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While the Atlanta Braves didn’t win their division in the last year behind manager Bobby Cox, they were able to end the year second in the division and grab the wild card spot with a record of 91-71.

The Braves will open the 2011 year with new manager Fredi Gonzalez. With the addition of infielder Dan Uggla, the Braves have a real good shot at making it back to the postseason. Here is a closer look at Atlanta’s starting lineup and starting rotation for 2011, plus our MLB predictions on where they will finish the season in the NL East.

Starting Lineup

The Braves really lacked power in the middle of the lineup last season with Chipper Jones on the DL, which is a why Atlanta went out and added Uggla, who smashed 33 homeruns with 105 RBIs in 2010. Uggla should continue to produce for the Braves, he has averaged 31 homeruns and 93 RBIs over the last five seasons. 

The health of Jones is one of the deciding factors in just how good Atlanta’s batting order is this season. Jones isn’t the young stud he once was, and will more than likely struggle to get through the year, but when healthy, he is one of the better hitters in the game. Don’t be surprised if Atlanta gets even more production out of right fielder Jason Heyward, who hit 18 homeruns with 72 RBIs in his rookie season. If he has an even better year, the Braves won’t have to rely so much on the health of Jones. 

After that the Braves have some really nice hitters in catcher Brian McCann, who led all NL catchers with 21 homeruns, shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who tied a career-high with 23 homeruns, and left fielder Martin Prado, who hit a career best 15 homeruns. 

Freddie Freeman is expected to take over at first base, but struggled in his time spent in majors last season. Nate McLouth will start the season in center, despite a unsatisfying season where he spent a lot of time in the minors.

Starting Rotation

The Braves couldn’t have been more thrilled with the year they got from starter Tim Hudson, who won the NL Comeback Player of the Year, with a solid 17-9 record to go along with a 2.83 ERA and 1.150 WHIP. When not bothered by injuries, Hudson is one of the best pitchers in the league. 

Next in line after Hudson, is Derek Lowe, who really carried the Braves to the playoffs with a 5-0 record and 1.17 ERA in the month of September. Even with the great finish, Lowe ended the season with an ERA over 4.00, and at 38-years-old, we wouldn’t be surprised if he dropped off some this year.

If Lowe has a hard time, Atlanta could turn to Tommy Hanson to take control of the No. 2 spot in the rotation. While Hanson went 10-11 in 2010, his 3.33 ERA and 1.18 WHIP indicate he didn’t get a whole lot of run support. We expect Hanson to have a much better record this season, and finish near the 15-18 win mark. 

The last two spots in the starting rotation belong to Jair Jurrjens and Mike Minor. Jurrjens battled injuries and wasn’t close to the player he was in 2009. There’s a good chance he will return to his old form if he can stay healthy. Minor is a young left handed pitcher that is just getting use to pitching at the big league level. He went 3-2 with a high 5.98 ERA in 2010, but should only get better as he continues to mature. 

2011 Projections: 2nd Place NL East

With the rotation and lineup the Phillies enter 2011 with, it is going to be difficult for Atlanta to win the division crown this season. Still, the Braves figures to be a solid contender to take home the NL wild card spot again this year. The Braves MLB odds to win the division are currently +450. 

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While the Philadelphia Phillies won their fourth straight National League East title, they were unable to get back to the World Series for a third consecutive season, falling to the San Francisco Giants 4-2 in the NLCS. The Phillies went out and added yet another ace to their pitching staff in Cliff Lee, giving them one of the best 1-4 starting rotations in baseball history.

Expectations are as high as ever in Philly, and anything outside of a World Series trip this year would be a major let down. Here is a breakdown of what Philadelphia‘s starting lineup and starting rotation will look like heading into this year, plus our MLB predictions on where they will end the year in the NL East.

Starting Lineup

The Phillies offense struggled because of injures in 2010. Both Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins missed significant time, and as a result their production dropped. When healthy these two have the talent to carry the offensive load. 

Ryan Howard is another key ingredient to this offense, as he brings a ton of power in the middle of the lineup. Howard ended the season with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs, his fifth straight season of 30-plus home runs and 100 or more RBIs. 

