There will be no CubsNet.com NLDS preview. After all, who am I to outwrite the previews proffered by Nate Silver, David Pinto, Al Yellon, and Marc Hulet / Bryan Smith? (For my money, Silver's is the best. Come to think of it, it is my money, as I'm paying for the BP subscription.) So, instead, what you get from CubsNet.com is a NLDS foreward. I am not the writer of the main story. I am merely anticipating the next page like the rest of you.

The Cubs outscored the Diamondbacks and gave up fewer runs than the Diamondbacks.

The Cubs have just an average offense (8th in the NL), but it is significantly better than Arizona's. As Silver wrote, "The Diamondbacks . . . have one of the worst lineups ever for a team that reached the playoffs, a group that resembles the 1988 Dodgers sans Kirk Gibson."