Pen Can't Hold Lead

Pedro Martinez pitched his heart out and got nothing out of it as the Phillies lost 2-1. The were able to earn a split on Los Angeles and will come home to Philadelphia for three games. They still have momentum going into these next three games and have nothing to worry about.

Martinez went seven innings, allowing no runs on two hits and striking out three. Chan Ho Park came in to pitch the 8th and was charged for both of the Dodger's runs. Park earned the loss. Former Phillies pitcher Vicente Padilla got the start for LA and was dominant. He allowed a run in 7.1 innings of work on four hits and striking out six. The lone run he gave up was on Ryan Howard's homer in the 4th.

I wasn't able to watch any of the game so I can't make any fair assessments outside of the fact that the bull pen and poor defense blew another game for the Phillies. At least it wasn't Lidge this time but Ryan Madson really needs to pick his game back up. It's the NLCS for crying out loud.

Next Game: Sunday in Philadelphia, 8:07 EST

Series: Series tied 1-1

Probables: LAD: Kuroda (0-0, -.--), PHI: Lee, Cl (1-0, 1.10)

Game Day Discussion: Liberty Bell Sports

Cliff Lee was absolutely dominant in his two starts versus the Rockies in the NLDS. Hiroki Kuroda will be making his first start of the post season. Last time he pitched versus Philadelphia, Shane Victorino told him to throw out his back, not his head.

The series shifts in the Phillies favor despite losing game two. The next three games will be in a very loud Citizens Bank Park where the fans show up hours BEFORE the game starts. Dodgers fans strolled into games one and two around the 3rd inning. That's disgusting. It's going to be louder and more electric than Dodger Stadium in Philadelphia and that should impact the Phillies.

Phillies Bats Heat Up

What a marathon game. If you thought there wouldn't be anymore four-hour games (NLDS game 3) then you were in for a real shock. The Phillies were able to stay on top of the Dodgers with timely hitting, winning the first game, 8-6.

Cole Hamels was a little shaky but got the job done and Chan Ho Park and Brad Lidge were clutch in the late innings to seal the win. Hamels' line through 5.1 IP: four runs on eight hits and a walk, and four strike outs. He surrendered home runs to James Loney in the second and Manny Ramirez in the 5th.

Loney got the offense going with his solo shot in the third. The Phillies then answered in the top of the 5th, putting up five runs on a three-run homer by Carlos Ruiz and a two-run double by Ryan Howard. After Howard's double, Clayton Kershaw was yanked. Kershaw got knocked around for five runs on four hits and five walks in 4.2 IP. Kershaw also became the first pitcher to throw three wild pitches in one inning, doing so in the 5th.

The Dodgers immediately answered in the bottom half, getting a huge three runs back off a shot by Ramirez, who stared down the Phillies dug out after his shot. After a few scares on the mound, the Phillies came up in the top of the 8th. Howard and Jayson Werth absorbed back-to-back walks for Raul Ibanez, who took George Sherrill deep to make it an 8-4 game. Ibanez's shot was the first homer Sherrill allowed to a lefty since mid-2008.

Ryan Madson came in to pitch in the bottom of the 8th and the wheels fell of his bus again. He allowed a pair of runs on four hits but got out of the inning. Lidge came in to pitch the ninth. He allowed an early base runner, got a double play ball, walked Loney, and then got Ronnie Belliard to pop up to end the game.

It was a nail biter the whole way through. My only concerns are Madson's reliability. Hamels will be fine and the offense turned it on like usual. If they keep this up, my playoff beard will get even longer.

Next Game: Friday in Los Angeles, 4:07 EST

Series: Phillies lead 1-0

Probables: Pedro Martinez (0-0, -.--) vs. Vicente Padilla (1-0, 0.00)

Game day discussion: Liberty Bell Sports

Vicente Padilla threw seven shut out innings in game three of the NLDS versus St. Louis. Pedro Martinez hasn't pitched since Sept. 30 versus Houston. If the Phillies can get a 2004 effort from Martinez, they could very well go into Philly with a two-game lead. The Phillies bats can heat up at any time and so can the Dodgers'.

This game is important more so for LA than Philly. You want to win every game but if the Dodgers fall behind 2-0 like last year, they won't have a home field to fall back on. It's cold and loud in Philly and the Dodger's don't want to go there already in the hole.

Pitching Probables; Myers, Kendrick Off Roster

Unlike in the NLDS, we are pretty sure who the Phillies and Dodgers will throw at each other for the NLCS. Cole Hamels and Clayton Kershaw were already definates for game 1 and the Phillies are leaning for Pedro Martinez in game 2. Cliff Lee was guaranteed game 3 so he could have five days of rest. Here are the probables for games 1-4:

Thursday: Cole Hamels vs. Clayton Kershaw
Friday: Pedro Martinez vs. Vicente Padilla
Sunday: Cliff Lee vs. Hiroki Kuroda
Monday: Joe Blanton/JA Happ vs. Randy Wolf

With the match ups like this, it could set up Lee for game 7.

