Game 3: The new Bobby Abreu

DENVER — Go ahead and ask Todd Zolecki from MLB.com for the proof, but I totally called the Angels’ comeback over the Red Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS at Fenway Park. Totally saw it coming. Now I did not foresee the two-strike, two-out hit from Erick Aybar off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning, or the eight-pitch walk to Chone Figgins. However, I thought to myself if the Angels can get Bobby Abreu to the plate in the ninth, they will win the game.

Guess what happened.

Now this I did not predict to anyone but myself. No one wants to hear a crazy person say something so outlandish and ridiculous in their out-loud voice. But go ahead and ask Zolecki about the text he got from me during the seventh inning when the Red Sox led 5-1.

Me: Wanna bet the Angels win this…

Zolecki: Unbelievable. Me: Told you.

Call it a pretty good postseason for a bunch of former Phillies. Abreu stands above the fray with his 3-for-5 outing in the clinching Game 3 and pair of clutch doubles in the eighth and ninth innings. In Game 2 Abreu went 2-for-4, which followed a Game 1 effort where he walked four times.

In other words, the old Bobby Abreu who used to work counts and force pitchers to throw something over the plate has surfaced in the playoffs. If there were an MVP of the ALDS, it probably would have gone to Abreu.

Remember that guy Philllies fans? No, he wasn’t very inspirational in the outfield, but as a hitter Abreu is so smart. More interestingly, Abreu is a different player for the Angels than he was with the Phillies and even the Yankees. During the series against the Red Sox cameras caught Abreu showing emotion and rooting his teammates on as they rallied in the ninth. In fact, reports from California say Abreu is the vocal team leader he was not in Philadelphia and did not have to be in New York.

When he was playing in Philly, Abreu famously pumped his fist when he homered in a lopsided defeat in Florida that put him in the 30-30 club for the first time.

Who knows if a new Bobby Abreu has emerged? After all, he went unsigned until spring training began and only got a one-year, $5 million deal from the Angels. Needless to say, Abreu wants to come back to the Angels for 2010 so perhaps the emotional, smart hitter bit is his angle to get that new contract he wants.

Either way, Abreu has been a pretty decent $5 million pickup for the Angels. He has them four wins from the World Series where he very well could face two of his former teams.

Meanwhile, it was pretty interesting to see how far Vicente Padilla has come since the Rangers cut him loose in July. Even though the ex-Phillie pitched the Dodgers into the NLCS for the second straight season by shutting down the Cardinals for seven innings, he must have been just horrible to deal with in Texas.

Think about it—the Rangers were in great need for pitching at the deadline but because of their financial uncertainty they were unable to go out and make a deal. So it really says something that the Rangers would flat-out send Padilla packing knowing how badly they needed pitching.

Then again, that’s kind of the way it happened in Philadelphia, too.

So give the Dodgers credit for figuring out how to keep Padilla in line. And maybe Padilla ought to get some credit for noticing that he was about to get bounced out of baseball for good.

Then again, Padilla is looking to keep his contract, too. The Dodgers hold the club option on Padilla and if they don’t pick it up, the righty is off looking for a job again.

So if you’re counting, here are the former Phillies on the way to the League Championship Series:

Dodgers Larry Bowa Mariano Duncan Jim Thome Vicente Padilla Randy Wolf

Angels Bobby Abreu

Yankees none

Game 3: Should we talk about the weather?

DENVER—A few years ago a friend moved from the harsh cold of New England to San Francisco. Needless to say this was quite a change for the guy. Instead of shoveling snow and dressing up to fend off the bitterly cold winters, all he had to do was layer up for summer nights. Easy.

That was until he felt his first earthquake. Actually, by California standards it was a pretty tame one, but unnerving for an easterner, nonetheless. Worse, the quake came at 2 a.m. when he was sitting at home and ready to call it a night. All of a sudden he heard a loud noise that sounded like a truck backfiring in the next room and some wobbling that sent a dish flying off a counter.

