Billingsley vs. Hamels
Wed, Oct 15 8:22pm EDT
Myers vs. Kuroda
Fri, Oct 17 8:22pm EDT
Sat, Oct 18 8:22pm EDT
Jose Mota's Scorecard| Phillies | Category | Dodgers | Reason |
| Dodgers | Hitting | The Phillies will need more from Chase Utley and Ryan Howard than they got during the NLDS. Manny Ramirez, a healthy Rafael Furcal and hot-hitting Dodgers youngsters will be hard to stop. | |
| Dodgers | Pitching | Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge are Phillies' stalwarts, but others will need to step up, especially Brett Myers. Playoff veteran Derek Lowe leads by example and the influence of Greg Maddux on youngsters is obvious. | |
| Defense | Phillies | Natural leader Jimmy Rollins sets the tempo of a Phillies defense that can cover ground, especially in CF with Shane Victorino. Dodgers catcher Russell Martin must keep his pitchers working at a fast clip. | |
| Dodgers | Manager | Joe Torre's wealth of October experience could be the difference for the Dodgers. Charley Manuel has already taken the Phillies farther than in 2007, and he uses his bench and bullpen effectively. | |
| Dodgers | Intangibles | The Phillies carry a big chip on their shoulder and the city is crying for a winner. But the Manny Effect kept the Dodgers loose and focused enough to win their first playoff series in 20 years. |
Jose's Pick is the DODGERS. The Dodgers look like a team with momentum and with young players stepping up to the challenge, especially after cruising through Wrigley.
Yahoo! Sports Experts Pick:
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| Philadelphia | ||
| LA Dodgers |
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