9th Inning Heroics Send Phils to NLCS

Vengeance: as cold as the Rocky Mountains. The Phillies showed why they are the best come-from-behind team in the majors last night in their 5-4 win over the Rockies, lifting them into an NLCS rematch versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cliff Lee was once again stellar in his second start in the playoffs, going 7.1 innings and allowing three runs, one earned. After walking Deter Fowler, Todd Helton hit a soft grounder to Chase Utley, who attempted to place a tag on Fowler. Instead, Fowler jumped over Utley and was safe at second after Jimmy Rollins failed to hold onto Utley's flip. Ryan Madson came in to the game and this is when the wheels fell off.

Ben Francisco also entered because it was a double switch and played left field in place of Raul Ibanez. Troy Tulowitzki hit a shot to left but Francisco made the incredible diving catch. With two outs now, Jason Giambi hit an RBI base hit to tie the game and Yorvit Torrealba hit a two-run double to right center that put the Rockies up 4-2.

Everyone was writing this game off and Cole Hamels was probably mentally preparing for game 5 but the Phillies offense told Cole to start doing his home work on the Dodgers. After Greg Dobbs pinch-hit for Francisco and struck out, Rollins redeemed his error with a base hit. Shane Victorino then hit a ground ball that got Rollins out but Victorino's hustle kept the Phillies alive. Victorino then stole second and Utley drew the walk.

Up to the plate came Ryan Howard, aka Mr. Red October. He sent a shot well over the head of right fielder Carlos Gonzonlez that scored both Victorino and Utley to knot the game up at 4. The Jayson Werth continued his hot bat with an RBI base hit that scored Howard to put the Phillies on top 5-4.

Scott Eyre started the 9th and got into a bit of a jam. With two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, Brad Lidge entered the game with a one run lead. While listening to "Soldier" by Drowning Pool, Lidge's entrance song of 2008, I watched as he struck out Tulowitzki on his patinent slider to end the game.

I will post a series preview of the Phillies vs Dodgers series either tonight or tomorrow. They first play on Thursday at 4:07 EST. Hamels will be the game 1 starter.

Timely Hitting Sparks Phils

Nothing like some manufactured runs and solid pitching. Now if the Phillies can get that every game, who knows how far it will take them. I saw some things last night that worried me but at the same time saw some things that worked and I liked.

JA Happ and Joe Blanton combined for 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks with Happ striking out four in the Phillies 6-5 win over Colorado to take the 2-1 series lead. Chad Durbin got the win as he pitched a flawless 8th and Brad Lidge came on in the 9th after the Phillies go ahead run to close out the game.

Chase Utley had a solo home run in the first but the Phillies saw that lead quickly diminish with a pair of Rockies runs in the bottom. Colorado tacked on another runs in the third inning and the Phillies exploded in the 4th for three runs to take the 4-3 lead. That lead was quickly vanished after Carlos Gonzalez's solo homer in the fourth.

With the game tied at five in the top of the ninth, Jimmy Rollins got on with a single and Shane Victorino bumped him to second on a sacrifice bunt. Utley then reached base on a check-swing infield single. With runners on 1st and 3rd and Ryan Howard at the plate, the league leader in RBI's could do only 1 thing: hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Rollins for the go ahead and game winning score.

Some of the bad things I saw included Happ's performance. He was bad all night, struggling to find the strike zone, getting worked into deep counts, and then getting hit hard by the Rockies. The other bad thing I saw was pinch hitting. Matt Stairs and Greg Dobbs have not been getting the job done. Use Miguel Cairo or if you want you use Ben Francisco, work out a double switch so he can play the field.

Eyre injured his ankle in the 7th inning but appeared to be fine. "I'll be fine, but I sure would love Cliff Lee to throw a seven or eight innings in Game 4 to give me a couple days to rest it." - Eyre. Ruben Amaro Jr. would have to hold me down and tie me up and that's not going to happen because I'm bigger than he is." - Courtesy of Macho Row's Twitter

Some of the good things I saw included Blanton's pitching out of the bull pen. Durbin also looked real nice and Lidge got a huge confidence booster by being given the opportunity to close out a 1-run playoff game.

