L.A.: Kings of the NL

The Dodgers were in the World Series last year … the Brewers were not.

In the NLCS, which begins Friday in Milwaukee, it’s going to come down to experience, pitching and how both teams handle the pressure.

The Dodgers have more of the first two and will be much better and handling the pressure. They have been to the postseason five straight years. The last time the Brewers made the playoffs was 2011. With that said, the Dodgers are minus-140 favorites in Vegas to advance to their second straight World Series.

But let’s take a closer look. Yes, both teams are hot. The Brewers have won 11 straight games and the Dodgers seven of their last eight, dating back to the regular season. L.A. won the season series, 4-3.

I think the Dodgers are better offensively and have better starting pitching. And while the Brewers have a better bullpen, the Dodgers have improved in that department. The Brewers’ bullpen has needed to be better because basically it has been forced to cover at least four innings of every game.

I don’t think that philosophy will work in the NLCS, but Brewers manager Craig Counsell believes pitching his bullpen longer is the best approach for his club. And that’s another issue. Counsell hasn’t been to the playoffs before as a manager. He’ll secondguess himself in situations where he shouldn’t, and I don’t think Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will because of his experience in the playoffs last year.

THE PLAY: Dodgers to win the NLCS.