MLB News and Notes Wednesday October 7

NLDS

Colorado (92-70) at Philadelphia (93-68)

The defending World Series champion Phillies, coming off their third straight N.L. East title, open up what they hope will be a repeat playoff run against the National League wild-card winning Rockies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Colorado is sending right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (15-12, 3.47 ERA) to the hill opposite Philadelphia southpaw Cliff Lee (14-13, 3.22) in Game 1 of the best-of-5 division series.

Philadelphia has dominated this series lately, winning nine of the last 11 meetings overall – all decided by multiple runs – including five of the last six in the City of Brotherly Love. This year, the Phillies took two of three against Colorado both at home and on the road. However, two years ago, the Rockies shocked Philadelphia in the first round, winning 4-2 and 10-5 at Citizens Bank Park, then closing things out with a 2-1 road win.

The Rockies finished the regular season on a 5-2 roll as they made a run at the Dodgers in the race for the N.L. West crown, only to fall short on Saturday. Colorado is on positive runs of 5-1 as an underdog, 6-1 against the N.L. East and 4-0 in series openers. However, they were swept in the 2007 World Series by the Red Sox, and they’re on current slides of 4-10 against teams with a winning record and 1-6 on the road against left-handed starters.

The Phillies won the N.L. East by six games over the Marlins, but they finished by losing eight of their last 13 contests, going 1-4 in their last five against teams with winning records. Still, Charlie Manuel’s squad is on a plethora of positive streaks, including 32-13 at home, 7-1 against the N.L. West, 7-0 in home playoff games, 30-11 as a home chalk and 6-1 in playoff games after last year’s World Series run.

Colorado has won nine of Jimenez’s last 12 starts overall and six of his last seven after getting four days off, but with the right-hander on the hill, the Rockies are also on slides of 12-25 on the road, 7-18 as a road ‘dog and 1-4 on the road against winning teams.

Jimenez was 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in his final three starts of the season, including a gem in his final start on Friday when he held the Dodgers to one run on two hits in six innings, striking out 10 and walking four in a 4-3 win in Los Angeles. He has faced the Phillies twice in the regular season, both times at Citizens Bank Park, and he allowed a total of nine runs on 14 hits in 10 innings of work with the Rockies losing both by scores of 6-5 and 7-4. However, Jimenez made the start in Colorado’s 2-1 Game 3 clincher against the Phillies at Coors Field, yielding the one run on three hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

Lee, the reigning A.L. Cy Young Award winner, made 12 starts in a Phillies uniform after being acquired in late-July from Cleveland. He won his first five starts after joining the senior circuit, allowing just six runs (three earned) in 40 innings (0.68 ERA). However, he only had one quality start in his final seven outings and finished 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA with the Phillies.

Lee last pitched on Thursday at home against the Astros, giving up four runs (three earned) in 5 2/3 innings of a 5-3 loss, dropping to 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA in five starts at Citizens Bank. The southpaw’s lone career start against the Rockies came at home on Aug. 6, and he gave up one run on six hits in seven innings, striking out nine and walking one as he recorded a 3-1 victory.

While Jimenez went 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts during the 2007 playoffs for Colorado, this is Lee’s first-ever playoff appearance.

With Jimenez on the hill, Colorado is on several “under” runs, including 15-5-1 overall, 4-1-1 on the road, 8-2 when he faces N.L. East teams and 25-10 when he starts after four days of rest. As a team, the Rockies are on “over” streaks of 4-1-1 overall, 4-1-1 in series openers and 4-0 after getting a day off.

The Phillies have stayed below the total in four of their last six playoff games and six straight as a playoff favorite, but otherwise the team is on “over” streaks of 12-3-1 overall, 4-1-1 at home, 8-1-1 against right-handed starters, 4-0 in series openers and 9-1-1 as a favorite. Finally, the “over” has been the play in eight of the 11 matchups between these teams since the beginning of last season.

ATS ADVANTAGE: PHILADELPHIA

St. Louis (91-71) at L.A. Dodgers (95-67)

Division winners square off in Game 1 of their best-of-5 NLDS at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles when the Cardinals send Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA) to the hill opposite Dodgers’ lefty Randy Wolf (11-7, 3.28).

