Staff Blog
Throw out the playbook on the Dodgers
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The last time the Dodgers came to Philadelphia the Phillies were worse hosts than Magic Johnson. They outscored the boys from LA 27-5 and swept them in a four game series, sending them home with their tails between their legs, looking up at division-leading Arizona.
So things look for the Phils right? Just repeat the formula, turn up the heat and wait for the Left Coasters to wilt until the pressure of a town that cares about its sports, right?
Not so fast. Bill Plaschke, LA Times columnist / Around the Horn media whore (I say that lovingly, Plaschke has come to bat for the Complex before), penned an article today pointing that the reason why the Dodgers look like a different team since that fateful sweep: they are a different team.
“It’s pretty strange,” said pitcher Derek Lowe. “When people come up to me and ask why we’re not the same team as earlier in the season . . . well, it’s because we’re literally not the same team.”
In fact, the lineup that the Dodgers used to win had the NLDS had never played together before the division series. Manny Ramirez is the headliner, but Casey Blake, Blake DeWitt, and Rafael Furcal were all late season additions – either by trade, recall, or injury rehab. As Plaschke points out, even old guys have taken new roles. Former stars Jeff Kent, Juan Pierre, and Nomar Garciaparra have all been sent to the bench, Jonathan Broxton has been closing for only about half the season and Cory Wade, his setup guy, has only filled that role for about a month.
Can the Phillies beat the Dodgers? Sure, of course. But they probably shouldn’t be looking to their past success to find out how and why.
