For those of you who think October baseball is right up there with college football, hockey and the NFL, this is for you. Nick Mendola and Pat Malacaro chime in with a first-round preview.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Dodgers-Cardinals (St. Louis won season series, 5-2)
Here’s a matchup of two teams whose World Series aspirations have fluctuated more than the Dow since the All-Star break. Manny isn’t Manny anymore, and the L.A. offense was better when Juan Pierre was a regular during Ramirez’s steroid suspension.

St. Louis' Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Joel Piniero are a better starting three than Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw and Vicente Padilla. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are the “wild cards” (excuse the cliché) in this series. They can neutralize Albert Pujols’ output by producing at the plate, but that is an enormous “what if.” Pitching usually wins out in a short series and I expect no less in this matchup.
Cardinals in four. - Pat Malacaro

Phillies-Rockies (Philadelphia won season series, 4-2)

When you work with two Mets fans, hype sometimes gets in the way, but I'm sticking with my preseason prediction of the Phillies repeating, even at the expense of the red-hot Rockies, who made a late charged into the postseason.

The Phillies didn't exactly finish off their 93-69 campaign on fire, but they were built for the games that start this week. Tell me the Rockies are going to get through Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ, Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton, Pedro Martinez, et cetera, and I'll show you a tanning salon in the desert you might want to purchase.

Colorado is a well-managed group of youngsters with some solid veterans, but this is the one series they didn't want to start the post-season. I'll hear arguments about them beating the Dodgers or Cardinals, but not this Phillies team.

Phillies in three. - Nick Mendola
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Angels-Red Sox (Angels won season series 5-4)
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…The Angels come into their series against Boston with the edge in pitching, but this time may have the better offense. Short five-game series always come down to pitching. If the Halos starting staff gives up home runs to David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew it will be a short series in Boston’s favor.

However, I like the Angels’ starting rotation, anchored by John Lackey and bolstered by the mid-season acquisition of Scott Kazmir. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have done it before, but the ‘Sox just don’t have enough arms in the bullpen this time around. Papelbon’s consecutive postseason scoreless innings streak (25) has to come to an end sooner or later. It will be a tight series, but finally the Halos get over the hump.
Angels in five. - Pat Malacaro
Yankees-Twins (New York won season series, 7-0)

That's not a mistype, the Bronx Bombers unloaded on the Twins during the regular season, but Minnesota should take some solace in the law of averages -- What halfway decent team gets skunked by another team for an entire season?

The Twins don't get to celebrate long, with early Wednesday evening's Game One calling. Every non-Twins fan is counting Game One as a loss to C.C. Sabathia at the new Yankee Stadium, but if Minnesota can get to Sabathia, who has had his post-season struggles, look out. Also, Alex Rodriguez's struggles have been of the ALDS variety. He's hit .258 career in ALDS, with a robust .315 mark in the ALCS.

Those are just some things to fuel the fire for jubilant Twins fans, because I don't think their team is going to get a sniff at beating the Yankees. Count Game Three as a final win for Minnesota in the Baggy, but New York will take this in four games, maybe less.

Yankees in four. - Nick Mendola