In the next stop on the ghosts of play-offs past tour tonight the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (8:07 pm EDT) for the National League Crown. This year the Dodgers are better and we can’t take a 2-0 lead at home before going to LA. Still the Phillies haven’t spent the season resting on their laurels, and again there’s that pesky on the road record the Phils have that really makes it difficult to count them out no matter what ball park their playing in. There’s also the clutch hitting the Phightin’s showed in the top of 9^th to clench game four against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers, however, are better than the Colorado Rockies by at least two games. I’ll let ESPN catch you up on the past, here’s what you should look for this time around.

Pitching: This will be as big a deal as people make it out to be. Bull pen pitching will make or break the Phillies. We can win if we don’t use our pen and can hit off of theirs, we’ll lose if we get mired if five inning starts followed by platooning of battered pitchers. Ninth inning rallies simply do not happen to the pitching staff of the LA Dodgers, and while Brad Lidge finally turned some lights off in game four, his road to redemption won’t end until mid November (at the very least). This entire season people have harped on the pitching of Philly, and in many cases it’s been overblown, this is not one of those times. Going into LA and giving up runs won’t be acceptable. Our pitching staff needs to immediately calm down and be willing to let our fielders protect them, which is why I really like Pedro Martinez in game two of this series. Do not expect high scoring games and expect us to have to fight for every hit. Watch pitch counts as the higher they get the shorter the outing.

Celebrities behind home plate: This is hands down Dodgers. Last year was a veritable who’s who of uninterested celebrities. It was like the red carpet, while awards for technical editing announced. Never the less watching Chevy Chase talking on his phone through much of the 5^th and then having Emilio Estevez, starting Mighty Ducks chants through the later innings as he struggles to stay relevant isn’t going to help anyone. Watch for these celebrities to be disinterested by having to enjoy the exploits of others. You can also expect several cuts to a disproportionately intense John Cusak who seems to attend games for, and be a huge fan of, almost every team that exists. Don’t be disheartened by this clear star power of the Dodgers, Philadelphia games will have their own glitterati! The cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia could come to a game! Maybe even Vince Papale, who gained fame by being played by Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg in a movie about the Philadelphia Eagles.

Be patient, and then go to your HOME: The Phillies stranded far too many people against the Rockies. Since the pitching should make for barren hitting we can’t leave people stranded in scoring position, or even first if we can avoid it. Our numbers with runners in scoring position nosedived in the first series but don’t worry there’s an easy fix: BE PATIENT! This means no first pitch foul fly outs with men in scoring position; I’m looking at you Pedro Feliz. The best weapon against good pitching is not good hitting; it’s patient hitting. You’re simply not going to get many home run balls off of this staff. The best way to produce bad pitches is work pitch counts. Making a pitcher through five or six pitches per batter is going to lead to mis-located pitches and a short start. The more they use that great bull pen, the less great it will be. Since everyone knows we’re not going to use small ball to manufacture runs, which really grinds my gears, we’ll need to manufacture bad pitches.

A complete lack of knowledge about the Dodgers: Things west of the Mississippi are a complete mystery to people living east of it. It’s a proven fact. Since all media we consume outside of movies is based in the east we simply don’t get the exposure. Unless you’re an avid baseball fan look to be surprised by who is on the Dodgers team, and the interesting stories the broadcasters will force feed you. Many of you may have thought that it was primarily Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez playing catch. Not the case! The Dodgers actually plan on fielding a full line up this series against the Phils. Expect to be impressed by the hardship and adversity they’ve faced in their personal and professional lives throughout their careers.

Cole Hamels’ baby: Seriously, if you see him sitting around unattended watch out for him, maybe alert security.

Series Prediction: Hamels’ indignation, which I may have mentioned at the start of the last series, is going to start looking pretty silly if he doesn’t start winning. Though it’s unlikely we’re taking two in LALA land and Martinez is continually playing for a contract and this is the biggest stage. I’m a huge fan of the three game homestand, it gives us a chance to neutralize any moment them might have and actually game a lead. Unfortunately, for my heart, I see this going seven. Fortunately for my city I think the Phillies can pull it out.