Cole Hamels and Phillies travel back out west to take on the Dodgers for an NLCS rematch.  If the Phillies are a little tired when the 2009 NLCS finally gets underway in Los Angeles on Thursday, it’s because they’ve been racking up the air miles traveling back and forth across the country the past few days following Monday’s dramatic win over the Rockies in Denver.

The Dodgers made quick work of the Cardinals with a 3-0 NLDS win and will be well rested when the Phillies come to town.  Originally most thought Randy Wolf would be Game 1 starter and odds were released as -110 favorites.  That line has since moved into the -130s, even -140 at some shops with the word on Thursday afternoon that Joe Torre was going to go with Clayton Kershaw instead.

Cole Hamels was “The Man” last postseason earning MVP in the NLCS and World Series.  Over Hamels’ last six starts vs. the Dodgers, Philly is 4-2 with the southpaw sporting a 2.04 ERA over 44 innings.  That includes two wins in last year’s NLCS and a 5-hit shutout on June 4 in LA when the Phillies won 3-0.

Some have slightly questioned the bold move of Joe Torre starting young lefty Clayton Kershaw, however, Wolf has never made an NLCS start before and this could set him up comfortably in the #3 spot pitching in Game 3 in Philadelphia.  Wolf spent 8 years in Philadelphia so he is familiar with the city and fans. 

As many predict, this NLCS matchup could come down to the bullpen.  Philadelphia certainly doesn’t have the same bullpen they did in 2008 and LA had the best in the majors this season.  Brad Lidge is starting to show some confidence but will he, if given the chance, regain 2008 form?  This will be the biggest question mark in this series, if these games are dominated by starting pitching, which team’s bullpen with withstand the pressures? 

It’s hard not to give the pre-series nudge to Philadelphia considering last year’s run.  Most considered Colorado a hotter team entering the postseason than LA and Philadelphia hung tough in that series by making timely hits.  If the Phillies can get quality outings from their starters Hamels, Lee, Pedro and Blanton their offense will continue to do what it does best.  If the Phillies are able to ride their emotion from Colorado to LA and jump on Kershaw early, which they have done in the past, they will take Game 1 and not look back….Phillies win NLCS 4-2 and return to the World Series to defend their title. 

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Tags: Dodgers, MLB, NLCS, Odds, Phillies, World Series

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 4:08 pm and is filed under MLB Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.