2008 NLDS Preview: Cubs Run Prevention vs. Dodgers Scoring
Cubs Offense vs. Dodgers Pitching and Defense
Let's finish the preview and see what the Cubs pitching can do against the Dodgers bats.
Dodgers Offense vs. Cubs Pitching and Defense
Dodgers Hitting: .264/.333/.399 .732 OPS(11th in OPS), 126 SB's at a 75% success rate (3rd and 5th respectively)
Cubs Pitching: .242/.316/.395 .711 OPS, 3.87 ERA (1st in BA, 3rd in ERA, , 2nd in the rest,)
Dodgers Hitting vs. Right Handers: .260/.326/.390 .716 OPS
Dodgers Hitting vs. Leftt Handers: .275/.350/.419 .769 OPS
Cubs Pitching vs. Right Handers: .237/.302/.385 .687 OPS
Cubs Pitching vs. Left Handers: .249/.336/.409 .745 OPS
Dodgers are 53-57 when a right-handed pitchers starts the game, 31-21 when a left-handers starts.
Cubs Defense: .706 DER (1st in NL), .832 RZR (6th in the NL)
Cubs Rotation: Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ted Lilly
All Dodgers vs. Ryan Dempster (link) : 175 AB's vs current Cubs with an aggregate line of: .303/.376/.474 .851 OPS, 2.92 ERA in 12.1 IP versus the Dodgers this year.
Best Dodgers Hiiter: Andruw Jones has a .908 OPS against him in 40 AB's
Worst Dodgers Hitter: Jeff Kent has a .688 OPS in 33 AB's.
Trend: 5-2 in his last 10 starts with a 3.10 ERA
All Dodgers vs. Carlos Zambrano (link)
: 199 AB's vs current Cubs with an aggregate line of: .221/.313/.296
.609 OPS
Best Dodgers Hiiter: Russell Martin has a 1.513 OPS against him in 13 AB's
Worst Dodgers Hitter: Rafael Furcal has a .384 OPS in 23 AB's.
Trend: 2-2 in his last 9 starts with a 7.28 ERA
All Dodgers vs. Rich Harden (link)
: 34 AB's vs current Cubs with an aggregate line of: .147/.293/.441
.734 OPS
Best Dodgers Hiiter: Manny Ramirez has a 1.519 OPS against him in 11 AB's
Worst Dodgers Hitter: Casey Blake is 0 for 8 against him in his career.
Trend: 1-0 in his last 3 starts with a 2.65 ERA
All Dodgers vs. Ted Lilly (link)
: 144 AB's vs current Cubs with an aggregate line of: .243/.315/.528
.843 OPS
Best Dodgers Hiiter: Manny Ramirez has a .959 OPS against him in 42 AB's
Worst Dodgers Hitter: Casey Blake has a .673 OPS in 21 AB's.
Trend: 4-0 in his last 4 starts with a 1.93 ERA
Cubs Bullpen: 4.10 ERA as relievers was 8th in the NL. 1.73 WPA was 5th in the NL.
Likely to See: Neal Cotts, Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Marmol Kerry Wood
September Stats for Dodgers Hitters (link):
Nomar Garciaparra: 1.403 OPS
Jeff Kent 1.375 OPS (in 8 AB's)
Andre Ethier 1.249 OPS, 8 2B's
Manny Ramirez 1.218 OPS, 8 HR's
Blake DeWitt .872 OPS, 18 BB's
Pablo Ozuna .833 OPS
Russell Martin .785 OPS
Juan Pierre .758 OPS
Matt Kemp .750 OPS
Casey Blake .711 OPS
Angel Berroa .689 OPS
James Loney .526 OPS
Rafael Furcal .522 OPS (in 4 Ab's)
Danny Ardoin .500 OPS
Some Questions:
- Will Ryan Dempster keep it going in the playoffs?
- How healthy and effective are Zambrano and Harden?
- Who will bridge the gap between the starters and Marmol and Wood?
- Can the Dodgers offense sustain their recent hot streak?
- How effective will Rafael Furcal be?
- Will the Cubs pitch to Manny Ramirez and if not, can the rest of the Dodgers lineup make the Cubs pay?
Thoughts: The only reason this series has any chance of being interesting is because questions linger on whether Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden are healthy enough to be at the top of their games. That and the fact that Lou might use Bob Howry in a game. Nonetheless, the Dodgers offense certainly did improve with the addition of Manny Ramirez, going from 4.14 Runs Scored per game to 4.70, which if they had done that all year would be good for the 6th best offense rather than 13th. I already brought up my concerns that the Dodgers hot streak was inflated by a soft September schedule, but there's no doubt they are a better team than their full season numbers show.
Unfortunately no one but Zambrano and Harden (and maybe Lou) really know if they're at full strength and if they're not, there isn't much any Cubs or their fans can do about it. Sure, Lou could move Lilly up earlier in the series, but the Dodgers have had a lot more luck against lefties than righties, so there isn't much to gain.
The only real concern I have is if the starters can go at least six and hopefully seven innings. The bridge between the starters and Marmol and Wood is the weak link of this team and every pitch made by someone other than Dempster, Zambrano, Harden, Lilly or Marmol is a going to be a dangerous one.
Defensively, the Cubs probably have been pretty solid all year. Lee and Fukudome are probably the two best defenders but there really isn't a weak member in the entire group. Soriano can be a little adventurous, but he also keeps teams from even thinking of taking an extra base and Ramirez's little bout of wild throws seems to have ended.
Final Prediction: Cubs in 4. They split at Wrigley and the Cubs take both at Dodger Stadium.
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