Braves & Phillies need to keep track of N.L. West

The Atlanta Braves led the National League East for most of the first half of the season. It was thought by most MLB experts that the Philadelphia Phillies would run away with this division based on their performances over the last few years. Philly currently leads the Braves by 1 game in the East, but both of these teams should be looking back too.

The National League West is blowing up right now. The San Diego Padres have imploded, and are now just a half game ahead of San Francisco. The Giants have won 7 of their last 10, and have been one of the best teams in the N.L. since the All-Star break. While these 2 teams have been battling for first place, the Colorado Rockies have quietly crept to within 1.5 games of the lead. Colorado has won 10 out of 11 after last night’s loss to San Diego at home, but have the opportunity to make up some ground as they face them 2 more times in this series.

All 3 of these N.L. West squads are now fighting for the wildcard position that once looked like it was out of reach for most of the year. It’s kind of ironic that San Francisco and Colorado are back in the race as they were projected by many baseball handicappers to finish 1-2 in the East at the beginning of the season. The Padres have blown away all expectations as they have shown far more offense than anyone could have expected.

This will be an interesting battle down the final stretch. San Francisco has the hardest road to travel as they will face both Colorado and San Diego over their last 18 games. The Rockies finish the season with a 4 game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis may be out of the hunt, but they have tons of pitching and Albert Pujols.

This will be the most compelling race in all of baseball as the American League is pretty much set. If you are a die hard baseball fan, then you will appreciate the hard-nosed type of ball that all 3 of these teams possess.

Related posts:

1. Harang is Padres best chance to beat Phillies
2. Braves take on Arrieta/ Baltimore in Interleague Battle
3. Harang faces Jimenez in Battle of N.L. West’s Worst
4. Phillies look to even the score in Game 4
5. Cardinals and Braves Fight for N.L. Wildcard

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