It's down to eight

The Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians are eliminated. Not what the state of Ohio was looking for.

The Pittsburgh Pirates knock off the Reds 6-2 on Tuesday night and Tampa Bay blanks the Indians 4-0 tonight as the MLB wild card games are now history.

Eight teams remain as the Rays advance to play the Boston Red Sox, while the Oakland A's prepare to do battle with the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS. In the NLDS the Pirates will take on the St. Louis Cardinals, while the LA Dodgers lock horns with the Atlanta Braves.

The Cardinals will host the Pirates and the Atlanta Braves will entertain the visiting Dodgers on  Thursday afternoon as the best-of-five series gets underway. The Red Sox will open at home against the Rays on Friday, while the A's will host the Tigers in a best-of-five showdown.

The Indians go quietly and my postseason favorite is out of the running. I was pulling for Terry Francona and the surprising Indians, but they left too many runners on base tonight. Those one-game wild card games are tough, but it does make for an exciting three hours of prime time television.

I'm sticking with the Red Sox to win it all, but what do I know? I figured the Reds would beat the Pirates and the Indians would take down the Rays. Should I venture a guess as to the final four teams? Well, you already know one, the Red Sox. Which teams are joining them? It'll be Detroit, the LA Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

We'll know in a few days whether I'm right or wrong. Luckily, I'm not placing any bets.