Fight To The Finish: Part II

The National League contains two of the more intriguing division races in the league this season. In the NL West, you have the defending World Series Champion Giants as the favorite, and yet it's the Diamondbacks, who finished with the league's 3rd worst record last season, in 1st Place. The NL Central was once considered the most competitive division in the league this season. However, the Pirates and Reds have fallen off, leaving the Cardinals and Brewers in a fight for 1st Place.

NL East - Phillies
It almost seems unfair to be in a division with Philadelphia. The Braves have 70 wins this season, and yet, they are 9 games back of the Phillies. The Mets, Marlins, and Nationals are not even close to being close to the Phillies. Each of them is at least 20 games back, despite hovering around .500 for much of the season. Despite having "middle of the pack" hitting stats, the pitching staff has carried Philadelphia to the league's best record. The elite trio of Halladay, Lee, and Hamels have combined for 40 wins this season. Also, youngster Vance Worley has added 8 wins of his own. The reason Philadelphia will win is simple, no one is close to catching them. The Phillies are so far ahead of everyone else, that there is pretty much no chance that anyone will catch them.

NL Central - Brewers
Milwaukee has begun to separate themselves from the Cardinals, now owning a 5 game lead over St. Louis. The Cardinals are really the only other team in contention right now, the Pirates have gone from 1st Place to 13 games back. When you look at the Brewers schedule the rest of the way, it is fairly easy, despite a 4 game series with Philadelphia. However, the Brewers do have two series remaining with the Cardinals. Whoever can come out on top in those games, will likely determine who will win the Central. The Brewers will win the NL Central because they have very strong pitching and hitting. Brewers ace, Yovani Gallardo and righty Zack Greinke have combined for 24 wins this season. Also, the Brewers may feature the National League's MVP, Prince Fielder. Fielder will likely knock in about 100 runs to go with his .305 batting average. If St. Louis wants to win the Central, they will have to win the two remaining series.

NL West - Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks really helped themselves at the trade deadline, acquiring pitcher Jason Marquis, who unfortunately broke his shin last night. Marquis, however, has won 8 games this season, and when he returns he will really help the Diamondbacks. Besides Marquis the Diamondbacks have one of the true pitching stars in the NL. Ian Kennedy has had a season for the ages, winning 15 games and losing only 3. The Diamondbacks also have MVP contender Justin Upton. Upton, brother of B.J, has had a breakout season, helping the Diamondbacks reach 1st Place. The righty has hit .306 while driving in 79 runners, he also has a remarkable OBP of .379. Besides the Diamondbacks and Giants, the NL West has been one of the more disappointing divisions this season. The Padres and Rockies are at least 10 games under .500 after both teams had very good seasons last year. I believe that the Diamondbacks will win the division because, they have more hitting than San Francisco. If you look at the Giants lineup, the only player that really scares you is Carlos Beltran. When you look at the Diamondbacks, not only do they have Upton, but they also have Gerardo Parra, who has an OBP of .354 and a batting average of .292.

NL Wild Card - Braves
The NL Wild Card race is much tighter than the AL race. The Braves currently lead the Giants by 4 games and the Cardinals by 5. If the Braves were in any other division, they would most likely win that division. The Braves will win the Wild Card because they have more hitting than San Francisco, and better pitching than St. Louis. The Braves are 2nd in the majors in batting average allowed and have scored 505 runs this season. The Braves will also get a big boost with the return of All-Star C Brian McCann.