In other news, Kyle Kendrick and Brett Myers were left off of the roster. Eric Bruntlett and Chan Ho Park were added. Here is Todd Zolecki's tweet:

Pedro will start Game 2. Myers, Kendrick off NLCS roster. Park, Bruntlett are on. Myers is not happy about being left off, either.

NLCS Preview: #1 Dodgers vs. #2 Phillies

The Phillies are coming into the NLCS off of a huge series win versus the hottest team in baseball. Now they get to face the Dodgers, who stumbled into the post season but swept the Cardinals in the NLDS. The winner of this series will go on to the World Series to face the winners of the Angels/Yankees series. Whoever wins either series will set up an amazing World Series match up.

People want to see LA vs NY or LA vs LA. There is no love for the Phillies, who happen to be the reigning world champs. The "Road to a Repeat" now goes through Los Angeles as Joe Torre and his Dodgers will look to knock off the Phightin' Phillies.

Fun Facts: Dodgers won the season series 4-3 but the last time they played each other this year was in June. Last time these two teams met in the post season was last year’s NLCS which the Phillies won 4-1. The Dodgers have three former Phillies: starting pitchers Randy Wolf and Vicente Padilla and bench bat Jim Thome.

Schedule: (I'll update the probables when they are known)
Thu. 10/15, 8:07 EST, PHI: Hamels (0-1, 7.20) vs Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 2.70)
Fri. 10/16, 4:07 EST
Sun. 10/18, 8:07 EST
Mon. 10/19, 8:07 EST
*Wed. 10/21, 8:07 EST
*Fri. 10/23, 8:07 EST
*Sat. 10/24, 8:07 EST
*if necessary

Teams by Positions: Post season stats

1B) Ryan Howard vs. James Loney

Howard: .375 (6-16), 3 runs, 3 doubles, 6 RBI, walk, 4 K's
He led the league in RBI's and was second in homers. He came up huge in the Rockies series, having the game tying and go ahead hits in games three and four. Phillies fans call him Mr. Red October. Jimmy Rollins calls him the Big Piece.

Loney: .250 (3-13), walk, K
The 25 year old is one of the best young stars of the game. This is his second full season as a starter. He killed the Phillies this year, batting .393 (11-28) with a couple homers and six RBI's.

2B) Chase Utley vs. Ronnie Belliard

Utley: .429 (6-14), 5 runs, HR, RBI, 4 walks, 3 K's, 2 SB's
He is the Phillies best player and best two-bagger in the league. He really sizzled in the NLDS, a series he struggled in the past two years. He can only get better in this series versus the Dodgers.

Belliard: .273 (3-11), 2 runs, RBI, 2 walks, 5 K's
He joind the Dodgers late in the season and took the starting job when Orlando Hudson got hurt. He kept that job through the NLDS and will look to be the guy vs. Philly.

3B) Pedro Feliz vs. Casey Blake

Feliz: .214 (3-14), double, walk, 3 K's
He led the Phillies in average with RISP but failed to do anything in the NLDS. The Phillies hope his bat heats back up so the bottom of the line up isn't a dead zone.

Blake: .273 (3-11), run, RBI, 2 walks, K
Blake adds pop to the bottom of a line up that was 23rd in homers in the majors.

SS) Jimmy Rollins vs. Rafael Furcal

Rollins: .263 (5-19), run, double, 5 K's
He is the spark to the Phillies offense. Despite a weak NLDS, the Phillies were able to get runs. He did spark the game 4 rally. They won't be as lucky if Rollins continues his struggles vs. the Dodgers.

Furcal: .500 (6-12), 2 runs, triple, 2 RBI's, walk, K
Furcal is also the spark to LA's offense. He was stellar in the NLDS. He has also killed the Phillies in his career.

LF) Raul Ibanez vs. Manny Ramirez

Ibanez: .308 (4-13), 2 runs, double, 5 RBI's, 4 walks, 2 K's

Ibanez enjoyed an all star year. He tailed off after the break but heated back up at the end of the season and into the NLDS, driving in crucial runs when needed. The Phillies will need that bat to show back up if they want to beat LA.

Ramirez: .308 (4-13), 3 doubles, 2 RBI's, walk, 2 K's
He had such a down year this season. He was very solid in the NLDS and was the only Dodger to really be effective versus the Phillies last post season. He has the ability to change a game with one swing of the bat so the Phillies lefty-heavy rotation better pitch smart to him.

CF) Shane Victorino vs. Matt Kemp

Victorino: .353 (6-17), 4 runs, double, HR, walk, K, SB
Victorino assumed the catalyst role from the two-hole while Rollins struggled. He led the league in triples and is a very speedy CF who can track balls and throw out runners.

Kemp: .143 (2-14), 2 runs, HR, 2 RBI's, 8 K's
As LA's number two hitter, Kemp has not performed like it in the post season yet. He is ver capable fo doing so though.

RF) Jayson Werth vs. Andre Ethier

Werth: .357 (5-14), 5 runs, triple, 2 HR's, 4 walks, 4 K's
Werth tore up the Rockies in the NLDS. He is having an amazing year in his first full year, hitting .268 with 36 homers, 98 runs, and 99 RBI's.

