The following table compares the 2008 seasons of the Dodgers and Cubs, opponents in the NLDS.

The Cubs led the majors if run difference, outscoring their opponents by 184 runs. The Dodgers came in 13th in the majors with a +52. Four teams that failed to make the playoffs finished ahead of Los Angeles, including the Mets and Cardinals. This is one of those unfair years.

Of course, the offense above looks at the whole year, and the Dodgers improved once they acquired Manny Ramirez. Starting August 1, 2008, the Cubs still led the NL with 5.29 runs per game. The Dodgers scored 4.63, 0.3 runs over their 2008 average. That was good for 7th in the NL. So while Manny did improve the team's scoring, he only moved them to the middle of the pack. (Note that the highest scoring team in the majors since the Manny trade is the Boston Red Sox, 5.79 runs per game.)

That leaves the Cubs as the superior offensive team. The Cubs get on base and hit for power extremely well; those are the two things an offense should do well. On top of that, they hit for average. A pitching staff that doesn't walk batters, such as the Dodgers, must still contend with a team that can bang out base hits on balls in the strike zone. The Cubs multidimensional offense is simply difficult to pitch around. If a staff shows a weakness, Chicago can exploit that opening.

The Cubs also trot out a Lake Woebegone offense, where all the batters are above average. In the 1-8 slots, the lowest composite OBA is .342, from the leadoff spot. The Dodgers first five slots are good, but there's a huge falloff from 6-8. Basically, the Cubs sport only one easy out in the lineup, the pitcher, while the Dodgers send out four.

Chicago's staff nearly matches the Dodgers in terms of ERA. The Cubs pitchers, with their high strikeout totals, keep balls in play low. That prevents hits. In terms of BA allowed, Cubs opponents hit just .242 to .251 for the teams facing the Dodgers. Those are the two best marks in the National League.

Not surprisingly, the Cubs won the season series, but it was closer than the record indicates:

In May, the Dodgers lost three games at Wrigley, scoring one run in each game. They then split a four game series with the Cubs in June on the west coast. Five of the games were decided by two runs or less, and the Cubs took all five. The loss of Hong-Chih Kuo for the series won't do anything to improve those outcomes.

The Dodgers pitch very well against righties, and that may be an advantage over the Cubs. Most of the big boppers on the team, Soraino, Lee, Ramirez and Soto are all righties. Indeed, those four did not hit well against the Dodgers this season.

With comparable pitching staff and a much better Chicago offense, my nod goes to the Cubs in the Series. I rate them at about a 65% chance of defeating the Dodgers.

Cubs batters vs. Dodgers, 2008.

Dodgers batters vs. Cubs, 2008.

Cubs pitchers vs. Dodgers, 2008.

Dodgers pitchers vs. Cubs, 2008.