Phillies vs. Dodgers: NLCS Breakdown

The Phillies are 4 wins away from the World Series for the first time since 1993. They have gotten this far with a deep lineup, good starting pitching when they needed it and the best bullpen in the league. The question now is if that's enough to get past Manny and the Dodgers. Here's my breakdown of the two teams position-by-position:

Starting Pitching:
Phillies: Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton
Dodgers: Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda

The Dodgers have a major advantage when Derek Lowe takes the mound. He has a ton of postseason experience and he will be poised and calm even if he gives up a few runs. He also keeps the ball low in the zone so he could neutralize the Phillies big power advantage. Billingsley has been great this year but Kuroda isn't someone the Phils should fear. Unfortunately, I would rather have those three pitchers than who the Phillies will send to the mound. Cole Hamels is dominant, but the Phils never know what they are going to get out of the other three. Myers has been either really good or really bad the entire season, Moyer is coming off a terrible start against the Brewers and Blanton has been more miss than hit this season. The Phillies have to win every game that Hamels starts and hope that the right Myers shows up or they have no chance in this series. Edge: Dodgers

Bullpen:
Phillies: Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madsen, Chad Durbin
Dodgers: Hong-Chih Kuo, Jonathan Broxton, Joe Beimel, Cory Wade

The Dodgers took Takishi Saito, their supposed closer, off their playoff roster and replaced him with Hong-Chih Kuo. Broxton closed games in the series with the Cubs, but the Dodgers don't have one dominant guy, instead they have a deep bullpen and they can turn to any number of guys when they need to get the big outs. Despite the Dodgers depth, I would still take Brad Lidge and a perfect 9th inning every time. Madsen has been an excellent bridge to Lidge and Romero and Eyre can get the lefties out. Edge: Phillies

Catcher:
Phillies: Carlos Ruiz
Dodgers: Russell Martin

Anyone who thinks the Phillies have an advantage here is either out of their mind or a total homer. Martin is an up-and-coming superstar and Ruiz is just a decent catcher. Edge: Dodgers

Infield:
Phillies: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz
Dodgers: James Loney, Blake DeWitt, Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake

I was going to break the infield down position by position, but the Phillies would win at every spot anyway. The Phillies infield may be the best offensive infield in the league while the Dodgers have some decent hitters, but nothing that brings the power and speed the Phils have. Furcal's return to the lineup has been crucial for the Dodgers attack and Loney had a great series against the Cubs, but I would take the Phillies 3 All-Star infield any day. Edge: Phillies

Outfield:
Phillies: Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth
Dodgers: Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier

The Dodgers have the best player in the series in Manny. He has always been a monster against the Phillies so I would expect he will get intentionally walked at a steady clip. Kemp is a star in the making and Ethier is no slouch either as they round out the L.A. outfield. For the Phils, Burrell finally woke up at the end of the Brewers series and they are going to need a lot more from him. Werth has been steady and Victorino has a knack for getting the big hits. Still, Manny changes the entire complexion of a game every time he steps to the plate. Edge: Dodgers

Bench:
Phillies: Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs, Eric Bruntlett
Dodgers: Juan Pierre, Jeff Kent, Nomar

Besides Greg Dobbs, the Phillies don't have anyone coming off the bench that scares the other team. Stairs is a professional hitter but he's hardly an impact bat. The Dodgers bench is ancient but they all have a wealth of experience and can make a big play from time to time. Neither team expects too much from it's bench, so this isn't a key part of the series. Edge: Dodgers

Manager:
Phillies: Charlie Manuel
Dodgers: Joe Torre

Let's see, the winner of a number of World Series' against a guy who goes with his gut. Charlie has been more right than not lately and Torre is incredibly overrated, but I would still rather have the guy who's been here before. Edge: Dodgers

My prediction:
The Dodgers win this breakdown by a score of 5-2, although several of the spots can go either way. Most experts agree that the Dodgers have the advantage heading into the series, but I predict that the Phillies win in 7 games. The Phils bats will find a way to get a few runs on the board and the starting pitching will hold up just enough to allow the bullpen to close things down in the later innings. My pick is coming from a Phillies homer, but I really think this team will get it done.

There's nothing left to do now but wait and see. After years of suffering, let's hope the Phils can get back to the World Series for the first time in 15 years. Beat LA!! Beat LA!!