NLDS: Dodgers vs. Cardinals
The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals , will meet Wednesday in the NLDS with 16 World Series titles between them. Both have playoff-tested managers in Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa. Both have dangerous, middle-of-the-order sluggers in Manny Ramirez and Albert Pujols. During the regular season, the Cardinals won 5 out of 7, with Dodgers scoring just 6 runs in 38 innings against the Carpenter, Wainwright, and Pineiro.
Game 1: Chris Carpenter @ Randy Wolf
Game 2: Adam Wainwright @ Clayton Kershaw
Game 3: Joel Piniero vs. Chad Billingsley
Game 4: Kyle Lohse/John Smoltz vs. Vicente Padilla/Jon Garland
LA Dodgers Strengths:*The bullpen: Not many teams can say they have 2 closers, but the Dodgers do, one from the left side (George Sherrill) and one from the right side (Jonathon Broxton). With the starting rotation up in the air, the bullpen will be key to them winning or losing the divisional series.
*Andre Ethier’s clutch hitting: Ethier leads the Majors with 6 walk-off hits (4 homers). The Dodgers have relied on him since Manny’s 50-game suspension and his slumping return.Ethier hit .455 against the Cardinals at home, but only .125 at Busch in 4 games. Ethier could carry the Dodgers to the championship series if he proves to be more clutch.
LA Dodgers Weaknesses:
*The rotation: This has been a weakness throughout the season and has only gotten worse since the injury to Hiroki Kuroda, who was their best pitcher in last year’s postseason. The Dodgers will have to rely on Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, and some combination of Vicente Padilla and Jon Garland, all of which have been inconsistent except for Wolf.
*The inability to score runs: The offense has been known for its slumps and hot streaks, but which one will show up against the Cardinals? The Dodgers rely so heavily on Matt Kemp and Ethier that they are 21-40 when they don’t drive in a run. This is where Manny needs to come alive.
Dodgers Key Players:
*George Sherrill: In his last ten outings, he only gave up 1 run
(8.2 IP, 4 H, 9 K). Sherrill is the key to getting the game to closer Jonathon Broxton. In one game against the Cardinals, Sherrill pitched 1.1 innings, giving up just one hit. He could be called on to pitch the seventh and eighth innings, or just to face a few lefties in the lineup late in the game, like Skip Schumaker, Colby Rasmus, and Rick Ankiel.
*Juan Pierre and Jim Thome: With these two coming off the bench and pinch-hitting, you get a slap hitter with speed and a power-hitter. Both can cause chaos for any pitcher and manager and could be key to any late-inning comeback for the Dodgers.
St. Louis Cardinals Strengths:
*The rotation (1-3): Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are CY Young candidates and are expected to dominate. In 15 innings against the Dodgers, Carpenter gave up 3 runs on 14 hits with 10 strikeouts. In 15 innings against the Dodgers, Wainwright gave up just 2 runs on 12 hits. Joel Pineiro has been just as dominant without all the press coverage (8 IP, 6 H, 1R, 7 K against the Dodgers).
*Albert Pujols: Who wouldn’t want Pujols in their lineup? The offense begins and ends with him. He makes everyone around him better because they will see better pitches all because he is looming or on base. Against the Dodgers this season though, Pujols hasn’t had much luck (6 hits in 27 at-bats, with just one homerun and 2 RBIs). His luck against the Dodgers will have to change for the Cardinals to move on to the championship series.
St. Louis Cardinals Weaknesses:*The bullpen: If the rotation doesn’t go 8 innings to get to Ryan Franklin, the bullpen will have to pitch and pitch well. This has been their biggest flaw all season. Franklin had been dominant most of the season, but struggled late in the year, maybe due to too much work. The lefthanders out of the bullpen have been great all year (Trevor Miller [3-1, 0.31 ERA in 29 innings with 38 Ks] and Dennys Reyes [26.1 IP, 1.71 ERA, 19 H, 17 K]). The right-handers (Blake Hawksworth, Kyle McClellan, Jason Motte, and Brad Thompson) will have to come up big. The Cardinals will have Smoltz and Lohse available out of the bullpen early in the series.
*The offense around Pujols: Yes the addition of Matt Holliday has helped, but what about everyone else? Whoever bats in front of Pujols (either Brendan Ryan, Julio Lugo, or Rick Ankiel) and Ryan Ludwick (who bats behind Holliday) will have to step up and drive in runs. The Cardinals have be more than just Pujols. The Cardinals are 15-24 when Pujols goes hitless.
Cardinals Key Players:*Joel Pineiro: He doesn’t get the limelight or press that Carpenter and Wainwright, but he has 21 quality starts and no walks in 13 of his starts. He could be starting in a clinching game.
*Skip Schumaker: He is the sparkplug as the leadoff hitter, scoring 85 runs. If he gets on base, it will put the pressure on the Dodgers pitching staff because Pujols will be looming with someone on base.
Recent Comments