Two weeks to go in the 162 game baseball season and we are having yet another tight race in the National League involving the New York Mets and The Philadelphia Phillies. The difference from last years exciting showdown that came down to the last game of the season, is that not only does it take two to tango, but three makes it a party.
As of today (September 19th), the Phillies led the Mets by 1/2 game in the NL East and the Mets lead the crumbling Millwaukee Brewers by 1 1/2 games in the NL Wild Card Race. It's safe to say that Two of these three teams will join the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers (barring no meltdown) in the 4-team NL Postseason come October. The question on everyone's mind is which one of those three (Phillies, Mets, Brewers) will be watching the NL Postseason on the confines of their house?
The answer to that question happened just a couple days ago when the Milwaukee Brewers brass fired Manager Ned Yost in the middle of a tight playoff race. Not since the days of George Steinbrenner vs. Billy Martin where I have seen a manager get fired in such a prominent time in a team's season. I don't know who or what in Milwaukee decided that firing the manager would be a good idea to motivate the team, because ever since the Brewers fired Ned Yost; CC Sabathia lost his first game in the NL and the Brewers blew a 6-2 Bottom 9th, 2 out lead over division rivals Chicago Cubs.
This is nothing like when the New York Mets fired Willie Randolph back in May which brings me to my next team on the list. Will the Mets be able to survive this September and make it to October baseball? YES. Because the veterans of this team (Delgado & Beltran) won't allow a collapse happen again like last season, it also helps that the Brewers are having similar fate of the Mets, taking the "spotlight" off of the loveable New York losers and placing it out in the mid-west meltdown.
So where does that leave the Phillies? In the driver seat, in cruise control. Ryan Howard is hitting and hitting the ball hard. It helps that the 2007 NL MVP is sitting at short and one of the games best second baseman is also making up one of the best hitting infields in the bigs. The Phillies will coast into the Playoffs, with either the NL East or NL Wild Card crown (I'm going with the latter of the two) and will most likely be eliminated in the first round of the NL Playoffs.
As these next two weeks give us exciting wire to wire baseball, I'm picking the Milwaukee Brewers to collapse down the final stretch allowing the Phillies and Mets to waltz right into October baseball. Someone in Milwaukee needs to pay for firing Ned Yost (couldn't you have waited until the season was at least over) and it's going to be talents like Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and the soon to be exiting CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets.
im gonna have to go with phillies/mets in the playoffs. phillies by far has the best bullpen out of these 3 teams and ryan howard is swinging a hot bat. the the mets have a bad bullpen and their big bats havent been swinging to well lately, not to mention their rotation is relying on brandon knight. but the odd team out will have to be the brew crew (sorry cheesybacon). they may have lost ben sheets for the entire season. they havent hit very will lately and their bullpen isnt to great. the only reason why im picking the mets to make it in over brewers is because i dont think the city of new york will allow them do it again
I'll go with the Phillies & Brewers/Marlins(darkhorse), with just a 1 1/2 game lead in the wildcard I wouldn't consider it a collapse for the Mets. Mets finish with 3 tough series and I dont think that bullpen can weather the storm. A perfect example was the 1st game of a doubleheader last Saturday against the Braves, Santana goes 7 shutout innings and is lifted for pinch hitter with the Mets clinging to a 2-0 lead, when the Mets came back to hit in the 8th they were trailing 3-2.
I like Giant slides...i just went on one at the fair yesterday and got stuck...good times....but im going Mets and Phils get in and the Cubs make one of them leave really quickly in round 1
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NL East will be Philly and NL Wild card will be Mets, the brewers wont make since they fired there Bench Coach Ned Yost to earlier Brew Crew shoulda waited to see if they coulda made the Wildcard if they didnt they shoulda fired him during the offseason or during the Playoffs
Yea. ad the Brewers pitching is starting to fall off even CC. Sheets is hurt. Braun isn't hitting anything. NL East is goin to go to the Mets and the Wild card is going to the Phillies but watch out for the Marlins cause they are hot and if they keep doing what they are hell they could stage some great **** and get the Wild Card
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I might even be wrong here. the Mets Bullpen as usual blew up today. The Phillies Bullpen isn't looking much better. The Brewers looked alot better today. its gonna come down to the last ut of the last game of the last second
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The Phils are 2-1 pre Harden and 2-2 post Harden and Harden pitched to a no decision. Dale how can you compare the Mets pen to the Phillies, granted the Phillies pen has not been as consistent in the 2nd half but still getting the job done. Lidge is what 39 for 39, only Gagne had a longer streak in the same season.
