With only a couple of weeks left in the regular season of baseball, division races are tightening up in both leagues and true contenders are distancing themselves from pretenders. Late-August and early-September is the time for playoff teams to emerge and to take control of their own fate. Up to this point in baseball, no team has put themselves into the postseason picture with a hundred percent certainty. With that in mind, here is a brief look at how each of the four National league playoff berth races are shaping up.
NL East - Perhaps the most interesting divisional race in the majors this year, the NL East features three teams that all have realistic shots at the postseason. The Mets, building off of last year's success, have a good offensive club but suffer from inconsistent pitching. The Braves, on the other hand, have terrific pitching but often find themselves without offense in games. Finally, Philadelphia is a team that seems to have just about everything, but for some reason just cannot get over the hump.
Its hard to believe that the Mets have held the division lead for so long this year. They have a pretty good team, but not one that screams success. One would think that this was the Phillies division to lose before the season began, but success just didn't come for the team.
As it stands now, the Mets have a three game lead. That, however, shouldn't last with a hungry Philadelphia team and an improved Braves team behind them. Expect Philadelphia and Atlanta to both make late season surges and leave New York behind.
NL Central - As the beginning months of the season went by, more and more baseball experts turned to the Milwaukee Brewers as the new team of destiny. Echoing the Tigers from 2006-07, the Brewers started the season on a tear and have been October contenders all year long. Unlike the Tigers, however, Milwaukee has begun their downfall early in the mid-season. After a couple of bad losing streaks, the Brewers have seemingly lost their cool and tempers, an event marked by a brawl during a game in July.
The inconsistency and downfall of the Brewers has left a door open for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs have the better ace pitcher in Zambrano and a roster with the right mix of experience and youth. They are led by a fiery manager who has seen everything, including the playoffs, before. And most important of all, they have momentum.
It was a nice run for Milwaukee…but its hard to imagine them holding a lead over the Cubs for the remaining two months of the season.
NL West - One wonders how bad the Padres offense really is when you consider that they have, by far, the best pitching rotation in the league and still can't lead their division. Chris Young, Jake Peavy, Greg Maddux…these are names teams dream about featuring. And if you told a gambler that the Padres would have a sub-3.00 ERA through the season, you can bet he would bet everything on them making the playoffs.
But as it is, the team's offensive woes have left them in 2nd in the West, behind the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks, while not quite the pitching powerhouse San Diego is, have a good overall team and an ace who can lead them to the postseason in Brandon Webb.
The Padres still have time to make up the small margin between them and Arizona, but its time for them to stop messing around. San Diego is a team built for October, but they have to get there first to have a shot at the title. Expect them to get it together after a couple of good deadline deals.
Wild Card - This race should come down to four of the following five teams; the Mets, the Braves/the Phillies (whichever loses the East), the Diamondbacks, and the Brewers. Of the four, the Brewers have no experience and faulty pitching and can be easily eliminated. From there, however, it's a tougher decision.
One would expect the Braves make the playoffs after getting Tex., so if they lose the East somehow, they would be the choice of the five. If they have the spot secured, however, expect the Phillies to win out the wild card.
In other words, expect both Philadelphia and Atlanta to make the playoffs.
One person has commented on this article.  1. UntitledGuest User, UnregisteredI wouldn't say Atlanta has great pitching... their offense is the best part of the team. Good pitching in Smoltz & Hudson. About Average in James & Carlyle but no 5th starter that's worth mentioning. |
