Monday October 1st, 2012

Jake Dal Porto: Unlike the American League wild card situation, the National League race is much simpler. And by that I mean that there’s one spot left to be decided, and just two teams competing for it. A couple of weeks ago this wasn’t the case. The Brewers, Phillies, Pirates, and even the Diamondbacks were all congested and all had a legitimate chance. Now, all of those teams are entirely out of contention. Boring? Yes. But it was fun while it lasted, imagining all of the possible scenarios to tiebreaker games to potential rainouts.

However, the Cardinals and Dodgers are the only two left.

Atlanta: 93-66 –

St.Louis: 86-73 –

Los Angeles: 84-75 2 GB

Atlanta Braves

The Braves have already punched their ticket to the playoffs, so there’s no need to speculate there. They will get the benefit of home field advantage in that one game playoff on Friday. Briefly, Kris Medlen won again on Sunday, making him the prime choice to start that one game playoff. Tim Hudson could also start that game if Atlanta wanted to go with a more experienced arm.

Like most teams that clinch with an ample amount time left in the season, retaining momentum is key. That’s the one advantage that teams who win on the final day of the season have. For example, the 2010 the Giants clinched the N.L West on the final day of the season about two years ago, and they rode that momentum all the way to the World Series. The Braves have won eight of their past ten games, so the momentum is still in tact. No team can flick the switch on and off, though.

To end the season, the Braves will face the Pirates for three games.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are in a safe spot if there’s such thing. They took two of three from the Nationals to hold onto their second spot in the wild card. With that said, however, the Dodgers are creeping up on them, as they’ve won five straight games.

The Cardinals will get no easy task in their final series of the year, though. They will welcome in the Reds for three games. Don’t be mistaken, though. While Cincinnati has already won their division, they’re still battling for the top seed with the Nationals. In fact, they’re tied with them for the top spot in the National League. Simply put, stakes are still on the line for them, so the Cardinals won’t get the second stringers.

But once again, it would take a major collapse on their behalf to be overtaken by Los Angeles. If they win just one game against the Reds this week, then the worst they can do is tie. Plus, with an experienced Chris Carpenter back in the mix, they have another weapon.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have a chance to advance on, but that chance is slim. Slim as if they lose Monday night and St.Louis wins, you can say goodnight. With all of the big trades they made during the season, goodnight is the last thing that needs to happen for Los Angeles’s new ownership group.

What the Dodgers do have working in their favor is the fact that they will play the Giants, who have nothing on the line, meaning that they can’t move up to the second spot. Therefore, MVP candidate Buster Posey will likely get a game off, as will the likes of Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro, and Pablo Sandoval.

Then again, this rivalry is always interesting. So who knows how the games will play out. But as they trail the Cardinals by two games, it’s going to be a long offseason for Los Angeles.

(*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)

Jake Dal Porto is a Baseball Writer with MLB reports and a student from the Bay Area. Jake’s favorite sports moment was when the Giants won the World Series back in 2010. He loves to use sabermetrics in his work. He thinks they are the best way to show a player’s real success compared to the basic stats such as ERA, RBIs, and Wins. Jake also enjoys interacting and debating with his readers. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @TheJakeMan24

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