There was a lot of talk about the Central Division being the toughest in the National League.  It appears as though the Phillies and Dodgers have taken offense to that.

Just two games into this first round best of five series and the Cubs and Brewers appear to be all but done, the third game of the series, just a formality.

Milwaukee blundered in game one and Philadelphia took advantage of Brewer mistakes to win the first game.  Then, the Brewers hope to turn their fortunes around with the player who to them in the deal of the year, but CC Sabathia was hammered by Super Gnat Shane Victorino for a grand slam with two outs and two strikes and suddenly the Brewers looked flat like a can of Leinenkugel that’s been open for three days.

Then eerily, the same thing happened to the Cubs in reverse order.  It was the Dodgers who hit a grand slam with two outs and two strikes to win game one, and in game two it was Cub flubs in the field that led to another Dodger outburst and a win in game two.

This has to be encouraging for the Cardinals for 2009.  The Astros have some young talent and they could be competitive again next year if they get off to a better start.  I’m not concerned about Pittsburgh or Cincinnati and as far as Milwaukee.  They’ve got a great offense, but in all likelihood, they will lose starting pitchers Ben Sheets and Sabathia, so they will have some holes to fill in their rotation.

The Cubs starting rotation will be solid next year, but Rich Harden will be a question mark, but they also got career years from Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee is adding another year. 
Of course, there are some questions for the Cardinals.   Will rest and rehab be the right move for Chris Carpenter’s nerve issue?  Can Todd Wellemeyer build on his success as a starter and will guys like Chris Perez and Kyle McClellan be able to pitch on a more consistent basis.

The Cardinals will bring back the best offense in the Central and if they get some answers in the short relief department of their bullpen, they have a shot at getting back to post-season.