So, here they are, the Los Angeles Dodgers. C students of the postseason, baseball's nothingdictorians. Barely a .500 team ... but they can dream.

No one should be favoring the Dodgers against the Cubs in their 2008 National League Division Series, who outscored their opponents by more than a run a game. But since the Dodgers do have the starting pitching capable of shutting down an opponent and a slugger capable of rallying them with one swing, it might be worth at least seeing who's who and what's what.

And away we go ...

Catchers

Player	PA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	EQA
*Russell Martin	649	.385	.396	.781	103	.284
*Danny Ardoin	54	.278	.314	.592	53	.208
Gary Bennett	23	.261	.381	.642	64	.218
A.J. Ellis	3	.000	.000	.000	-100	.000

*likely on NLDS roster
Martin slumped in the second half again, but he actually put together a pretty decent September (.424 on-base percentage) and he caught some dugout Zs once the Dodgers clinched last week. He enters the postseason as someone who can initiate or extend a rally. Ardoin replaced Bennett, the opposite of a complete player (incomplete? uncomplete? noncomplete?) months ago, and does what you ask of a backup catcher. The Cubs probably won't see Ardoin unless something goes really right or really wrong for Los Angeles. Minor leaguer Ellis made his first career start Sunday.

Infielders

Player	PA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	EQA
*James Loney	647	.338	.434	.772	98	.272
*Jeff Kent	474	.327	.418	.745	91	.258
*Blake DeWitt	417	.344	.383	.728	88	.259
*Angel Berroa	252	.304	.310	.614	60	.222
*Casey Blake	231	.313	.460	.773	97	.267
*Nomar Garciaparra	181	.326	.466	.792	102	.273
*Rafael Furcal	164	.439	.573	1.012	160	.346
Mark Sweeney	108	.250	.163	.413	10	.127
Chin-Lung Hu	129	.252	.233	.485	27	.166
Luis Maza	88	.282	.278	.561	46	.196
Andy LaRoche	69	.319	.322	.641	67	.230
Pablo Ozuna	32	.242	.375	.617	57	.205

*likely on NLDS roster
Loney played in 161 games this season but because of recent inconsistency, he gave way to Garciaparra in two starts against lefties last week (both of which produced home runs). With second baseman Kent also limping back into the swing of things as another option at first base, there's a good chance Loney will be in a platoon arrangement. Still, expect Loney to get most of the at-bats at first base.

For his part, Kent has been given to good and bad streaks that left him an average hitter at best this year. Given his shaky knee, he will give up starts at second base to surprising rookie DeWitt, who hit Death Valley at midsummer but OPSed over .900 in September.

Historians will gasp, but forever will it be written that the regular shortstop for the 2008 NL West Champions was none other than Mr. Berroa. While the Kansas City kastoff had his moments, Furcal will be an improvement upon him just by being upright. Whether Furcal can remain that way is another matter. An MVP candidate through the first month of the season, Furcal had two hits Saturday, rested Sunday and remains the biggest question mark on the roster.

In his two-plus months with the Dodgers, Blake showed solid power at third base but not that much production in the way of getting on base. At a minimum, he's someone Cubs pitchers have to be careful of.

With those seven potentially on a roster together for the first time, Sweeney might finally be pushed off the 25-man squad after surviving the year with the seventh-lowest OPS+ by a non-pitcher in Dodger history (minimum 100 plate appearances). Sixth on that list is a name the Cubs might recognize: Daryle Ward. With at least two first basemen on the bench for every game, Sweeney would cost countless amounts in excess baggage if the Dodgers tried to check him on their flight to Illinois.

The presence of Furcal already eliminated the slick-fielding Hu, who might well have been the most approriate 25th man, from the NLDS. Ozuna, who was designated for assignment August 27 but then cleared waivers (shock) and returned, could still grab the final roster spot, but with Garciaparra available as an emergency shortstop behind Berroa and Furcal, it really doesn't make sense to include Ozuna's weak bat-and-glove combo. (Maza and LaRoche are no longer with the organization.)

