Philadelphia Phillies -
Atlanta Braves 7.5
The Phillies have been the most consistent team in the MLB this season. They have an astounding 85-46 record that leads the league. Their main strength is their starting pitching as all five starters (Halladay, Lee, Worley, Hamels, Oswalt) are all star caliber. The name that may not be familiar to fans is Vance Worley. The rookie has a 9-1 record with a 2.65 ERA. Those are incredible stats for a guy rounding out the teams rotation. As for the Braves, they are a very good team as well. Leading the wild card by a wide margin, the Braves are bound for the playoffs themselves. They are very balanced with solid pitching and hitting. Watch for the Braves to maybe cause some problems to whomever they play in the first round.
NL Central: Games Back:
Milwaukee Brewers -
St Louis Cardinals 9.5
The Brewers are 9.5 games up on the Cardinals!?!?! That is completely correct. Going 21-6 in their last 27 games, the Brewers have gone under the radar to grasp the NL Central. It just seems like days ago when the Pirates led the division and the Brewers and Cardinals were both 1.5 games back. With the Pirates disappearing and the Cardinals not playing to par, the Brewers have seized the moment and seem to be playoff bound. The acquisitions of starting pitchers Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke have really helped this pitching rotation be very effective. The Brewers also do not worry about losing if they are in the lead in the last few innings as they have K-Rod and Axford (40 svs, 2.38 ERA) to shutdown games. Their offense is near the top in most categories due to the help of potential MVP's Ryan Braun (.331/25/88) and Prince Fielder (.294/29/102). These team has pitching, defense,offense, and unity which typically creates a championship team. Watch for these guys to challenge the Phillies for the NL spot in the World Series.
NL West: Games Back:
Arizona Diamondbacks -
San Francisco Giants 5.5
After winning the World Series last year, the Giants seemed like an easy pick to come out of the NL West again. The NL West happens to be the weakest division in the league, so the Giants were pretty confident coming into this year. All of a sudden at the end of summer, the Arizona Diamondbacks are up 5.5 games on the Giants who happen to be playing their worst baseball of the year. Arizona really has no big names on the team. They are a bunch of hard working individuals that have found a formula to win. The Giants may wake up towards the end of the season and make it closer but for now, the NL West is for Arizona to lose.
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