St. Louis took five of the seven series matchups with the Dodgers this season and have gone 11-4 in the last 15, including 4-2 in Southern California. Going back further, the Cardinals are 10-4 in their last 14 trips to Dodger Stadium and 36-16 in the last 52 meetings overall.

The Cardinals struggled in the final week of the season, going 1-6 overall, 1-7 as a favorite and 1-4 as a road favorite, costing them a shot at the National League’s best record and home-field advantage in the first two rounds. However, St. Louis still finished the regular season on runs of 14-6 against left-handed starters, 22-5 in series openers, 16-6 against N.L. West teams and 9-3 after an off-day. The Cardinals have traditionally been a tough out in the playoffs, going 5-1 in their last six playoff games overall (all en route to the 2006 title), 17-5 in NLDS games and 4-0 in NLDS road affairs.

The Dodgers struggled down the stretch, losing five straight games almost blowing the N.L. West title to the surging Rockies. However, they woke up in time to beat Colorado on Saturday (5-0) and Sunday (5-3) to not only claim their second straight division championship but also home-field advantage throughout the N.L. playoffs. Los Angeles is on positive streaks of 4-1 at home, 7-3 against right-handed starters and 5-1 as an underdog, but it still finished on slides of 1-4 in series openers, 2-6 after an off day and 2-8 on Wednesdays.

With Carpenter pitching, St. Louis is on impressive surges of 92-38 overall (13-4 last 17), 39-19 when he’s a road favorite, 21-6 against N.L. West teams, 25-4 after getting five days off and 35-10 when he starts the first game of a series.

Carpenter went 9-2 with a 2.05 ERA on the road this season and allowed just one run over his last 20 innings of work, including five shutout innings on Thursday in Cincinnati, striking out six, walking one and hitting a grand slam in a 13-0 rout of the Reds. The veteran right-hander had 22 quality starts – at least six innings pitched while allowing three earned runs or fewer – in his 28 trips to the mound, and he yielded two runs or fewer in 20 of those 28 games.

Carpenter has dominated the Dodgers in his career, going 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA in six career starts covering 41 innings, including 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two games this year (6-1 home win; 3-2 road win). St. Louis has never lost to L.A. with Carpenter starting.

With Wolf on the hill, the Dodgers are on several positive runs, including 9-2 overall, 19-7 at home, 4-1 against the N.L. Central and 5-1 when he faces teams with a winning record. He was 4-3 at home with a 3.63 ERA this season, but L.A. finished 13-5 in his 18 outings at Dodger Stadium.

Wolf last pitched on Friday, holding the Rockies to two runs on five hits in five innings, but he got a no-decision as the Dodgers fell 4-3 at home. Wolf allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his final 10 regular-season starts and two runs or fewer in 13 of his final 18 outings, with 15 of those 18 qualifying as quality starts.

Wolf faced Carpenter and the Cardinals on July 27 in St. Louis and gave up two runs in six innings, but Los Angeles lost 6-1. Wolf is 3-5 with a 3.64 ERA in 10 career starts (64 1/3 innings) versus the Redbirds.

Carpenter’s postseason experience is limited to the 2005 and 2006 seasons with St. Louis, and he went 5-1 with a 2.53 ERA in eight starts, including 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in three division-series outings. Wolf has never pitched in the playoffs.

With Carpenter on the hill, St. Louis is on “under” runs of 5-1 in series openers, 4-1 against N.L. West teams and 5-1 against teams with winning records, while as a team, the Phillies are on “under” streaks of 20-8 in playoff road games, 21-6-3 on Wednesdays, 20-8-2 against southpaws and 6-2 against the N.L. West.

It’s been all “overs” for the Dodgers, including 4-0-2 in Wolf’s last six starts overall, 5-1 when he’s a home ‘dog and 10-4-1 when he faces a winning team at home, plus the team is on “over” runs of 7-1-1 against winning teams, 4-1-1 at home and 6-1-1 against right-handed starters.

