Tonight we’re going to focus on teams that are postseason bound, mainly closer situations.

With the exception of Mariano Rivera, most playoff bound teams have some closer issues going into these last few games.

Ryan Franklin, Brad Lidge, and Brian Fuentes, have all been inconsistent this season, and going into the postseason, that’s never a good feeing in a managers gut.

What strikes me going into October this year is that any of the 8 teams in the mix will have as good a chance as any to win it all.

The Yankees are the best team right now, with the Cardinals right behind them.

Having a one-two punch of CC Sabathia/A.J. Burnett (who got back on track today) or Chris Carpenter/Adam Wainwright at the top of the rotation is solid, and adding those dangerous lineups into the mix is what makes them my favorites right now.

It’s important for teams like the Yankees and the Cardinals, who have their playoff births wrapped up to rest their players, but it’s usually the team playing their best at the end of the season that does the most damage.  It’s time for them to turn it on.

To me, they’ve got some big targets on their backs this October; let’s see how they’ll handle that added pressure.

And how about Chad Billingsley tonight, taking a no-hitter into the 7th is a step in the right direction because the Dodgers really need him.   Adding him to Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw will really step it up for them. – Dan Plesac