Dodgers and Cardinals Battle to Start Second Half

The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals have work to do in the second half of the 2009 season if they are to have any chance of post-season action. These teams will square off in a 4 game series starting Thursday that may either propel them to a solid second half or send them into a tailspin.

Both the Dodgers and Cardinals have solid pitching staffs that are capable of shutting down their opposition. St. Louis has more recognizable names with Carpenter and Wainwright, but Los Angeles is loaded with young talent that has the potential to take this team to the top of the NL West.

Friday’s match-up pits Clayton Kershaw against Chris Carpenter. This seems like a huge mismatch, but if you look at their statistics you’d see that they are very similar. Kershaw is 9-4, while Carpenter is 9-3 this season. Kershaw actually has a lower earned run average to this point in the season, and has 20 more strikeouts in 13 less innings. Carpenter has slightly better command as he has allowed just 38 walks to Kershaw’s 50, but overall it would be easy to say that Kershaw is the better pitcher this year.

Offensively, the Dodgers have the edge in many of the key categories. They lead St. Louis in batting average, runs scored, runs batted in, triples and doubles. The Cardinals clearly have more power with the likes of Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in their line-up, but Los Angeles knows how to manufacture runs.

There is still a long way to go before the season is complete, but this series to start the second half of the year may be critical to the confidence of both clubs. St. Louis is still considered the odds on favorites to win the National League pennant despite trailing the Cincinnati Reds in their own division. The baseball picks that the oddsmakers in Vegas make are mostly predicated on what the betting public decides. The Cardinals have been in the hunt for several years now, while the Dodgers are still searching for a deep playoff run. Friday may be the beginning for a big post-All Star game run for one of these teams. Who that may be is a question that will be answered come Sunday.

Related posts:

1. Dodgers host Cardinals in NL Showdown Friday
2. Kershaw and Dodgers look to Take down Lincecum
3. Angels and Dodgers Fight for Series Win Sunday
4. Reds and Dodgers Battle in National League Showdown
5. MLB First half Surprise and Disappointment

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