In this rivalry, the “under” is 9-4 overall dating to the start of 2008, including 5-1 in Southern California.

ATS ADVANTAGE: ST. LOUIS

ALDS

Minnesota (87-76) at N.Y. Yankees (103-59)

Less than 24 hours after capturing the A.L. Central title with a thrilling, 12-inning victory over the Tigers in a one-game playoff, the Twins return to action in the Bronx when they open the best-of-5 American League Division Series against the Yankees. Rookie Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64) will toe the rubber for Minnesota, while the Yankees counter with ace CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37).

The Twins rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 5-4 to outlast Detroit 6-5 at home last night, completing a stunning rally in which they made up seven games in the standings over the final 3½ weeks. Minnesota enters this playoff series on a five-game win streak and they’re on positive runs of 17-4 overall, 7-3 on the road and 5-0 against left-handed starters. On the downside, Minnesota has lost 38 of 55 road games to lefty starters and 36 of 52 against the A.L. East, and Ron Gardenhire’s squad is also 3-13 in its last 16 playoff games, losing six straight ALDS contests.

New York ended the regular season on a 41-17 surge to capture the A.L. East title and become the only team to win 100-plus contests in 2009. The Yankees are also on runs of 41-13 in their new stadium, 37-14 against the A.L. Central, 40-17 versus teams with a winning record and 42-14 on Wednesday. However, Joe Girardi’s squad, which has made the postseason 14 of the last 15 years, has lost back-to-back divisional series, going 1-6.

The Yankees have absolutely owned Minnesota in recent years, going 47-16 in the last 63 meetings, including 23-3 during Gardenhire’s tenure with the Twins. Also, the Yankees are 25-5 in the last 30 clashes in the Bronx. This year, New York went 7-0 against Minnesota, and while four of the contests were decided by one run (and another in extra innings), the Yankees hit .300, averaged 5.9 runs per game and had a 3.27 team ERA, while the Twins batted .232, averaged 3.6 runs per contest and posted a 5.45 ERA.

Duensing appeared in 24 games with the Twins this season, making nine starts, with Minnesota going 6-3 (2-2 on the road). Over his last two starts, both on the highway, the right-hander gave up nine runs (eight earned) in 10 1/3 innings (6.97 ERA), with the Twins winning 8-6 at Chicago and losing 6-5 at Detroit. Duensing’s only career appearance came against the Yankees on July 7 at home – a game Sabathia started – and the Kansas native got rocked for four runs on two hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings of relief, with the Twins losing 10-2.

Sabathia had an outstanding first season with the Yankees, leading the team in wins, ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts. He had a nine-game winning streak halted in his final regular-season outing Friday at Tampa Bay, when he allowed a season-high nine runs (five earned) on eight hits in just 2 2/3 innings, losing 13-4. Prior to that, the hefty lefty had posted a 1.62 ERA over his previous 10 starts with 80 strikeouts against just 19 walks.

Sabathia finished 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 15 starts at home, with New York winning his last seven in a row in the Bronx, and he’s 13-8 with a 3.05 ERA in 28 career starts versus Minnesota. In the 10-2 win in Minneapolis back on July 7, he surrendered a run on three hits over seven innings. Since the start of the 2007 season, Sabathia has given up a total of 10 earned runs in eight starts versus the Twins over 58 2/3 innings (1.53 ERA). The one negative for Sabathia: He’s 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in five career playoff starts.

Minnesota is on “over” streaks of 6-0-1 overall, 6-2-1 on the road and 5-0 against left-handed starters, but the under is 18-6-2 in its last 26 against the A.L. East and 8-3-3 in its last 14 on Wednesday. For New York, the “under” is on runs of 5-2-1 overall, 4-0-1 at home, 4-0 on Wednesday, 4-1-1 versus the A.L. Central and 5-1-1 with Sabathia pitching at home.

Finally, the under is 27-11-4 in the last 42 Twins-Yankees battles in New York (2-1-1 this year).

ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER

Gametimepicks.com

N.L. Division Series
By SportsPic

The stage is set. It's Dodgers vs Cardinals and Phillies taking on the Rockies in N.L. Division Series. Dodgers 95-67 (+$810) overall, 50-31 (+$203) at home wrapping up a second consecutive National League West Title open their division series at Chavez Ravine against the Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals who ended with a 91-71 (+$243) mark including 45-36 (+$740) on the highway. Dodgers haven't been the best in the world lately heading into post season on a 2-5 run. Then again, neither have Cardinals getting swept by Brewers over the weekend marking six losses the past seven on the diamond. Still, the parings of Pujols-Holliday in the lineup and Carpenter-Wainwright in the rotation could spell trouble for Dodgers who were 2-5 vs Cardinals this season and are 4-8 hosting Cardinals L4Y's. Also kicking things off mid-week at Citizens Bank Park will be defending Champion Philadelphia hosting Wild-Card entrant Colorado Rockies. Phi's one game better than last season at 93-68 (+$350) were 45-35 at home dropping -$768 at the cash window.Rockies a solid 20-10 to close the campaign ended 92-70 (+$1531) with a 41-40 (+$633) record on the road. Deep, well balanced the Rockies will present quite a challenge for Phil's who came down the stretch 17-16. Phil's did take 4-of-6 meetings this season however that was before the mini September swoon that saw a decline in starting pitching, specifically Hamels and Lee. Hamels enters 0-2 (0-3 TSR) the last three with a whopping 7.02 ERA, Lee comes in 2-3 (3-3 TSR) his last six on the hill giving up five or more runs in four of the six starts.

Twins at Yankees
By Brian Edwards

Minnesota has been the place to be in the last 48 hours. First, Brett Favre led the Vikings to a 30-23 home win over his former team at the Metrodome on Monday Night Football.

Less than 24 hours later, the same venue was rocking, especially when Alexi Casilla plated Carlos Gomez from second base with a one-out single in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift the Twins to a 6-5 win over Detroit. Bettors cashed tickets with Minnesota listed as a minus-165 favorite at most books. The 11 combined runs sailed ‘over’ the 8 ½-run total.

By rallying to win the American League Central, Minnesota advance to the ALDS to face the heavily-favored Yankees. The Twins will not have the benefit of any rest, either, as they are back in action tonight in the Bronx.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened New York, the AL East champion, as a minus-320 ‘chalk’ to win Wednesday’s Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. Gamblers can dodge the super-expensive straight price by taking Joe Girardi’s club on the run line (minus 1 ½ runs) at minus-160 (risk $160 to win $100). The total is 9 ½ ‘under’ (minus 115).

For the series, LVSC opened the Yankees at a minus-425 rate. Gamblers can take the Twins for a monster plus-325 return (risk $100 to win $325).

Girardi will give the starting nod to C.C. Sabathia, who has a 2-3 record and 7.92 ERA in five career playoff starts. Sabathia should probably get a mulligan for last year’s pour outing (five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings) because the Brewers had him throwing complete games on three days of rest throughout much of last September.

But in the 2007 ALCS against Boston, Sabathia was shelled for a pair of losses and a 10.45 ERA. During the regular season in his first year as a Yankee after signing a $161 million contract, Sabathia compiled a 19-8 record with a 3.37 ERA. However, the left-hander got rocked by the Rays in his last assignment to fall short of winning 20 games for the first time.

As of early this morning, Ron Gardenhire was planning on countering Sabathia with a lefty of his own, rookie Brian Duensing. The 26-year-old from Nebraska went 5-2 with a 3.64 ERA in 24 regular-season appearances, including nine starts.

The Twins have struggled against southpaws with a mediocre 28-32 record, while the Yankees have feasted on lefties to the tune of a 36-18 ledger. The Twins are just 38-43 on the road, while the Yankees are 57-24 at home.

The ‘over’ has hit in five straight Minnesota games and 10 of its last 13. However, the Twins saw the ‘under’ go 79-73 overall, 45-32 in their road games. The ‘over’ is 78-77 overall for the Yankees, but they have seen the ‘under’ cash at a 41-36 clip in their home outings.

The first pitch for Game 1 will be at 6:05 p.m. Eastern tonight on TBS.

