The National League Championship Series has been set with the Dodgers riding Matt Holliday’s error in Game 2 to sweep the Cardinals and the Phillies defeating Rockies closer Huston Street twice to defeat the Rockies in four games. Let’s go position by position and take a look at the NLCS.
First Base
Philadelphia: Ryan Howard, a playoff monster who always seems to come up with the big hit for the Phillies. Batting cleanup behind Chase Utley and in front of Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez forces teams to pitch to Howard, and any mistake can end up 450 feet away. Howard is not the best defensive first baseman, but not the worst either.
Los Angeles: James Loney has never quite reached the potential most scouts thought he had. Is really nothing more than an average first baseman. Loney did have a hot September but only batted .250 in the NLDS.
Advantage: Philadelphia
Second Base
Philadelphia: Chase Utley, for my money Utley is the best second baseman in the game. He can do it all, has power and speed and is very good defensively. Teams have to pick their poison when pitching to the Phillies lineup, do u go at Utley or Howard, not much fun for a manager. Utley had an outstanding NLDS, batting .429 with two home runs.
Los Angeles: Rafael Belliard/Orlando Hudson, if you put these two together they wouldn’t equal one Chase Utley. Hudson is a solid player that would certainly be an asset to any team, but came into the NLDS with a cold bat and Belliard has started stealing some of his playing time.
Advantage: Philadelphia
Shortstop
Philadelphia: Jimmy Rollins, had an up and down regular season. Was terrible in the first half, very good in the second. Neither one really matters much now. Rollins has the experience you want and doesn’t dwell on the negatives from AB to AB. Also got to love that he can take you deep at any moment.
Los Angeles: Rafael Furcal, much like Rollins had an up and down regular season. Unlike Rollins he will not provide as much pop, but the Dodgers offense rolls when he gets on base. Exhibit A was him batting .500 in the NLDS and the Dodgers sending the Cardinals home with a sweep.
Advantage: even
Third Base
Philadelphia: Pedro Feliz stranded a boatload of runners in the NLDS. Can provide the occasional pop but not a reliable offensive threat. Good fielder though.
Los Angeles: Casey Blake, much better player than one would think by looking at him. Sort of the heart of the offense as his energy seems to ignite the team. Valuable player also in that he can play multiple positions although with LA he is only needed to play third.
Advantage: Los Angeles
Rightfield
Philadelphia: Jayson Werth has quietly had an MVP like season. Can hit for power, steal a base, or drive in a run with a single. Truly an all around threat. Doesn’t get the recognition he deserves playing in a lineup with Howard and Utley.
Los Angeles: Andre Ethier came into his own this season with what seemed like 20 game winning home runs. Biggest question mark for Ethier is his ability to hit lefties. So far that has been a problem, and the Phillies will probably start at least three of them.
Advantage: Philadelphia
Centerfield
Philadelphia: Shane Victorino, reminds me of the little engine that could. Big time leader for the Phillies who is a little ball of energy. Like Rollins, he can be a nightmare for opposing teams when he is on base, but he can also hit the long ball.
Los Angeles: Matt Kemp could be the next superstar in MLB. 30/30 player who just now may be realizing how good he can be. Number would’ve even been better this season had Manager Joe Torre not batted him in the bottom of the lineup throughout the first half of the season.
Advantage: Los Angeles
Leftfield
Philadelphia: Raul Ibanez, most thought the Phillies overpaid for Ibanez during the offseason, but he was earning every penny of his contract and then some with a torrid start to the season. A groin injury slowed him down some, but Ibanez is still a threat at the plate.
Los Angeles: Manny Ramirez, funny how when Manny came back from being suspended for steroid use he just wasn’t the same hitter anymore. You can think what you want, but the Dodgers seem to feed off of Manny whether he is hitting or not. His play in leftfield is always good for a laugh or two as you have no idea what he might do.
Advantage: Philadelphia
Catcher
Philadelphia: Carlos Ruiz, just an average catcher. Handles the pitching staff well, can keep runners in check, and provide some pop from time to time.
Los Angeles: Russell Martin, sort of living on his past reputation. Not a top backstop anymore. Only batted .111 in the NLDS and he can be run on.
Advantage: Philadelphia
Starting Pitching
Philadelphia: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, JA Happ, Joe Blanton: Solid staff with three lefthanders. Hamels needs to revert back to his form from last year’s playoff run where he was pretty much unhittable. Lee has been great. Totally dominated the Rockies in the NLDS. Happ is a solid lefty who has had his ups and downs. Blanton has pitched much better this season than expected and throws strikes.
Los Angeles: Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw, Vincente Padilla, Chad Billingsley: Wolf is a pitcher who everyone thinks they can hit, but he gets the job done. Kershaw is a future CY Young award winner and his matchups versus Cliff Lee should be fun to watch. Padilla has pitched very well this season whether it was for Texas or LA. Remember, the only reason Texas released Padilla was because his teammates were fed up with him hitting opposing batters because they then had to pay the price. Billingsley is the wildcard as he lost confidence in September and almost lost his rotation spot.
Advantage: Philadelphia
Bullpen
Philadelphia: Brad Lidge, if Lidge has regained his feel for pitching, and he did save the last two games of the NLDS, than the Phillies bullpen lines up perfectly with Ryan Madson being the setup guy, if Lidge has the yips again than the Phillies are in trouble.
Los Angeles: Jonathan Broxton has had a great season and the addition of George Sherrill has given the Dodgers a hard throwing lefty to pitch the 8th. The only worry here is that Manager Joe Torre has a tendency to use the same relievers over and over again thus wearing them down.
Advantage: Los Angeles
Intangibles
Philadelphia: The defeated the Dodgers in the NLCS last season. Have the experience of winning the World Series last season. Won’t have the problem of playing in the cold weather when the series moves to Philadelphia.
Los Angeles: Home field advantage. Joe Torre has been to the playoffs what seems like the last years.
Advantage: Philadelphia
Prediction:
Philadelphia in 7
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