The National League has a new look this year with the old guard being replaced by new, young teams. Gone are the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. In are the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies and yes, the Chicago Cubs. So, who is going to win the wacky and wide open National League? Chicago Cubs How they will win: The offense has a big three in Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, but it starts with Soriano. His ability to steal bases and jump start the offense with his power will be important in low scoring playoff baseball. They also need to be smart of when they take chances because they aren?t a great base running team and you don?t want to run into outs with your power bats up there. The Cubs also need to get very good starting pitching, especially from Carlos Zambrano, who has been very inconsistent this year, and young Rich Hill, who can be a difference maker if he isn?t overwhelmed. How they will lose: The Cubs are an inconsistent team, so they can?t afford some of their fringe starters to go in a tailspin at the plate. They have been blessed with timely hitting and if that stops, the offense will be in trouble. They also can?t give their opponents extra outs with poor fielding from guys like Alfonso Soriano, Mark DeRosa and Jason Kendall. The bullpen also could be a problem because I?m not a huge fan of Ryan Dempster and the rest of the bullpen can be hit and miss as well. Arizona Diamondbacks How they will win: First, they have to win every time Brandon Webb starts. He is a bona fide ace with nasty stuff. After Webb, they just need five solid innings that will keep them in the game from guys like Livan Hernandez and Doug Davis. They also can?t leave a lot of runners on base because they don?t have a good overall offense and too many missed opportunities will put a strain on the pitching staff. On the flip side, they need their young stars like Chris Young and Stephen Drew to take that next step on the playoff platform. How they will lose: They will lose if they give up big innings. This isn?t a big strike offense and getting down 4-0 or 6-1 after the first few innings will be the kiss of death for the Diamondbacks. Also, if this young squad gets intimidated by the stage, they will be out early because they don?t have much veteran leadership on this team. Philadelphia Phillies: How they will win: The Phillies have the best offense left in the National League with very few holes. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard pose many problems for opposing pitchers and to outscore teams, the Phillies need Rollins? on base for his speed and run scoring opportunities heading into the middle of the order. The Phillies also need their starting to go about six innings, though they don?t need them to be great. The Phillies have three very good relievers and if they can position them in the right slots, they can shorten a lot of games. How they will lose: The Phillies won?t out-execute you, so if games are low-scoring and tight in their series?, they could be in for some trouble. They also can?t have their starters go out after two or three innings because the bullpen will wear down quickly. Finally, they don?t need to win every one of Hamels? starts like Arizona does with Webb, but they are dead if Hamels gets blasted in any of his starts. Colorado Rockies: How they will win: The Rockies are on a roll right now, so they just have to play within themselves. The battled real hard against San Diego on Monday night in the one-game playoff. To win, the Rockies must remember that they are a doubles team and to think the gaps whoever they are facing. They also need their starters to keep them in the game for four or five innings and then the offense can take the game late. How they will lose: It is that hot streak that could eventually derail them. They have won 14 of 15 games and at some point, they have to lose two of three and that will cost them in the playoffs. Strategically, the rotation lacks depth and the overall team is very young and could be overwhelmed. Winner: I?m going to take the Philadelphia Phillies. The offense is the best in the National League, they can score runs in a bunch of different ways and they are confident. I also like Cole Hamels to be a playoff ace and Brett Myers could be in line for the next surprise playoff closer, a la Adam Wainwright. This team has flaws, starting with a thin bullpen and not the greatest manager in the world in Charlie Manuel, but they are the strongest team left and will reach the World Series for the first time since 1993. Who will win the National League? Email your picks to [email protected]