Placido Polanco might not get the acknowledgment that the other guys get, but he is a solid No. 2 batter who puts the ball in play and sets things up for the rest of the players to drive runs in.
Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez both had a bit of a down year in 2010, and it would really make this lineup that much better if they could rebound and put together a strong year. 

The Phillies are putting their trust in top prospect Dominic Brown to take over the starting job in right field and are thrilled about what this young player can bring to the plate. Catcher Carlos Ruiz had an outstanding year, hitting .302 with a .400 OBP, if he can come close to those stats in 2011, the Phillies will have one of the more complete lineups in the NL. 

Starting Rotation

The rotation is loaded with four guys who could be No. 1s on other squads.  Roy Halladay was the best pitcher in baseball last year as he won 21 times with a 2.44 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.  He also led the majors in innings, complete games and shutouts.

After Halladay is Cliff Lee.  He comes back to Philly after compiling a 3.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP last year playing for Seattle and Texas.  Last time he was a Phillie, he had seven wins with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts.

Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt are both quality arms as well.  Oswalt came over from the Houston Astros last season and compiled 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with the Phillies. Hamels had some unfortunate luck last year, as he compiled a career-best 3.06 ERA, but finished with a 12-11 record. While Halladay, Oswalt and Lee have all been around for some time now, Hamels is still very young at 27 and figures to only to get better as time goes on. 

The Phillies could go a couple of different ways at the back of the rotation. Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick both have the talent to be an effective No. 5 pitcher. Blanton went 9-6 with a 4.82 ERA last season, while Kendrick compiled an 11-10 record with a 4.73 ERA. No doubt there is a big difference from the top four starters, whoever wins this job could easily finish the year with 10 or more wins. 

2011 Predictions: 1st Place NL East

The Phillies are without question the clear favorites to win the division and represent the NL in the World Series this year and it’s not hard to see why with the starting rotation they will send to the field. The biggest component to the Phillies reaching their goals in 2011 will be health, seven of the eight position players and three of the five starters are over the age of 30.

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The postseason is finally here, and now it’s time to preview each team that has a chance to win the World Series.

I’ll list the MLB odds on every team to win it all while also giving you some insight to every clubhouse. 

I’ll also be covering the postseason with more baseball articles on a weekly basis.

Philadelphia Phillies: (+225)

A $100 wager would profit you $225 if the Phillies were to win it all.

This team is the favorite to take down their second World Series title in the past three years.

That’s because they went out and loaded their pitching staff by trading for Roy Halladay at the beginning of the season and also snatching up Roy Oswalt midway through this year.

With the three-headed monster of Halladay, Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, there’s no question this is the best starting staff in the league.

Not to mention they have one of the best lineups in the game with Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth leading the way. Philly has scored 5.6 RPG since the start of September.

New York Yankees: (+300)

A $100 wager would profit you $300 if the Yankees were to win it all.

Despite knowing that they won’t have home-field advantage in any series if they were to make the World Series, the Yankees are still one of the top dogs.

New York won the championship in 2009, and with their lineup, they are fully capable of getting back there again. Everyone is healthy, and Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriquez, Robinson Cano, and Jorge Posada will spearhead an offensive attack that is unmatched by any other in baseball.

But after C.C. Sabathia, there is some serious question marks with their starting rotation.

Andy Pettite and Phil Hughes are expected to be in the rotation as well, but each was shaky in the second half. If the Yankees can ever get the ball to Mariano Rivera, it will be lights out.

Tampa Bay Rays: (+300)

A $100 wager would profit you $300 if the Rays were to win it all.

Tampa Bay won the AL East Division and finished with the best record in the American League, which gives them home-field advantage—that could be a big factor here as opposing teams will have to deal with the cowbells inside a packed house at Tropicana Field.

Tampa will be starting David Price, who is certainly an AL Cy Young candidate and went 9-2 with a 1.96 ERA at home in 2010. After that, it’s Matt Garza and Wade Davis, two guys that are hit or miss. Davis did finish the season strong, though he allowed eight runs over his last 28.2 innings of work.

