NLDS Preview: Dodgers vs Cardinals

85 days.

Oh boy.

If you had asked me a few days ago - hell, a few weeks ago - which team I did not want to play in the playoffs, it would have been the Cardinals. It just seems wrong that you finish with the best record in the National League and that's your reward. But alas, that's the situation we're in.

If I'm Joe Torre, I give the Lou Brown Major League speech before game time.

"All right people, we got 10 minutes 'till game time, let's all gather 'round. I'm not much for giving inspirational addresses, but I'd just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we'd save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves. Me, I'm for wasting sportswriters' time. So I figured we ought to hang around for a while and see if we can give 'em all a nice big shitburger to eat!"

Amen, Lou. And I'll take a set of whitewalls.

The starting pitching disparity is obvious. The Cards have two pitchers who would be considered aces on most teams. The Dodgers... not so much... not yet at least. But the Dodgers managed to pull out of the season with the best starting rotation ERA in the league. Not too shabby.

The offense isn't as bad as it sounds. Sure, the Cards are sporting the best player in the game, Albert Pujols, and Matt Holliday - also known as "this year's Manny Ramirez" in their lineup... but if the Dodgers' lineup wakes up and plays like they did earlier in the year, they have a better 1-8, IMO.

The bullpen is an all Dodger advantage.

So, the gameplan should be obvious.

Work the counts as best as you can. Try to wear down those Cardinal starters and get into their bullpen early. At the same time, these guys aren't going to miss much so if you get the chance, you need to jump on it. Be aggressive... but be cautiously aggressive. That make sense?

They also need to go back to what brought them to the dance. Don't sit around waiting for a 3-run homer. This needs to be a good ol' fashioned National League small ball series for the Dodgers. Work for walks, steal bases, hit and runs... gotta move men station to station and drive them home. These guys are too good to get burned by big homeruns, IMO.

Don't discount the home field advantage. The Dodgers have played very well at home this year. That could always be the difference maker as well.

I know, I know - I sound very hopeful when by all appearances from the last few weeks of the season, there's no reason to.

But that season is over. The second season starts tonight.

Now, do they serve Shitburgers with extra cheese?