National League Wild Card race becoming just that

With the additional wild-card teams in each league this season, it seemed that perhaps something would be lost in the pennant race. After all, the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves would have made the playoffs last season instead of finishing off historic (and lingering) collapses.

But the possibility for drama is very real, especially in the National League.

The Braves are looking good to erase that pain from last season, with a 5.5-game lead of the Saint Louis Cardinals as of today and a pretty solid hold on the number four spot in the National League.

But our defending champions aren't a shoo-in at number five at all. They've lost three in a row entering tonight's huge four-game series against the new-look Dodgers--and speaking of Los Angeles, the Dodgers are currently on their heels--despite them having three straight losses as well.

Catching this theme? Nobody seems to want the fifth playoff spot, and three teams that won their divisions last season are making very improbable pushes for that final spot themselves.

• The Philadelphia Phillies basically gave up in July, dealing Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton to the Dodgers. They're now just two-games behind the Dodgers at 72-71 after winning their seventh game in a row. With a four-game series against the pitiful Astros this weekend, the Phillies are still very much alive to keep their five-year playoff streak alive. Roy Halladay or Cole Hamels in a one-game wild card? That's a tough matchup for anybody.
• The Milwaukee Brewers dealt Zack Grienke to the Angels in July, but are also 72-71 and have won three in a row. They've scored the most runs in the National League, and host the Mets this weekend in a very-much winnable series.
• And the Arizona Diamondbacks have been right around .500 all season. They're 71-72 right now--and have both the Giants and Padres this weekend--which means a strong performance in them two series--could mean a whole different outlook on there playoff chances, whether it's north or south.

So that's six current contenders for one final playoff spot in the National League--and what's crazy--all four are seperated by just four games and less than three weeks to sort it all out. This has all the ingredients for a very crazy ending to a very entertaining and crazy 2012 MLB regular season.

Just imagine that if the season has fulfilled us with this much drama--what exactly could the post-season have in store for us? Not sure, and who knows--but as the rest of my RedBird Nation will say--who cares as long as it involves our beloved defending-world champion Saint Louis Cardinals.