2009 October | Los Angeles Dodgers Fan Blog

Dodgers lineup expected to stay the same for NLCS

Whomever the opponent in the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers are not expected to make changes in the lineup.

It isn’t broken, so manager Joe Torre doesn’t figure to fix it, which means Ronnie Belliard will be the second baseman over Orlando Hudson, Matt Kemp hits in the No. 2 hole and Manny Ramirez continues to bat cleanup.

What really is making the lineup click more than anything right now is Rafael Furcal’s production at the top of the order. He not only had a .500 batting average (6 for 12) in the three-game National League Division Series, he had a .667 on-base percentage. He also is a threat on the basepaths with 12 steals.

Click here to read the full article – By Doug Padilla of Daily News

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October 12, 2009 Posted by GameSetMatch | Dodgers News, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB | Dodgers, dodgers baseball, Dodgers News, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, NLCS | No Comments Yet

Dodgers solve Carpenter, take Game 1

Chris Carpenter had always found the Dodgers to be easy prey.

Six times the St. Louis righthander had gone against the NL West Division champs, and he was 5-0 with a 2.20 earned run average. In his last 32 innings against the Boys in Blue, the Cy Young Award contender had held them to three runs.

And the way the Dodgers staggered into the playoffs, moving to the cusp of an epic collapse, it stood to reason that Carpenter would help himself to another healthy portion in last night’s first game of the NL division series at Dodger Stadium.

Click here to read the full article – By Ray Parrillo of philly.com

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October 8, 2009 Posted by GameSetMatch | Dodgers News, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB | Baseball, Dodgers, dodgers baseball, Dodgers News, Los Angeles, MLB, NLDS | No Comments Yet

Torre chooses Belliard at second

Orlando Hudson feels grateful merely to be on anybody’s roster this season, much less getting ready for the first postseason series of his career.

Actually playing would be even better.

It’ll happen, but not at the start of tonight’s Dodgers-Cardinals Game 1 at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Tuesday he’ll go with Ronnie Belliard at second base for the opener against Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter.

Belliard “doesn’t have as wide a range (defensively) as Hudson does, but I think offensively he’s maybe a little fresher right now,” Torre said Tuesday.

“We asked O-Dog to do a lot of stuff early in the year. And he played his tail off and continues to do that. But it was just a decision I decided to make, and we’ll go day-to-day right now. We’ll go with Belliard and see what we have.”

Click here to read the full article – By Jim Alexander of The Press-Enterprise

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October 7, 2009 Posted by GameSetMatch | Dodgers News, Joe Torre, MLB | Baseball, Dodgers, dodgers baseball, Dodgers News, Joe Torre, LA, LA Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Ronnie Belliard | No Comments Yet

Kershaw ripe for breakout, comparison

Sooner or later, Clayton Kershaw seems destined to be “The Guy” of the Dodgers’ starting rotation — and it’s looking more like sooner rather than later.

He was a 20-year-old rookie bit player in last year’s playoffs with two innings of relief, but he’ll be starting Game 2 of the National League Division Series against St. Louis on Thursday, the youngest Dodger given the ball in the postseason since Fernando Valenzuela. Randy Wolf earned the Game 1 nod based on consistency and experience, but it is Kershaw’s electric left arm that has the potential to dominate, even against a lineup as potent as the one the Cardinals possess.

Click here to read the full article – By Ken Gurnick of MLB.com

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