Next Game: Today at 6:07 EST in Colorado

Weather: 51 degrees at game time

Probables: PHI: Lee, Cl (1-0, 1.00), COL: Jimenez, U (0-1, 9.00)

The Phillies will want to close out this series so they can rest up and get prepared for the NLCS. The Rockies can't afford to lose or else they will have to book their ski trips at Vail. The pitching match ups are going to be the repeat of game 1.

The Phillies offense was consistent throughout the game, getting support from all parts of the line up. The can definitely do that again tonight facing Ubaldo Jimenez, who got beat up in game 1. Lee will look to have a performance similar to his in game 1. If those two things happen, bring on the Dodgers.

Happ to Pitch Game 3

Sorry I wasn't around today to post this but as you may know, tonight's game was cancelled due to it snowing and being below 20 degrees in Colorado. The Phillies will play tomorrow night and Monday in Colorado. Pedro Martinez, who was slated to pitch today, will not be the starter tomorrow. Instead it will be JA Happ. A game four starter was not named yet. Tomorrow's game will be at 10:07 EST and Monday's will be late as well. The Rockies will put Jason Hammel, who was scheduled for game three, on the mound versus Happ.

In other news, The Dodgers beat the Cardinals yesterday 5-1 to cap off the sweep and earning them a spot in the NLCS versus the winner of the Phillies/Rockies series, currently tied at 1 game apiece. The Dodgers will have home field regardless of who wins the series.

UPDATE: Game 4's time was not announced yet but Cliff Lee and Ubaldo Jimenez are the probables for that game. Lee out pitched Jimenez in game 1 and both will be working on five days rest.

Phils Fail to Come Back; Series Tied at 1

Cole Hamels was not the Cole Hamels of 2008 and Aaron Cook proved once again that the Phillies can't hit sinker-ballers as the Rockies won the nail-biter, 5-4. In a game that saw the Phillies fight back from 4-0, it ended with them coming up short with runners in scoring position once again.

The Rockies jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first and the got a two run homer from Yorvit Torrealba in the fourth. Hamels got yanked after the fifth when he allowed one more run. Joe Blanton pitched the sixth and some of the seventh before he was replaced by JA Happ, who left after taking a line drive off his left knee. Scott Eyre came in and allowed a run that was earned by Blanton. Brett Myers, Antonio Bastardo, and Ryan Madson also got some work.

The Phillies offense was dead up until the sixth when they got three runs off an RBI double by Howard and a two-run single by Ibanez. After Colorado made it a 5-3 game, Jayson Werth ripped a solo homer in the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth and Houston Street in to close for Colorado, the Phillies got a one-out walk from Matt Stairs, who was replaced by Cliff Lee on the bases and then followed up by an out from Ben Francisco and a base hit from Jimmy Rollins. With runners on second and third, Shane Victorino lined out to end the game and Street got the shaky save.

Some things I observed will start with the offense. The Phillies are getting production from 2-6 in the line up but there is no consistency. If this offense can be consistent, they will win games. Hamels shouldn't be entirely to blame due to him not having any support and was thinking about his wife, who went into labor during the game.

Now the other observation I made that really confused me was how Charlie Manuel handled the bull pen. He used Blanton and Happ in this game, a completely asinine move. Now Blanton and Happ should be eligible to start Sunday but who knows now with the health of Happ's left leg, where he suffered a contusion.

Next Game: Saturday 9:37 EST @ Colorado

Probables: PHI: Pedro Martinez, COL: Jason Hammel

This is a must win for either team as it will put the loser on the brink of elimination. The Phillies could be looking at playing 30 degree weather and a chance of snow. "I'm going to enjoy the snow. Maybe I'll be rounding the bases in a snowmobile," said Martinez via Todd Zolecki's Twitter.

