Ranking the NL postseason rotations after Phillies' Zack Wheeler disaster

The Zack Wheeler injury hit like a ton of bricks for Philadelphia Phillies fans. There has been so much mounting optimism around this team. A real sense that, yeah... they might actually be able to do it this time. Oh well.

To their credit, the Phillies have played mostly inspired baseball since Wheeler went down. Ranger Suárez went seven shutout innings on Sunday in a 3-2 win over the Nationals. He's beginning to look more like the All-Star candidate from a couple months ago. Cristopher Sánchez should finish second-place in Cy Young voting at the worst. His ascent couldn't have come at a better time for Philly.

While the Phillies' rotation should hold up well enough without Wheeler, there's no way to replace Wheels' incredible poise on MLB's biggest stage. The dude is unflappable every October and his fastball might be the best single pitch in baseball, which helps.

A month ago, if asked to rank the National League postseason rotations, Philly would've been No. 1 without a second thought... Now, it gets a bit more complicated.

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6. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres made several aggressive moves at the MLB trade deadline, but none of them meaningfully improved their rotation. Nick Pivetta has delivered ace-level results all season long and a healthy Michael King can still shut down a lineup, so it's not like the Padres are out of firepower. This rotation just feels more volatile than others in the National League.

Dylan Cease is probably the biggest wild card of all. He was in the Cy Young race last season. He's still putting up effortlessly high strikeout numbers, but he's also giving up loud contact far too often and crumbling under pressure. Cease's career has often switched back and forth between seasons of dominance and seasons of, well, not dominance. If Cease can get back on the right track in time for October, San Diego's rotation may outperform this ranking.

For now, though, it's hard to trust Cease or Nestor Cortes. Even if the Padres shrink the rotation down the three and lean on the heavy-hitters, San Diego's pitchers lack the postseason résumé of others on this list.

5. Chicago Cubs

After a bit of pre-deadline panic about the state of the Chicago Cubs' rotation and Jed Hoyer's lack of strong action to fix it... this is a fine postseason four, honestly. Shōta Imanaga and Matthew Boyd are recent All-Stars with tons of experience. Imanaga has not been to the MLB playoffs yet, but after years of competing at the highest level in Japan's NPB, he knows his way around high-pressure situations.

Veteran righty Colin Rea is probably the easiest cut from this list if Chicago decides to downsize, but the journeyman is enjoying by far his best season to date. He has allowed two or fewer runs in four straight starts, so it's not like he's losing steam.

Cade Horton has been on an absolute tear over the last couple months. The 24-year-old won't get the Rookie of the Year votes he probably deserves, but he will get a chance to leave an impression on the postseason-viewing audience. It can get dicey for young, unproven players in October, but Horton looks like a stone-cold killer who can rise to the occasion.

Chicago maybe lacks the true standout ace that sets other rotations apart, but this is a better four-man gauntlet than folks give them credit for.

4. Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers feature one of the deepest and most balanced rosters in MLB, which has helped them to overcome a lack of traditional power offensively. Pat Murphy knows what he's doing from the bench and he makes the most of Milwaukee's excellent pitching staff. If we were to expand these rankings to include the bullpen and all depth options, the Brewers would rank much higher.

While the Brewers aren't blessed with a shutdown No. 1 like other teams in the NL mix, these are four dependable options — with flame-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski still in the mix as a potential wild card. Misiorowski's recent struggles with command probably relegates him to a bullpen role in October, but he's going to throw absolute gasoline out of the 'pen.

Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff and Jose Quintana have all been around the block a few times, so to speak. Quinn Priester is the relative newbie, but his output this season has taken the league by storm (and made the fanbases of his past organizations in Boston and Pittsburgh quite irritated). He's a testament to Milwaukee's player development staff and a potential series-changer come October.

3. Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies' rotation is awfully volatile right now and you couldn't be blamed for bumping it down a few spots lower. But there is something to be said for having the best pitcher in the playoffs, at when it comes to the National League. Cristopher Sánchez has been lights-out all season, weaponizing a deadly changeup to stunning effect. There's no such thing as a guaranteed win, of course, but Sánchez is the best bet to deliver your team to victory on a given evening in October.

Beyond him, there is a ton of postseason experience. Aaron Nola is still working his way back from a lengthy absence, but we know he can produce in October. If he gets to the final week of the regular season and the numbers haven't perked up, then it's time to panic. But there is reason enough to think that Nola can get back on the right track. The Phillies certainly need him to.

After a few bumpy starts following the All-Star break, Ranger Suárez appears to be settling into his usual groove. He's one of MLB's best sinkerballs, with a level of poise under pressure that very few can replicate. Suárez always seems to lock in when October comes around. He should be fine.

Jesús Luzardo, meanwhile, was an early Cy Young candidate this season before he hit rock bottom with a few awful starts in late May and early June. He has since settled in nicely. While the surface-level numbers don't look great, Luzardo can turn it up and reach impressive heights. Philly will hope he brings his best stuff into the postseason.

2. New York Mets

The New York Mets' rotation has not pitched well of late, to be fair. This ranking does not reflect the past couple weeks, but more so what we should expect and project come October. And while Mets fans are understandably aggravated with the recent output of this rotation, the truth is simple. New York has a ton of talent on staff and the numbers will regress (positively) to the mean before long.

Kodai Senga's reputation in New York is well-earned. That splitter is one of the most devastating pitches in baseball. He has postseason experience on his résumé, albeit not the greatest. But he's much better this year than he was last year.

David Peterson was an All-Star. He has struggled of late, but he pitched eight innings last Tuesday, allowing just one run and accumulating 10 strikeouts. Add in hot-shot rookie sensation Nolan McLean, who looks more like Nolan Ryan (mild hyperbole) through two starts), and New York has a rock-solid top three. If Sean Manaea can round back into form in time for October, the Mets' pitching woes will be but a distant memory.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Sigh....... of course this is where we end up.

This is another case of "they haven't really played like it yet." Pitching has been a roller coaster all season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, largely due to injuries. Now that L.A. is slowly getting back to full strength, however, it's getting harder to poke holes in the starting group.

Tyler Glasnow's health failed him a year ago (and again at times this season), but he's one of the most dominant aces in MLB when he's operating at full strength. Assuming he can hold up for the duration of a deep October run, the Dodgers will be in an excellent position.

Blake Snell has also missed time this season, but he's a two-time Cy Young winner with a somewhat undeniable reputation at this point. He has a 1.97 ERA through six starts and probably represents the biggest challenger to Cris Sánchez's forthcoming status of 'Best NL Pitcher in the Playoffs.'

Clayton Kershaw, even in his old age, brings nasty off-speed stuff and unteachable command to the table. He knows what it takes to perform in October and won't ever get rattled by the moment. If Kershaw gets moved to the bullpen in favor of a shorter rotation, Yoshinobu Yamamoto — an All-Star with a 2.90 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 24 starts — becomes the "weak link," which is just ridiculous.