Tonight is the third installment of what has been a great series so far between the Dodgers and Cardinals. The last game between these two had a thrilling eighth inning in which the Cardinals tied the game off of J.P. Howell with a Matt Carpenter two run homerun. The Cardinals were riding all of the momentum at this point only to be let down by their bullpen when the resurgent Matt Kemp hit a solo homerun to put the Dodgers up 3-2 and in a good position to take game three of this series.
Starting Pitchers
Hyun-Jin Ryu (Dodgers): 14-7, 3.38 ERA, 139 Strikeouts
Ryu is one of the more underrated pitchers in all of baseball and often gets overlooked on his on team due to the stars in the rotation. He had a down year compared to his rookie season due to injuries but is a formidable foe especially when matched up against another teams number three starter.
John Lackey (Cardinals): 14-10, 3.82 ERA, 164 Strikeouts
Sure Lackey’s overall numbers look respectable but he had a rough go of things in St. Louis pitching to a 4.30 ERA and a 3-3 record. He’s a guy who has been in the postseason throughout his career but I don’t see him matching up well against the dodgers potent lineup.
Impact Hitters
Matt Kemp (Dodgers): .287 Batting Average, 25 Homeruns, 89 RBI, 77 Runs
In what was a must turnaround year for Kemp he did not disappoint. He finished the season red hot with five homeruns in his last 14 games and carries that streak right into the playoffs with one homerun and a gaudy .556 batting average. The former all star and MVP candidate is a force to be reckoned with right now and should make an impact once again in game three.
Hanley Ramirez (Dodgers): .283 Batting Average, 13 Homeruns, 71 RBI, 64 Runs
Not the player he once was Ramirez still has the potential to be a force in the Dodgers lineup when he is healthy. This postseason he is batting .429 and is still one of the better hitting middle infielders in the game. With the struggling lackey on the mound I like Hanley to pick up whatever scraps Kemp may leave on the bases.
Matt Carpenter (Cardinals): .272 Batting Average, eight Homeruns, 59 RBI, 99 Runs
Through 28 career postseason games, Carpenter is starting to make a name for himself with some big hits. Despite only batting .253 in those games he has racked up an impressive 13 RBI, 14 Runs and three homeruns. If the Cardinals are to take the lead tonight Carpenter is going to need to start things off at the top of the order.
Matt Holliday, (Cardinals): .272 Batting Average, 20 Homeruns, 90 RBI, 83 Runs
As perhaps the biggest name in the Cardinals lineup, Holliday is going to need to turn things around quickly if the Cardinals expect to advance to the next round. As the cleanup hitter he will have to do better than going 0-4 with three strikeouts.
Pitching Advantage
Tonight’s pitching advantage seems to lean heavily in the Dodgers direction. Ryu has only made two postseason starts with a 3.60 ERA in those starts but has been a more proven commodity over the last two year than Lackey has. Both bullpens are fairly strong but I expect Ryu to be able to go just deep enough to give the edge to the Dodgers.
Hitting Advantage
Despite a 10-9 ball game for game one of the series neither team is hitting the ball well as a whole. Each team has two or three batters providing most of the offense, however the Dodgers have a deeper lineup and the slight advantage based off of depth and pitching matchups.
The Dodgers will win because they have a deeper lineup and a more consistent starting pitcher.
The Cardinals will win because they always seem to find a way to make magic in the postseason. From dramatic walkoffs to stellar pitching performances if there is one thing the Cardinals have proven over the last few seasons it’s that they will always make noise in the playoffs.
Final Prediction
Dodgers 5
Cardinals 3