In the National League, September has been a little anticlimactic. For all intents and purposes the playoff races are over. Lately, there has been less drama than an episode of “American Pickers.” However, despite the fact that the four playoff teams are basically set, the Diamondbacks and Brewers played meaningful games on Saturday night. That’s because the two teams are in an important dogfight for the NL’s second seed.

The chances of the Diamondbacks, Braves or Brewers beating the Phillies seem slim, regardless of whether or not it’s a five- or seven-game series. Philadelphia’s rotation is so stacked that it’s an unfavorable matchup any way you play it. But, the NL’s second seed is still a much more desirable place to be.

Obviously, by avoiding the Phillies in the first round, chances of advancing to the NLCS increase dramatically. It seems like losing to the Phils in the NLCS would be better than losing to them right off the bat. Not to mention, more playoff games mean more revenue. Basically, Philadelphia is a problem that both the Diamondbacks and Brewers would rather deal with later.

Lately, the Brewers and Diamondbacks have been headed in different directions -- but guess who’s been playing the Phillies lately? So the Brewers are now stumbling toward the finish line while the Diamondbacks have been one of the hottest teams in the game. With Saturday’s loss to the Phillies, Milwaukee has lost five straight.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks came back in dramatic fashion against the Padres to rack up their fourth win in a row and their fifteenth straight win at home. A few weeks ago, it didn’t seem like the second spot was within Arizona’s reach, but this recent swing has put Arizona a half-game ahead of Milwaukee. Based on the way the teams have been playing, you have to think that the Diamondbacks will finish with the better record.

Obviously, it will be easier to beat the Phillies three times instead of four, but a seven-game series means that the Diamondbacks would get to use Daniel Hudson and Ian Kennedy at least twice and maybe even three times. The Phillies have four top starters that make for difficult matchups every single night. They can easily win a series without having to use Halladay and Lee two or three times apiece. It’s hard to see Arizona beating anyone in the playoffs without a couple of big starts from both Hudson and Kennedy.

Without a doubt, Arizona’s biggest weakness is the back end of their rotation. They don’t want to have to play a deciding game with Joe Saunders facing off against Roy Oswalt. Clearly Halladay and Lee are much better than Hudson and Kennedy, but at least the two Diamondbacks’ aces could put up a fight. Josh Collmenter and Saunders may not even belong on the same field as Cole Hamels and Oswalt. Those are matchups that the Diamondbacks should dread the most.

Like everyone else in baseball, the Brewers’ rotation doesn’t stack up to the Phillies’ either. But they are a little deeper than the Diamondbacks. Arizona’s fourth and fifth spot have been a bit of a revolving door, but Yovani Gallardo, Randy Wolf and Chris Narveson have at least been consistent all year. If I’m on the verge of elimination and facing Hamels in Game 3, give me Gallardo over Collmenter.

On Saturday, the Diamondbacks played like a team that realizes the importance of having the second seed in the National League playoffs. They are a reflection of their manager, Kirk Gibson, a never-say-die squad with a flair for the dramatic. When Lyle Overbay hit his game-tying home run in the ninth inning, another comeback victory basically became a foregone conclusion.

That’s the way this season has gone for Arizona. They seem to be catching all the breaks, but this team isn’t just an overachiever. Anyone that underestimates them does so at their own peril. The Diamondbacks just may be the second best team in the NL, and if they pull off winning the second slot, they can look forward to a shot at number one -- in the NLCS.

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Logan Burdine is the founder and site editor of Blake Street Bulletin. His Twitter feed will change your life.