subject: Mlb Playoff Tickets - National League Playoff Picture [print this page] As we approach September, let's take a look at how the postseason picture appears to be shaping up in the National League. (Note: All statistics are as of Aug.18.)
East: It might be difficult for some people to believe, especially those that call the city of Philadelphia home, but the Atlanta Braves look to be the real deal. Atlanta currently sits 2.5 games up on the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that came into the 2010 season as the heavy favorite to win both the N.L. East and the N.L. Pennant. At 70-49, the Braves have the second-best record in the National League.
Despite tempered expectations for manager Bobby Cox's last season, Atlanta has been incredibly strong since a slow start to the 2010 campaign. Youngsters like Tommy Hanson and Jason Heyward were expected to take the reigns as the stars of this team, but some of the veterans on this club have delayed the changing of the guard for at least one season. Heyward and Hanson have both been solid, but have also experienced their fair share of struggles.
The team's most valuable player has probably been 35-year-old hurler Tim Hudson, who sports a 14-7 record and a microscopic ERA of 2.13. Hudson has remade himself into a pitcher that relies in hitting his spots, and he's done a heck of a good job of it. I'm still not totally convinced that the Braves can hang on to first place, but they've definitely got a chance to provide their fans with the opportunity to purchase MLB Playoff tickets this postseason.
As for the Phillies, nothing has really gone right for them this season, yet they're still just 2.5 games back of first place; that speaks to the talent on this team. Roy Halladay has proven to be the excellent offseason acquisition that he was expected to be; Doc is currently 15-8 on the year with a 2.24 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Cole Hamels has also been pitching very well of late, seeing more zip on his fastball.
Hamels' increased velocity has enabled him to dominate hitters lately, evidenced by his swelling strikeout rate. If we see the Cole Hamels from two years ago down the stretch, the Phils could definitely wrestle the division away from the Braves. Philadelphia also added Roy Oswalt to the rotation via trade earlier this month. With this three-headed monster heading up the rotation, this team could be unstoppable in the postseason.
In addition to strong starting pitching, the Phillies finally have Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley healthy, but are still waiting on Ryan Howard's ankle to heal up. Once the lineup is at full strength, they could be the powerhouse we expected them to be heading into the season.
Central: Most people expected the Cardinals to run away with the division this season, including myself. However, as of now, it's the Cincinnati Reds that sit in the driver's seat in the Central. The Reds have had hot bats for most of the 2010 season and have received surprisingly strong pitching from guys like Johnny Cueto. As for the Cardinals, they've stayed afloat thanks to their one-two starting pitching punch of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. Wainwright is probably the favorite to win the N.L. Cy Young this season. As for the offense, it has struggled at times, but with Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday anchoring the lineup the Cards are capable of scoring runs.
West: Believe it or not, but it looks like the Padres are pulling away from the pack in the West. I think most people probably predicted that the Friars would end up in the cellar of the division this season, which is why San Diego has been the best story of the year. The Giants are still hanging around, but are coming off a series in the Bay in which they dropped two of three to San Diego. The Padres have the best record in the N.L. Who saw that coming?
Wild Card: The Wild Card race in the National League is shaping up to be a great one. It looks like a three-team race between Philadelphia, St. Louis and San Fran right now, but we could end up seeing Atlanta, Cincy or San Diego land in this spot by the end of the season.