Ethier: .500 (6-12), 5 runs, double, triple, 2 HR's, walk, 2 K's
He is the best player on the Rockies, even better than Manny. Look at what he did all year and in the playoffs versus the pitching of St. Louis and tell me he is not the best player on the
Dodgers.

C) Carlos Ruiz vs. Russell Martin

Ruiz: .308 (4-13), 3 RBI, 2 walks, 2 K's
Carlos Ruiz is one of the best defensive catchers in the game but his offense is lacking. Hopefully he will feed off of his good NLDS.

Martin: .111 (1-9), RBI, 3 walks, K
Martin was awful in the NLDS. He has become a very over rated hitter but still a really good catcher.

Starting Rotation:

Phillies: Cliff Lee is the ace of the staff but won't see action until game three at the latest. Cole Hamels will pitch game one. He was dominant all year versus LA this year (In two starts: 16.0 IP, 12 H, 2 R (1ER), 1 BB, 14 K). Joe Blanton and Pedro Martinez are the Phillies' two options for game two and throw in JA Happ for game four.

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw will go game one. Randy Wolf and Vicente Padilla are both former Phillies. Chad Billingsly rounds out a very solid rotation . Their starters held the offense of St. Louis in check in the NLDS. Kershaw and Wolf both throw left-handed. The Dodgers hope those two can silence Howard, Utley, and Ibanez.

Bull Pen:

Phillies: This unit is still blowing games. Luckily the offense bailed them out. Scott Eyre, Chad Durin, Antonio Bastardo, and Ryan Madson (despite the bad outing) all looked good. Brad Lidge scared everyone a bit but is 2/2 in saves. Blanton looked good in relief but is a better starter. The only thing hurting this pen right now is the fact that they don't know who will pitch in what scenario. Chan Ho Park may be ready for the NLCS.

Dodgers: This is probably the best unit in baseball and certainly showed in keeping the Cardinals down in the NLDS. The pen is deep and showed that in game one when they went to the pen in the 4th inning and didn't allow a run for the rest of the game. Jon Broxton is their closer and has blown saves this year (6). George Sherrill and Jeff Weaver are their other top options out of the pen.

Bench:

Phillies: The Phillies have relied on Greg Dobbs and Matt Stairs in hitting situations, a huge mistake in my opinion. They both were amazing in 2008 and sucked in 2009. Ben Francisco is their fielding option and is also a very good hitter. Miguel Cairo earned a post season spot after having a hot bat in September.

Dodgers: Former Phillies Jim Thome is a very good hitter still and always a threat to hit a pinch hit HR. Mark Loretta is their other hitting option. Juan Pierre and Orlando Hudson can come in for base running and fielding situations.

Managers:

Phillies: Charlie Manuel wants another ring. He knows how to keep this team together through any situation and knows how to rally them.

Dodgers: Joe Torre is a future HOF manager. He has been in the post season more times than Phillies fans can contemplate. He's a winner and he will make sure his Dodgers are winners too.

Probable Lineups:
LA: Furcal/Kemp/Ethier/Ramirez/Loney/Blake/Belliard/Martin
PHI: Rollins/Victorino/Utley/Howard/Werth/Ibanez/Feliz/Ruiz

Prediction: I'm an optimist. I love the Phillies and I believe this team can beat LA and go back to the World Series. I also know it's really hard to repeat success and that this Dodgers team is really good. Dodgers in a heart-breaking 7 games.

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.

Phillies/Rockies Only Undecided Series

No magic. No dramatic come backs. Well for the Red Sox I mean. They were up 5-1 going into the 6th when the Angels were able to get a run there and then two in the 8th to make it a 5-4 game. Boston got Jonathan Papelbon some breathing room by tacking on a run in the bottom of the 8th. With two outs and a man on base, the Angels strung together some key hits to get three runs in the top of the 9th to take a 7-6 lead. Brian Fuentes secured the game and the Angels swept the Sox to move onto the ALCS to face the Yankees, who swept the Twins tonight.

NLCS: Dodgers versus Phillies/Rockies (series tied at 1)
ALCS: Angels versus Yankees

UPDATE: Game 4 will be tomorrow at 6:07 EST. Game 5 still TBA.

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.

Dumbass Steals Phils WS Rings

And I thought the greedy mother in Miami who got custody of Ryan Howard's 200th home run ball was bad. This guy is a freakin' moron. This putz thought he could get away with stealing three World Series rings, worth $1,100 each, from the Phillies office after being ejected from the second game of the NLDS for being too rowdy.

And to make it even better was that not only did the security see it on the survelance camera but the idiot left a job application behind in the office. How stupid can you really be? I'm gonna steal your rings. Can I have a job?

It's A Boy!

@Todd Zolecki - Hey, Heidi Hamels had a boy at 9 a.m. this morning. No other details available. Congrats, Cole and Heidi.

@philliesnation - Cole and Heidi had a boy. He's currently on a flight to Denver to be ready for possible long relief tomorrow night.

Congratulations to Cole and Heidi Hamels. Now get your ass back to Colorado, Cole! We have a series to win!

UPDATE: The baby was named Caleb Michael Hamels.