The field of four for the National League pennant race is all set after the Chicago Cubs triumphantly ousted the Pittsburgh Pirates from contention in the NL Wild Card game on Wednesday night.
While it’s refreshing to see the likes of former doormats in the Cubs and the New York Mets in the postseason, perennial contenders in the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals are well in the hunt just the same to make the race for the National League crown all the more unpredictable.
Let’s take a look at how each team’s prospects and odds of prevailing on top of the hotly-contested NL. Afterwards, check out our complete series previews for the Cubs vs. Cardinals and the Mets vs. Dodgers to round out your National League postseason betting readings.
[sc:MLBArticles ]2015 National League Pennant Update
Los Angeles Dodgers
[sc:MLB240banner ]As of this writing, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the slim favorites at +200 in winning the National League this season, but is the team really deserving of such a distinction?
What the Dodgers possess that other teams surely envy is the pairing of starters Zach Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. Both men are in the running for the Cy Young, and both have posted a sub-2.00 ERA since the second halfof the regular season. Los Angeles also has a stunning closer in Kenley Jansen, but outside of him, Kershaw and Greinke, the amount of remaining talent in the team’s bullpen is pretty thin.
Apart from that, LA’s offense hasn’t really been as potent as it was during the start of the regular season. But you can sense that the likes of Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier will turn it up this October. Plus, the Dodgers found themselves a nifty spark plug of a rookie in shortstop Corey Seager, who has batted .337 for 33 hits, four home runs and 17 RBIs in just 27 games (98 at-bats) late into the regular season.
St. Louis Cardinals
So what’s October baseball without the St. Louis Cardinals? We won’t know how the feeling is for maybe another year, as the Cards are well back in the hunt after clinching the heated NL Central as the league’s only 100-win ball club.
However, a three-game shutout to close out the regular season raises flags within the team’s offense, especially with star catcher Yadier Molina sporting a torn ligament in his left thumb that he will arduously play through. The pitching staff has its share of issues too. St. Louis has team ERA of 4.18 from September through October, with starting pitchers Carlos Martinez out for the playoffs with a shoulder injury, and Michael Wacha struggling for a glaring 7.88 ERA in the final month of the regular season.
The bookies are still pretty high on the Cards, though, who are priced at +225 of winning their third NLCS title in five years. If the team can find its early season pitching prowess and have enough help from role players on offense, another deep postseason run for St. Louis is likely in the bag.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs proved to be as formidable as their late season streak had suggested, winning over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-0, in the one-and-done NL Wild Card game on Wednesday. The team’s ace in Jake Arrieta pitched a complete game gem against the Pirates, allowing just five hits and punching in 11 strikeouts. The Cubs have now won nine-straight games, outscoring their opponents 38-9 in that span.
Chicago will also be safe in the knowledge that it’ll have Jon Lester taking the mound in Game 1 of the team’s series with the Cards. Lester has been reliable himself, posting an ERA of 2.99 over his past 28 outings. Pair their stellar starting pitching with some hot hitting from Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, and the Cubs are rightfully on par for the time being with their NLDS opponents in St. Louis at +225 to win the National League.
New York Mets
Similar to the Dodgers – the team’s divisional round opponents – the New York Mets will largely be banking on their starting rotation to power them to the NL title, which they are priced at a tight +300 to win. The Mets will be sporting not a two- but a three-headed starting lineup of Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard to counter the Dodger tandem of Greinke and Kershaw. The three aces are the main instigators in New York’s 3.43 team ERA to close out the regular season, good for fourth-best in the majors.
On offense, the team’s trade deadline acquisition in Yoenis Cespedes has certainly yielded great results. Cespedes had 17 homers and an OPS of .942 after joining the team in July, and his solid play seems to have rubbed off on the Mets’ top sluggers in Curtis Granderson, David Wright and Lucas Duda.
Having said that, the Mets seem like the most balanced club out of the four NL contenders here. What may be hindering them from getting more love from the oddsmakers may just be the fact that they are – still – the Mets. They certainly have a chance to prove the pundits wrong beginning this Thursday, and only time will tell (likely in our next odds update piece) if they are still indeed in the running to win their first NLCS crown since 2000.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cubs are surging right now on both sides of the ball, and we’re inclined to say that they will make it to the World Series for the first time since 1945.
Create a betting account now to place your stakes on your favorite teams not just from the National league, but also those from the tightly-knit American League as well.
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