Crunch time for National League playoff contenders

With Labor Day Weekend in the rearview mirror and summer officially over, National League teams are now divided into three categories: those who will make the playoffs, those who are out of contention, and those scoreboard-watching, nailbiters who will not know their fate until the end of September.

The Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants occupy the first genre of National League teams.

Atlanta has the best record in the Majors at 87-51. Even with Cy Young Award candidate John Smoltz out for two weeks with tendinitis in his right elbow, the Braves will coast into October in search of their first World Series appearance since 1999.

Like Atlanta, the Giants will waltz into postseason play. With the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers a mile away at 12 games back and the return of homerun king Barry Bonds' to the lineup, San Francisco needs only to keep up the momentum to ensure they return to the World Series.

The Giants will also play 18 of their remaining 24 games against NL West rivals. With a 41-17 record versus division opponents, this month should be a cakewalk for San Francisco.

In much the same way as the old Brooklyn Dodgers did on an annual basis, many teams in the NL are waiting 'til next year. Of these, two teams stand out as choke artists in the second half of the season. The Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds have shown they know how to extinguish any playoff hopes with ease.

Injuries have plagued a Cincinnati team that was considered a contender for the NL Central early in the season. The Reds have ten players on the disabled list including shortstop Barry Larkin, starting pitcher Ryan Dempster and outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. Additionally, the Reds lost a solid fielder and slugger in All-Star third baseman Aaron Boone, who joined the New York Yankees on July 31.

The Reds are 2-8 in their last ten outings and occupy the NL Central cellar rather than first place as earlier speculated.

While Cincinnati has a reasonably valid excuse for its collapse, Colorado has just plain folded. The Rockies were in the wildcard hunt up until mid August. With a 45-24 record at home in Coors Field, all the Rockies had to do was approach the .500 mark on the road. Not only are they well below .500, at 20-51 on the year, but they are just a few wins ahead of the miserable Detroit Tigers when they lose their home-field advantage.

Colorado is 1-9 in its last ten games and may have to give up on its season completely. The team's pitching showed signs of life early in the season only to see 2002 NL Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings slump to 11-12 with a 4.98 ERA. Fellow starters Shawn Chacon and Denny Neagle are on the disabled list, creating a rotation of unknowns, sophomore slumpers, and cripples. Poor Todd Helton.

Seven teams still remain in the NL wildcard hunt. The Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins were deadlocked at the top with identical 74-64 records as of Wednesday morning. Los Angeles, the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and even the Montreal Expos and Arizona Diamondbacks could still have a shot.

Philadelphia is the hottest team at the moment, having won four of its last five games after losing six straight. This weekend's series against the last place New York Mets could help Philly distance itself from the rest of the field. However, the Phillies travel to Atlanta next week to face the Braves, who could act as spoilers for their division rival.

The Marlins will hit the road to face the Expos this weekend and then the Mets next week. Florida sports a 30-38 road record to oppose their solid 44-26 home mark. The team will have to perform to keep pace with the streaking Phillies.

In the NL Central, three teams are still in the running for the division crown. The race between Houston, Chicago and the St. Louis Cardinals will come down to the wire. The Cards took sole control on Tuesday after defeating the Cubs 2-0 at Wrigley Field. The Astros were half a game back and the Cubs were one and a half games behind as of Wednesday morning.

The Cubs and Cards will finish off their series in the Windy City today. St. Louis' Brett Tomko (11-8) will battle southpaw Shawn Estes (7-11) in this crucial matchup.

In other NL news, the Dodgers' Eric Gagne set the Major League record for consecutive saves with his 55th on Tuesday in the LA's 2-0 win over Houston. The Astros' loss also helped St. Louis take over the top of the NL Central for the time being.