Dodgers Challenge Phillies in Rematch of NLCS
World Series Champions Host Last Year's Top Pennant Contender
The 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies will host a three-game series at Citizen's Bank Ballpark beginning today against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the first meeting between the two teams since Philadelphia defeated Los Angeles in six games in the National League Championship Series last October.
For the most part, the lineups are similar to those that clashed in the postseason, but there have been some off-season changes and recent developments on both sides that will give this series a different feel.
Dodgers Hurt by Manny Ramirez Suspension
The biggest change from the last time these teams met will be the absence of the Dodgers' best offensive player, left fielder Manny Ramirez, who was suspended for 50 games on Thursday for testing positive for a substance banned by Major League Baseball.
The suspension has had a ripple effect on the Dodgers’ lineup, as Ramirez, who sparked the team to the NL West title and to its first playoff series win after arriving in August from a trade with the Boston Red Sox, was leading the Dodgers with a .348 batting average at the time of the suspension. While still atop its division at 22-11, Los Angeles has lost three of its last four without Ramirez anchoring the lineup and has clearly lost some momentum from its hot start.
Right fielder Andre Ethier, who batted .317 with six home runs and 27 RBI in the fourth spot behind Ramirez, has struggled since moving up to the three-hole, going two for 19 with no RBI since the suspension.
Light-hitting, hard-running left fielder Juan Pierre replaces Ramirez in left field and is the wild card in the Dodgers' lineup. He can fit in at the top or bottom of the lineup and is coming off back-to-back three-hit games. He can also change games with his base stealing ability.
Phillies Need More From Slumping Jimmy Rollins
The Phillies, one and a half games behind the New York Mets for third place in the NL East, are no strangers to slow starts. They’ve labored early in each of the past two seasons, only to heat up and make the playoffs both times. With good health and top-shelf talent, it’s safe to assume the Phillies will be able to shake their current doldrums, but right now, they’re struggling to get consistent production from their lineup.
Philadelphia’s offensive difficulties have centered around the poor start of leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins. Just two years removed from an MVP season, Rollins is batting .195 with a dismal .231 on-base percentage. He and No. 2 hitter Shane Victorino, who is currently mired in a two for 21 slump, need to get on base to make it harder for the Dodgers to navigate the heart of the Phillies’ order.
That unit consists of first baseman Ryan Howard (.287, six home runs), second baseman Chase Utley (.309, 10 home runs) and left fielder Raul Ibanez, who is leading the team in batting average (.327) and RBI (23) after coming over from the Seattle Mariners in the offseason.
The Phillies play in hitter-friendly park and are fourth in the league in home runs with 42 and fifth in slugging percentage (.455).
Matchup on Mound Favors Young Dodgers Pitchers
The series opens today with a starting matchup between left-hander Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 4.91 earned-run average) of the Dodgers and former Dodgers right-hander Chan Ho Park (0-1, 6.67) for Philadelphia. Wednesday's tilt will feature a battle between lefty veterans Randy Wolf (1-1, 2.95) for Los Angeles and Jamie Moyer (3-2, 7.26) for Philadelphia and the finale will be a duel between two of the best young pitchers in baseball, Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley (5-1, 2.45) and lefty World Series MVP Cole Hamels (1-2, 6.67).
Kershaw is developing into a legitimate No. 2 starter and definitely has the edge over the veteran Park, who did show signs of turning the corner with six scoreless innings in his last start. Wolf is having a career year and has allowed just in two runs in his last 17 innings of work, while Moyer was battered by the same Dodger lineup the last time he faced them in Game 3 of the NLCS. Wolf has been a hard-luck pitcher this year when it come to getting wins after leaving with a lead, though, with five straight no-decisions.
Billingsley is off to a better than start than his counterpart Hamels, the Phillies' ace, but the edge goes to Hamels until Billingsley can show he's exorcised his demons against the Phillies, who beat him twice in the NLCS.
In endgame situations, the Dodgers will be better equipped to protect a lead with Jonathan Broxton (3-0) performing well in the closer role - a solid eight for nine in save opportunities. The Phillies return closer Brad Lidge, who did not blow a save in 41 tries last year, but Lidge has failed to duplicate last year's dominance so far, going 0-1 with an 8.53 earned-run average.
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