We continue our preview of the remaining baseball season today with a look at the National League.

National League West

What was supposed to be one of the best divisions in baseball turned out to be the absolute worst. The division leading Los Angeles Dodgers are just three games over .500. The reigning National League Champion Colorado Rockies are an unthinkable 10 games under .500 and six and a half games back of LA in third place. San Diego, one of the best teams in the league last season, is the worst team in the majors this year. It is utterly baffling, as many of the rosters are largely the same as they were from last season.

That being said, one of these teams is going to make the playoffs. The Dodgers are currently in first place despite trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks for most of the season. The Dodgers were very aggressive at the trade deadline, acquiring Casey Blake from the Cleveland Indians and Manny Ramirez form the Boston Red Sox. Both players have bolstered a previously laughable offense that spent most of the season in the bottom of the majors in run production. Ramirez alone has seven homeruns and 25 RBIs in his last 30 games. 

While their offense has received a serious upgrade, the Dodgers’ pitching still leaves a lot to be desired. Staff ace Brad Penny is again on the disabled list and may return before the end of the season, but will only be utilized in the bullpen at that point. The Boys In Blue recently acquired future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux from the Padres but he is just a shell of his former self. Only two of their starters, Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley, have double digit wins and closer Takashi Saito is on the disabled list. Pitching is what counts the most in September and October and if the Dodgers hope to hold onto first place they are going to have to get their staff in order.

The Diamondbacks have also struggled at the plate this season, but have one of the best pitching staffs in the majors, led by former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb. Despite three tough outings in a row in which he has allowed at least six runs, Webb is 19-7 with a 3.41 ERA on the season and is the National League leader in wins. Accompanying Webb in the rotation is Dan Haren, who has 14 wins of his own to go along with a 3.41 ERA. Haren leads the D-backs with 178 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.12. To round out the Big Three is veteran lefty Randy Johnson, who is just six wins away from 300 victories.

Arizona has also made moves this season to bolster their struggling offense, adding slugger Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds. Since joining the Diamondbacks, Dunn has three homeruns to go with 14 RBIs. Despite their struggles, the Diamondbacks boast a offense that can explode at any time. Third baseman Mark Reynolds has 27 homeruns and 92 RBIs this season; outfielder Chris Young has 19 homeruns and 72 RBIs; and first baseman Conor Jackson 12 homeruns, 72 RBIs and is batting .294 on the season. Arizona has seven different players with double digit homerun totals.

Due to the Diamondbacks’ ability to explode offensively at any given moment and a usually stellar pitching rotation, I pick them to win the division. They are struggling right now and the Dodgers are red hot, but I just think LA’s pitching is too weak to sustain them throughout the playoff push.

Arizona win the division.

National League Central

The Chicago Cubs have consistently been the best team in the National League this year, and at times have been the best team in the majors. They are a league best 51-24 at home this season and have the best pitching rotation this side of the Angels. Ryan Dempster leads the team with 15 wins and both Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly have 13 wins of their own. Even Jason Marquis has 10 wins this season. Oh, and they have Rich Harden, who, when healthy, is arguably the nastiest pitcher in the majors. And that’s just the pitching staff.

The Cubs boast six players with double digit homerun totals, including four with 20 or more. Chicago is largely considered to be one of the deepest teams in the majors. Nine of the Cubs’ players have an average better than .270, including both catchers. They currently hold a four game lead over the Wild Card leading Milwaukee Brewers and are essentially shoo-ins to make the playoffs this season.

The Brewers made perhaps the biggest splash in the trade market this season by acquiring CC Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians. Sabathia has a 1.42 ERA in 12 starts with the Brewers, striking out 94 batters in 95 innings. In those 12 games, Sabathia has six complete games and three shutouts. He has bar none been the best pitcher in the majors since July and has not showed any signs of slowing down. Ben Sheets, the staff ace before Sabathia arrived, set a career record for wins with 13 on Saturday. He has five complete games and three shutouts of his own, as well as a 2.82 ERA.

The Brewers’ offense continues to be one of the best young talents in the majors, led by sluggers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. Fielder has 28 homeruns and 82 RBIs this season, surpassed only by Braun who has 34 homeruns and 96 RBIs of his own. Even more impressive than the Cubs, the Brewers have eight players with double digit homerun totals, including five with 20 or more.

The St. Louis Cardinals, who spent much of the season right on the heels of both the Brewers and the Cubs, have since fallen out of contention, losers of six of their last 10. Behind them in fourth place are the Houston Astros, a notoriously hot second half team. They continue their second half play, going 32-16 since the All Star Break, including winning nine of their last ten games. Unfortunately for them, they had such a tough first half they have too much ground to make up at 10 games out of first place.

Despite the continued dominance at the top of the Brewers’ pitching rotation and a nasty offense, the Cubs are just as good. The Brewers may make up a game or two, but in the end it won’t be quite enough.

The Cubs win the division.

National League East

That brings us to the division we have all been waiting for. Coming in to today’s game, the New York Mets held a two game lead over the Phillies. After the Phillies win in the first game of a day night double header, that lead was cut to just one game. However, as I sit here and write this story, the Phillies are losing 5-2 in the 8th inning, so chances are they end the day the same way they started it, which is where we’ll start.

Either way, even a two game lead is not a sure thing in the volatile National League East. Both the Mets and Phillies have explosive offenses, solid if not inconsistent pitching rotations, and bullpens that can make you scream with ecstasy one night and eat your hat the next. Both teams have important sluggers heating up, the Phillies’ Ryan Howard (5 homeruns and 11 RBIs in previous 10 games) and the Mets’ Carlos Delgado (5 homeruns and 12 RBIs in previous 10 games). The pitching is stepping up as needed. In his past six starts, Brett Myers is 5-1 with a 1.18 ERA, whereas Johan Santana is 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA (Sunday’s game notwithstanding). Both teams bullpens have gotten the job done, tied for third in the majors with a 3.25 ERA over the past month.

It’s going to come down to the remaining schedule to determine who wins the division. Starting Monday, the Phillies face the Florida Marlins (5-7 on the season series) six more times, the Brewers (1-1) four times, the Atlanta Braves (10-2) six times, and the Washington Nationals (9-6) three times to close out the season. The Mets, on the other hand, face the Nationals (8-4) seven times, the Braves (5-7) six times, the Cubs (0-2) four times, and the Marlins (9-6) three times to close out their season.

On paper, it appears that the Phillies have the easier schedule. They have a losing record this season against the Marlins, but Florida has flamed out recently. The four games against the Brewers will be tough, but it’s a great opportunity for the Phillies to make up some serious ground in the Wild Card race and perhaps open up another avenue to the playoffs for them. They have owned the flailing Braves this season and only have to face the Nationals three more times. 

The Mets, on the other hand, have to face the Nationals seven times and the National League leading Cubs four times. Washington has played both the Phillies and the Mets like they are a perennial playoff contender despite competing with San Diego and the Seattle Mariners for the worst team in the majors.

The schedule favors the Phillies and that is why I think they can pull out another upset.

Phillies win the division.

National League Wild Card

The Brewers are too good of a team and too far ahead of the rest of the pack to be taken down.

Brewers win the Wild Card.

Playoffs

The two best teams in the majors this year are the Los Angeles Angels and the Cubs and I believe they will end up meeting each other in the World Series, with the Angels winning the championship.