Gordo: The games are meaningful — but aggravating to watch — in battle for final NL playoff spots

Cardinal infielder Tommy Edman throws from the ground on Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, as Reds infielder Eugenio Suarez advances to 3rd base on an error in the 6th inning in a game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com

Baseball’s open-door playoff policy will create lots of National League drama during the season’s final week.

Much of it will be lousy — think “NCIS: Knob Noster” or “Law and Order: Parking Enforcement Division” — but the stakes will be high for the Cardinals and their five rivals still in the race.