Whose the Beast of the NL?

If you didnt realize, last August was the slowest the blog has been in a long time and I really have nothing to blame that on not even the alcohol haha. Well now that class is beginning tomorrow that likely means more of my time will be wasted on this blog. We will hit college football hard in the upcoming days with our first set of picks coming Thursday then "Game of the Week" breakdown on Friday. All next week look forward to the NFL. Lets get going with the National League....

Some people believe that the National League is the "Quadruple A" of baseball but to be honest, I think its somewhat better than people believe. It still doesnt hold a candle to the AL, see John Smoltz or Matt Holiday. Now that all the deals are done and the dust is settle, who is the king of the NL right now... lets take a look.

Philadelphia Phillies: No one can argue that this is the best lineup in baseball right now. They have the deadliest 3-4-5 and a great lead off hitter. In addition, Ryan Howard has been known for his huge Septembers/Octobers. While they seem like the favorite of the NL, they have one large looming problem... their closer Brad Lidge. He is new version of Derrick Turnbow with his ERA in the sevens and he is as bad as closing games as I am closing women, another story for another time. I also am not convinced that past the combination of Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee have the ability to win big games. J.A. Happ remember is a rookie and you never know what you are getting come playoff time.

St. Louis Cardinals: My personal favorite to come out of the National League right now. If you watched the Brewers tonight, you got a perfect example of why Matt Holiday makes this team so much better. Its almost like you have to pitch to Albert Pujols in big situation now. Further with add of John Smoltz, their starting pitching staff has been terrifying of late. They had a stat that with their big three (Chris Carpetner, Adam Wainwright, Joel Pinero) have gone 30-4 since July Fourth when pitching. The other big key is they have the most reliable closer in Ryan Franklin who has shut opponents down for the most part.

Los Angeles Dodgers: L.A. has faltered in the past couple of months with no production from Manny Ramirez and a steady decline by Chad Billingsley, fans have began to worry. The one thing that has been consistent is the play of Matt Kemp, he is becoming the leader of this team. Now they bring in Jim Thome to give them a huge bat off their bench during the stretch run and the postseason which I think might prove to be the best acquisition of the season. Also adding Jon Garland who has been pitching very well lately will help out their starting rotation so much.

-Charlie.