If Billingsley can win, so can Dodgers

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If Chad Billingsley and his team both can rebound from ugly losses this evening, the Dodgers once again become competitive in the National League Championship Series.

True, they’d still be down 3-2 heading to Philadelphia, where they are 0-6 this season, but the Dodgers would have the edge in starting pitching matchups with Hiroki Kuroda going against Brett Myers and Derek Lowe in a Game 7 rematch against Joe Blanton.

Kuroda has been lights-out this season against the Phillies -- 2-0 record, 1.89 earned-run average, nine hits and three walks with 15 strikeouts in 19 innings -- and Myers was far more impressive as a hitter than as a pitcher in his Game 2 victory. As for a potential Game 7, I don’t see Blanton holding the Dodgers down, and I trust that given another lead going into the middle innings, Dodgers coaches won’t even talk about taking Lowe out before he’s ready.

Of course, all optimism starts with the tall task of beating Cole Hamels tonight. But IF Billingsley is sharp and IF the Dodgers score early so the Phillies’ late-innings relief specialists are less of a factor -- yes, a couple of big IFs -- I leave you with this George Knox (Danny Glover) (repeated by JP [Milton Davis Jr.) quote from the movie ‘Angels in the Outfield’:

‘It could happen.’

-- Mike Hiserman