Breaking down the National League Division Series

Oct 2, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Workers prepare the field for workouts the day before game one of the 2014 NLDS at Dodgers Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

At points during this National League season, it looked like the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers would run away with their divisions. But here we are in the postseason without the Brewers, and with the Giants sneaking in with a Wild Card victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

So now we have a rematch of last year’s NLCS and the championship series we were supposed to have in 2012 if the Cardinals hadn’t spoiled it. This round will start with the Giants looking to extend their even year magic against Stephen Strasburg in his first career postseason start, and will be followed up with the best pitching matchup of the first round, featuring Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers.

These series should go far beyond these initial matchups, so here’s the breakdown of the National League Division Series.