Research assistant and barrista Brandon Chizum stops by from time to time to talk a bit about ... well, baseball mostly, but it could be anything. He'll be back once he learns Japanese and gets Will more anytime minutes.

As the wonderful month of October nears, I find myself frequently pondering the issue of baseball’s National League wild card race, and in turn, examining those teams vying for that fourth playoff position. Enumerated below are the clubs I believe will “make a run” for that elusive wildcard in the land of Major League Baseball; the teams have been given a grade in place of a numerical figure representing their respective “odds.”
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The San Francisco Giants. Built around the greatest player this game has ever witnessed, the Giants are consistent in their winning ways. Jason Schmidt commands a respectable pitching rotation, and the experience in the field (“experience” is actually a euphemism for “old”) serves to stabilize the focus on the task at hand, which is, of course, winning. The fault of the Giants, though, is the instability of their bullpen. Hermanson as a closer is a nice step forward, and he certainly has the sideburns to get the job done, but then again, Matt Herges doesn’t necessarily instill too much confidence in the Giant faithful upon his entry into the game. So, the Giants chances of winning the wildcard: B+

The Chicago Cubs. Homeruns, starting pitching, and surprisingly, defense, have contributed to the Cubs win total this season. However, please see the previous discussion regarding an inconsistent bullpen. I’m not sure how Dusty makes it through the games without a bottle of Tums sitting by his side. The north side boys have been bitten by the one-run loss bug, not to mention the injury and roller-coaster-like bullpen bug. Nevertheless, despite the sporadic offense and bullpen woes, the Cubs have the best chance of making the playoffs, outside of the division leading teams. The addition of Nomar to an almost healthy lineup (not having Hollandsworth stings a bit) can only serve to strengthen a team scratching for a return trip to the playoffs. So, the Cubs chances of winning the wildcard: A

The San Diego Padres. Who? Oh yeah, that west coast team south of Los Angeles; you know, Tony Gwynn’s team. I must admit that the Padres tenacity this season has caught me off guard. The acquisition of David Wells served wonderfully to bolster the young rotation, and with Giles, etc. swinging for the fences (minus Klesko, one of the biggest disappointments this season), a winning season is certainly attainable. That said, in learning their new ballpark, the Padres have yet to know what it takes to succeed in that environment night in and night out, aside from the obvious answer of “scoring runs.” Until the Friars truly corral their “home field advantage,” they will remain a team on the outside looking in. So, the Padres chances of winning the wildcard: C+

The Florida Marlins. After losing arguably the best catcher in the game (Pudge), as well as Gold-Glove first baseman Derrek Lee, outfielder Juan Encarnacion (only to later regain him), and reliever Braden Looper, one might have thought that the Marlins would be suffocating on the sand under the hot Miami sun, stranded during the low tide, a.k.a., the 2004 season. But because of the evolutionary process, the Fish grew feet, and oddly enough, have scrambled back to the water. They have been playing strong since receiving Lo Duca and Mota in the trade that sent starter Brad Penny to the West Coast. The Marlins might be the best “team” in the majors, and though Jack knows how to strategically blow his cigar smoke into the face of opposition, the Marlins will fall short in their bid to reach the playoffs because of a floundering Josh Beckett and unimpressive A.J. Burnett. So, the Marlins chances of winning the wildcard: B.

The Philadelphia Phillies. Odds-on favorites to win the National League East this season, the Phillies have disappointed many a fan and bookie (quick, where is Pete Rose?). An underachieving batting lineup and pitching staff have left Bowa shaking his head and the front office shaking their fists. Aside from starting pitcher Milton and underrated Abreu, the only gem in the Philly organization at this point is Citizens Bank. The team is swinging and missing with ease this season, at a time when they should be relaxing and strategizing for their playoff run. Larry Bowa’s head will explode before the Phillies make the playoffs this year. So, the chances of the Philles winning the wildcard: C.

The Houston Astros. Certainly flailing from the season-ending injury to Andy Pettitte, the Astros have not come close to living up the hype surrounding them before the season (sound familiar, Philadelphia?). An inconsistent bullpen (losing Billy Wagner would make any team inconsistent in that category) and iffy starting rotation, aside from Clemens and Oswalt, have contributed to the ‘Stros woes this season. And the mere notion that Craig Biggio is tied for the team lead in home runs, ahead of Bags and Kent, is frightening, especially since Minute Maid is a launching pad. Houston has been hot as of late, but expect the Texas heat to remain only in a weather-related sense -- not in terms of the Astros diamond efforts. So, the chances of the Astros winning the wildcard: C.

Alas, my Starbucks triple-hot, non-fat, extra-hot caramel macchiato has finally cooled, as has my desire to continue typing. I look forward to reading your wildcard opinions and critiques of mine in the comments section.