While a good number of MLB betting fans will be cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals when they open their NLDS series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday after helping to provide one of the most exciting finishes to the regular season in the history of the sport, it is even more unlikely that they will be able to parlay the momentum of a strong finish into a trip to the NLCS. That is because the Phillies are the most complete team in baseball, and with the strongest rotation in the majors for not only this year but arguably in MLB history, Philadelphia cannot be stopped.

While it is easy to once again give reigning NL Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay his due with even more hardware, it is the entire starting rotation for the Phillies that deserve to be called MVP. Philadelphia’s starters finished the regular season with a combined ERA of just 2.86 to become the first team since the 1992 Atlanta Braves to finish with an ERA under 3.00. They also nearly became the first sports betting team since the 1985 Los Angeles Dodgers to finish with four starters that all had an ERA under 3.00, but youngster Vance Worley finished at 3.01 for the year. With Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee there is not a better starting three in all of baseball, and with Roy Oswalt and Worley at the back end of that unit, the Phillies are bound to overwhelm St. Louis in the NLDS.