If the last two weeks of the regular-season carry over to the National League playoffs, the teams and fans alike will be on a roller-coaster ride.
None of the postseason berths in the NL were decided until the final weekend–making for a anxious few days for several teams.
One series that could be a battle is the Colorado Rockies clash against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Rockies and the Phillies stormed into postseason by brilliant play and some luck in having teams with better records tank in critical games.
Colorado’s performance was remarkable for winning its last 14 of 15 games, including its 8-6, 13th-inning victory over the San Diego Padres last Monday in the wild-card tiebreaker.
The Phillies took the division from the New York Mets on the final day of regular-season play, winning its last 13 of 16 to close out September. The Mets held a seven-game lead in the NL East in mid-September before collapsing.
Offense will likely be the key for Colorado as its pitching staff has been hanging in there despite losing its No. 1, 2 and 3 starters midway through the year.
The Phils’ chances can’t be discounted as speedster Jimmy Rollins and home run slugger Ryan Howard could change a game in an instant.
In the other first-round series, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago Cubs were surprises in being able to take the West and Central division titles respectively.
The D-backs were thought of being in a rebuilding mode and with Randy Johnson going down to injury, their chance for the playoffs should have been nixed. Chicago survived a disastrous start and fights in the dugout to limp into the Divisional Series.
Jason’s picks:
League Divisional Series: Colorado v. Philadelphia, Colorado in four; Arizona v. Chicago, Arizona in three
League Championship Series: Arizona v. Colorado, Colorado in six
World Series: Boston v. Colorado, Colorado in seven
