PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - NL East Champion; defeated Colorado, 3-1 NLDS
LOS ANGELES DODGERS - NL West Champion; defeated St. Louis, 3-0 NLDS
the second straight year, the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers will battle for the right to represent the National League at the World Series when the best-of-seven NLCS gets underway on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.Philadelphia, of course, needed five games to get past the Dodgers a year ago en route to its first World Series title since 1980.The Phillies followed up their second-ever championship with their third consecutive NL East title, going 93-69 in the regular season. The Dodgers also won back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1977-78.
These teams are also no stranger to one another in the postseason. In addition to last year's matchup, these teams have met on three other occasions. The Phils beat LA in 1983 to advance to the World Series, while the Dodgers defeated them the first two times they squared off (1977-78).The Dodgers won the season series with the Phils, 4-3, as they took two of three at Citizens Bank Park and split the four games at Chavez Ravine.
These teams are very evenly matched. Their lineups are extremely similar, but Ramirez is not the same hitter he was last year and Ethier does not hit lefties, who he could be facing in the first three games. If the Phillies are going to win this series they are going to have jump on the Dodgers early because there won't be any late inning comebacks against this Dodgers bullpen. In the same vein, I think Lidge could be OK. He will have you at the edge of your seats probably every time he pitches, but like last year, he will get the job done in the end. Even though Hamels has been average at best this season, he and Lee are about as good a 1-2 combination as there is in the league and that will be the difference for the Phillies this series.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - NL East Champion; defeated Colorado, 3-1 NLDS
the second straight year, the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers will battle for the right to represent the National League at the World Series when the best-of-seven NLCS gets underway on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.Philadelphia, of course, needed five games to get past the Dodgers a year ago en route to its first World Series title since 1980.The Phillies followed up their second-ever championship with their third consecutive NL East title, going 93-69 in the regular season. The Dodgers also won back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1977-78.
These teams are also no stranger to one another in the postseason. In addition to last year's matchup, these teams have met on three other occasions. The Phils beat LA in 1983 to advance to the World Series, while the Dodgers defeated them the first two times they squared off (1977-78).The Dodgers won the season series with the Phils, 4-3, as they took two of three at Citizens Bank Park and split the four games at Chavez Ravine.
These teams are very evenly matched. Their lineups are extremely similar, but Ramirez is not the same hitter he was last year and Ethier does not hit lefties, who he could be facing in the first three games. If the Phillies are going to win this series they are going to have jump on the Dodgers early because there won't be any late inning comebacks against this Dodgers bullpen. In the same vein, I think Lidge could be OK. He will have you at the edge of your seats probably every time he pitches, but like last year, he will get the job done in the end. Even though Hamels has been average at best this season, he and Lee are about as good a 1-2 combination as there is in the league and that will be the difference for the Phillies this series.
