Races Coming Down To The Wire

As of now, five of the six divisions in Major League Baseball have at least one team within 5 games of the division leader. The only team that has basically wrapped up a spot in the playoffs is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. So how will the divisions shake out? Here is how the ultra-competative National League East division will finish:

National League East: The Philadelphia Phillies currently hold a 1 game lead on the New York Mets and a 2.5 game lead on the Florida Marlins. The Phillies have to be the favorites to win the NL East. They are the defending division champions, and one of baseball's best bullpens, which features set-up men JC Romero (4-3, 2.16 ERA, 16 holds), Ryan Madsen (2-1, 3.36 ERA, 8 holds), and closer Brad Lidge (2-0, 2.19 ERA, 28 saves). The Phillies also have a tremendous lineup that features 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard (.240 BA, 32 HR, 98 RBI, .327 OBP, .498 SLG), 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins (.277, 8 HR, 40 RBI, .347 OBP, .449 SLG), and 2008 NL MVP hopeful Chase Utley (.286 BA, 28 HR, 78 RBI, .369 OBP, .559 SLG). Also, while the Phillies don't have baseball's strongest rotation top to bottom by any means, they can still trot out baseball's third-best lefty in Cole Hamels (9-8, 3.35 ERA) every fifth day. Look for Philadelphia to win their second consecutive NL East crown.

The closest challenger to the Phillies is the New York Mets. The Mets are very talented, yet very inconsistent. They have a good rotation that houses baseball's best pitcher in Johan Santana (9-7, 2.85), Mike Pelfrey (10-7, 3.85 ERA), Oliver Perez (8-7, 3.90), and John Maine (9-7, 4.13 ERA). The Mets also have a good lineup that features one of baseball's most exciting players in Jose Reyes (.301 BA, 12 HR, 49 RBI, .362 OBP, .487 SLG, 37 SB), Carlos Delgado (.264 BA, 25 HR, 73 RBI, .346 OBP, .501 SLG), David Wright (.292 BA, 22 HR, 89 RBI, .387 OBP, .517 SLG), and Carlos Beltran (.274 BA, 16 HR, 76 RBI, .369 OBP, .464 SLG). The Mets have a major weakness in their bullpen, which contributes to only the 7th best ERA in the NL, a 4.06 mark. They cannot win this division if their bullpen doesn't pitch well.

Meanwhile, the Marlins are the National League's surprise team. They own baseball's lowest payroll, yet are within striking distance of the Phillies for first place. The Marlins are somehow in this position despite ranking in the bottom half of the NL in every single pitching and hitting category. However, much of their success can be contributed to shortstop Hanley Ramirez (.294 BA, 25 HR, 51 RBI, .383 OBP, .529 SLG, 27 SB), second baseman Dan Uggla (.264 BA, 26 HR, 67 RBI, .353 OBP, .549 SLG), third baseman Jorge Cantu (.284 BA, 20 HR, 64 RBI, .331 OBP, .476 SLG), and starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco (11-7, 3.92 ERA). However, the Marlins rely too much on Ramirez, Cantu, and Uggla on offense, and do not have any pitchers that strike fear into opposing hitters, so look for them to fall off as the dog days of August roll onward.