Though Tampa ranked last in the American League this season with a .247 batting average, they did finish third in the majors in runs scored thanks to speed at the top of the lineup in Carl Crawford and BJ Upton.

Evan Longoria hasn’t played since September 23 due to a strained quad, and though Joe Maddon said the rest was precautionary, Tampa Bay needs him at 100 percent if they are to make a run.

Minnesota Twins: (+800)

A $100 wager would profit you $800 if the Twins were to win it all.

Minnesota plans to go with a four-man rotation for the postseason.

With the exception of Brian Duensing, this rotation has been pretty shaky. Francisco Liriano is their ace, but he’s just 1-3 with a 6.98 ERA in his last four starts. Carl Pavano had a surprising resurgence this season, and Nick Blackburn is hit or miss.

The Twins title hopes took a major blow when they announced that Justin Morneau would miss the entire postseason; that said, they still have Joe Mauer, Jim Thome, and Delmon Young. Mauer has hit .373, and Thome is hitting .313 with 15 homers since the All-Star break. Young’s 54 second-half RBI’s ranked third in the American League.

San Francisco Giants: (+900)

A $100 wager would profit you $900 if the Giants were to win it all.

San Francisco has a starting rotation that rivals what the Phillies have.

With Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, and Matt Cain leading the way, the Giants have the best ERA (3.36) in baseball.

The one thing that has held the Giants back in the past has been their offense, but they are at least in the middle of the pack this year averaging 4.3 RPG. Aubrey Huff is quietly having a solid season, hitting .290 with 26 home runs in the middle of their lineup. Without rookie Buster Posey and midseason acquisition Pat Burrell, there’s no way the Giants would be where they are at today.

But because of their pitching alone, San Francisco certainly has a chance to win it all.

Texas Rangers: (+1200)

A $100 wager would profit you $1,200 if the Rangers were to win it all.

Texas made a huge move before the trade deadline by going out to get Cliff Lee. The lefty was unstoppable in the postseason last year for the Phillies, going 4-0 with a minuscule 1.56 ERA in five postseason starts. Lee is 12-9 with a 3.18 ERA this season, and his presence in the rotation alone gives Texas a chance.

He’ll be followed by C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis, two of the more underrated starters in the American League. With Josh Hamilton back and healthy, the Rangers have a dangerous lineup. Vladamir Guerrero was a huge offseason addition as well, hitting .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBI.

Texas leads the majors with a .276 batting average, and unlike year’s past, they have the fourth-fewest strikeouts in baseball (986).

Atlanta Braves: (+1400)

A $100 wager would profit you $1,400 if the Braves were to win it all.

Atlanta is the feel-good story in the postseason. They are trying to win it for manager Bobby Cox, who has already stated that this will be his last season on the job even before their 2010 campaign got underway.

This team has an underrated starting staff with Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, and Tommy Hanson leading the way. Hudson had 17 wins this year to go along with a 2.83 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Their 3.57 ERA as a team was the third-best mark in the majors.

Trading for Derek Lee and Alex Gonzalez really gives this lineup the extra pop it needed to go along with the likes of Brian McCann, Omar Infante, and Jason Heyward.

Cincinnati Reds: (+1600)

A $100 wager would profit you $1,600 if the Reds were to win it all.

With Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo, and Johnny Cueto leading the rotation, this is one of the worst starting staffs in baseball. The Reds have been making their money at the plate and will have to do so again in the postseason if they are to advance.

Cincinnati leads the National League in batting average (.271), home runs (187), and runs per game (4.9). Joey Votto spearheads the attack, hitting .324 with 37 home runs and 113 RBI.

The Reds are hitting .278 with runners in scoring position, also the best mark in the National League.

Jack Jones has been solid all season on the bases, currently sitting as the No. 7 Ranked MLB Handicapper in 2010. If you want advice you can count on this postseason, then sign up for a premium package from him or the rest of our handicappers at Betfirms to get the best MLB picks around. If you want to find out which team Jack thinks will win it all, then check out his 2010 MLB Playoffs Predictions.

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