The five-game series has a 2-2-1 format with Game 2 scheduled for Friday at Yankee Stadium. Game 3 and Game 4 (if necessary) will on Sunday and Monday at the Metrodome. A potential Game 5 would be back in the Bronx next Wednesday (10/14).

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

Will Yankees’ slugger Alex Rodriguez finally come through in October? He has zero World Series rings to his credit. During the playoffs, Rodriguez has a .272 career average with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 39 career games. He was such a goat in the 2007 ALDS against Detroit that he was dropped to No. 8 in the order by former manager Joe Torre. A-Rod hit just .071 in that series loss to the Tigers.

Like A-Rod, Los Angeles Angels’ slugger Vladimir Guerrero has not performed to his potential in the postseason during his otherwise-outstanding career. Guerrero is hitting just .240 with one homer and seven RBIs in 20 playoff games.

Phillies’ skipper Charlie Manuel changed his mind on his team’s Game 1 starter Tuesday. Instead of going with Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee will get the ball for today’s 2:35 p.m. Eastern start. The defending WS champs are listed as minus-135 favorites against Colorado.

vegasinsider.com

Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Wednesday, October 7

Colorado at Philadelphia (2:37 p.m. EDT). Two years after knocking the Phillies out of the playoffs, the Rockies will try and do it again. Ubaldo Jimenez (15-12) will face Cliff Lee (7-4) in the opener.

Minnesota at New York Yankees (6:07 p.m. EDT). One day after winning the AL Central Division title with a 12-inning victory against Detroit, the Twins send Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64 ERA) against the Yankees and CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37) in Game 1 of the division series.

STAR

Tuesday

Alexi Casilla, Twins, singled home the winning run with one out in the 12th inning to lead Minnesota to a 6-5 victory over Detroit, giving the Twins the AL Central Division title.

COLLAPSE COMPLETED

Detroit's 6-5, 12-inning loss at Minnesota on Tuesday night gave the Twins the AL Central Division title and made the Tigers the first team in Major League history to miss out on the playoffs after holding a three-game lead with four to play. Trying to win their first division title since 1987, the Tigers held a seven-game lead on the Twins on Sept. 6, but limped to an 11-16 finish.

PICKING WEDNESDAY

The New York Yankees announced their decision to start their AL division series opener on Wednesday, hours before they knew who the opponent would be. Then, after 12 innings of an AL Central tiebreaker Tuesday night, they learned it would be the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees could have waited until one hour after that game to pick when they wanted to begin, but made the call about an hour before the first pitch. They picked to get going right away - instead of waiting until Thursday - in the first postseason game at the new Yankee Stadium, meaning the Twins would have about 21 hours between the final out and the first pitch. With the schedule the Yankees chose, the teams will get a day off between Games 1 and 2. The Red Sox and Angels will now start their series on Thursday.

I'M SORRY, GUYS

Detroit star Miguel Cabrera apologized to his teammates for being drunk last weekend while the Tigers were trying to clinch the AL Central title, then delivered two big hits in Tuesday night's tiebreaker loss to Minnesota. The slumping Cabrera had a double his first time up, then hit a two-run homer that put the Tigers ahead 3-0 in the third inning. But it wasn't quite enough. He had two groundouts and a walk the rest of the way and was thrown out at home plate by Twins second baseman Nick Punto in the 12th inning of Detroit's 6-5 loss that gave Minnesota the division championship.

JOSE FOR A.J.

Preparing for his first playoff series as a manager, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi confirmed Tuesday that light-hitting backup Jose Molina will catch A.J. Burnett during the postseason. That probably puts longtime Yankees star Jorge Posada on the bench when Burnett pitches, because Girardi said Hideki Matsui "is probably going to be our DH most of the time.'' Burnett is slated to start Game 2 against Minnesota in the best-of-five first round Friday night, and then a potential Game 5. Both games would be at Yankee Stadium.

