One Fan's Outlook: 2007 National League Second Half Predictions

Before I begin, I want everyone reading this to know that I am a die hard Atlanta Braves fan, and I would do just about anything to see them win the NL East again over the extremely annoying New York Yankees Jr.(aka the Mets). But I will try my absolute best to avoid being terribly biased to my beloved Braves. So let's start with the predictions leaving the NL East for last.

First off in the NL West, there is one team to me that stands out from the rest in the division and that is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even though they trail the San Diego Padres by one game heading into the second half of the season, I think the Dodgers have the most complete roster in the National League. They have a very solid front end of their rotation with Derek Lowe and Brad Penny and their bullpen is lights out in the 8th and 9th innings. They have speed at the front of the lineup(Rafael Furcal and Juan Pierre) and they have a good mix of pennant race veterans(Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciaparra) and a young rising star(James Loney). They also have the means to go out at the trade deadline and add a big bat if they feel the need to. The Padres have a great rotation and bullpen but their offense is definitely lacking some pop(to say the least). And I have a feeling that the Padres aren't going to do what it takes to add a bat to their lineup come the end of July. So I think the Dodgers have a great second half and finish 3 or 4 games ahead of the Padres. I believe the Diamondbacks youth finally catches up with them as they falter in August and September. However, the team on the rise out west will be the Colorado Rockies, who will finish a close third behind San Diego. I think the Rockies will have a hot finish to set up for a playoff push in 2008.

The big surprise I predict, will come in the NL Central where the low-budget Milwaukee Brewers will collapse in the second half and be overtaken by the, believe it or not, Chicago Cubs. I think the experience factor will play a huge role for the Brewers falling apart in the last few months of this season. Other than the first month and half of the season, the Brewers have not really been that impressive. Their mediocre play will finally catch up to them as they relinquish the division lead in late August. Not only that, I believe the St. Louis Cardinals will have a great second half and they will also pass the Brewers for a second place finish to the Cubs. Alfonso Soriano and Derek Lee will power the Cubs to a very solid second half of the season. It will be the Cubs' pitchers that really make the difference though. With Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly at the front end of their rotation, the Cubs will roll through their NL Central opponents on their way to the division title and sending Wrigley ville into hysteria for all of October.

Finally, let's get to the NL East. As much as it pains me to say, I'm going to have to pick the New York Mets to win the East for the second straight year. The Mets just have to much offense not to win the division. The Braves are still very young and will have a solid second half, but it won't be enough to overtake the powerful and expensive New York Mets. Meanwhile, the Phillies will come out of the gate strong to start the second half only to fade yet again in September. For all you Braves' fans who can't believe that I just picked against Atlanta, there is a constellation prize for the baby Braves. I think the Braves edge out the Padres on the last day of the season to win the wild card. Maybe the wild card will be good luck for the Braves as they head off to play in yet another October.