I love the attitude of Martinez. This guy is so relaxed and calm but knows how to turn on the intensity and win the game. If the Pedro from 10 years ago (or even a couple weeks ago) shows up, expect a 2-1 series lead in favor of the Phillies.

UPDATE: Game 4 will be Sunday at 10:07 EST in Colorado.

Lee Dominates Game 1

Cliff Lee fell only one out from a complete game shut out in his first playoff start but he did just fine as the Phillies won 5-1 to start the NLDS. The Phillies take an early 1-0 lead in the best of five series versus Colorado, a huge win for a team that struggled down the stretch in September.

I couldn't watch most of the game because I was in class from 3:15 until 6:00 but from what I was able to see when sneaking a peak online (channelsurfing.net is a great site to watch games), I was very impressed and very pleased to see this team manufacture five runs without the long ball.

The bats came alive in the 5th inning when the Phillies got two runs off of an RBI double by Raul Ibanez and an RBI single by Carlos Ruiz. They then tacked on three more runs in the sixth with Ryan Howard's RBI double, Jayson Werth's RBI triple off th left-centerfield wall that would have been gone if it weren't for the hurricane-like winds, and then an RBI single by Ibanez to cap off the scoring.

Lee was phenomenal in his start, pitching a complete game, allowing one run on six hits, a walk, and striking out five. It was nice having him go the whole way because I think the Phillies are still uncertain with their bull pen.

Ubaldo Jimenez was doing fine until that 6th inning came around. He got yanked after Werth's triple and got charged with the run when Ibanez singled him in.

Next Game: Thursday at 2:37 PM EST
Probables: COL: Aaron Cook, PHI: Cole Hamels

The Phillies would love to take both home games versus the Rockies so they can go to Denver for one and be done with this series. The faster they end this series, the more rest Lee and Hamels will get and be ready to be the #1 and #2 for the NLCS.

The Rockies need this win bad in order to earn a crucial split in Philadelphia and not be on the brink of elimination if they go down 0-2. They are a come back team so the Phillies should not ease up at all this series.

If Hamels can follow up Lee's stellar performance, look for the Phillies to turn to JA Happ for game three. The Rockies had trouble with the left-handed Lee all day today and could continue to struggle versus Hamels and possibly Happ.

Phillies NLDS Roster

Here is the 25-man roster for the Phillies versus the Rockies in the NLDS:

Starters: Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Pedro Feliz, Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth

Bench: Paul Bako, Greg Dobbs, Miguel Cairo, Ben Francisco, Matt Stairs

Starting Rotation: Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, *Joe Blanton, *JA Happ, *Pedro Martinez
*Currently in pen. Manuel will decide who his game 3/4 starters will be

Bull Pen: Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers, Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre, Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo

Being left off the roster were Clay Condrey, Tyler Walker, and Eric Bruntlett. Taking their place was Kendrick, Bastardo, and Cairo.

Cair played real well at the end of the season (5-13 with a homer) to earn the spot over Bruntlett. Kendrick also pitched real well when the rosters were expanded to earn himself a spot as a long reliever. The interesting choice was Bastardo though it does make sense. Eyre is the only other lefty in the pen and this gives the Phillies another option. It also allows us to believe JA Happ may get the start in game 3, especially if the Rockies can't hit the lefties Lee and Hamels in the first two games.

As far as starting pitchers goes, Blanton, Happ, and Martinez were all placed in the pen to start the playoffs. Charlie Manuel will choose from those three guys who will be his game three and game four (if necessary) starters will be. Like I said in the previous paragraph, if Lee and Hamels shuts down the Rockies in games 1 and 2, Happ should be the likely candidate for game 3. If either or both fail, I could see Blanton and/or Martinez taking games 3 and/or 4.

NLDS Preview: #2 Phillies vs #4 Rockies

This is it folks, October baseball is here. The Phillies have won their third straight NL East title and own the second best record in the National League. They will face the Colorado Rockies, the winners of the NL Wild Card because the #1 Dodgers can not face a division opponent in the first round.

