Megan Brockett: October baseball is finally upon us, and the final days of the regular season have pointed toward the postseason being anything but boring. What are you looking forward to watching most this October?

Erik Bacharach: Definitely the two wild-card games. Two Game 7s on the first day of the playoffs is about as good as it gets. Also, I’m hoping the Oakland A’s make a title run and we get a Moneyball sequel.

Megan: I admit it, I was initially skeptical of the new wild-card rule. But I have to give Bud Selig credit: he made the end of this regular season undeniably exciting, even to that strange breed that finds baseball boring. And there’s definitely a good number of real underdogs in the mix this year. But is there any team you’re expecting to be a bust?

Erik: I could see the Giants struggling out of the gates. Cincy has been solid all year long and has the best bullpen in the league. Despite the acquisition of Hunter Pence, there’s still no replacing Melky Cabrera, who was in contention for a batting title. Also, Tim Lincecum has looked like half the pitcher he used to be. But do you think any teams could surprise this postseason?

Megan: Honestly, I’m pulling for the Orioles to surprise everyone by sweeping the Yanks right out of the ALDS. Oakland would be a great story, too, but I’m just not sure how far they can go. The big thing for the A’s is that they’re hot right now, and teams riding momentum into the postseason have gone far in the past. When it comes down to it, which two teams do you expect to be the last ones standing?

Erik: I predict it to be a repeat of the 1999 World Series: the Yankees and the Braves. I’m picking the Yankees just because they’ve been hot down the stretch and I can’t see any other team making a run. Texas just surrendered the division with a five-game lead and nine to play. And I think the A’s will beat Detroit in the ALDS but don’t expect a Cinderalla story in the American League. Rather, I expect an incredible finish from the Atlanta Braves in the National League. Kris Medlen gets the start in the team’s Wild Card game today and the Braves are 23-0 when Medlen has started for them this season. I think the Braves have what it takes to win it all, and in future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones’ farewell season, I think it’d be a fitting end to 2012. Even as a Mets fan, I think Larry and the Braves deserve it.

Megan: I’m calling a Reds-Rangers Fall Classic. Yes, the Rangers are sputtering. If you think about it, they’ve been sputtering since last year, when they were a strike away from winning the World Series, more than one time. Yet all season, they’ve been called the best team in baseball. But the Reds are the most underrated team in baseball, and sometimes, in this funny game, that’s worth more. Cincinnati was the first team in baseball to clinch this year, and when October rolls to an end, it should be the last team standing.