able to steal a game at the Trop from Tampa. My heart still wants to pick the Rays, but I simply cannot go against the Sox again.

Phillies over Dodgers in 6. A closer series then the results show, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley’s bats wake up. I do worry, however, that the Phillies do not have enough starters to get through the series and that their ticking time bomb of a bullpen finally gives up a lead, but they still get my nod.

What does everyone else think? Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and post why you feel the writers here don’t have a clue-namely me!