Playoff Breakdown, Part Three

Now time for part three, the second match-up in the NL, and its a good one. Part four will come tomorrow night after I finally learn who the Yankees will be playing.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. The Los Angeles Dodgers

Catcher: Yadier Molina vs. Russell Martin
Advantage: Cardinals. Prior to this year, I would have said that Martin is much better. However, Martin did not have a good year, and Molina had a great season. Molina took a page out of Bengi's book and became a great singles hitter, with an average of .293. Molina also hit for better power, and became a great addition to the bottom of the Cardinals line up. He also stole 9 bases (compared to Martin's 11), and it goes without saying that his defense is top of the line. Martin struggled at the plate this year, and his defense doesn't come close.

First Base: Albert Pujols vs. James Loney
Advantage: Cardinals. James Loney is very good. Albert Pujols will probably be the best baseball player of all time (OF ALL TIME) when all is said and done. He had an amazing season all around, and is a lock for the MVP. He is the best player in baseball, no question about it.

Second Base: Skip Schumaker vs. Orlando Hudson
Advantage: Dodgers. Schumaker had a very good season, and it compares very well to Hudson's. However, Hudson proved to be a dependable signing yet again, and his veteran presence gives him an advantage.

Third Base: Mark DeRosa vs. Casey Blake
Advantage: Dodgers. Once again, the veteran presence of Blake gives him the advantage on top of the inconsistent DeRosa. Mark came over mid year to play the utility role for the Cards, but his numbers aren't very impressive. At age 35, Blake put up another dependable season, giving him a clear edge.

Short Stop: Brendan Ryan/Joe Thurston vs. Rafael Furcal
Advantage: Dodgers. While Furcal didn't have too great of a season, he once again provides that veteran advantage that the Cardinals platoon doesn't quite have. Additionally, the Card's duo also don't have great numbers, and don't compare too well there as well.

Left Field: Matt Holliday vs. Manny Ramirez + Jaun Pierre
Advantage: Even. As you see, I don't consider Manny and Pierre a platoon split. It is pretty much a sure fire thing that Manny will start, and Pierre will end the game in left. It worked so well after Manny's suspension after Pierre filled in during it, so why would Torre change his strategy. On the other side Matt Holliday wound up being the best mid-season trade this year. Once he was out of Oakland, Holliday crushed the ball in St. Louis and was a a perfect addition to Pujols in the line up. The Dodger duo is good, but Holliday knows how to get it done just as well.

Center Field: Colby Rasmus/Rick Ankiel vs. Matt Kemp
Advantage: Dodgers. Rasmus and Ankiel both had very disappointing seasons (Ankiel was hurt for much of it), but Kemp had a monster season. Kemp had a record season, with over 25 homers, over 100 RBI, and over 30 stolen bases. On top of that, he plays great defense and batted just shy of .300

Right Field: Ryan Ludwick vs. Andre Ethier
Advantage: Dodgers. Ethier was the big power that the Dodgers need in the line up with Manny, and he was the most dependable player for most of the year. He hits well for both power and average, and has really stood out as a franchise player. Ludwick was another Cardinal who had a disappointing year, but he still put up pretty decent numbers. He's another power threat in the line up, but doesn't compare well next to Ethier.

Starting Pitching
Advantage: Cardinals. Dodgers have a good mix of young starters and veterans, but those young arms aren't quite there yet in my mind. Billingsley and Kershaw's records (20-19 combined) don't reflect their very impressive ERA's (4.04 and 2.97 respectively). Wolf and Kuroda are both very good, but I don't think that the young arms will be good enough. On the other hand, the Cardinals have 2 potential Cy Young's with Carpenter and Wainwright, as well as Joel Pinero who had a very good season under the radar.

Bullpen
Advantage: Dodgers. Dodgers have several good relievers that Torre can use in many situations. The Cardinals have many good assets at their disposal, but the Dodgers have more in their arsenal. One downfall of the Dodgers is that Torre has a bad habit of over-using his relievers during the year (another aspect of their young starters), and they might fall apart in the post season from all the innings.

Closer: Ryan Franklin vs. Jonathan Broxton
Advantage: Cardinals. This was a very close match up, but Franklin just narrowly gets the edge here. Broxton has great stuff, and is a great power pitcher. The problem with a guy like him is that if you get to him early, he can unravel very easily. Franklin strikes out considerably less batters, but still manages to have an ERA much less than Broxton's. Franklin is very dependable, and just narrowly gets the advantage here.

Series Prediction: Cardinals in 5. Dodgers are good, but the Cardinals have Albert Pujols. I am interested to see who wins the LaRussa-Torre series though.