Philadelphia: The Phillies haven’t been graced by the presence of the Dodgers in the NLCS since 1983. Winning three games to one, Philly downed L.A. but found themselves World Series losers against Baltimore. We fast forward to 2008 and the Phillies are a team categorized by spurts of offensive dominance followed by a void of production from the plate.

This was a club that swung through pitches for a .235 BA in the month of August only to improve with a .263 BA in September. Hitting .250 and scoring 3.8 runs per game in the four games played against Milwaukee in October, it’s apparent that Philadelphia is on a roller coaster ride when it steps into the batter’s box. Even more disturbing is a .171 BA with nine strike outs with runners in scoring position during the club’s stint in the NLDS.

Heading into Game 1 of the NLCS, No. 1 starting pitcher, Cole Hamels will receive a full seven days of rest. This could be a double-edge sword, however, as the left-hander is 5-5 with a 3.87 ERA in 88 innings pitched on five days of rest or more. To put this in perspective, Hamels was 9-4 with a 2.68 ERA when coming off four days of being idle.

Looking ahead to Games 2 and 3, Brett Myers and veteran Jamie Moyer are locked and loaded for their first appearances in the NLCS. Myers is coming off a solid outing against Milwaukee in Game 2 of the divisional series. His seven innings of work yielded two runs allowed on only two hits. As for the crafty lefty, Moyer has gone 3-2 in only six career postseason appearances in 21 years in the league, with opponents finding a way to generate a .306 BA.

In head-to-head matchups during the regular season, Philadelphia swept L.A. in a four-game set from Aug. 23 to 25, outscoring its opponent 27-5. Looking further back reveals that the Phillies struggled on the West Coast against the Dodgers by dropping another four-game series from Aug. 11 to 14.

Three players coming off successful swings in the NLDS include Jimmy Rollins (.375 BA), Shane Victorino (.357 BA, five RBIs) and Pat Burrell (four RBIs). Slugger, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley combined to produce a .158 BA, while sitting back down in the dugout with nine strikeouts.

Projected Starters: Cole Hamels – Game 1; Brett Myers – Game 2; Jamie Moyer – Game 3;

Dodgers: Cutting right to the heart of this matchup has L.A.’s strong suit on the pitching side of things. Starting slingers, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda combined for a 3.38 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP during the regular season. Could these numbers solidify the rotation for continued success?

Slated to get the ball in Game 1, Lowe has been a stud in September and October contests, constructing a 21-15 record with a 3.14 ERA since entering the league in 1997. In 19 career starts during the postseason, the right-hander is 5-4 with a 3.01 ERA. In Lowe’s last 10 appearances during the hunt for October, teams he’s hurled for (Boston and L.A) have gone 7-3.

The 35-year old starter is 3-0 in four starts versus Philadelphia in the last three years (four total starts). The Phillies’ bats have also struggled, logging in a .211 BA with two runs scored per game in those same four outings.

Chad Billingsley is still plenty young and has a long career ahead of him to knock opposing teams dead. In his third season in the Majors (with the Dodgers), Billingsley increased is overall record to 35-19 with a 3.33 ERA (6-10, 3.14 ERA during the ’08 regular season). It may be his third year in the league but the righty will be making his fourth appearance in a playoff game.

On Aug. 25, in a 5-0 loss in Philadelphia, Billingsley logged in six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while walking five batters.

Offensively keep an eye on catcher, Russell Martin. Not only did the 2007 Gold Glover record a .284 BA with 41 RBIs on the road during the regular season but five RBIs, one long ball and three doubles against the Cubs in the NLDS is good indication of a quick start to postseason play.

Of course there are Manny Ramirez’s five hits, five runs and two dingers over the fence in the past NLDS but what’s important is how pitchers are reacting to batters before the big man steps into the box. The pressure on the opposition to throw strikes before Ramirez steps to the plate has given Martin and Rafael Furcal great opportunities at making contact with the ball.

Pay attention to first baseman, James Loney who finished the NLDS batting a low .214 average. But between the numbers reveals Loney’s six RBIs on only three hits (a team high in RBIs during this postseason).

With nine holds during the regular season, reliever Cory Wade has already logged in two holds, giving up three hits and one earned run for a 2.45 ERA. With 14 saves on the season, closer Jonathon Broxton has thrown in 3.1 innings, striking out five batters for one save against the Cubs.

Projected Starters: Derek Lowe – Game 1; Chad Billingsley – Game 2; Hiroki Kuroda – Game 3

Series Price: The NLCS will be played in a 2-3-2 format. Most books have installed the Phillies as $1.25 favorites, while the Dodgers are catching a slight +105 price tag.