MLB Baseball / Vin Lowe / 15 October 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now

The LA Dodgers will be glad that in Game One of the NLCS they are facing the Phillies' Cole Hamels on the mound, writes Andy Morris.

Hamels had a great 2008 but has not been the same guy this year, and the Dodgers will be confident they can get off to a great start by beating him.

It's true that Hamels beat them twice in two starts in last year's NLCS to win MVP honours in the series, but he wasn't able to repeat that success in the 2009 regular season, and I don't expect him to be up to the task here.

He finished the 2009 season with a 10-11 record, and even worse, he was 0-2 with a 7.02 ERA in his last three regular-season starts.

He was obviously hoping to shake off that record when going into postseason, but he allowed four earned runs in five innings in a 5-4 loss to the Rockies.

Hamels left that game after being taken out to attend the birth of his first child, and perhaps it's a distraction that will prove to further hamper him.

Hamels had Andre Ethier and Rafael Furcal's numbers this season, while Orlando Hudson has always struggled against him and was hitless in six at-bats in the 2009 regular season. But Martin Russell batted .400 against him this season and Ronnie Belliard hit .333 including a two-run dinger.

Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley could only manage one hit apiece this season against Clayton Kershaw, who will be on the mound for the Dodgers, and that was in a combined 12 at-bats.

Kershaw went 8-8 on the season, with a 2.79 ERA, and won't be bothered by having lost his outings to the Phillies this year.

He used his four-seam fastball and his curveball to record strikeouts throughout the regular season, and limited hitters to a .200 average.

The 21-year-old lefty will take the ball on the back of a solid performance in what was his first postseason start against the Cardinals.

He threw 6 2/3 of two-run ball against them in what was a comeback win, and showed no nerves.

The fact that he is a left-hander can only help the Dodgers as the Phillies have some big left-handed bats in their lineup, and he has proved himself this season to be a dominating pitcher.

So go with the Dodgers to get this series off to a solid win in front of their own fans.