At the beginning of the MLB betting regular season, everything seemed so black and white. But after 166 games played for the four teams left standing in the National League, there are some heavy shades of grey heading into Friday’s baseball action. Each of the two NLDS series have been pushed to game five, resulting in two one-game playoffs to decide the two teams that will compete in the NLCS for the chance to earn a World Series berth. The Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Arizona Diamondbacks will each get their shot, and after 166 hard-fought games, it all comes down to this.

For the Phillies, it is about persevering in the face of adversity and looking within. Nobody doubted that Philadelphia was the consensus pick to represent the NL in the postseason when the season got underway, and that shouldn’t change now even though they have to win to even have a chance at the World Series. Held in such high regard mainly because of their elite starting pitcher rotation, the Phillies will turn to the best arm on their roster in reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, who will get the start on Friday. Halladay will need to handle the pressure of expectations as he steps to the mound with the Phillies’ season on the line, and if he can handle that burdened then Philadelphia should get through.

For the Cardinals, there is no sports betting burden of expectations, only a goal. Nobody expected St. Louis to come all the way back over the final month of the season to clinch the NL Wild Card, and now that they have this season is already somewhat of a success. Still, for the players in the locker room they understand how many shots they get to win it all, and for Albert Pujols in particular, who could be making his final start in a Cardinals’ uniform, the time is now.

For the Brewers, all the power in the world won’t matter if they can’t get good pitching, and they will need a strong performance from Yovanni Gallardo on Friday to have a shot. Their strong play at home has carried over to the postseason, and the hosts have won every game in this series. That makes the Diamondbacks the obvious underdogs, although they played that role all year and have come so far. Arizona has the talent to win, but Ian Kennedy was off in game one and the Diamondbacks were outscored 13-5 in consecutive road losses to open the  MLB series.

When it is all said and done, a pay per head case can be made that all four of these teams deserve one of the two spots in the NLCS, and that is why they play the game. The two clubs that are able to handle the pressure and perform in their situations will emerge victorious, and for the hometown fans, all they can do is hope their that their team will be one of them that will move on to the NLCS when it is all said and done on Friday.