With two rounds in the books, it's time for the league championship series round of Major League Baseball's 2020 playoffs. On the American League side, we've got the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays dueling for the first time ever in the ALCS. On the NL side, it's two storied franchises in the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Astros have been here a few times recently. This is now their fourth straight ALCS. They won it in 2017 and 2019. The Rays haven't been here since 2008 with Carlos Pena and a rookie named Evan Longoria anchoring the offense.
The Dodgers aren't strangers, either. They've now been to the NLCS four of the last five tries, having won in 2017 and 2018. The Braves, meanwhile, haven't been to the NLCS since 2001, when their rotation included Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine.
The possible combinations for the World Series ...
Braves-Rays: The Rays pitching staff against the Braves' offensive firepower would be pretty fun. We haven't had an All-East World Series since the Yankees beat the Phillies in 2009.
Braves-Astros: The headline here would have to be starpower on offense, right? Ronald Acuna, George Springer, Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Marcell Ozuna, Alex Bregman, Ozzie Albies, Carlos Correa and ... Travis d'Arnaud? Bring me all the home runs.
Dodgers-Rays: Pretty straight forward here. The best team from each league in the regular season will have taken care of business in the playoffs and we get our one seed vs. one seed Fall Classic. That last happened in 2017 with the Dodgers and Astros.
Dodgers-Astros: Here's the one the MLB people who care about TV ratings desperately want. It's a rematch of the aforementioned 2017 World Series that the Astros won in an epic seven-game battle. We've since found out about the Astros' sign-stealing scheme, the Dodgers have been vocally upset about it and there was drama between the two teams earlier this year.
Which will it be? Here are our CBS Sports staff predictions.
Katherine Acquavella
Rays in six: The Astros run to this year's ALCS is a true flip of the switch. The club entered this year's postseason with the worst record out of all 16 teams. On the opposite side of things is their opponent, with the Rays having earned the top seed in the American League. Houston will be kicking off this series with more rest, but I'm going to side with the more talented team here in Tampa. Astros starters Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers Jr. have been questionable as of late, so I think the Rays lineup will take advantage early and their bullpen will be lights out.
Dodgers in six: The Braves will give the Dodgers a challenge here, but L.A. has been (and is) the best team in baseball this year. Their depth is the envy of most other teams in baseball. Atlanta's pitching really stepped up during the NLDS, but I don't see them getting past a potent Dodgers lineup unscathed. The Dodgers bullpen is not the most reliable at the moment, but I see their offense just plowing their way through to a series win. I'll say that Mookie Betts records another impressive series here.
R.J. Anderson
Rays in six: The Astros have beaten two teams that were better than them during the regular season. I'm guessing that streak ends before they complete the hat trick. (Though an Astros-Dodgers World Series would threaten the standing record for the easiest possible copy.)
Dodgers in six: The Braves have a good team. I enjoy watching them play. I just don't think they can defeat the Dodgers in a long series ... unless Walker Buehler's blister is a bigger issue than it seems to be at present. Even then, the Dodgers probably find a way to advance to yet another World Series.
Mike Axisa
Rays in seven: The Astros look much more like the 2017-19 Astros than the 2020 regular season Astros right now, and Dusty Baker's bullpen management has been masterful. I still think the Rays are the better and deeper team. They never seem to have something less than an above-average pitcher on the mound or a guy at the plate who won't grind out an at-bat. This series will be a great chess matchup. I think Tampa wins a very, very close series.
Dodgers in five: The two highest scoring teams in baseball during the regular season, and by a good margin too. The problem is the Dodgers allowed the second fewest runs per game. The Braves ranked 15th in run prevention. Granted, Ian Anderson is a beast and Kyle Wright's adjustments have made him a new pitcher, so this is a different pitching staff than the one Atlanta used all year, but I still think it's a notch or three below the Dodgers. Dodgers in five makes it seems like I expect a lopsided series, though I don't think it'll be all blowouts. The games will be exciting, but I think the Dodgers have too much of an edge in the run prevention department.
Dayn Perry
Astros in seven: This is partly a gut feel pick here. I think the grueling ALDS against the Yankees takes something out of the Rays early in this series given the quick turnaround. I also think the Astros, despite that losing record in the regular season, have shown signs of finding their level lately, particularly in terms of sorting out their rotation. This is a bit of a coin-flip series to me, which means I don't feel strongly one way or the other.
Dodgers in six: L.A. was easily the best team during the regular season, and their roster depth is the envy of every other team in baseball. The Braves right now have their pitching sorted out nicely, and I think this series is much closer than it would've been, say, a month ago. Atlanta's strength is undeniably its offense, but it's worth noting that the Dodgers out-scored them during the regular season. Yes, they out-scored them by only one run, but Dodger Stadium is a significantly tougher environment for hitters than Truist Park is. I think this one will be hotly fought, but I lean Dodgers in a compelling six-game series.
Matt Snyder
Astros in six: Does the "fool me once," "fool me twice," framework apply here? I don't think so, technically speaking, but the overarching point is that I'm done looking at the 2020 Astros like they are the regular-season 2020 version instead of the 2017-19 Astros, at least the offense. Now, the pitching staff is definitely a different animal and that's how the Rays could break through here, but the Rays' staff is a bit compromised the start the series with just one day off between the ALDS and ALCS and zero days off within the ALCS. The Astros are winning their third pennant in four years.
Dodgers in seven: The Dodgers haven't been tested yet, but that's about to change. The Braves' offense is amazingly powerful and can be relentless at times. Their bullpen is deep and talented while Max Fried and Ian Anderson resemble a pair of aces at the top of the rotation. The Dodgers are better and that's why they are the pick, but the Braves are going to make this a fun one.
Danny Vietti
Rays in six: The postseason is all about pitching depth, SO/9, and clutch hitting. Tampa Bay has "a stable of guys that throw 98" and Houston's rotation is too thin for a seven-game series. Carlos Correa and company are going to have to out-slug Tampa Bay if they want a chance. It would be great television if we got an Astros-Dodgers World Series rematch, but I think Houston's run ends here.
Dodgers in five: It's the Dodgers' year. They have more depth, better arms, and more experience. I think this matchup is very similar to the ALCS matchup in terms of styles. Just like the Astros, the Braves have the lineup to crush with the best of them. But, both teams have also endured numerous injuries to their pitching staffs and the arms just aren't there for a best-of-seven series.
