And since I happened to be in the neighborhood, I decided to drop by Wrigley Field and see what, if any, haps were shaking as we enter the "T-Minus less than a day until Dodgers-Cubs kicks off."   The first order of the day was the 25-man roster, which may not have been quite set in stone- Joe Torre is reserving the right to make any last minute changes before the final cutoff point- but at least has taken the form of quickly drying cement. As BK noted earlier, there wasn't a ton in the way of true "surprises," but that doesn't mean that everyone included or left out met the announcement with a "que sera sera" attitude."  It's probably expected that a rookie like Cory Wade, who began the season with hopes peaking at perhaps some kind of high-level Minor League Player Award, would find it fairly surreal to be included on a big league playoff pitching staff.  "I think I probably would have laughed at them," shrugged Wade on his reaction had somebody told him in April that he'd be in Chicago for October baseball. 

But even some former All-Stars haven't taken their spot on the roster for granted.  Raffy Furcal isn't far removed from speculation as to whether he was even healthy enough to step on a postseason field, much less land in tomorrow's starting lineup.  Torre's decision was met with both happiness and a literal "thank you" from his shortstop, who would have completely understood if he ended up with a bench role, given the stakes involved.  "It's a big league game.  it's not like it's a rehab game."  Plus, as Furcal noted, "Everybody wear the same uniform.  If we lose, we lose together.  If we win, we win together."

The Dodgers have released their postseason roster, though it's not official until tomorrow morning:

Catchers: Russell Martin, Danny Ardoin.
Infielders: Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, Blake DeWitt, James Loney, Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent, Pablo Ozuna, Angel Berroa.
Outfielders: Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Juan Pierre.

Pitchers: Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw, Greg Maddux, Joe Beimel, Takashi Saito, Jonathan Broxton, Chan Ho Park, Ramon Troncoso, Cory Wade. 

Note that Mark Sweeney has been left off, as has Delwyn Young.  With the health questions surrounding Kent and Furcal, carrying the extra IF certainly makes sense to me, especially over DY.  In the pen, I'm a little surprised to see Scott Proctor was left off, especially given the slump of Chan Ho Park late in the season, or perhaps Ramon Troncoso, who hasn't pitched many important innings this year.  But overall, the logic behind the construction of the group seems reasonable.   

They've also released Wednesday's lineup (again, subject to change):

Furcal, SS
Martin, C
Ramirez, LF
Ethier, RF
Loney, 1B
Kemp, CF
DeWitt, 2B
Blake, 3B
Lowe, P

Furcal gets the start, and Loney and DeWitt will both play.  Torre had said he wouldn't likely start Kent and Furcal on the same day, at at least for Game 1, that holds true. 

BK

Let's talk Blue, let's talk NLDS.  My blogging lines are open!

BK

PROGRAMMING NOTE:  Live Chat, 2:30!  Just come back to the site, and you'll see the chat window.

The Dodgers will be led into the playoffs by a guy who, when he's happy, is generally seen as one of the greatest right handed hitters of his (or any other) generation.  And right now, Manny Ramirez is happy.  He and his pedigree of recent postseason success will loom large in the heart of the order, giving teammates and fans alike a warm, fuzzy feeling. The big question, though, is if he'll actually get a chance to swing.

If I'm Lou Piniella (first of all, I'm probably doing some prep work for the series and not writing this post) I'm not pitching to Manny.  At all.  Not unless the situation demands it, and even then, only under a flag of protest.  Roll the ball to him if need be.  In a short series, one decision to get macho and "send my best against your best" can swing a game and scuttle a team.  That's why over the last couple weeks, as we've been kicking around the Blue's postseason chances, I've emphasized the importance of the other guys.  Offensively, the Dodgers won't win this series with Manny, because I can't imagine Piniella will let them.  It'll be the other guys.  Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Casey Blake, Russell Martin, James Loney, Rafael Furcal (I think he'll play), etc. 

It's not just the dudes protecting Manny by hitting behind him, but also the guys in front of him.  If men are on base when Manny rolls to the plate, Piniella has fewer options. Manny could have big hits against the Cubs, but only if his teammates give him the opportunity. 

In other news:

Let's not forget that this, like any five game set, is really about pitching.  Along those lines, get well Derek Lowe. He's been lights out in the second half, and the Dodgers need him to stay that way.

How does... oh.... 2:30 pm sound?

BK

It's official, the Dodgers are heading to Chicago!

