How the Cubs can avoid Dodger danger

When legendary broadcaster Harry Caray sensed that the home team was in trouble, he'd bellow, "There's danger here, Cherie."

The Cubs aren't in trouble. With the best record in the National League, they'll be favored to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League division series, which begins Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field.

"We feel different because last year we went with a lot of confidence," said Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano. "This year we go with a lot of confidence, but be careful, because last year it was the first time, my first time here.

"My second time with the team going to the playoffs, I feel a little different, and I hope everybody starts playing better because that's the key.

"In the playoffs, it's not (always) the best team that wins. It's the team that plays better."

That's the trap facing the Cubs in this best-of-five series. Soriano should know. He was one of the culprits last year, when the Arizona Diamondbacks swept the Cubs in three games.

The Cubs take the National League's best record (97-64) into the series against the Dodgers (84-78), who had to scramble to win the weak NL West.

But the Dodgers present danger on several fronts. Here is a look at some of those areas and how the Cubs can ward off that danger:

The Manny factor: Left fielder Manny Ramirez remains one of the most dangerous hitters in the game, and he has 24 postseason home runs.

When the Dodgers traded for Ramirez on July 31, they were hoping for an offensive spark. That's just what they got, as Ramirez hit 17 homers, drove in 53 and batted .396 with a .489 on-base percentage and a .743 slugging percentage in 54 games.

To avoid the danger of Ramirez, the Cubs should take a page out of the White Sox' book. In the 2005 World Series, the Sox made sure Houston's Lance Berkman didn't beat them.

The Dodgers have other weapons, but the Cubs have to make someone other than the time-tested Ramirez get the big hit.

Game-planning: The Dodgers have had their scouts out in full force watching the Cubs. If they watched last year's NLDS, they saw that the D'backs gave Soriano nothing to hit.

Guess what? Soriano swung anyway and went 2-for-14. Ditto for third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who went 0-for-12.

Soriano went just 2-for-21 on the just-concluded road trip, and maybe he was talking about himself when he talked about "playing better." His 13 walks in September represented his best monthly total of the year, so maybe that's a sign of hope for the Cubs.

For the Cubs to go, Soriano has to go in the leadoff spot. That means not swinging at the breaking stuff out of the zone that the Dodgers' righties will throw at him.

Keep an eye out: The Cubs scored 855 runs this year to lead the National League. The Dodgers were 13th, scoring 700.

L.A. manager Joe Torre may feel the need to put pressure on the Cubs' defense by running.

Former Cub Juan Pierre had his usual anemic OBP, .327 this year, but he did steal 40 bases. Pierre hurt the Cubs while with the Florida Marlins in the 2003 NL championship series.

If Pierre plays and the Cubs can keep him off the bases, that'll be a huge first step.

If Pierre somehow slaps a hit or two, Cubs pitchers will have to keep an eye on him - they've not always been good at doing this - to give catcher Geovany Soto a chance.

Go deep: Maybe Cubs manager Lou Piniella's plan to take it easy on Game 3 starter Rich Harden will pay off in the playoffs.

Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly have been the Cubs' most consistent pitchers. Harden was overpowering when the Cubs first got him.

And Game 2 starter Carlos Zambrano? Who knows which Zambrano will show up? Remember, Zambrano has never won a postseason game, but in fairness to him, Piniella pulled him early from Game 1 against the D'backs last year.

What it boils down to is that the starters must be able to get the ball to late men Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood safely. The Cubs' middle-relief situation has been dicey in recent days - would the Cubs replace Bob Howry with Michael Wuertz for the NLDS? - and losing a lead in the sixth or seventh inning could prove fatal.

Those are the danger signs. The Cubs would be wise to heed them.