Pitching changes will be big factor in this year's Phillies-Dodgers NLCS

LOS ANGELES - Many of the key players remain the same: Manny Ramirez still anchors the middle of the Dodgers lineup. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier still bring an abundance of talent. Cole Hamels again will be the Game 1 starter. And, with the exception of Raul Ibanez, the Phillies lineup will look almost identical to the one that squared off against the Dodgers in last year's NLCS.

But a lot has changed since the last time these two teams met in the postseason. Last year, the Dodgers' pitching strength was their rotation. This year, it's the bullpen. And vice versa for the Phillies. Last year, the Phillies had an advantage with their bench. This year, the Dodgers boast lefties Jim Thome and Juan Pierre and switch-hitter Orlando Hudson.

Can the new-look Phillies beat the new-look Dodgers and advance to their second straight World Series? Here are some of the questions they'll have to answer:

Q. Aside from Hamels in Game 1 and Cliff Lee in Game 3, how will the Phillies construct their rotation?

A. Although Charlie Manuel has not announced his Game 1 starter, Hamels is a no-brainer. He says he loves the mound at Dodger Stadium, and the numbers back him up: In two career regular-season starts in LA - one of them a complete game shutout in June - he has allowed two runs on 10 hits in 16 innings. Last NLCS, he allowed one run on five hits in seven innings of the Phillies' 5-1 win in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium.

Lefthander Lee, who turned in two brilliant outings in the NLDS, should start Game 3 in Philly on normal rest. But what to do about Games 2 and 4? The matchups suggest that the Phillies will go with righthanders Pedro Martinez and Joe Blanton. The Dodgers lineup is packed with hitters who love to face lefties. Switch-hitter Rafael Furcal hit .261 against righties and .296 against lefties this season. Matt Kemp hit .362 with eight home runs against lefties. Casey Blake, Ron Belliard and Russell Martin all hit better against lefties than righties.

The Dodgers bench, meanwhile, features Thome and Pierre from the left side of the plate. The Phillies are thin on lefties in the pen, and experienced veteran Scott Eyre was already pitching with a loose body in his elbow when he sprained his ankle in Game 3. Eyre rebounded to pitch in Game 4, but it would make sense for the Phillies to put lefthanded starter J.A. Happ in the bullpen while starting Martinez in Game 2 and Blanton in Game 4.

Q. How does the potential return of Chan Ho Park affect the Phillies bullpen?

A. Park, who suffered a strained hamstring in mid-September, is not a lock for the NLCS roster. But if he does return, he will provide the Phillies with a pitcher capable of pitching both multiple innings and at the back end of the bullpen. Brad Lidge recorded saves in Games 3 and 4 in the NLDS and Ryan Madson allowed three runs in one inning in Game 4, but Manuel still likes Madson in close games.

If Park does return, the Phillies will have to clear a roster spot for him. There are two possibilities: Righthander Kyle Kendrick, one of two pitchers on the NLDS roster who didn't appear in a game, and righthander Brett Myers, who has retired just eight of the last 19 batters he has faced dating back to the regular season.

In Myers' lone postseason relief appearance, he walked two and hit one with a pitch in 2/3 of an inning.

Even if the Phillies decide they do not need Kendrick, or if they don't put Park on the NLCS roster, they will have to determine whether Myers can be effective enough to keep around. He has not been the same pitcher since suffering a lat strain in mid-September, relying mostly on his curveball and cutter while staying away from his fastball. Righthanders Tyler Walker and Clay Condrey are two options the Phillies could consider to replace Myers.

Q.Can the Phillies overcome the Dodgers bullpen?

A. Make no mistake - the Phillies will be facing a bullpen that is much improved since their last series against the Dodgers in June. Although the Phils had success off of Ronald Belisario back on June 6, scoring two runs in the seventh inning in a 3-2 loss, the young righthander went 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA the rest of the season. Fellow 26-year-old righty Ramon Troncoso posted a 2.72 ERA in 73 appearances during the regular season. And lefty Hong-Chih Kuo has allowed just three hits in 21 career at-bats against the 13 position players who were on the Phillies' NLDS roster. But the biggest improvement has come in the form of George Sherrill, a lefty the Dodgers added in a trade with the Orioles in July. Sherrill has allowed just two runs and 19 hits in 30 appearances with the Dodgers and in his career has held lefties to a .163 average.

Q.Is it time to do something drastic with the lineup?

A. Manuel used the same lineup for all four games of the NLDS. And why not? The Phillies hit .296 and scored 20 runs during the series, with six of their eight regulars hitting over .300. But this is a different series, and a different opponent, and Manuel might decide that he needs a different lineup to counteract the special challenges the Dodgers present. Can the Phillies afford to be in a situation where Kuo or Sherrill faces Utley and Howard in consecutive at-bats? Especially with lefties Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw slated to start?

One potential solution involves moving Jayson Werth, who hit .357 with two home runs in the NLDS, in between Utley and Howard. Manuel could then hit Shane Victorino, who hit .353 with a home run in the NLDS and finished the regular season hitting .314 with a .389 on base percentage against righties, fifth in between Howard and Ibanez.

That would give the Phillies a lineup - 1. Rollins, 2. Utley, 3. Werth, 4. Howard, 5. Victorino, 6. Ibanez, 7. Feliz, 8. Ruiz - with more balance.