It has nothing to do with their Nomar-managed 3-1 loss to the Giants in the regular season finale Sunday afternoon in San Francisco, but a Milwaukee win combined with a Mets loss gives the Brewers the Wild Card and means the Blue head to Chicago for a series between two teams steeped in tradition and history.  2,024 times the teams have played, each winning 1,012, and now they'll see each other in the playoff with both franchises looking to reverse years- in Chicago's case, 100 of 'em- of postseason frustration.  While it's not quite a century, the Blue are a sad 1-12 in their last 13 playoff games, and haven't clutched this guy for 20 years.  (Some might argue the first step for the Blue would be to win two games in the same series.)

The standings say the Cubs, who won 13 more games than LA in the regular season, are the favorites.  The Dodgers, though, were strong in September and have plenty of experience.  The Cubs dominated the season series, but the Blue rightly note they're not the same team that was swept visiting Wrigley in May.   

Of course, for many outside southern California, Chicago is the sentimental favorite.  100 years, people.

When they take the field Wednesday evening, the Blue could have Rafael Furcal back in the starting lineup at short, after he successfully navigated through parts of four games this week.  That's the good news.  The bad?  Hong-Chih Kuo won't be available out of the pen, at least for the first round.  Kuo experienced numbness in his fingers pitching in the pen Sunday afternoon, and the Blue aren't taking any chances.  For Chicago, 2B/RF Mark DeRosa believes he'll be sufficiently recovered from a calf strain to play once Wednesday rolls around.

Just received word on start times for the first three games of the NLDS.  Prepare to call in sick and or catch the flu after arriving at the office on Wednesday morning:

(All games on TBS, all times PST)

Wednesday, October 1. Game 1, at Chicago- 3:37 pm
Thursday, October 2. Game 2, at Chicago- 6:37 pm
Saturday, October 4. Game 3, at Los Angeles- 7:07 pm

BK

Or so the Dodgers hope.  With Milwaukee's win over Chicago and New York's loss to Florida, the Brewers are the Wild Card and the Dodgers head off to the Windy City to play the Cubs.  Obviously, we'll have A LOT more to talk about regarding this series between now and Wednesday, but it's fair to say that the Blue drew the short straw on this one.  Either Philadelphia or the Mets would have been a better matchup, for the simple reason that those teams don't feature a trio of starting pitchers like Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, and Rich Harden.  All three of those guys are capable of thoroughly dominating opponents. 

Dempster, slated to start Game 1, was 14-3 at Wrigley this year with an ERA under 3.00.  Despte all the attention given to CC Sabathia in Milwaukee, you can certainly make the argument Harden has been more effective.  Not necessarily as durable, but in 12 starts as a Cub, Harden's ERA is 1.77.  That's good.  Zambrano, though, sets up as the weak link.  While obviously he's got the talent to pitch big games, a quick look at the splits show a guy who has been very bad in August and September, even with the no-hitter he tossed against the Astros on September 14. 

Ted Lilly, set to start Game 4 for Chicago, has actually been far better of late.

The bad news is the Cubs are the best team in the National League, so it's a shame to lead off with them.  The good news?  Well, there are those who believe that it's too the advantage of the lesser team to play a short series.  If the Dodgers can earn a split in Chicago, momentum swings large back their way.  My gut says it goes five, with LA coming up just short-- but my gut says a lot of things that turn out to be total garbage. 

Plenty more to come.

BK

The Blue still don't know where they're headed for next week's NLDS.  Could be Philly, could be Chicago.  Everything depends on the results of these two games:

Mets vs. Phillies.
Brewers vs. Cubs. 

Both games are close early.  Should the Brewers win and Mets lose, the Dodgers go to Wrigley.  If it's the other way around, they're off to the City of Brotherly Love.  Should both lose or both win, it would force a one game playoff.

BK

Nope.  If the Blue lose today, blame falls squarely on the shoulders of manager Nomar Garciaparra, bench coach Mark Sweeney, and pitching coach Tanyon Sturtze.  Those three will be running the show Sunday in San Francisco, as Joe Torre and Co. take in a guided tours of Alcatraz before a quick jaunt to wine country. 

Okay, I made up the last part, but the players will in fact be pulling the strings (with oversight, I would imagine), including pre and post game media.  Their first act: Giving AJ Ellis his first Major League start.  Should be a fun break for everyone before the postseason kicks off.  It's been 228 days since the start of Spring Training (thanks to Dodgers PR for that number). A little levity can't hurt.

BK