Does Your Favorite MLB Playoff Team Have a Corresponding Best Picture Contender?

Oscars and baseball: They go together like car batteries and polenta. Which is to say they don't go together. However, with the Major League Baseball postseason scheduled to start later this afternoon (go Giants/anyone playing the Yankees!), what better time than now to break the playoffs down, Movieline-style? Ahead your favorite MLB playoff team gets a corresponding Best Picture candidate. You're welcome.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

· Tampa Bay Rays (AL East Winner)

BREAKDOWN: Despite an appearance in the World Series just two years ago, the Rays are still considered a flashy upstart. Led by manager Joe Maddon, a details-oriented non-conformist, the team possesses a wealth of talent and speed to burn. That said, they're probably not seasoned enough to win it all.

OSCAR CONTENDER: The Social Network

· Minnesota Twins (AL Central Winner)

BREAKDOWN: A perennial contender, the small market Twins and their silver-goateed manager Ron Gardenhire invariably put a fundamentally sound team on the field. Unfortunately, they usually get smoked by teams with higher payrolls.

OSCAR CONTENDER: Another Year

· Texas Rangers (AL West Winner)

BREAKDOWN: Despite a terrific season, the Rangers are viewed as non-serious contender. Though with a franchise pitcher at the top of his game (Cliff Lee) and their very own feel-good story in the heart of their lineup (Josh Hamilton, the recovering drug addict-turned-American League MVP contender), it would be unwise to sleep on the Rangers' World Series potential.

OSCAR CONTENDER: Secretariat

· New York Yankees (Wild Card)

BREAKDOWN: The Yankees have so much high-priced talent on their team, that washouts like pitcher Javier Vazquez (2010 salary: $11.5 million) didn't even make it onto the postseason roster for the first round. On the field, New York peaked during the summer months, and now seems bloated, expensive and not all that substantive. Also, just a tip: Don't even think about crossing their passionate and slightly irrational fan base.

OSCAR CONTENDER: Inception

NATIONAL LEAGUE

· Philadelphia Phillies (NL East Winner)

BREAKDOWN: The current class of the National League is stocked with seasoned veterans who have been to the postseason before. With three frontline starting pitchers, they might prove too tough to beat.

OSCAR CONTENDER: The King's Speech

· Cincinnati Reds (NL Central Winner)

BREAKDOWN: Who let this team into the party? Before the season, very few thought the Reds would make it into the playoffs, and yet here they are as division winners. Joey Votto's MVP-worthy performance leads the way for Cincy, and while no one is expecting much from the team going forward, it's certainly possible they make a run. After all, manager Dusty Baker has taken both the Giants and the Cubs deep into the playoffs during the last decade.

OSCAR CONTENDER: Love and Other Drugs

· San Francisco Giants (NL West Winner)

BREAKDOWN: Through sheer willpower, the Giants clawed their way into the playoffs on the final day of the season. Buoyed by the pitching duo of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, they have a shot to sneak into the World Series, but with an anemic offense, the Giants are far from a complete package. Which team will show up -- and will Bruce Bochy be able to manage them to the Promised Land?

OSCAR CONTENDER: Black Swan

· Atlanta Braves (NL Wild Card)

BREAKDOWN: With manager Bobby Cox retiring after this season, the Braves have become a sentimental favorite. This is the 15th time Atlanta has gone to the playoffs under Cox, but they only have one World Series win to show for it.

OSCAR CONTENDER: Toy Story 3