NLCS Preview: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
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The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies will kick off the National League Championship Series tonight, so the Indie staff (led by Luis Gronda and Eric Scaturro) takes a look into the players who lead the way, who needs to step up, and who to watch out for. Philadelphia Phillies By Luis Gronda Who’s Hot: Although he did not homer in the series against Colorado, Howard was still a force in that potent Phillies lineup. Howard hit .375 with a team-leading six RBIs and three doubles. The Phillies first baseman was instrumental in their Division Series victory over the Rockies, including the go-ahead sacrifice fly in Game 3 and a game-tying double in Game 4. If the Phillies hope to return to the World Series, Howard needs to continue to come up big in the clutch, especially against the tough Dodgers pitching. The Phillies only hit four home runs in the Colorado series so they will need its sluggers like Howard to come up with some long balls and produce the runs that the Philadelphia pitching needs. Howard will also look to improve on his regular season numbers against the Dodgers. He hit a minuscule .107 against Los Angeles with one homer. Who needs to step up: There were questions about the Phillies’ starting staff before the season started and even with the acquisition of Cliff Lee and the emergence of J.A Happ, their pitching continued to dog them in the Divisional Series. Cole Hamels and Happ both struggled in their starts against the Rockies. Hamels took the lone Phillies loss when he gave up four earned runs in five innings pitched. Happ, who gave up three earned runs in three innings pitched, took a no-decision as the Philly offense bailed out Happ’s subpar effort. The lone bright spot was Cliff Lee who surrendered one earned run in each of his two starts and pitched a complete game in Game 1. The Phillies starting pitching needs to step up in this series if they hope to defeat the Dodgers. They may have a stellar offense, but they cannot rely on it exclusively to win games. Hamels will get a chance to rectify his poor start as he will pitch Game 1 of the NLCS. Player to watch for: It’ll be interesting to see if Lidge can keep up the good start he has in this postseason. Lidge’s season was dogged with inconsistency as he blew a league-leading 11 saves and finished with a 7.21 ERA. Many writers and fans called for Phillies manager Charlie Manuel to take the closer’s role away from Lidge, but Manuel remained loyal to a key part of their championship winning team last season. Lidge saved the Game 3 and 4 wins over the Rockies in the division series, not allowing a run in either appearance. He will need to continue his good play in the NLCS. If he blows one save during this series, it could cost the Phillies a return trip to the World Series. If Lidge can resurrect last year’s pitching form, it’ll make Manuel look like a genius. Los Angeles Dodgers By Eric Scaturro Who’s Hot: The Dodgers finished the regular season with the best record in the National League. Despite most of the “experts” picking them to lose their first round series to the Cardinals, the Dodgers swept St. Louis in convincing fashion. Leading the way was right fielder Andre Either, who caught fire in the Divisional Series, going 6 for 12 with two home runs. After putting together a career year of 31 HR and 106 RBI, Ethier continued to swing a hot bat into October. The Phillies should have more luck against the lefty slugger down with their duo of lefty aces Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Who Needs to Step Up: There is no debate that center fielder Matt Kemp has been the MVP of the Dodgers team all season long. The 24-year-old budding superstar had a fantastic year, batting .297, with 26 home runs, 101 RBI and 34 stolen bases. His stellar fielding and durability made him one of the most valuable players in the National League. However, this Matt Kemp was nowhere to be found in the Divisional Series against the Cardinals. He batted just .143 and struck out eight times in 14 plate appearances. If the Dodgers are going to have any chance against the Phillies, Kemp is going to have to turn it around and resemble his regular season form. Kemp excelled against lefty pitching this year batting .362 with eight home runs in 138 at-bats. Player to Watch: It’s very rare for a team to win 95 games without having a true number one pitcher. While the Dodgers don’t have an ace yet, they feel that one is emerging in 21-year-old Clayton Kershaw. The hard-throwing lefty put in a serviceable start against the Cardinals, but faces a different caliber of lineup in the defending world champ Phillies. Kershaw is going to have to grow up on the biggest stage against one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. One reason Kershaw might have a breakout series is that lefties only hit .173 against him and he struck out an astonishing 48% of lefties he faced this season. This ability will be tested when Kershaw faces lefty power hitters Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. NLCS Predictions Luis Gronda- Dodgers in 7 |