Outfielders

Player	PA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	EQA
*Matt Kemp	653	.340	.459	.799	104	.280
*Andre Ethier	594	.375	.510	.885	126	.301	.
*Juan Pierre	402	.327	.328	.655	70	.245
*Manny Ramirez	229	.489	.743	1.232	213	.406
Andruw Jones	238	.256	.249	.505	32	.170
*Delwyn Young	141	.321	.341	.663	72	.232
Jason Repko	19	.250	.222	.472	24	.202
Terry Tiffee	5	.400	.250	.650	74	.253

*likely on NLDS roster
Kemp set a Dodger season record for strikeouts, lost a chunk of points off his batting average and can look lost at the plate sometimes. And then you look again, and he's just lashing and dashing. He has grown into his center field position nicely, looking positively graceful at times, and in doing so makes his .280 EQA more than tolerable. The media will be looking to pick on him - hopefully he can play a gaffe-free series.

Ethier, a streak hitter throughout his first three seasons in the majors, absolutely caught fire as the season wound down, turning in a banner year. Again, I'm feeling media-conscious: Don't let the TBS announcers try to convince you he simply rode the Ramirez coattails - Ethier did plenty on his own. Even if he slumps, he's an absolute battler at the plate. It also should be mentioned that Kemp and Ethier combined for 27 outfield assists.

Was Pierre watching the 2004 World Series? His best chance to shine will be in the Dave Roberts role, which he is nicely suited for - much more than that of starting outfielder. Fortunately for the Dodgers' sake, the team finally found three outfielders it was happy to start in Pierre's place. It was never personal.

Ramirez hit. Jones did not.

Young, as noted before, is finding himself having to make a case for inclusion on the roster. His numbers frankly didn't turn out that great this year, and his defense is suspect, so it's not as if banishing him from the roster turns him into Jean Valjean. But his potential is higher than the alternatives. Repko and if he's amenable, Tiffee will cheerlead from afar.

Pitchers

Player	IP	OBP	SLG	K/9	GO/AO	ERA	ERA+
*Derek Lowe	211	.285	.352	6.27	2.48	3.24	136
*Chad Billingsley	200 2/3	.324	.363	9.01	1.59	3.14	141
*Hiroki Kuroda	183 1/3	.299	.359	5.69	1.59	3.73	119
*Clayton Kershaw	107 2/3	.344	.405	8.36		4.26	104
*Chan Ho Park	95 1/3	.336	.413	7.46	1.92	3.40	130
Brad Penny	94 2/3	.378	.465	4.85	1.77	6.27	71
Hong-Chih Kuo	80	.263	.303	10.80	1.18	2.14	207
*Cory Wade	71 1/3	.256	.328	6.43	1.10	2.27	195
*Jonathan Broxton	69	.298	.297	11.48	1.24	3.13	141
*Joe Beimel	49	.347	.324	5.88	1.09	2.02	219
*Takashi Saito	47	.294	.299	11.49	1.05	2.49	178
*Greg Maddux	40 2/3	.294	.417	3.98	1.66	5.09	87
*Scott Proctor	38 2/3	.355	.478	10.71	0.73	6.05	73
Eric Stults	38 2/3	.315	.417	6.98	0.73	3.49	127
Ramon Troncoso	38	.333	.384	9.00	3.37	4.26	104
Jason Johnson	29 1/3	.357	.504	6.14	2.38	5.22	85
Esteban Loaiza	24	.291	.447	3.38	0.62	5.62	79
Brian Falkenborg	11 2/3	.313	.409	6.94	2.10	6.17	72
James McDonald	6	.261	.273	3.00	0.33	0.00	----
Scott Elbert	6	.452	.615	12.00	1.75	12.00	37
Yhency Brazoban	3	.438	.538	9.00	0.60	6.00	74
Tanyon Sturtze	2 1/3	.222	.250	3.86	0.20	0.00	----

*likely on NLDS roster

Lowe was sensational in the second half: a 2.38 ERA, including 0.59 in September. The Cubs didn't have to wait that long to struggle against him, going 4 for 23 with two walks and two double plays in seven scoreless innings against Lowe on May 28 - in a game the Dodgers lost by allowing runs in the ninth and 10th innings. The Cubs will come out ready to lumber, but if anyone were primed to follow Jose Lima as the second winning Dodger pitcher of the past 20 years, it's Lowe. As always, infield defense behind him will be critical.

And yet, the true ace of the staff this year was Billingsley, who turned 24 in July. Billinglsey struck out a batter an inning while posting the fifth-best adjusted ERA in the NL. (Game 1 Cubs starter Ryan Dempster was third at 153.) Billinglsey has exceeded his career high in innings by far, but like many other Dodgers he picked up some rest, throwing two innings in a tuneup run Saturday.

According to Baseball Prospectus, Kuroda led qualifying NL starting pitchers in FLAKE - which is a technical term but should be self-explanatory. His range of performance never let you be certain of what to expect; the potential for utter greatness or disappointment is more than present. Still, he was good more than he was bad.