I'm not saying the Phillies pen is as bad as the Mets Pen. Brad Lidge is a great closer and i can't say he isn't. But they have some problems. They need to get soild starting pitching. I mean the Mets pen could be the one thing that ends up costing them a spot in the playoffs. The Brwers can still win the Wild card. Both teams just need to get good starting pitching and good work out of the Pen
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Idk. The mets bullpen just scares me too much to see them being a team in the playoffs that can do anything. The Phillies will make it yes. But i'm not so sure about the Mets with their bull pen issues. They need Santana and Pelfry and even Pedro to pitch well and deep into games to help out the pen and get them some rest.
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The Phillies have the east and the Brewers will take the wild card. The mets have to end the season facing the cubs and the always dangerous marlins. Milwaukee gets the pirates and then the cubs. The cubs are chasing home field advantage and will probably do that against the mets so after that they're going to put it on shut down... who do they play on shut down mode?? The brewers. C.C had one "somewhat" bad start and now everyone's jumping off the sabathia bandwagon. Sheets isn't hurt and the offense picked it up yesterday. The mets will collapse without a bullpen just like last year.
Not what i heard bout Ben Sheets. I heard theres a chace he needs Tommy John Surgery and will miss the rest of this year and all of next year. And Yes i have to say i am with you there Cheest because the Cubs will burn the Mets and the Mets are going to be beat in all but prolly one game vs the Marlins which Santana is pitching.
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The Dodgers will make the playoffs and can make a deep run in the playoffs!!!Their hitting is finally coming around and if Furcal comes back like he is suppose to the Dodgers are solid 1-7 maybe 8 if Kent comes back completely healthy, Their pitching is solid!!! Billingsley and Lowe give them a great 1-2 and their bully with Beimel Broxton and Saito is quite possibly the best in the NL
I do think the Dodgers will get in but what a shame for the D backs, I mean with that staff they could do some damage in october. Too bad they cant win playing fundemental baseball like the Angels.
The Dodgers won't get past the first round in the playoffs they don't have the consistency in hittting or in pitching with that team. Watch them be swept in the first round.
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The thing with the Dodgers is their guys get hot for a little amount of time then just cvome back down to earth and dont do anyhthing. The pitching after Billingsy and Lowe is weak. The Bull pen is soild. and they wont be getting Furcal back this year and if they do he wont be playing much. The D-Backs are starting to come around a little and they have the lead down to two games and i believe the dodgers still have to face Tim Lincecum once this week and that could the game that decides who wins the NL West.
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Lincecum is scheduled to pitch the final day against the Dodgers...If the Dodgers haven't clinched by then it would be devestating and considered payback for the 1993 season when the Dodgers on the last day of the season dismantled the Giants and the Giants missed the playoffs by one game. That led to Matt Williams saying "I'd be suprised if they win one game up here next year"
thats why I will always be fond of the Dodgers, the Giants owned the Phillies in 93 and had we played them in the NLCS we may not of had the oppurtunity to lose the World Series to Toronto. I also believe that may have been the Braves last year in the west before reeling in like 10 straight division titles in their first 10 years in the east.
Phillies could kill the Dodgers any day of the week. The Phillies have pitching and hitting with Ryan Howard and Cole Hammels. The Dodgers are very inconsistent in baseball. The only one that has been really consistent is manny Ramierez.
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I would like to see the D-Backs int he playoffs more than the dodgers. The D-backs have the pitching that could kill the Cubs if they were to make it and play them. I thought they would make the playoffs and go all the way before the season started. The Phillies have great Batting with Howard, Utley and Burrel and god pitching with Hamles and Brett Myers has been pitching great since going down to Tripple A. They jsut need to be able to get more solid pitching out of the back end of the rotation
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The problem witht he D-backs is that they strike out too much batting and the team is inconsitant at scoring runs. if they could score runs every game and play well they would have already clinched a spot int he playoffs half a month ago
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You dont need a back end rotation in the post season, with off days during series the Phillies could probably get away with Hamels, Myers, and the ageless wonder Jamie Moyer who has won 17 games with a start to go. They just have to seal the deal and win the division already. They are really starting to scare me. Brewers I think will win the wildcard which would leave the Phillies vs. Cubs and I dont think 5 games will do that series justice.