The Phillies finished the regular season with the second best record in the NL at 93-69, one more win than last year's championship team. The Rockies were 92-70, three games behind the Dodgers in the West. The Phillies won the season series 4-2.

Random facts: Harry Kalas' last game he called was in Colorado when Matt Stairs hit a walk off homer back in April. JA Happ pitched a complete game shut out versus the Rockies back in August. The last time these teams met were in the 2007 NLDS when the Rockies swept the series 3-0 and went on to get swept in the World Series by the Red Sox. The Rockies are 74-42 since Jim Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle.

Schedule: (I'll update the probables when they are known)
Wed. 10/7; 2:37 PM - COL: Jimenez, U @ PHI: Lee, Cl
Thur. 10/8; 2:37 PM - COL: Cook, A @ PHI: Hamels
Sat. 10/10; 9:37 PM - PHI: TBA @ COL: Hammel
*Sun. 10/11; TBA - PHI: TBA @ COL: TBA
*Tues. 10/13; TBA - COL: TBA @ PHI: TBA
*if necessary

Teams by position:

1B: Todd Helton, at 36, is still one of the best hitting first basemen in baseball. He hit .325 on the season but saw his power numbers drop a bit, hitting only 15 homers and 86 RBI's. Ryan Howard is one of the best power hitters in the game. He led the majors with 141 RBI's and was second only to Albert Pujols in homers (45). He batted .279, 28 points higher than last years average.

2B: Clint Barmes isn't anything special for the Rockies but he did hit 23 homers. He doesn't compare at all to the Phillies best player and best two-bagger in the league, Chase Utley. Utley certainly is the man but Barmes can be a dangerous bat in the bottom of the order.

3B: Garrett Atkins and Ian Stewart both will see time at this position due to Stewart's poor batting average vs. lefties (.178). Pedro Feliz is one of the top fielding third basemen in the league and has had a career highs in hits, RBI's and OBP.

SS: Troy Tulowitzki is such an incredible athlete. He has also been probably their hottest player since August 1, batting .348 with 13 homers and 40 RBI's. He is also one of the best fielders in the game. Jimmy Rollins is a very similar player and is the catalyst to the Phillies offense.

OF: Dexter Fowler, Seth Smith, and Brad Hawpe are a very good and very reliable offensive outfield. Carlos Gonzalez will also get plenty of playing time for the Rockies. Hawpe has really cooled down since the break. Fowler is their lead off man and is the spark to their offense. Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, and Jayson Werth are all enjoying all star years. Victorino led the league in triple and is a very speedy CF who can track balls and throw out runners. Werth is having an amazing year in his first full year, hitting .268 with 36 homers, 98 runs, and 99 RBI's.

C: Yorvit Torrealba and Chris Ianetta could split time due to Ianetta's .296 average vs. lefties. Carlos Ruiz is one of the best defensive catchers in the game but his offense still sucks.

Rotation: This unit for Colorado is going to be without lefty Jorge de la Rosa, their leader in wins (16). Jason Marquis had a great start to the season but really tailed off down the stretch. Ubaldo Jimenez was already named the Rockies game 1 starter and Aaron Cook will go in game 2. The Phillies will look to Cliff Lee for game one and Cole Hamels for game 2. Both eat up innings and can throw a lot of pitches. They will be followed up by the consistent Joe Blanton, JA Happ, or the best big-game pitcher Pedro Martinez for games 3 and 4.

Bull Pen: Huston Street went 35-37 this year in saves, something the Phillies wished Brad Lidge would do (31-42). Jose Contreras, Matt Daley, and Rafael Battencourt will be the guys to set up Street. The Phillies pen is injury riddled and the closer role is a mystery. I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie Manuel sticks to his guns and closes with Lidge. He won't be hesitant to go to Ryan Madson or Brett Myers if Lidge can't get the job done. The pen will also be without JC Romero and Jamie Moyer for the season and Chan Ho Park for this series.

