Can the Dodgers beat the Phillies?

It looks like the 2009 NLCS is destined to be a really exciting playoff series. With the Dodgers and Phillies facing off, two of the best teams in baseball will play up to 7 games, vying for a shot at the World Series. The winner will advance to face the winner of the series between the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees.

Game 1 of this series was really exciting, with the Phillies beating the Dodgers in Los Angeles. This was a stark contrast from the Dodgers vs. Cardinals Series, in which the Angels easily swept the NL Central Champion Cardinals in 3 games. While this came as a surprise to many, it did lead people to wonder if this Dodgers team is better than they’ve let on all year.

Game 1 was a close matchup between Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ young ace, and Cole Hamels, a Phillies ace who has had a bad year.

Even though Kershaw was much better than Hamels during the regular season, Hamels came out in Game 1 and outplayed the young Dodgers pitcher.

With a 1-0 series lead, the Phillies play one more game in Los Angeles before returning to Philadelphia for two games against the Dodgers. Every game matters a lot in playoff situations and one has to wonder if one more Philadelphia win in Game 2 would be enough to kill the Dodgers’ chances of advancing to their first World Series in over 20 years.

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