October baseball is upon us, and we at Guys Being Dudes are pumped for some postseason baseball. Before the 2019 MLB playoffs begin Tuesday night in the nation’s capital, the core four at GBD (Pete, Andrew, Dave and Joe) wanted to give some insight on the potential matchups we might see in the coming weeks. Here are out “expert” picks.

NL Wild Card Game

Pete – Nationals

Andrew – Nationals

Dave – Nationals

Joe – Brewers

You’re the only person picking the Brewers. Why do you think they can pull off the upset?

Joe: “I think they can pull off the upset because of their momentum. The Brew Crew has been balling since Christian Yelich went down. The Nats have been playing great baseball as well but I think with the way the guys in Milwaukee have rallied behind doing it for Yeli, I think they can win.”

AL Wild Card Game

Pete – Rays

Andrew – Athletics

Dave – Athletics

Joe – Athletics

Why did you pick the Rays to grab a win in Oakland?

Pete: “I really like Charlie Morton. He finished top 10 in the AL in strikeouts. I also really like Tommy Pham. I’m not sold on Oakland’s pitching. The bullpen has been shaky, especially their key guys in Liam Hendricks and Blake Treinen.”

NLDS

Braves vs Cardinals

Pete – Cardinals

Andrew – Braves

Dave – Braves

Joe – Cardinals

Pete and Joe both picked the Cardinals. What makes you so confident the Braves will advance to the NLCS?

Dave: “While I believe the Cardinals have the advantage in pitching, the Braves still have Mike Soroka, who is my rookie of the year, and a postseason veteran in Keuchel. They also have arguably a top 5 offense in the league to go along with the best first baseman and a probable top 3 MVP finisher in Ronald Acuna. I don’t believe the Cardinals pitching staff will be able to hold down this lineup for 5 games.”

Dodgers vs Nationals/Brewers

Pete – Dodgers

Andrew – Dodgers

Dave – Dodgers

Joe – Dodgers

ALDS

Yankees vs Twins

Pete – Yankees

Andrew – Yankees

Dave – Yankees

Andrew – Yankees

The Yankees are an overwhelming favorite against the Twins. Is there any way Minnesota can beat the Bronx Bombers?

Andrew: “I have been high on the Twinkies all season long. I picked them to win the AL Central and they virtually ran away with it. The only lineups I would take over Minnesota’s are the Astros and Yankees, but they just don’t match up pitching-wise. The Yankees have the best bullpen in baseball, so the Twins will have to get most of their runs off the Yanks’ starters. If they can put up runs early and stifle the Yankees offense, they have a chance.”

Astros vs A’s/Rays

Pete – Astros

Andrew – Astros

Dave – Astros

Joe – Astros

NLCS

Pete – Cardinals over Dodgers

Andrew – Dodgers over Braves

Dave – Dodgers over Braves

Joe – Dodgers over Cardinals

You have the Cardinals winning the NL pennant. How can St. Louis beat the odds and make it to the Fall Classic?

Pete: “It all starts with Jack Flaherty. The dude has an ERA under two in the second half in only in his second season in the bigs. Dakota Hudson is hot right now too. Tommy Edman has been great at third base since his call-up June. Not to mention they have Marcell Ozuna and Paul Goldschmidt too. They have the pieces, but it comes down to pitching.”

ALCS

Pete – Astros over Yankees

Andrew – Astros over Yankees

Dave – Yankees over Astros

Joe – Yankees over Astros

How do the Yankees match the Astros’ star-studded pitching staff?

Dave: “Easier said than done but the way the Yankees win this series, they simply only need 4-5 max solid innings out of the starters, who have been hot in September. I do believe that has a connection to the return of Severino, and then flip it over to maybe the strongest bullpen in all of baseball. The bullpen is also where I believe the Astros’ weakness lies. Not saying they need to put up a lot of runs, but if the Yankees hitters can put up long at-bats and drive that pitch count up, they can give themselves 3-4 innings to beat up on Houston’s bullpen. We know both teams have strong lineups, but it will be whichever team’s weakness pulls through the most.”

Joe: “The Astros have one of the best three-headed monsters we’ve seen in our lifetimes. Greinke hasn’t pitched that well in the postseason in his career which makes me feel good. The Yanks have hit good pitching all year, just not guys like Verlander and Cole. Their lineup is something else though. From top to bottom everyone rakes, even the guys coming off the bench.”

World Series

Pete – Astros over Cardinals

Andrew – Astros over Dodgers

Dave – Yankees over Dodgers

Joe – Yankees over Dodgers

You’re alone in picking a Stros/Dodgers World Series. What makes that matchup so intriguing?

Andrew: “I mean, just look at the potential pitching matchups: Verlander vs Kershaw, Cole vs Buehler, Grienke vs Ryu. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything better than that. Not only are these the two best pitching staffs in terms of ERA, but both offenses are lethal as well. I think the Astros have the best lineup in baseball and the Dodgers have the best lineup in the National League. Add in that the 2017 World Series between these two franchises was quite possibly the best Fall Classic of the 21st century, I’d say that’s about all you need to hear.”