Oct 05 2008
Dodgers Sweep Top-Seeded Cubs, advance to NLCS
Manny Ramirez hit .399 with 17HR and 53RBI’s with Dodgers in 2008.
One thing you can say about the Los Angeles Dodgers is they have one of the game’s greatest managers in Joe Torre and they have a star and celebrity and future hall of famer in Manny Ramirez. The fans love him, pitchers fear him, and he makes everyone in the lineup around him better by his presence. This theory proved again in the Divisional Series against the top seeded Chicago Cubs. Dodgers swept the series 3-0 and outscored the Cubs 20-6. Manny Ramirez went 5 for 10 with 2 HR’s 3RBI’s 5 runs scored and 4 walks. That is what a star and a clutch player is supposed to do in the playoffs. Ramirez is that star and the Dodgers feed off of him. James Loney also was a key player in this series as he had that big grand slam in Game 1 of the series off all-star Ryan Dempster and in Game 3, he had another big hit in the two-run double off of Rich Harden. Loney only hit .214 in the series, but had 1HR and 6 RBI’s and 2 runs scored in the series, along with some fine defense at first base. Another player who stood out in this series was All-Star catcher Russell Martin. Martin hit .308 with 1HR and 5 RBI’S and had 2 runs scored in this series and he played well behind the plate and called a good series. Which brings me to the starting pitchers of the Dodgers. All three starters in this series pounded the zone with heavy sinkers and dominated the prolific Cubs lineup featuring many All-Stars. All three starters (Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, and Hiroki Koruda) combined to go 3-0 with a 1.42 E.R.A in 19 IP and had a K/BB ratio of 17 to 4. Now that is why the Dodgers won the series. To their timely hitting, big hits, and clutch pitching by their starters, not a supposedly 101- year curse. All the Cubs players and fans can do is tip their hats to the Dodgers, who were the better team in all aspects of the game in this divisional series. That is what it comes down to when you get into the playoffs. Who clutches up and picks their game in all aspects of the game: hitting, fielding, and pitching. Dodgers did that and posted their ticket to the National League Championship Series and will face off against the winner of the Phillies/Brewers series. Philadelphia currently leads the series 2-1.
