There are no 1927 New York Yankees in baseball this year, no Big Red Machine, no dynastic Oakland Athletics team.

In 10 days, eight clubs will begin play in the postseason and each of them has a concern, a flaw, a wart, if you will.

Some teams have major concerns. The Phillies and their problems at the back of the bullpen come to mind - with sledgehammer force. Some teams have much smaller concerns. But the point is there is no flawless club heading into October. There are blemishes on every roster, and the team that overcomes them best will enjoy a parade in November.

On this penultimate Sunday of the regular season, we look at the eight teams that appear headed to the playoffs (based on Friday's standings) and explore the imperfections they will have to conquer to win it all.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Phillies

Last year, they played 14 postseason games. Four were one-run games, three were two-run games and three were three-run games. Tight, close-scoring, postseason games magnify the importance of a bullpen.

Given this, it's possible that no team has a bigger defect than the Phillies, who have 10 losses when leading after the eighth inning. Patience has run thin with closer Brad Lidge. Ryan Madson has the stuff to do the job, but he lacks an assassin's mentality. If Madson has to close, the team is weakened in the eighth inning. As manager Charlie Manuel would say, "It's a Catch-42 or 29 or whatever it is." It's never a good thing when a team has to hold closer auditions during the final week of the season, but that's where the Phillies are. And if you fear this playoff run could end in a walk-off loss, well, you're not the only one.

Cardinals

No team has done a better job fixing problems than the Cards, who picked up slugger Matt Holliday, pitcher John Smoltz, and infielders Mark DeRosa and Julio Lugo during the season. St. Louis' starting pitching is strong. The team's biggest concern in the coming weeks might be in an area that has been a bright spot most of the season. Closer Ryan Franklin, who made the all-star team and had just two blown saves over the first five months, has shown signs of wearing down. He had three blown saves this month going into Friday. Franklin was 11 for 11 in save chances and allowed just six hits and no runs in 11 innings in August. In his first 71/3 innings this month, he allowed 12 hits and seven runs.

Dodgers

At the all-star break, this looked like a team you didn't want to run into in October. Youngsters Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw were blossoming into a pair of No. 1s, the kind of pitchers who could quickly knock you out. Since then, both have become question marks. After going 9-4 with a 3.38 ERA and making the all-star team, Billingsley has gone 3-6 with a 5.40 ERA. The lefty Kershaw, who ranks among the league leaders with a 2.85 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a .200 average, hasn't started since Sept. 4 after injuring his non-throwing shoulder shagging fly balls in batting practice. He could put Dodgers minds at ease with a good start at Pittsburgh today.

With Randy Wolf, Hiroki Kuroda, Vicente Padilla and Jon Garland, the Dodgers have rotation depth in front of a strong bullpen. But Billingsley and Kershaw have the most talent, and the Dodgers would benefit if both are in top form.

Rockies

The probable wild-card winner also has rotation issues as Jason Marquis' career season has taken a downward turn. After going 14-8 with a 3.47 ERA in his first 25 starts, he has struggled with his sinker while going 1-4 with a 6.49 ERA in his last six. Over that span, Marquis has allowed 41 hits and 20 walks in 342/3 innings. Marquis' struggles mean Ubaldo Jimenez and Jorge De La Rosa need to come through at the top of the rotation.

The Rox also would benefit from a continued healthy return by Aaron Cook, who pitched five shutout innings Friday night after missing a month with a shoulder strain. In addition to Marquis, the Rockies have to be concerned about facing a team deep in lefthanded pitching. They are 24-25 against lefthanded starters and 7-15 against lefthanded starters on the road. They won't like seeing Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee in the first two games of the division series in Philadelphia, if they face the Phillies.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Yankees

They have a powerful lineup and a strong bullpen. They have big names in the rotation. But those big names won't guarantee postseason success. Ace CC Sabathia has a 7.92 ERA in five postseason starts. Inconsistent A.J. Burnett, who can dazzle one day and fizzle the next, is the league leader in walks and has never pitched in a postseason game. Andy Pettitte, an accomplished postseason arm, recently missed a start with a sore shoulder. The super-protective Yanks have been reluctant to turn inconsistent Joba Chamberlain loose, so you have to wonder how he'll perform in October.

Tigers

The Tigers rank 10th in the AL in runs, and much of their production is centered on MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera. If he goes cold, the Tigers could be in trouble. Detroit also needs righthander Edwin Jackson to shine. He had a 6.12 ERA in his first four September starts before pitching seven shutout innings against the Indians on Tuesday. An effective Jackson gives the Tigers a good 1-2 punch with gas master Justin Verlander and will take pressure off 20-year-old rookie Rick Porcello. But first the Tigers have to hold off the Twins this week in the AL Central.

Angels

The Angels' biggest concern as they will likely match up against Boston for the third straight year is similar, though not as glaring, as the Phillies'. Lefty closer Brian Fuentes shared the major-league lead in saves with 44 entering Friday, but he had seven blown saves, and righthanded hitters had six homers and a .371 on-base percentage against him. Set-up men Kevin Jepsen and Jason Bulger have both been brilliant in the second half, but they are rookies and playoff first-timers.

Otherwise, the Angels have a deep starting staff and a high-scoring, disciplined, balanced offense that leads the majors in hitting and hitting with runners in scoring position. The Angels lost to Boston in the first round each of the last two seasons and figure to open with the Red Sox again. If the bullpen holds up, they might advance this time. Either way, it should be a great series between two excellent clubs.

Red Sox

Boston entered its weekend series against the Yankees with the best record in the majors (29-13) since Aug. 10. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester could be a devastating 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. But Lester was hit by a line drive against the Yankees Friday night and left the game. Sox brass had been very concerned about defense, but the acquisition of shortstop Alex Gonzalez has improved it greatly. Victor Martinez's bat has been a huge addition. Maybe the only question entering the postseason is how ace Beckett will fare throwing to Martinez. Beckett likes pitching to Jason Varitek, but the Sox are at their best with Martinez behind the plate, Kevin Youkilis at first, and Mike Lowell at third. Varitek and Martinez are both poor at throwing out basestealers, and the Angels (141 steals) love to run, so that could be an area of concern, as well.