What more could we ask for in the NLDS as baseball fans then two game fives with one being an all-time, last out, 9^th inning comeback for the ages by the St. Louis Cardinals!  Some great moments and incredible performances, and of course some duds too…but not many.  Let’s get it!

Top Performances in the NLDS:

• Carlos Beltran, OF, STL – 8-18, 5R, 3 2B, 2HR, 4RBI, SB – Beltran put on a show in the game two blow-out by STL with two 400+ foot bombs as well as a solid game 5, continuing his solid career post season performance.  The NLCS should be a huge series for Beltran.
• Daniel Descalso, 2B/SS/3B, STL – 6-19, 7R, 2B, 2HR, 6RBI, SB – This young utility infielder in the STL clubhouse truly put up a fantastic showing in the NLDS.  Leading the NLDS in scoring with seven runs scored, Descalso should continue to cement his role as the likely successor to Skip Schumacher as the super utility player on the STL bench for years to come.
• Peter Kozma, SS, STL – 4-16, 4R, 2B, HR, 5RBI – The Wizard of Koz is quickly putting his stamp on a starting job in the infield next season, likely at 2B, as Furcal still has a year left on his deal.  With multiple big hits in the NLDS, including the biggest in the 9^th inning in game 5, he is quickly showing that STL has a bright future up the middle with him and Kolten Wong and one of the better defensive CFs in the game.
• Jon Jay, OF, STL – 4-16, 4R, 3B, 4RBI, 2SB – Speaking of one of the better defensive CFs in the game, Jon Jay continues to show that Jim Edmonds spirit still lives on in STL making crashing-into-walls-catches against in big situations without any fear whatsoever.  He also continues to hit very well, score runs and steal the bases.  Jay will never be a top tier fantasy producer as he doesn’t have that 30HR power, but expecting .300-90R-15HR-50RBI-25SB over a full season is solid OF2 type performance.  Likely a draft-day steal next year, but not for long.
• Jason Werth, OF, WAS – 4-16, 2R, HR, RBI – His stats weren’t overly great for the series, but it doesn’t matter as he won game 4 for the Nats and gave them the chance to win game 5 and move on to the NLCS…then the Cards ripped out their hearts and showed it to them in the 9^th while it still was beating…it was awesome!
• Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, WAS – 8-21, 3R, 2B, 2HR, 4RBI – The elder Zimmerman in WAS put up a very solid line in the NLDS, but with a couple gaffs in the field he, like most of the young Nationals team, didn’t have the experience to put the Cards away when they should have.
• Ryan Ludwick, OF, CIN – 6-18, 4R, 3HR, 4RBI – Luddy put on one fine show, hitting bombs in games 2, 4 and 5, but he could not do it by himself.
• Brandon Philips, 2B, CIN – 9-21, 1R, 3 2B, HR, 7RBI – Good showing by Philips…but he is golfing now…good riddance…he is an uber tool.
• Lance Lynn, RP/SP, STL – 3.1IP, 1-1, 4H, 3ER, 6K:2BB – Three decent appearances in relief for Lynn, and an injury to Garcia with surgery upcoming, means Lynn jumps to the rotation for the NLCS - time to stake your claim to your spot in the 2013 rotation young man.
• Chris Carpenter, SP, STL – 5.2IP, 7H, 0ER, 2K:2BB – A big game 3 for Carpenter after not expecting to play at all this year and then showing up in an 8-0 win for the Cardinals in game 3 and his 10^th post season win, with likely more to come in the NLCS and WS.
• Matt Cain, SP, SF – 10.2IP, 1-1, 11H, 6ER, 9K:3BB – after a rough game 1 at home Cain came back in game 5 on the road and pitched SF into the NLCS.  He will have his hands full with the STL offense to say the least.
• Tim Lincecum, SP, SF – 6.1IP, W, 3H, 1ER, 8K:0BB - After floundering all season and being relegated to the pen in the NLDS the Freak finally found some reason to get mad and something and it paid off huge for the Giants when he came in and won game 4.  Lincecum will be a force in the NLCS for the Giants once again.
• Bronson Arroyo, SP, CIN – 7.0IP, W, 1H, 4K,1BB – Arroyo spun up a solid outing to win a game in SF but the Reds couldn’t get it done at home.
• Homer Bailey, SP, CIN – 7.0IP, W, 1H, 1ER, 10K:1BB – Homer also threw a gem to win a game, but was lost in the end with the Reds now home golfing.

Rants and Ramblings:

For now I think I will stock to the baseball being played instead of talking about 2013 – with the two NLDS series we just experienced, we should all just enjoy postseason baseball while we have it!  Once the playoffs are over we will start looking forward to next year and see who this year’s David Freese or Cody Ross will be going into next year’s draft, shere the steals and busts will be, and what is going on in the hot stove.

As for those two incredible NLDS series:

St. Louis vs Washington was just as predicted: the underdog Cardinals did what they do best in the post season and knocked off the best team in baseball in the regular season with a monumental comeback for the ages in the 9^th inning of game 5, down to their final out and final strike…I mean, that’s what I figured would happen all along right…

With the unexpected showings by Descalso and Kozma, to go with big games from Beltran and Carpenter, and ridiculous catches by Jon Jay, the Cardinals are once again showing that the regular season is left behind once the post season starts, and winning in the playoffs is something to behold and cherish as it doesn’t come easy.  To watch it happen post Pujols and TLR makes it that much more enjoyable.

Although Wainwright had a brutal showing in game 5, the Cardinals roll into SF with Loshe-Carpenter-Lynn-Wainwright to match the one of the best rotations in baseball with Cain, Bumgarner and a Lincecum who has found his old self coming out of the pen vs the Reds.  The Giants have the pitching to beat anyone, but if and when STL gets into the SF bullpen, just as they did vs WAS, they will eventually put up runs.  And guys like Wainwright just know how to forget and show up in the playoffs, expect a solid start from him in game 3, at the very least.

San Francisco vs Cincinnati started out brutal for the Giants with the Reds taking both in the Bay and then the Giants seemed to just turn the switch on full power when they went to CIN.  The Giants offense is still their achilles heel as they can have mega offensive outages quite often.  Posey and Sandoval have to show up every night for the Giants offense to have a chance if their stellar pitching has an off night.  Guys like Pagan, Scutaro and Pence will need to show up in a much bigger way if the G-men hope to beat the Cardinals as STL will eventually get their runs somehow unless Cain-Bumgarner-Lincecum throw gems every night…which ain’t gonna happen.

I expect that Beltran will continue to do what he usually does in the postseason and have a big series, but the guy I think is due for an explosion is Matt Holliday.  Kozma looks like he will be this year’s David Freese as he continues to hit in big situations regardless of the pressure.

With the last two world-series winners playing in this NLCS, both teams have no issue with playoff experience and pressure, so really it will come down to who can execute best.  Anyone who is going to bet against STL, after what just happened in Washington, I would consider foolish.

Catch me on Twitter @CanuckHoppy

More by Jeff:

• Fantastic Finish
• Almost to the Finish Line

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