We took a look at the American League playoff teams and decided the worst case scenario matchups for each team, but what about the National League?
We know five of the six NL teams who will be competing for a parade in their city: Dodgers, Braves, Cardinals, Mets, Padres are the fighters, as we await the final Wild Card spot. Will it be the Phillies or Brewers? Well, at this moment, the Milwaukie has a 11.4% chance of making it past the regular season. Just five days ago they had a 44.2% chance of getting in!
Now, let’s look at the five teams who are officially in to see who their postseason kryptonite is.
DODGERS
Dominant teams? Yeah, they are certainly that. A 110+ win team, they have rolled through everyone in baseball with ease, but when it comes to the postseason? After spending over a billion dollars in the last five years, they have made it to two World Series, and won one.
Why have the Dodgers not won a championship outside of 2020 since 1988? A lot can go into the question, but the simple fact is that for some reason their teams aren’t built to win championships. Are they too power heavy, maybe. Not enough arms in the bullpen at Dave Roberts disposal, perhaps.
The Braves aren’t scared.
Atlanta answered the call last October, sending the Dodgers home in the first round. Plot twist, Freddie Freeman is now in Dodger Blue! The guy that hit two home runs and drove in four RBI’s in a pivotal NLCS that saw Atlanta as the underdogs. It’s a team that had won the first two games by just one run. That was the identity of Atlanta in ‘21, and that same heart is back again this year.
METS
Ah, let’s meet the Mets, shall we? At one moment this season this is the team that had a 10.5 game lead in the NL East, but after being swept by the Bravos this past weekend, it is all Atlanta. This is a team that simply does not hit enough home runs. Yes, I said it. I understand the biggest knock on the sport these days is that teams hit too many and strikeout too much. And while that may be true, there are only two playoff teams that have hit fewer home runs, the Guardians and the Padres.
Many believe it is easier to wait for one mistake by a pitcher that scores three on a home run than get six hits in a row to piece together a rally against the top tier pitching today.
If the Mets don’t win the division (at this moment they have just a 0.9% chance of doing so), they will likely face off against the Padres in the Wild Card round. The Padres are finally playing up to the standard that many expected after acquiring Juan Soto this deadline. Their pitching is hands down the best in baseball right now, though the Braves are not far behind.
But, if I am going with one team I don’t want to face in the postseason if I’m the Mets? It has to be the Braves… again. They won the season series, going 10-9, and have hit the second most home runs against any team with twenty eight.
BRAVES
The defending World Series champions are once again in position to win the division. This Braves team reminds me of the great teams in the ‘80s. They do all of the little things right. It’s a team that does not solely rely on hitting home runs, but it does have power.
It is hard if you are a baseball fan to not appreciate the game of Atlanta. They are such an enjoyable team to watch. It’s also a team that has discovered a way to win in the big moment. Since the Met’s had their 10.5 game lead on June 1st, they went 77-32, in addition to sweeping them this past weekend.
One team I feel like can truly shock the Braves in October are the Cardinals. It was the summer of Miles, and it very well could be the Fall too. Since August 14th, Miles Mikolas has been lights out. 2.79 ERA, 12 BB, 45 SO, and an opponent batting average of .193 over 58 innings. He will most likely be the number one starter come the postseason, and rightfully so.
PADRES
FINALLY! The postseason drought has been flushed out in San Diego, and The Pesky Padres are back. The bad news? Well, if they advance past the Wild Card round they will most likely have to face the Dodgers.
Why is that bad news? Well, they are 5-14 in the regular season against Los Angeles. With a record like that, you can guess their ERA against the Dodgers isn’t pretty either. A 5.55 ERA in 167 innings, along with giving up thirty one home runs, the most they have given up against any team. Also, don’t forget this is the team that got swept by LA in the NLDS in 2020. Now, if you feel like 2020 should not be included, they have not made it to the NLCS since they defeated the Braves in ‘98.
Two key factors bode well for the Friars in the postseason; Juan Soto and Blake Snell. Soto slammed three home runs against the Astros in ‘19, and frankly won the Nationals a championship. Snell on the other hand, could have potentially won the Rays a ring, but a managerial/analytic decision curated a debate in baseball that will last a lifetime.
CARDINALS
The era of Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols all playing on the same diamond is almost over. It’s a trio who have not just won championships, it’s one that revolutionized a franchise and league forever. This will be the Cardinals eleventh postseason appearance since Wainwright & Molina’s MLB debut!
Postseason Waino stats are almost a whole season, dealing 114.1 innings pitched since his first appearance in October back in 2006. He’s been as dominant as one could be. A 2.83 ERA, 123 strikeouts, and only allowing 11 home runs.
15 of 16 his career postseason starts came with Yadier Molina behind the plate, tying them with the Yankees duo of Mike Mussina and Jorge Posada for fifth-most postseason battery mates, per Elias.
I would be scared of the Dodgers if I’m St. Louis. As I mentioned above, the Dodgers are a franchise who have been bounced many times by the Cards. It’s a franchise who are desperate to cement themselves by winning in a regular postseason format.
