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Handing out awards after a dramatic division round

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With both division series wrapped up, MLB editors Bryan Mcwilliam and Tom Ruminski hand out some unofficial awards after a wild second round of the postseason.

AL MVP

Gerrit Cole, Astros

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It was tough not to give this to Jose Altuve, but Cole was masterful throughout the Astros' division series against the Rays. The right-hander allowed just one run and six hits in 15 2/3 innings over two starts, limiting the 96-win Rays to a .118 average. He matched Mike Mussina for the second-most strikeouts in back-to-back postseason games with 25, and his performance in Thursday's Game 5 win extended his MLB record: He's now registered at least 10 strikeouts in 11 straight games.

NL MVP

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Paul Goldschmidt/Marcell Ozuna, Cardinals

The two Cardinals sluggers were mirror images of each other while driving the offense in St. Louis' series win over Atlanta. Goldschmidt and Ozuna both recorded nine hits in 21 at-bats across five games. They both hit .429, they both got on-base at a .478 clip, and they both belted two homers.

AL best pitcher

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Gerrit Cole, Astros

Cole wasn't just the best pitcher in the AL - he was tops in baseball. Among all hurlers who appeared in a division series game, Cole led in strikeouts and innings pitched. His 0.57 ERA was the third-lowest behind Luis Severino and Devin Smeltzer, neither of whom threw nearly as many innings, and his 0.57 WHIP was the lowest of any AL starter. The Astros haven't lost a Cole start since July 12.

NL best pitcher

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Stephen Strasburg, Nationals

Strasburg came through for the Nationals in their upset victory over the Dodgers, striking out 17 over two starts against the juggernauts. He wasn't as dominant in Game 5 as he was in Game 2 - when he struck out 10 and allowed a single run - but he kept his teammates in the deciding contest long enough for them to mount a comeback. Terrific through both the NL wild-card game and the division series, the 31-year-old will be counted on heavily against the Cardinals in the next round.

AL most disappointing player

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Miguel Sano, Twins

The Twins needed their sluggers to show up to have a shot at taking down the Yankees. That didn't happen and Minnesota's season is over. Several of the Twins' offensive stars didn't perform, but Sano's underwhelming showing stood out. The 26-year-old third baseman registered just one hit after posting a .923 OPS with a career-high 34 home runs in just 105 regular-season contests. Even more jarring were the former All-Star's eight whiffs in 12 at-bats - good for a cringe-worthy 66.7 strikeout percentage.

NL most disappointing player

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A.J. Pollock, Dodgers

Appearing in the postseason for the first time with the Dodgers, Pollock was almost invisible. The 31-year-old went hitless in 13 at-bats, striking out 11 times while drawing a lone walk and scoring a single run. He was so bad in the first three games of the series he was relegated to the bench thereafter. He didn't fare much better as a pinch hitter following the move, going 0-for-2 with two of those strikeouts.

AL most surprising performance

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Willy Adames, Rays

Adames has turned a lot of heads this October thanks to an outstanding series against the Astros. The 24-year-old shortstop hit .385/.500/.923 in five games with a pair of home runs after posting a .735 OPS in 152 regular-season contests. His throw to cut down Altuve at home and complete a jaw-dropping relay in Game 4 will go down as one of the best plays of the 2019 playoffs.

NL most surprising performance

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Dansby Swanson, Braves

Though the Braves lost their series against the Cardinals, Swanson surprisingly stepped up in a big way. With Josh Donaldson, Freddie Freeman, and pretty much everyone not named Ronald Acuna Jr. or Adam Duvall struggling, Swanson slashed .389/.421/.556. His biggest moment came in Game 3 when he hit a game-tying double in a come-from-behind win; St. Louis had elected to intentionally walk Brian McCann, who was 0-for-3, to get to Swanson.

Best single-game performance

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Gerrit Cole, Game 2

Cole's masterful outing in Game 2 was an all-timer. The Astros ace struck out 15 Rays batters over a brilliant 7 2/3 scoreless innings. The only pitchers in postseason history to record more strikeouts in a single game are Kevin Brown (16) in 1998 and Bob Gibson (17) in 1968. Cole whiffed every batter in Tampa Bay's lineup at least once and struck out five on multiple occasions - including two hitters three times each.

Best game

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Nationals vs. Dodgers, Game 5

Strasburg and Walker Buehler matching each other for six innings. Clayton Kershaw's meltdown. Howie Kendrick's extra-inning grand slam. David beating Goliath. Game 5 between the Nationals and Dodgers had suspense, drama, and potentially franchise-altering fallout. What a game. What a series.

Most impressive team

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New York Yankees

The Yankees flat-out dominated a Twins club that won 101 regular-season games for only the second time in franchise history. New York outscored Minnesota 23-7 en route to a three-game sweep, holding a team that slugged an MLB-record 307 home runs to a measly three round-trippers. The Yanks' vaunted bullpen came as advertised, limiting the Twins to three runs over 13 1/3 innings.

Most disappointing team

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Los Angeles Dodgers

The 106-win Dodgers entered the postseason determined not to lose in the World Series for a third straight year. It proved a non-issue as they failed to get out of the division series. Los Angeles has one of the game's deepest teams and biggest payrolls, but the lineup struggled to a .220/.303/.428 slash line while striking out 64 times - more than any other team. The Dodgers may have seven consecutive division titles under their belts, but they haven't won a World Series since 1988 and that's not changing this year.

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