MLB 2014 NLDS preview: Cardinals vs. Dodgers

Welcome back and congratulations on your recovery. You didn't miss much. However, you probably should stay awake for the Division Series battle between the Cardinals and Dodgers that begins on Friday.

The Cardinals have been a perennial contender this century, with playoff appearances in 11 of 15 seasons going back to 2000. They've been to the World Series four times in that span, winning twice. They lost to the Red Sox last year. They're back in the mix again and the Red Sox, a terrific organization, aren't, which shows just how good the Cardinals are at what they do -- even if it was more of a struggle this year due to declining offense and pitching injuries.

The Dodgers are simultaneously a veteran team and the new kids with something to prove. They haven't been to the World Series since their winning effort way back in 1988, and though they made it as far as the Championship Series round a couple of times under Joe Torre, they had a rough few years as the Frank and Jamie McCourt ownership and marriage imploded, taking one of the game's jewel franchises down with it. No October baseball, but fresh-cut flowers for every office! They made it back to the NLCS last year, and they return with their mix of younger stars like Yasiel Puig and Clayton Kershaw and salty older guys such as Zack Greinke, Hanley Ramirez, and Carl Crawford.

There must be some mistake. Don't the Cardinals have a starting rotation so deep that they could afford to tell Shelby Miller to go to blazes a year ago at this time?

They did. As Dylan sang, things have changed. Adam Wainwright was excellent as always, a likely owner of a couple of Cy Young Awards in any league that didn't have Clayton Kershaw (though perhaps Johnny Cueto and a few others would have something to say about that) and Lance Lynn had the most consistent seasons of his career. Everyone else was problematic or hurt. The biggest blow came when last year's rookie sensation Michael Wacha suffered a stress fracture in his pitching shoulder and basically disappeared from mid-June on. He's back now, but has been remanded to the bullpen for this series; he just hasn't had time to rebuild his endurance or rediscover his changeup.

With Wacha shelved and everyone else painting in various shades of depression blue, general manager John Mozeliak traded for veterans John Lackey and Justin Masterson. Neither really worked out (Masterson was a disaster), but given Wacha's issues, the Cardinals don't have much choice but to give Lackey a Game 3 start. As for Miller, the Cardinals are fortunate the cat came back. He had a strong finish -- he chalked up quality starts in six of his final seven starts -- and will go in Game 4 if things get that far.

After that, manager Don Mattingly has a choice between Kershaw and the Soup of the Day. Unlike Mozeliak, who acquired pitchers who had at least some history of above-average work (Masterson was outstanding in both 2011 and 2013; Lackey had an ERA title in the distant past and did solid, journeyman-like work for the Red Sox in both '13 and '14 after 2012 Tommy John surgery), Dodgers GM Ned Colletti responded to the loss of Josh Beckett (a blow) and Paul Maholm (a blessing) with the acquisition of journeyman Roberto Hernandez and sub-journeyman Kevin Correia.

Right. Well, no, not exactly. One of the smartest moves of this season, in fact of the last calendar year give or take, was a move Colletti didn't make. While everyone in the sporting press sweated how the Dodgers would divide four outfielders (Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford) into three positions and tried to predict who would be benched or traded, Colletti hung fire, holding on to the lot. It turned out the Dodgers would need all four and Mattingly, through some combination of planning, disrupting injuries, and luck, was able to juggle them until he found a winning combination.

Yasiel Puig (Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports).

I've heard that run-scoring has been way down. Can I expect some offense in this series, or is this going to be like the return of the Deadball era? I'm just old enough to have attended the 1906 World Series, won by the "Hitless Wonder" White Sox, and I'm really not anxious to relive that experience.

I'm beginning to comprehend the nature of your medical difficulties, and I just want to say that I'm thrilled to have you back, Captain America. Insofar as your question, neither team is as bad as all that, but your perception may vary depending on which side is hitting. In addition to the outfielders, the Dodgers were offensively soft at only one position, catcher, and even if A.J. Ellis isn't hitting he's willing to take ball four. The Cardinals didn't really hit well all season. Some, like Matt Holliday (.281/.367/.515), came on in the second half, but they were offset by others, like Matt Adams (.235/.291/.358) who disappeared completely.

Well, no. We use relievers now. Unfortunately, neither team's bullpen was particularly great. The Dodgers seem to use Brian Wilson as a set-up guy mainly because he used to be somebody famous, but closer Kenley Jansen strikes out a ton of batters and had a 90 percent conversion rate this year. The Cards' virginal closer Trevor Rosenthal saw his command vanish in his new role, and though he saved 45 games, putting men on base against a deep lineup like the Dodgers' is a recipe for memorable late-game turnarounds -- in all the wrong ways.