| Free MLB Picks: Dodgers at Phillies Game 5 NLCS 2009 |
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| Written by Benton Vale | |||||||
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Wednesday, 21 October 2009
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MLB Picks - Dodgers at Phillies NLCS 2009: Up three games to one in the National League Championship Series, the Philadelphia Phillies are one win away from back to back National League titles and a return to the MLB World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers, looking to avoid any early elimination will look to starting pitcher Vicente Padilla to get a win. Righthander Padilla is 13-6 this season with a 4.17 ERA. Padilla's opponent in this one will be Cole Hamels. The Phillies ace lefthander has a 4.46 ERA to go along with a 11-12 record this season. Oddsmakers at super-sportsbook Bodog.com currently have the Phillies listed as 144-moneyline favorites versus the Dodgers, while the game's total is sitting at 8½. Dodgers backers are getting +134 moneyline odds .There will be no tomorrow for LA if they lose tonight's game so Dodgers manager Joe Torre is going with a hunch that Padilla will be the best guy to start Game 5. Padilla, released by Texas in August, is as close as the Dodgers have to an ace in October. When he starts, the club expects to be in the game. He is coming off a rousing no-decision duel with Pedro Martinez against his former club, allowing only one run over 7 1/3 innings. And that followed seven scoreless innings in the NL Division Series clincher in St. Louis. In fact, Padilla hasn't lost since signing with the Dodgers. He's handled pressure starts, pitched well on the road and impressed the staff with a devastating hard sinker that he throws consistently for strikes. Hamels, last year's NLCS and World Series MVP has not been sharp this postseason, allowing eight earned runs in 10 1/3 innings (6.97 ERA). Hamels pitched well in Los Angeles in Game 1 before encountering trouble in the fifth. He would earn the win, but he allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings. With a victory Wednesday, Hamels will seal the Phillies' second consecutive NL pennant. Jimmy Rollins' two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Phillies past the Dodgers 5-4 in Game 4 of the series on Monday night. Philadelphia cashed as -125 home favorites, while the teams played OVER the 8.5-run total listed by oddsmakers. Ryan Howard hit a two-run dinger for the Phillies, as Brad Lidge picked up the win in relief of starter Joe Blanton for Philadelphia. James Loney was 2-for-4 with a run batted in for Los Angeles, while Jonathan Broxton was tagged with the loss after allowing the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Phillies now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. Free MLB Picks: We like the Dodgers to avoid elimination; take LA +134. Bet on sports at online sportsbook Bodog.com and receive a 10% Deposit Bonus and start winning today.                        |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 October 2009 ) | |||||||