Who will win the World Series?

And, lastly, we’ve got the Minnesota Twins who hadn’t made the playoffs since 2010 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2004.

I cannot remember a year where all four NLDS teams not only had a legit shot at winning the Pennant, but the World Series as well.

Nunez is likely done for the series, which means he’d have to sit out the American League Championship Series if the Red Sox were to replace him on the roster, which means he wouldn’t be eligible to return until the World Series.

In 2012, they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, blowing a two-run lead in Game 5 with one out to go.

October 15, Los Angeles, N.L.C.S., Game 2 – The Dodgers’ Rich Hill loses a ideal game with two outs in the ninth inning when a two-strike curve grazes the unkempt beard of Nationals pinch-hitter Jayson Werth for a hit-by-pitch. The left-handed pitcher has a 4-7 record to go along with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.55 in the playoffs.

The AL Division Series begin Thursday, and the NLDS starts Friday.

Paul O’Neil, UNCP – BOSTON RED SOX.

In the nation’s capital, the Washington Nationals are entering the playoffs years of failed expectations on their backs.

Encarnacion was on crutches and wearing a boot on his sprained right ankle Saturday, but manager Terry Francona said the designated hitter hadn’t been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Yankee Stadium. The Nationals are going to need to rely on first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and former Mets playoff legend Daniel Murphy if they’re going to dethrone the Cubs. Behind the power hitting of Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, and Kris Bryant the Cubs can light up the scoreboard.

And, while no one here is asking Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg to atone for the sins of Joe Cronin and Frank Howard, these Nationals are acutely aware of the failures of this generation. The Yankees actually outscored the Indians during the regular season, so I have no doubt they can keep up on the offensive end.

An NLCS matchup between the Dodgers and Cubs will be a repeat of the 2016 NLCS. The Orioles won 6-4.

The Red Sox have definitely lost production due to the departure of Big Papi, but they have still been winning enough games to be granted the second seed in the American League. The Astros and Red Sox start things off in Houston at 4 ET, followed by the Indians and Yankees at 7:30 in Cleveland.

Previously, when there was only one wild card team, you’d have less potential variety of teams entering the postseason mix, with some deserving teams falling outside the playoff bubble.

Sale gets the nod in Game 1 after going 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA and topping the AL with 214 1/3 innings. And yet, Boston has still found a way to win games, and that is the true mark of a great team. “If the Yankees lose to the Twins, I’ll pick the Twins”. NY will hand the ball to their 23-year old ace Luis Severino to obliterate the Twins and advance to the ALDS.

Chris Howell, Red Springs – NEW YORK YANKEES. They seem like the hot team.

The Indians do not just have one dynamic pitcher, they boast a core with a league-leading 3.30 team ERA, and when that pitching performance mixes with an offense with the league’s sixth best runs per game, they could prove to be unstoppable in their run to the World Series. The right-hander is 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts since the deal and 15-8 with a 3.36 ERA in 33 starts overall this season.

Cleveland’s baseball team isn’t the only squad to be stuck in a rut. Houston is the third team in major-league history to win each of the first two games of a postseason series by six or more runs. It’s a two-game sample size, so let’s not get insane with extrapolations, but you’re going to see plenty more where that came from as the playoffs continue. Both teams will know what to expect from each other after facing off in 2016. Should the series go to a fourth game, it’ll be righty Jake Arrieta for the Cubs. The Cubs will win Games 2 and 3, giving themselves a 2-1 series lead.

Indians outfielder Jay Bruce, who joined Cleveland at mid-season, could feel the hunger for another chance at the crown the minute he walked into the locker room.