Do or Die Dodgers

Did you see Cole Hamels at the press conference last night? With his hair all nicely combed and styled? I'm not gonna lie to you, that is one good looking boy. The Dodgers have no chance.

First of all, I'd like to congratulate the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. You guys managed to win 100 regular season games and even took a game off the defending champion Red Sox in the ALDS. You did all this with two good (at best) pitchers, and three average pitchers manning your rotation. But then again, in a season where Dustin Pedroia almost outslugs David Ortiz, I guess anything is possible.

WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT ANGELS PITCHING? But don't let my biased dislike for the Angels give you the wrong idea. The Halos easily deserved to be in the playoffs. All I'm saying is that they had no business winning 100 games, nor did they have any realistic shot at the World Series this year. In any case, the Angels are out, so let's focus our attention on a team that still matters. Now about them Dodgers...

In my relentless efforts to prove how doomed the Angels were in the postseason, I forgot to mention one thing: the Dodgers were more doomed. Easily one of the two weakest teams in the postseason, I'm not sure if the Dodgers belonged here this year. Dodger fans love making the case that the acquisition of Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake completely transformed this team. They say that Manny's presence alone has improved those around him. But let's look at this statistically. What changed, really? Matt Kemp and James Loney? They've been just as productive since Manny's arrival, no more, no less. Jeff Kent? Just as much of a non-factor since Manny's arrival as he was before. Andruw Jones? HAHAHA Andruw Jones. So fine. Andre Ethier temporarily lost his mind and slugged nine home runs during a three-week stretch, but he has since returned to normal, and hasn't hit a home run in nearly five weeks. Was Ethier simply maturing and coming into his own as a young, talented hitter? Was he inflicted with a temporary bit of amnesia and suddenly think he was Shawn Green? Whatever the reason, it probably doesn't have much to do with Manny.

So the Dodgers are sending out Chad Billingsley to face off against Cole Hamels tonight in their own do or die game. In fact, they're doing so at this very moment. Billingsley has been the Dodgers most dominant pitcher since the All-Star Break, and will try to rebound from his miserable performance in Game 2. Cole Hamels has been dominant all season, and has continued this dominance in the postseason. And when you have an offense as awesome as the Phillies offense, there really isn't much you can do but sit down on the floor and cry.