NL Central

The Cubs will do some much-needed fine-tuning this offseason, making upgrades in the outfield and possibly around the infield. The bullpen will need some support after barely hanging on in 2013 and the Cubs will need a strong bench. 

The St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in Game 5 of the National League Division Series yet again this year.

Just like 2012, they will turn to Adam Wainwright to lead them to victory and on to the National League Championship Series.  Wainwright hopes to put the team in a position to win instead of the team overcoming a poor start like what occurred last year.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle faced a difficult decision following his team’s 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the National League Division Series: Trust a struggling veteran to start Wednesday’s deciding Game 5, or play the hot hand of a rookie.

Even though all eyes in Pittsburgh will be focused on Busch Stadium Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals end their epic 24-game battle (regular season included) in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, it's important to talk about what this year has meant for the once-maligned franchise. 

2013 must be an unlucky number. At least, the Cubs would say so.

2013 was a season of struggle for the Cubs, who finished in last place in the National League Central Division. With an abysmal record of 66-96, the Cubs were anything but entertaining.

Needless to say, the end of the baseball season wasn't exactly a tragedy for fans of Chicago baseball. Neither Chicago team was a privilege to watch; the Chicago White Sox finished the season at 63-99.

If St. Louis Cardinals fans partied it up on Thursday night in celebration, it’s likely that on Friday night they’re hitting the bottle.

What happened at Busch Stadium Friday afternoon was the polar opposite of Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

What Gerrit Cole did Friday afternoon in Game 2 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals is what every organization dreams of from a No. 1 overall draft pick.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto must've been thanking his lucky stars. He came close to finding himself watching the rest of the National League Wild Card Game from the bench in only the second inning Tuesday night.

Thanks to teammate Todd Frazier's amazing catch, however, Cueto got out of the inning alive against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton is only 23 years old and has just 13 games of MLB experience under his belt.

In spite of that, manager Dusty Baker should utilize the youngster as much as possible in Tuesday evening's National League Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While this would normally sound like a rather reckless strategy considering Hamilton's lack of proven ability at pro baseball's highest level, the matchup and situation make a strong case for Hamilton to play a lot.

Thanks to this bit of clutch hitting, the Milwaukee Brewers reached a League Championship Series for the first time since 1982. With his up-the-middle single, Nyjer Morgan helped propel Milwaukee to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks to earn a berth in the 2011 NLCS.