Manager: Jim Tracy replaced Clint Hurdle, who was fired early in the season. He rallied the Rockies and got them to where they are. Charlie Manuel has one ring under is belt and is looking to go for two. He kept this team together even when they were struggling. Be is the second manager to lead the Phillies to three straight division titles (Danny Ozark in 1976-78).

Lineups:
COL: Fowler, Gonzalez, Helton, Tulowitzki, Atkins, Torrealba, Hawpe, Barmes
PHI: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Werth, Ibanez, Feliz, Ruiz

Series prediction: The Phillies are the better team but the Rockies are on fire. Should be a tight series; Phillies in 4.

Happ or Pedro?

A huge decision the Phillies will have to make is who there 4th starter will be for the NLDS. It's down to JA Happ or Pedro Martinez. Here is a short list of positives for each player to consider:

Pedro (RHP):
-Has pitched will in September.
-Has been in the playoffs before and has the composure to pitch when it matters.
-He's 100% healthy.
-Will balance the playoff rotation with two lefties and two righties.

Happ (LHP):
-Has been the Phillies best pitcher since he became the starter.
-Colorado's line up features lefties.
-Earned a CG SHO in August versus Colorado.

It's Playoff Time

Bring on the Colorado Rockies. The Phillies finished the season with a 93-69 record, one more win than last year's World Championship team. To make everyone feel better, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson blew 17 saves combined. That probably could have given the Phillies at least 10 more wins but it's not something to dwell on.

The post season is where it really matters. Sure the Yankees flew into October with 103 wins but that won't amount to anything if they don't win the World Series. The same goes for the Phillies third straight division title. It's safe to say that the Phillies don't want to have another blue or white flag flying on their flag polls in center field as red is the color of victory here in Philadelphia.

2009 Regular Season Team Stats:

Runs scored: 840 (4th)

Total bases: 2493 (4th)

HR's: 224 (t2nd)

Batting average: .258 (24th)

ERA: 4.16 (8th)

Strikeouts: 1153 (11th)

Saves: 44 (9th)

Fielding %: .987 (5th)

Phillies leaders (league standings):

Runs scored: Utley - 112 (t4th)
Hits: Victorino 181 (21st)

RBI's: Howard - 141 (1st)
HR's: Howard - 45 (2nd)
Batting average: Victorino - .292

Stolen Bases: Rollins 31 (10th)
ERA (SP): Happ - 2.85 (9th)

ERA (RP): Condrey - 3.02

*Innings pitched: Blanton 193.1
*Strikeouts: Hamels - 168
Saves: Lidge - 31 (15th)

*Lee had more when combing his AL stats

Here is my 25-man roster that I feel should make the post season:

Starters: Ruiz, Howard, Utley, Feliz, Rollins, Ibanez, Victorino, Werth

Bench: Bako, Dobbs, Bruntlett, Cairo, Francisco, Stairs

Rotation: Lee, Blanton, Hamels, Martinez

Bull Pen: Lidge, Madson, Condrey, Durbin, Myers, Eyre, Happ

*Out for season*: Park, Romero, Moyer, Ennis

I will do a playoff preview tomorrow with the NLDS schedule and probables versus the Rockies. I will also post the final playoff roster when it's announced and compare both teams. I will also do a recap after every game.

I will fo a full season recap after the World Series. Whether the Phillies are in it or not, I will keep updated with the rest of the playoffs.

Back On Track

The Phillies got back to work, especially after losing five of their last six. They had two of their best pitchers this year throwing during the series. Jamie Moyer was the same old and JA Happ and Cliff Lee both dominated the Rockies as the Phillies took two of three in the series. The rookie and former Cy Young winner combined for 16 innings of work, allowing one run and striking out 19. Winning this series helped the Phillies maintain a comfortable seven-game lead on both Florida and Atlanta.

Moyer hasn't been doing much to keep himself in the rotation. Happ's performance Wednesday really helped him solidify a permanent spot in the rotation. Lee has been dominant in his introduction to the NL, going 16 innings and allowing two runs in his two starts as a Phillie.