STICKING AROUND

The manager with the most wins in Florida Marlins history will be given a chance to increase his total. Fredi Gonzalez will return in 2010, the Marlins announced Tuesday, ending two days of speculation about his status. The Marlins, however, will seek a new pitching coach to replace Mark Wiley, who has been offered a different position in the organization. Gonzalez's job was considered in jeopardy because owner Jeffrey Loria was upset that the Marlins failed to make the playoffs, although they finished 12 games above .500 with the smallest payroll in baseball.

SALE APPROVED

Major League baseball owners on Tuesday unanimously approved the sale of the Chicago Cubs from the bankrupt Tribune Co. to the family of online brokerage billionaire and longtime fan Joe Ricketts. The vote was made during a conference call. Tom Ricketts, who has headed the sale for his family, could take day-to-day control of the Cubs by the end of the month.

SPEAKING

"No matter what we did, it seems like it wasn't meant to be,'' Detroit's Brandon Inge, after a 6-5, 12-inning loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night gave the Twins the AL Central Division title. The Tigers led the one-game tiebreaker 3-0 in the third inning, tied the score at 4-all in the eighth after falling behind, and then moved ahead by a run in the top of the 10th. Detroit, which led Minnesota by seven games on Sept. 6, became the first team in Major League history to miss out on the playoffs after holding a three-game lead with four to play.

LA faces Cards in NLDS

Two of the most historic teams in the history of Major League Baseball will match up in 2009 Post Season, as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

The Cardinals are no stranger to recent post-season success, having won a World Series in 2006. The Dodgers on the hand are coming off back to back National League West Titles but have not won a World Series since 1988.

In recent years the Cardinals have outplayed the Dodgers and did so again this season, taking 5 out of 7 and outscoring Los Angeles 31-19. St. Louis won the first three meetings this season. Los Angeles took a series finale on the road before losing two of three at Dodger Stadium.

Two of the games in St. Louis went extra innings, with each team winning once. The Dodgers own home-field advantage in the series, which could be critical. They’ve lost 14 of their last 17 games in St. Louis. The Cardinals beat Los Angeles in a 2004 division series and the 1985 NL championship series, both en route to World Series defeats.

The Cardinals come to Dodger Stadium with two potential Cy Young award winners, in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright while the Dodgers will counter with left-handers Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw. Joe Torre is playing the numbers by going with lefties in Games 1 and 2. The Red Birds hit .274 against righties and only .234 against lefties.

Numbers can forecast the future but also be deceiving. All seven games in the season series were played between July 27 and Aug. 19. The Cardinals were at their best when they faced the Dodgers. St. Louis was a half-game out of first place before taking three of four from the Dodgers at home, and led by six games after the final meeting this season. Chris Carpenter was 2-0 with 1.20 ERA and Adam Wainwright 1-0 with 1.20 ERA, each in two starts, against Los Angeles. Closer Ryan Franklin was 3 for 3 in saves.

The Dodgers were held to three runs or fewer runs in all their losses to St. Louis, scoring five and seven runs in the victories. Dodger pitchers limited Albert Pujols to a .222 average with a homer and two RBIs. Mark DeRosa, Matt Holliday, Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel each had four RBIs vs. Los Angeles. Rafael Furcal and Matt Kemp each had had four RBIs vs. the Cardinals. Five Dodger players had a .300 average or better against St. Louis pitching Juan Pierre (probably come off the bench), .364, James Loney .357, Casey Blake .345, Rafael Furcal .303 and Russell Martin .300).

The St. Louis Cardinals (91-71) and cruised to a NL Central Championship and are back in the playoffs for the first time since winning the 2006 World Series.

Some could say the majority of success for the Red Birds came down to just four players: Albert Pujols, Matt Holiday, Chris Carpenter, and Adam Wainwright. Wainwright worked six or more innings in 26 straight starts. Carpenter was voted the NL comeback player of the year after missing almost all of 2007 and ’08 season due to injuries. Albert Pujols carried the team early, with 32 homers and 87 RBIs at the All-Star break, and hit 47 homers to win his first NL title despite going without a long ball in his last 79 at-bats. He finished third in the league in batting average and RBIs.

