Saturday, September 12, 2009 |
Rosenthal On The Postseason Rotations
Here is where the addition of left-hander Scott Kazmir could matter most — assuming that Kazmir continues his recent roll, which is no guarantee.The Dodgers:Kazmir is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA against the Red Sox this season, with both of his starts coming at Fenway Park. He also threw six shutout innings at Fenway in Game 5 of last year's ALCS.
The plan, then, should be this: Right-hander John Lackey in Game 1 at Angels Stadium — he had a 2.63 ERA in his two starts against the Red Sox in last year's Division Series. Righty Jered Weaver — 9-2 with a 2.89 ERA at home, 6-3 with a 4.98 ERA on the road — would pitch Game 2.
That would leave Kazmir for Game 3 at Fenway and either lefty Joe Saunders, righty Ervin Santana or Lackey on short rest for Game 4.
Hoo-boy. Lefty Randy Wolf is battling irritation in his left elbow. Lefty Clayton Kershaw is recovering from an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Righty Chad Billingsley is 3-5 with a 5.23 ERA since the All-Star break. Righty Hiroki Kuroda has started once since getting struck in the head with a line drive.It turns out that righty Jon Garland might be a more important acquisition than most imagined — and that the Dodgers might stand a better chance in the first round if they settle for the wild card and face the Cardinals rather than the Phillies [emphasis mine — RLM].
Garland is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA against the Phillies this season, and the Dodgers' other starters haven't been much better. Kershaw is 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA, Wolf 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA. Billingsley melted down twice against the Phillies in last year's NLCS.
Not a great matchup for L.A.
Labels: angels, dodgers, postseason
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