Schedule
- Game 1: at Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 9:37 p.m.
- Game 2: at Los Angeles, Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:07 p.m.
- Game 3: at St. Louis, Saturday, Oct. 10, 6:07 p.m.
- Game 4: (if necessary) at St. Louis, Sunday, Oct. 11, TBA
- Game 5: (if necessary) at Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 13, TBA
Dodgers projected lineup
- SS Rafael Furcal (.269, 9 HR, 47 RBI)
- RF Andre Ethier (.272, 31 HR, 106 RBI)
- LF Manny Ramirez (.290, 19 HR, 63 RBI)
- CF Matt Kemp (.297, 26 HR, 101 RBI, 34 SB)
- 3B Casey Blake (.280, 18 HR, 79 RBI)
- 1B James Loney (.281, 13 HR, 90 RBI)
- 2B Orlando Hudson (.283, 9 HR, 62 RBI)
- C Russell Martin (.250, 7 HR, 53 RBI)
- Pitcher
Cardinals projected lineup
- 2B Skip Schumaker (.303, 4 HR, 35 RBI)
- SS Brendan Ryan (.292, 3 HR, 37 RBI)
- 1B Albert Pujols (.327, 47 HR, 135 RBI)
- LF Matt Holliday (.313, 24 HR, 109 RBI combined A's and Cardinals)
- RF Ryan Ludwick (.265, 22 HR, 97 RBI)
- C Yadier Molina (.293, 6 HR, 54 RBI)
- 3B Mark DeRosa (.250, 23 HR, 78 RBI combined Indians and Cardinals)
- CF Colby Rasmus (.251, 16 HR, 52 RBI)
- Pitcher
Dodgers projected rotation
- LHP Randy Wolf (11-7, 3.23 ERA)
- LHP Clayton Kershaw (8-8, 2.79 ERA)
- RHP Chad Billingsley (12-11, 4.03 ERA) or
- RHP Vincente Padilla (12-6, 4.46 ERA combined Rangers and Dodgers) or
- RHP Jon Garland (11-13, 4.01 ERA combined Diamondbacks and Dodgers)
Cardinals projected rotation
- RHP Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA)
- RHP Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63 ERA)
- RHP Joel Pineiro (15-12, 3.49 ERA)
- RHP Kyle Lohse (6-10, 4.74 ERA) or
- RHP John Smoltz (2-5, 8.33 ERA combined Red Sox and Cardinals)
Inside the matchups
Hitting: The Cardinals only batted .234 against lefties, which is probably a big reason Dodgers manager Joe Torre is going with Wolf and Kershaw in Games 1 and 2. But they added the right-handed Holliday at the trade deadline, and he's been outstanding (.353, 13 HRs) back in the National League, protecting the game's best hitter, Pujols, in the batting order. Pujols missed out on the Triple Crown, but led the league in homers for the first time (and finished third in RBI and batting average). DeRosa only hit .220 after being traded to the Cardinals, but has also added pop to the lineup. For the Dodgers, Manny Ramirez has had an odd season since returned from a 50-game performance-enhancing drugs suspension. He only hit 19 homers, his lowest total since he was batting eighth as rookie in Cleveland in the strike-shortened 1994 season. But with an MLB-record 28 postseason homers, he has a knack for rising to the occasion. The Dodgers' best hitters in 2009 were the other two outfielders in the dynamic Kemp and underrated Ethier. Edge: Cardinals.
Bench: The Dodgers made a move specifically designed for the postseason with future Hall of Famer Jim Thome, who will be a left-handed power bat off the bench as a pinch hitter. He has 17 postseason homers (all with Cleveland from 1995-2001) and still is looking for his first homer since being traded back from the White Sox back to the NL, however. Ronnie Belliard (.351 in 24 games with Dodgers) is another option at second base, and Juan Pierre (.308, 30 SB) played in 145 games and will certainly play at some point in this series as well. St. Louis counters Thome with veteran Troy Glaus, who was out for five months with shoulder surgery. He has just 29 at-bats and also has no homers. Former pitcher Rick Ankiel (.231, 11 HR) also provides outfield depth and some power. Two of his homers came against the Dodgers this season. Edge: Dodgers.
Starting pitching: This is a big advantage to the Cardinals, especially in a short series. No team in the playoffs has as good a 1-2 combo as Carpenter and Wainwright, who should both finish in the top three of the National League Cy Young voting. Pineiro is no slouch at No. 3, either. They were a combined 5-0 against the Dodgers this season. It's a perfect scenario for the Cardinals to steal at least one game in Los Angeles. If it goes to a fourth game, Tony La Russa will have to decide between Smoltz and Lohse. The Dodgers' five choices are all very equal, with Padilla the hottest down the stretch (4-0 in seven starts after being cut by the Rangers). Kershaw threw very well in his last start, but he's just 21. Pitching at home should help. Edge: Cardinals.
Bullpen: Ryan Franklin (4-3, 1.92 ERA) was a surprisingly strong closer for the Cardinals, saving 38 games in 43 opportunities. Three of those blown saves came in September, however. The setup crew is strong, with lefties Trever Miller (4-1, 2.06) and Dennys Reyes (0-2, 3.29) and rookie righty Blake Hawksworth (4-0, 2.03). Jonathan Broxton (7-2, 2.61) throws as hard as any pitcher in the league, and saved 36 games in 42 chances for Los Angeles. George Sherill (combined 1-1, 1.70, 21 saves with Orioles and Dodgers) was a good pickup at the trade deadline and is a solid late-innings lefty. Righties Ramon Troncoso (5-4, 2.72) and Ronald Belisario (4-3, 2.04) also contribute. Edge: Dodgers.
Why the Dodgers will win
Joe Torre is in the postseason for the 14th consecutive year, tying Bobby Cox's record. He found a way to lead an underdog Dodgers team past the top-seeded Cubs last season. Ramirez is a postseason monster historically, and went 13 for 25 with four homers last season. They also have the home-field advantage, and the Dodgers were 50-31 at home in 2009.
Why the Cardinals will win
Pitching and defense win in October. The Cardinals have the aces up their sleeves and good defense up the middle in emerging standout shortstop Brendan Ryan. Pujols is a career .323 hitter in the postseason with 13 homers. He hit two homers in a four-game playoff series against the Dodgers back in 2004. And St. Louis hasn't been good to the Dodgers. They've lost 14 of their last 17 games at Busch Stadium.
Prediction
Cardinals in four.
