Belliard Over Hudson And Padilla Over Billingsley

Oh boy.

Furcal SS
Kemp CF
Ethier RF
Manny LF
Loney 1B
Blake 3B
Belliard 2B
Martin C
Wolf P

This isn't a big deal. The difference between Hudson and Belliard is negligible. I prefered Hudson, but I don't really care either way.

To follow Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw in the starting rotation, Torre has tabbed Vicente Padilla to start game three on Saturday in St. Louis. If there is a game four, it would be started by Chad Billingsley. Torre noted that he was "a little more comfortable with where Padilla is right now."

The other potential starting candidate, Jon Garland, will be used in the bullpen during the NLDS.

Torre also mentioned he has not decided whether or not Jim Thome would make the playoff roster.

Full postseason rosters are due tomorrow at 10am.

This could be a problem.

If the Dodgers drop the first two games, that leaves the season in the hands of Padilla. It's an important spot because it gives Torre the option to skip the fourth starter and go with Wolf on short rest, and in a desperate situation, he may do just that.

In that case, I would rather have the season resting on the more talented Billingsley, despite whatever reservations fans might have about his reliability. By the way, in the context of believing Padilla is superior to Billingsley, I find those mentality accusations rather humorous, because it's not as if Padilla is some rock solid mental behemoth that we can all depend on or something.