Tuesday - Rockies won 10-3: I was at this debacle of a game as Moyer only lasted five plus innings, giving up six runs on six hits and four walks. Garrett Atkins started the scoring with a two-run shot in the second and Colorado started to pour it on in the fourth and sixth innings. Jimmy Rollins continued his hot tear as he homered and singled.

Wednesday - Phillies won 7-0: JA Happ pitched probably the best outing a Phillies pitcher has thrown this year, shutting out the Rockies. He allowed four hits and two walks and struck out ten. Rollins hit a two-run shot while Pedro Feliz added a solo homer and Jayson Werth hit a three-run bomb.

Thursday - Phillies won 3-1: Cliff Lee made his debut in Philadelphia, going seven strong innings and allowing a run on six hits and a walk. He also struck out nine. Rollins fell a home run short of the cycle Paul Bako hit his first home run in since June 19, 2008.

Series MVP's:

Jimmy Rollins: 6-14, 4 runs, double, triple, 2 HR, 4 RBI

JA Happ: CG, SO, 4 H, 2 BB, 10 K

Cliff Lee: 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 10 K

Next Series: Florida Marlins (55-53, 26-27 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (61-45, 29-26 at home)

The Phillies are 7-2 versus the Marlins and have won three straight. The Marlins have also been pretty cold and are losers of their last three games. The Phillies were struggling out west but woke up in the middle of the Rockies series. The Phillies will have Moyer pitching this series, who kills the Marlins (thank God he has a team he can beat).

Offensively, the Marlins have some guys that can hit, including Hanley Ramirez, the best short stop in the National League. He's batting a sizzling .344 and has 16 homers and 70 RBI's. The team is 8th in the NL in average, one spot behind the Phillies and are 6th in runs scored (the Phillies are 1st).

The Phillies have the Marlins number and that is no surprise. Like all year, they shouldn't have any problem sweeping the Marlins, let alone just beating them. I'm going to predict another series sweep and a ten-game advantage after the series.

Pitching Probables:

Friday: FLA: Nolasco (7-7, 5.00), PHI: Blanton (7-5, 4.02)

Saturday: FLA: West (3-4, 4.91), PHI: Hamels (7-6, 4.68)

Sunday: FLA: Johnson, J (10-2, 2.98), PHI: Moyer (10-8, 5.55)

A Few More Thoughts

So the pitching battle has heated up even more. While Jamie Moyer struggled again, JA Happ and Pedro Martinez continued to gain ground in the race for the final rotation spot. Moyer has one thing going for him: he's uselessness in the bull pen. The Phillies know what his stuff is, and frankly, it's nothing special anymore. The team also doesn't want to lose his knowledge and leadership so they don't want to cut him entirely loose.

Moyer's fastball hits 81 MPH tops. That is ridiculously slow and a lot slower than the 83-85 he hit the past few years. This makes his 73 MPH change up a lot less effective. Hitters have a much easier time sitting on the change up or catching up to the fast ball to fight it off when guessing wrong. As much as the crowd loves Moyer, he's done.

Happ pitched probably the best outing any Phillies pitcher had all year. He went the distance, shutting out the Rockies, only allowing four hits and two walks with 10 strike outs. He improved to 8-2 and his ERA dropped to a 2.74.

Martinez moved one step closer to being major league ready, going six innings and striking out 11 in his third and probably final AA rehab start. The 37-year old also allowed four runs, three earned.

A Giant Step Backwards

July was a phenomenal month for the Phillies as they went 20-7. But now comes August and it seems as it the Phillies finally cooled down. Cliff Lee's amazing debut saved the Phillies from getting swept as they couldn't figure out the Giants starting pitching, losing three of the four-game series. This was their first series loss since the beginning of July.

Thursday - Giants won 7-2: Rodrigo Lopez got hammered in the fourth as he gave up a total of seven runs, three earned, in his short outing. Pablo Sandoval hit a homer and had four RBI's and Eugenio Velez drove in three. The Phillies offense could only muster five hits on Jonathon Sanchez.

