Here's the latest and
greatest from around the National League as we head down the final
stretch.
East
Division
Philadelphia Phillies (89-69) - With four games to go, the
Phillies magic number to clinch the division is four. They're two up in the win
column and one in the loss column on the Mets. And at a 2.5-game lead on
Milwaukee, that
means even if they lose the division, they're just two wins away from clinching
a playoff spot. Ryan Howard continues to mash his way to MVP consideration. Just five
strikeouts away from 200, Howard has 46 home runs and 141 RBI. No one in the NL
is even close in either category.
New
York Mets (87-70) - With a 6-2 win over the Cubs
Tuesday night, the Mets are hanging one game ahead of the Brewers in the wild
card chase. David Wright is second only to Howard in RBI for the year with 122. He
picked up another pair Tuesday. With five consecutive two-hit games, Wright has
an even .300 batting average. And as the push for October continues in
New York, look
for John Maine, who
has been battling a bone spur in his shoulder, to make a comeback via the
bullpen.
Florida Marlins (81-76) - After making some late-season
noise, the Marlins ran out of gas and dropped four straight. They no doubt have
one of the most electric young lineups in the game. The likes of Hanley Ramirez (32 HR, 119 R),
Dan Uggla (31 HR, 89
RBI), Jorge Cantu (29
HR, 93 RBI), and Mike Jacobs (32 HR, 92 RBI) are going to continue to be exciting
athletes to watch for some time.
Atlanta Braves (70-88) - Unless something drastic
happens, Chipper Jones and his .364 average should be a lock for the 2008 NL
batting title. And perhaps looking for some momentum to build on, Mike Hampton looked solid Tuesday
against the Phillies, pitching 6.0 strong innings and giving up just two runs en
route to the victory.
Washington Nationals (59-98) - In the battle for last place in
the NL, the Nationals took top honors by losing all three this past weekend to
the San Diego Padres. With five games to go, the Nationals are just two losses
away from the century mark.
Central
Division
Chicago Cubs (95-61) - Carlos Zambrano got rocked again by
the Cardinals on Friday, but the Cubs bounced back to take the final two games
of the series this weekend. They clinched with Jim Edmonds making the final
catch against his former team, and Kerry Wood, the lone remaining Cub
from the 2003 roster, earning the save. The Cubs went on to clinch home field
advantage through the League Championship Series. This marks the first time
since 1908 the Cubs won back-to-back division titles.
Milwaukee
Brewers (86-71) - Showing a little fight in the final couple weeks, the
Brewers aren't done yet. They've had a dismal September but remain just one game
off the wild card pace set by the Mets. Prince Fielder hit a walk-off homer
Tuesday and has five home runs and 16 RBI in his last 11
games.
Houston Astros (82-74) - It was a valiant run that ran
out of gas, in part due to the circumstances surrounding Hurricane Ike, and now
the Astros are on the brink of mathematical elimination. Carlos Lee, who broke his finger on
August 9th, will finish the season with 28 home runs and 100 RBI. Just imagine
what the race down the stretch would have been like if he was
healthy.
St. Louis Cardinals (81-76) - With the Mets’ win Tuesday, the
Cardinals have been eliminated from postseason contention. Albert Pujols is no doubt a
favorite for the NL MVP award, batting .350 with 34 home runs and 108 RBI. And
don't forget about the season Ryan Ludwick had. He came from nowhere this year and could likely get
some MVP votes of his own thanks to his 35 home runs and 106
RBI.
Cincinnati Reds (74-83) - One thing is for certain, the
Reds didn't give up this season, and played competitive ball through what can be
some very long days in September. The club has played the spoiler role en route
to building momentum into next season. Edinson Volquez, who was 0-1 in
four starts this September, earned win number 17 Tuesday giving up just one run
in 7.1 innings against the Astros. He struck out nine and dropped his ERA to
3.21.
Pittsburgh Pirates (65-92) - Paul Maholm (9-8), who has
effectively been the staff ace this season in Pittsburgh, will attempt to beat C.C. Sabathia on Wednesday and earn
his 10th win of the season. Not a single Pirates pitcher has 10 wins.
Nate McLouth leads
the team in most all major offensive categories: average (.280), home runs (26),
RBI (94), runs (111), and stolen bases (21).
West
Division
Los
Angeles Dodgers (82-75) - With the D'Backs loss Tuesday
in St. Louis,
the Dodgers' magic number shrank to three. Takashi Saito blew his first save
opportunity since coming off the disabled list, but he also earned a win and a
loss in back-to-back appearances. The Dodgers need Saito to get back on track
these final games should they make the postseason.
Arizona Diamondbacks
(79-78) -
Brandon Webb kept the
D'Backs playoff hopes going with another strong outing Monday night against the
Cardinals. He's 22-7 and figures to get one more start this weekend, hopefully
with a chance to keep his team in the hunt for October.
Colorado Rockies (72-85) - A year ago Jeff Francis was 17-9 with a 4.22
ERA and 165 strikeouts. This season Francis is 4-10 with a 5.01 ERA and just 94
strikeouts. He's not the only Rockies player to
have a down year following last season's phenomenal run... not a single hitter
has 100 RBI. With that high-powered offense in that park, it's hard to figure
why.
San
Francisco Giants (70-87) - Tim Lincecum has dropped
back-to-back starts. The latest came Tuesday against Colorado where he gave up
six runs in 4.1 innings. His ERA hopped up to 2.66 and his record fell to 17-5.
Still, with nine more Ks Tuesday night, he set a Giants record with 252
strikeouts this season. He'll likely get one more start to factor into Cy Young
Award consideration.
San
Diego Padres (61-96) - In his last 10 games
Adrian Gonzalez has
six home runs and 17 RBI. That gives him 35 and 116 on the year. That's amazing
given how rough their offense has been this season. And though Brian Giles' run production has
slowed, kudos to him. With a .304 batting average, he's got a solid chance at
finishing above .300, a drastic improvement from .271 and .263 from 2007 and
2006, respectively.
Got questions or
comments? Sound off to pete@petekhazen.com.