Last week of baseball...my picks

The regular season is coming to an end, and since every other division is pretty much decided (both the Tigers and Twins make it...who cares which wins the division), I'm left with picking who will win the NL Central, NL West, and NL Wildcard. I will start with the NL Central.

NL Central: St. Louis or Houston?
My bold pick to win the NL Central...the Houston Astros. They currently sit 2.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central as of today (Monday). However, they have won 6 in a row while the Cards have lost 6 in a row. The Astros have 3 games left at Pittsburgh (which should be a sweep), and then finish the season with 3 in Atlanta (who has nothing left to play for). I realize that all 6 are on the road, but all six are winnable. And if anyone has the pitching staff and veteran leadership to win on the road, it's Houston. On the other hand, the Cardinals finish of with a 7 game homestand, which makes it seem like they have the advantage. However, they have 2 this week against the Padres who are fighting for a playoff spot, and finish off the season with a 4 game set against THE Milwaukee Brewers and a make-up game against the Giants. My prediction...The Astros go 5-1 in their final 6 while the Cards go 3-4 in their final 7. That would mean both would finish at 83-79 and force a one game playoff which would be held in Houston because they won last week's coin toss. The Cardinals are on a slide and backing into the playoffs which is never good. This may be wishful thinking...but it's possible.

NL West: Los Angeles or San Diego?
I'm going the hot team here as well...the San Diego Padres who currently have a 2 game lead over the Dodgers. The Padres have won 5 in a row and 16 of their last 22. The Dodgers on the other hand are playing .500 baseball down the stretch. Much like the Astros, the Padres finish the regular season with 6 on the road, 2 more in St. Louis and 4 in Arizona. The Dodgers finish off with 6 on the road as well, 3 in Colorado and 3 in San Fran. I don't see them making up 2 games on the Padres in the next six. My prediction...the Padres go 4-2 and finish 88-74 while the Dodgers go 4-2 and finish 86-76.

NL Wildcard: Los Angeles or Philadelphia?
This one comes down to the aforementioned Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. The two are currently tied in the wild card standings at 82-74. As I said before, the Dodgers will go 4-2 down the stretch and finish 86-76. The Phillies play their last 6 on the road, 3 at Washington and 3 at Florida. My prediction...the Phillies also go 4-2 in the final 6 and finish tied with the Dodgers for the wild card. A one game playoff would decide it, and I'm going with the Phillies.

Now for a recap. I have the Astros winning the NL Central, the Padres winning the NL West, and the Phillies winning the NL Wildcard. That means both the Cardinals and Dodgers miss the playoffs. Let the games begin!