The Dodgers on the other hand held off Colorado to win the NL West, giving Los Angeles consecutive division titles for the first time since 1977-78. The last time they made it to the World Series was 1988, when they upset Oakland.

Last season Los Angeles swept the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the playoffs then lost to Philadelphia in five games in the NLCS.

Los Angeles took sole possession of first place in the NL West on April 19 and finished with a NL-best 95-67 in its second season under Torre. It’s the first time the Dodgers had the league’s best record since 1983, when they lost to the Phillies in the NLCS.

For Joe Torre its his14th straight playoff appearance, tying a record for managers set by Atlanta’s Bobby Cox (1991-2005). The Dodgers, who set a modern major league record by winning their first 13 home games, finished 50-31 at Chavez Ravine—their best home mark since going 54-27 in 1991. They were 29-21 while Ramirez served a 50-game drug suspension.

KEY NUMBERS

The Cardinals were 37-14 after July 1 in games started by Big 3 of Carpenter, Wainwright and Pineiro.

Cardinals won season series 5-2.

Albert Pujols is a career .323 hitter in the postseason with 13 HRs and 35 RBIs in 53 games

Ryan Franklin blew three straight save chances in early September.

St. Louis lost six of seven after clinching the NL Central title.

Manny Ramirez, who has a record 28 postseason home runs, hasn’t gone deep in 31 at-bats since Sept. 18.

BETTING TRENDS

Cardinals are 4-0 in their last four Divisional Playoff road games.

Cardinals are 5-1 in their last six playoff games.

Cardinals are 5-1 in Carpenters last six road starts.

Dodgers are 5-1 in their last six home games vs. a right-handed starter.

Dodgers are 5-1 in their last six games as an underdog.

Dodgers are 29-14 in their last 43 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Playoff Tripleheader

The MLB playoffs start tonight with both NL series and one in the AL. These playoffs are chalk-full of big market teams and betting interest is very heavy.

Below is a brief preview of the two National League series. The other game tonight is the New York Yankees hosting the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins (87-76) won a dramatic one-game playoff over Detroit last night 6-5. They will be exhausted after playing that game and then at 6 pm ET tonight in the Bronx. The 103 win Yankees will be around -300 favorites with CC Sabathia going against rookie Brian Duensing.

Colorado Rockies (+124) at Philadelphia Phillies – 2:30 pm ET

Series Odds: Philadelphia -170, Colorado +145

Season Series: Philadelphia 4-2 (Philadelphia 2-1 at home)

NL Batting Rankings: Philadelphia 1st, Colorado 2nd

NL Pitching Rankings: Philadelphia 6th, Colorado 8th

Colorado (92-70) took the NL Wild Card and even made a good run at the Dodgers in the West. Tonight’s starter, Ubaldo Jimenez (15-12, 3.37 ERA) was a big part of their second-half surge. He went 8-3 with a 2.84 ERA since August 1st and his ERA is pretty evenly split between home and away.

NL East and defending world champion Philadelphia (93-69) surprisingly chose Cliff Lee (14-13. 3.22 ERA) for this start. Last year’s hero, Cole Hamels will go on Thursday after pitching three innings on Saturday. Lee was a deadline acquisition from Cleveland and went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA with Philly.

St. Louis Cardinals (-137) at Los Angeles Dodgers – 9:30 pm ET

Series Odds: St. Louis -150, Los Angeles +130

Season Series: St. Louis 5-2 (St. Louis 2-1 in L.A.)

NL Batting Rankings: Los Angeles 4th, St. Louis 7th

NL Pitching Rankings: Los Angeles 1st, St. Louis 4th

St. Louis (91-71) won the NL Central in easy fashion, so it’s understandable they didn’t play their best down the stretch in meaningless games. Tonight’s starter is Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA) and he’s a true ace in every sense of the word. He has a remarkable 2.05 ERA on the road to go along with a 9-2 record.

The fact that NL West champion Los Angeles (95-67) is starting Randy Wolf says alot. Wolf (11-7, 3.23 ERA) has pitched very good this year, but has never been a team ace and this is his first postseason appearance in 11 seasons. The good news is that L.A. has won nine of his last 11 starts.