The Dodgers only have to win one out of the next two games, but their best chance is today.Clayton Kershaw being significantly better than Vicente Padilla is one reason, but another is that Jorge De La Rosa is going for the Rockies. De La Rosa is a quality arm, but he's also a southpaw, and the Dodgers are tied for sixth in the majors in OPS against lefties (.786). Compare that with their league average performance against righties (15th/.749), and you'd think facing De La Rosa would help some. Then again, that's what I thought going into the game against Clayton Richard, and we all know how that worked out.
GT
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Would you rather face the Cardinals or the Phillies in the divisional series?
Before you answer, let me list some facts.
Offense
Los Angeles Against Lefties=.787 OPS/T-6th
Los Angeles Against Righties=.747 OPS/15th
St. Louis Against Lefties=.677 OPS/30th
St. Louis Against Righties=.776 OPS/9th
Philadelphia Against Lefties=.787 OPS/T-6th
Philadelphia Against Righties=.780 OPS/6th
Pitching
Los Angeles Against Lefties=.669 OPS/2nd
Los Angeles Against Righties=.679 OPS/2nd
St. Louis Against Lefties=.739 OPS/8th
St. Louis Against Righties=.670 OPS/1st
Philadelphia Against Lefties=.733 OPS/T-4th
Philadelphia Against Righties=.771 OPS/T-23rd
I know many Dodgers fans prefer the Phillies over the Cardinals, but upon further review, it's not so cut and dry when looked at in general terms.
The Dodgers will start two southpaw pitchers against their playoff opponent right off the bat, and if Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw both go on short rest, there's the possibility of starting four left-handers and one right-hander. Since the Cardinals rank dead last in the major leagues against lefties, that could prove to be a huge advantage. On the other hand, the Cardinals will start four right-handed pitchers, and the Dodgers are merely an average hitting team against righties. The right-handers that the Cardinals will be starting aren't exactly easy ones either.
The Phillies are a great offensive team regardless of the handedness of the pitcher, so the Dodgers run the risk of getting roughed up again. However, Phillies pitchers struggle with getting right-handed batters out, and the Dodgers excel at hitting lefties.
Thoughts?
Original Story:
http://www.memoriesofkevinmalone.com/...
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