Friday - Phillies won 5-1: Lee made his debut and pitched a complete game, allowing a run on four hits and two walks, striking out six. He also had a pair of hits including one off the wall in left-center. Lee got support from Jayson Werth's two hits, including his solo homer in the second, and three RBI's.

Saturday - Giants won 2-0: Tim Lincecum pitched another stellar game as he out matched Joe Blanton. Aaron Rowand scored on a Juan Uribe sacrifice fly in the fifth to give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

Sunday - Giants won 7-3: Cole Hamels officially has been the Phillies worst starter of the season. After a great start, he fell apart in the fifth and sixth, allowing seven runs, six earned. Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco had a pair of hits including Rollins' solo shot in the fourth.

Series MVP's:

Cliff Lee - CG, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6K; batting: 2-4, double

Tim Lincecum - 8 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 8 K; batting: 1-2

Eugenio Velez - 7-17, 3 R, double, 5 RBI

Next Series: Colorado Rockies (58-47; 31-26 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (59-44; 27-25 at home)

The Phillies lead the series 2-1 (last played in April). Despite a crappy road trip where the Phillies went 3-7 (lost four of last five), the Phillies will come back home where they have seemed to have found their groove.

The Rockies have been playing tremendous baseball as of late and are riding a four-game win streak. Their offense is second in the NL in runs scored only behind the Phillies. The Rockies pitching is sixth while the Phillies are twelfth.

It can't be said what kind of Phillies team you'll see in Philly versus Colorado. The offense could be working the count and the pitching could be good but at the same time, you could see Jamie Moyer give up a ton of runs and the offense look just as terrible in the past seven games. The Phillies will get a needed day off and hope to rebound.

Pitching Probables:

Tuesday: COL: Hammel (5-6, 4.66), PHI: Moyer (10-7, 5.32)
Wednesday: COL: De La Rosa, J (9-7, 4.68), PHI: Happ (7-2, 2.97)

Thursday: COL: Cook (10-3, 3.88), PHI: Lee, Cl (8-9, 3.02)

Bastardo Gets NL POW Consideration

Not bad for your debut week, Antonio Bastardo. Pitching 12 innings, going 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA, surrendering three runs and striking out nine earned him a National League Player of the Week nominee. Ian Stewart of the Colorado Rockies took the honors. He earned his wins against the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the midst of all his success are a couple observations I've made. He can't keep trying to blow it by the batters. One thing that's been talked about was his gripping of the baseball too tight and there for losing control of his change up. I think with 2 starts under his belt and the rookie jitters out of the way, he'll be mixing in his pitches a helluva lot more.

But other than those, I congratulate Bastardo and I hope he cements a starting role for the near future. Keep up the good work.

FIM #14: The 2007 Run

This moment in Phillies history will be one of the few I will never forget. Mainly because I was at the last game (the above photo was taken by me) which I luckily got Standing Room Only tickets to.

With just 17 games to go, the Mets were 7 games ahead of the 2nd place Phillies. The Phillies finished the season 13-4 while the Mets went 5-12. The momentum shifted when the Phillies swept the Mets in New York.

It was the last series of the season for both teams. The Phillies were up a game on New York. The Mets played and beat the Florida Marlins in their first 2 games. The Phillies were playing the Washington Nationals and split the first 2 games. The division was tied going into the last game of the season.

I get to the stadium and the Marlins/Mets game started a half hour earlier than the Phillies. Everyone is following the out of town score board and on their phones and after the first inning of that game, the Marlins were winning 7-1. Florida added a run in the 5th and the Phillies rolled over the Nationals 6-1.

Jimmy Rollins got that game going right away with a lead off triple, his 20th of the season. That hit was just a small piece of the kind of finish he had for the season, leading to his MVP honors. No one picked up a team like he did and he was able to beat out Matt Holiday of the Rockies, who played a similar role for the Rockies, who made the Wild Card.

The Phillies made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, winning the division for the first time in 14 years as well. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Rockies in 3 games. We know what happened next year.