For the second season in a row, last year's champions in Cuban baseball's National Series will not be defending their crown. After an unremarkable campaign, plagued by instability, Pinar de Río is out of running for the championship, which now will be contested by eight very evenly matched teams, making predictions difficult.

Some analysts are leaning toward Villa Clara, the most complete team in the league, while others have picked Matanzas, the surprise of the year, or Industriales given their experience. Cienfuegos is playing well and appears ready to accomplish more.

The duel between Cienfuegos and Industriales in the quarter finals is one to watch since the two teams ended the regular season with very similar records. It would appear that Coach Iday Abreu's group from Cienfuegos has the advantage in pitching, but it will not be easy to detain Industriales heavy hitters, who have bounced back in the final stretch after a mid-season slump.

This is the match-up which appears the most even, since, in my opinion Matanzas, Villa Clara and Ciego de Ávila are clear favorites over their opponents, Sancti Spíritus, Granma and Las Tunas, respectively.

Víctor Mesa's Matanzas team thought they were dreaming earlier in the season, leading the Western division with their explosive, creative play and a philosophy which could be a challenge for Sancti Spíritus, who are also nursing injuries and not showing the spark they've had in previous seasons.

Villa Clara's advantage over Granma is evident in the statistics, with better numbers in important areas such as pitching and defense, although Granma cannot be discounted, given its powerful line-up which scored 116 runs during the regular season.

Ciego de Ávila was not satisfied coming in second last year and is back for more, counting on Vladimir García's arm and Rusney Castillo's leadership on the field. Standing in their way is Las Tunas, a much improved team, with mature starting pitchers who are ready to take on the post-season pressure, aware that their batters can keep the score close.