MLB: Looking at the National League

Posted on | August 24, 2009 | No Comments

Last blog post we went over the American League. Over in the National League just about all 3 divisions are decided. The only drama as the calendar begins to flip to September is the Wild Card race.

The NL East will go to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Atlanta Braves are 7 games back right now. That’s too much ground to make up. The Phillies will get into the playoffs easily and then they’ll be able to defend their World Series crown.

In the NL Central the St Louis Cardinals are running away with the division. This surprises me. I thought the Chicago Cubs would stick with the Cardinals the entire time. But the the Cubs have dropped back to 8 games back. This divisions is over too. The Cards will be an interesting team to watch in the postseason. They have all the pieces to win a championship yet they aren’t as good as the Dodgers, Phillies, or the Yankees. Well, with the way they’ve been playing lately, the Cardinals might be better than the Dodgers.

In the NL West the Los Angeles Dodgers are only 3.5 games ahead of the Rockies. This is turning in to a race. But I still like the Dodgers to win the division fairly easily. Joe Torre knows all about finishing strong.

The Wild Card race is wide open but the Rockies have a decent 3 game lead right now. The Giants are 3 games back, the Braves are 4 games back, and the Marlins are 5 games back. I’m starting to lean toward the Rockies here. But something tells me the Giants will have a great September and win this.

So, that would be the Phillies, the Cardinals, the Dodgers, and the Giants all in the playoffs. And I like the Phillies and the Cardinals to meet iin the NLCS. From there, who knows? But I’ll pick the Phillies to return to the Series to take on the Yankees.

Related posts:

1. MLB: Looking at the National League
2. MLB: Looking at the National League in Early August
3. MLB: A Look at the National League
4. MLB: National League Starting to Sort Itself Out
5. MLB: Great Race in NL Wild Card

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