The National League Championship Series features two NL West clubs for the first time since MLB added a division and an extra round of playoffs to each league in 1995. After squaring off 18 times during the 2007 season, it’s safe to say the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies are very familiar with one another.

The Rockies claimed the season series with 10 wins, and they also outscored the Diamondbacks (86-72), batted 32 points higher and posted a 3.86 ERA that was a third of a run better than Arizona’s 4.20 mark.

The truth is, though, these teams are evenly matched on many levels. Both have among the lowest payrolls in the game, roughly $50-60 million each this season. Both clubs finished with 90 wins in 2007 and were built around young players they have developed in their farm systems.

That’s taken time. The Rockies, who hadn’t posted a winning record since 2000, lost 94 games in 2004 and 95 more in 2005. The Diamondbacks fell on hard times in 2004, losing a major league-worst 111 games just three years after upending the Yankees in the 2001 World Series. In 2006, Arizona and Colorado tied for last place in the NL West at 76-86.

The Rockies come into the NLCS having won 17 of their last 18 games. The only time they have lost in this stretch was Sept. 28 -- at the hands of the NL West champion Diamondbacks. That day, Arizona ace Brandon Webb outpitched Colorado’s No. 1 starter, Jeff Francis, for a 4-2 victory. And guess who starts Game 1 of the NLCS Thursday night. Yes, it will be Francis vs. Webb at Chase Field in Phoenix.

The kids have been getting it done in the postseason for both teams, from Baby Backs Chris Young, Stephen Drew and Justin Upton to Kid Rocks Troy Tulowitzki, Ubaldo Jimenez and Manny Corpas. Despite the youth movement behind these two upwardly mobile franchises, perhaps Colorado’s senior citizen will be a difference-maker in the NLCS.

Rockies first baseman Todd Helton is making his first playoff appearance in his 12th big league season. Although the 34-year-old veteran was just 1-for-12 in the first round against Philadephia, he has a full season of experience over his career against Arizona, and the numbers are impressive.

Todd Helton vs. Arizona, Career

G. . . . AB. . . R. . . H. . 2B. . 3B. . HR. .RBI. . .BB. . . K. . AVG. . . . OPS
160. . 559. . 116. . 183. . 55. . . 3. . .29. .103. . 117. . 71. . .327. . . .1.040

Helton batted .375 against the Diamondbacks in 2007, going 24-for-64 with eight doubles, a homer and nine RBIs in 18 games. He also drew 16 walks, giving him a .500 OBP vs. Arizona pitching. In Phoenix, Helton batted .469 (15-for-32) with four doubles and a homer.

There is no major league pitcher who Helton would rather face than Arizona’s Livan Hernandez. The Rockies’ first baseman is 32-for-66 (.485) against the veteran right-hander -- the most hits he has facing any big league hurler -- and his resume includes 12 doubles, two home runs, 16 RBIs, 11 walks and a 1.315 OPS.

Helton also has fared well against Arizona’s ace. In 50 at-bats facing Webb, the D-Backs’ Game 1 starter, Helton has 15 hits (.300) with four doubles and two homers. And he’s not the only Colorado regular who has enjoyed success against Webb.

Most Valuable Player candidate Matt Holliday is 6-for-19 (.316) with a double, homer and four RBIs against Webb this season. Over his career, he is a .305 hitter (61-for-200) against Arizona, with 16 doubles, four homers and 35 RBIs in 54 games.

Right fielder Brad Hawpe has faced Webb more than any other big league starter, and he’s 13-for-38 (.342) with two doubles, four homers, 12 RBIs and a .763 slugging percentage against him. He’s batting .600 (9-for-15) with two doubles, three homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.333 slugging mark facing Webb in 2007.

Second baseman Kaz Matsui was 8-for-17 (.471) with three doubles this season with Webb on the mound. In 2007, Holliday, Hawpe and Matsui combined to hit .451 and slug .804 facing Arizona’s No. 1 starter, with 10 extra-base hits and 19 RBIs in 51 at-bats. Webb was 1-3 with a 5.77 ERA and .287 OBA in six starts vs. the Rockies this season, though his worst outings were early in the year.

The conventional wisdom is that you can throw out regular-season numbers in October. Yet, if the Rockies are able to carry over much of that success against Webb into the postseason, they may be on their way to their first World Series appearance in franchise history.