Those three should carry the Dodgers through the maximum five-game series, allowing Kershaw and Maddux to grab a couple of chairs in the bullpen. Whether or not the young lefty is suited to make a pressure appearance in the middle of the inning is unclear - although it's worth noting that even with his control issues, his on-base percentage allowed was still less than that of Beimel. Meanwhile, Kershaw brings that great strikeout potential. Still, he might be the last guy chosen to appear - and that's before considerations of resting his young arm are factored in. Maddux is certainly an intriguing choice to use in relief against his original team - he certainly isn't going to walk anyone - but he still is risky enough to likely remain a reserve to the reserve.

Park has been on the Dodgers all season and a pleasant surprise at that for the most part. Had the absolutely scintillating Kuo been healthy, the Dodgers might have been forced to push either Park or Proctor off the roster, and while Proctor has looked fairly solid coming off a long (and shamefully overdue) disabled list stint, Park has really struggled the past two months. Even if the case for including promising young McDonald founders on his propensity at this stage to allow fly balls in droves, Park still shouldn't be allowed to grip a baseball in Wrigley Field.

While Kuo and Penny sit on the sidelines - one trying to work his way back for a potential NL Championship Series appearance, the other wondering about his contract status - Wade quietly continues as a middle-relief savior for the Dodgers. Something interesting to note is that Wade has been a lot luckier than Troncoso, who was left off the roster. Opponents are hitting .216 on balls in play against Wade, .350 against Troncoso, even though Troncoso gets more strikeouts and grounders. Wade has been magic all year; the Dodgers are hoping it doesn't run out, as he definitely will join Beimel, who hasn't allowed a home run in a team-record 103 games since July 21, 2007, as a regular element out of the pen.

The marquee names of the Dodger bullpen are Saito and Broxton. Like Furcal and Kent, the 38-year-old miracle from Japan has been making a late-September comeback from injury. While Dodger fans will be eager to see him back in the games, it's not as if he isn't fallible, not with three losses and four blown saves. But the goal here isn't to put Saito down - not when he's striking out 11.5 batters per nine innings and allowing an OPS below .600. The point is that Broxton does the same. If it's true that Broxton does so a little less effectively in save situations, that point has been vastly overstated. The bottom line is, if the Dodgers have a lead after seven innings, the team could hardly be in better hands, even if those hands have white knuckles.

No one else will figure in the Dodgers' postseason plans. Stults could have been filling the Maddux role but for one bad start in Colorado that submarined what had been a fine season for him. Johnson was something of the opposite - he was ineffective far more than he wasn't and has joined Penny in going home. Elbert briefly looked like he might make a stab as another lefty in reserve, but couldn't control that reborn arm of his enough to gain Torre's confidence. Maybe next year. Brazoban is trying to get his career back together, while Falkenborg, Loaiza and Sturtze are no longer in the organization – as players. Sturtze has made the unusual decision to remain as a second bullpen catcher for the Dodgers.

Summary
May 26-28, the Dodgers allowed a total of eight runs in three games to the Cubs - and were swept. For the season, the Dodgers held the Cubs to 19 runs in seven games - and lost five. Billingsley, Kuroda and Lowe started all but one of those seven. The Dodgers know their pitching can succeed against the Cubs.

But the hitting? Hard to say. The last time the Dodgers played the Cubs was June 8, nearly two months before Ramirez joined the team. In their seven games against Chicago, Pierre had the most plate appearances (and OPSed .563). Hu, Maza and Berroa combined at shortstop to go 1 for 24 with one walk. On the other hand, though Loney and DeWitt also struggled with sub-.600 OPSes, Kent, Martin, Ethier and Kemp all hit well. The point is, this is not the same Dodger offense the Cubs faced earlier this season. Replacing Pierre with Ramirez and inserting Furcal could transform Los Angeles.

Whether this is a Dodger team that will perform any better than the May-June 2008 Dodgers, or for that matter the 1989-2007 Dodgers ... there's just no way of knowing. Several hopeful Dodger teams in the past 20 years have gone ever so gently into that bad night. The Dodgers somehow have to change that.

It starts with Lowe and Ramirez. Anyone can be a hero, but those two have been going so well for so long that they are poised to make an impact that Dodger fans haven't seen in a generation of postseasons. For them to reverse their two-month-old hot streaks right here and now would bring a confounding agony to Dodger fans.