COLUMN: What to make of the MLB Playoffs

Who knew only a week of rest could result in instant rust for the top teams?

Who knew adding another wild card slot would make the MLB Postseason more, well, wild?

We're two years into the new playoff format and for the second straight season, the National League Championship Series will be played out by two of the three wild card teams, with the No. 6 seed team having 2-3 home games lined up.

Three of the top two seeds from both sides have been whipped out of the Divisional Series with barely a whimper. The Texas Rangers swept the 100-win Baltimore Orioles, the Philadelphia Phillies took down the Atlanta Braves for the second consecutive season, and the Arizona Diamondbacks dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers. You knew that series was over when the D-Backs scored nine runs in the first two innings of Game 1 and bounced Clayton Kershaw after one out. The Dodgers choking in the playoffs and the Braves running into the buzzsaw that is playing in Citizens Bank Park does not seem to be a problem with the playoff structure, even though rest seem to always doom teams who ride momentum into deep playoff runs (see 2007 Rockies).

The League Championship Series will feature an equal amount of rest for both teams involved, and despite only one top seed remaining, the two matchups may be some of the best in recent history.

__NLCS: Phillies vs. Diamondbacks__

With two wild card teams in the NLCS again, who is the favorite, and who is the underdog? Both teams thrive as the underdog, and both teams have played like the favorite.

Both the Diamondbacks and Phillies lead the playoff field with 13 home runs through the first two series. Power led the Diamondbacks out of deficits against one of the top pitching staffs in baseball in the Milwaukee Brewers. Their tagline is "chaos" and they are certainly living up to it, especially on the road. Arizona has swept through the first two series and only played one game at home, and during that game, the Diamondbacks set a playoff record for four home runs in a single inning.

It's been a long time coming for the Diamondbacks, who are in the NLCS for the first time since 2007.

Citizens Bank Park remains the place where postseason dreams go to die. It took a perfect game in the World Series last year to break through Philadelphia's home-field advantage.

Philadelphia clearly has the best home atmosphere in baseball. I defy anyone reading this column who is not interested in baseball to watch Game 1 and 2 in Philly and tell me you still don't like baseball. It is baseball and sports passion at its finest. It is a beautiful site to see the stadium erupt and then the party transition to the Xfinity Live next door and be filled to the brim, turning it into the city's largest nightclub.

__ALCS: Rangers vs. Astros__

We have officially reached Texageddon in the ALCS. The Astros are in their seventh straight ALCS and could end up in their third straight World Series and fifth during that time.

Two longtime managers Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker face off in this series. The last time two managers with 2,000 career wins faced off was in 2009 between Los Angeles (Joe Torre) and St. Louis (Tony LaRussa).

The Rangers were mocked for spending a half billion dollars on just their middle infield leading up to last season. After bringing in expensive starter after expensive starter, watching them get injured, and go get another expensive starter, the Rangers are in their first ALCS since 2011 because of their pitching. Texas leads the AL field with a 2.20 ERA (second only to Philadelphia). Nathan Eovaldi (1.32) has paid off as a free agent signing and trading for Jordan Montgomery (3.27) from St. Louis has also paid off for general manager Chris Young.

A tiebreaker was the lone difference between the AL West championship and now the true prize is four games at home for the Astros. But if anyone can finally knock off Houston, it's Texas.