In all, it was no big deal. There was hardly any damage to the city other than a few cracked glasses and plates and most folks seemed to sleep right through it, he said.

But 3,000 miles away, the entire eastern seaboard was gripped by a deathly cold snap from Ol’ Man Winter. Apparently, when folks even considered going outside they moved quickly and stealthy like alligators. They did what they had to and went straight back indoors and spread Vaseline all over themselves as if they were about to swim across the English Channel.

Yes, it was that cold.

Interestingly, my friend got a few phone calls from his friends back east asking questions about San Francisco and the earthquake. Really, easterners just don’t know despite the fact that earthquakes are quite common throughout parts of New England and even Pennsylvania. In fact, a few months ago we even had a little rumbler of about 4.2 magnitude in Lancaster, Pa.

It sounded like a truck backfiring.

Anyway, the best question my friend was asked compared the earthquakes to the cold snap. Having been through both at different points, my friend was an expert.

“Which is worse,” he was asked. “The earthquake in California or the below-zero temperatures in the east?”

The answer was pretty comical.

“Well,” my friend said. “I never had to run screaming at 3 a.m. in my underwear looking for a doorway for protection because it was cold. I’m going to say the earthquake is worse.”

Here in Denver a bunch of us are acting as if we’re running around in our underwear looking for a doorway. It’s cold. It’s damn cold. And it’s certainly too cold to be out running around in your underwear.

But that’s it—it’s just cold. Sure, there is snow on the ground and the nighttime temperature for tonight’s scheduled Game 3 is forecast to be in the single digits. Remember how it was playing baseball when it was freezing cold and you hit a ball with an aluminum bat? That’s stinging sensation in your hands happens with wood bats, too. That’s especially the case when the pitcher purposely throws it in on the hitters’ hands with the intent on causing that feeling.

Still, it’s just cold. Cold happens sometimes. Football players layer up when it’s cold, golfers have certain clothes and precautions for when it’s chilly and distance runners, the toughest of the lot, just go run. They might put on some mittens.

Though the extra weight of the mittens might not be worth it.

Baseball is different. A summer rain sends players scurrying for the clubhouse because rain causes grass to get slick and then someone could fall down.

Really… someone could fall down.

Publically, the players on the Rockies and Phillies said all the right things about the prospect of playing Game 3 in record-low temps on Saturday night. Pedro Martinez, who is from the Dominican Republic, said he couldn’t wait to get out there and have fun. Cold? Whatever. Pedro even talked about the very first time he saw snow.

“When I saw snow, I actually stopped to grab a little bit and put it in my mouth and see if it felt like ice,” Pedro said. “But it's something you get accustomed to.”

Yes, because it never got cold when Pedro was pitching in Boston. What would he do?

Pedro doesn’t have to worry about it now. Apparently, all it took was a cold day in Denver to get him off the mound. Instead, J.A. Happ, a kid from the Chicago suburbs, will pitch in Game 3 in the relatively mild climes of Sunday night. Better yet, Happ, Pedro and their teammates can breathe a faux sigh at the prospect of not going out there on Saturday night.

The funny part was that the only guy who went on record to say it would be silly to play baseball in single-digit weather with snow flurries at mid-level altitude was the dude from Canada.

“When it’s cold, you look for that sweet little spot so you can hit it on the nose every time,” Stairs said. “It’s uncomfortable for fans to sit there and watch a game. For me, I’m warm up here watching the game on TV till I have to pinch hit. I feel bad for the guys who have to play every day. There’s no advantage to either team in cold weather. You’re more patient as a hitter. It might knock down a run game a little bit with the tight muscles.”

Nevertheless, Stairs, from New Brunswick, isn’t impressed with the forecast though he says it makes for bad baseball.

“That’s short-sleeve weather,” he said. “I've played in games when it was 30 below.”

Maybe so, but not this time.

Game 3: Bundle up!

Let’s just call it a brief diversion from the Broncos for a couple of hours. That’s the way it is with the folks in Colorado even when the Rockies are making a run in the playoffs. The truth is the entire state of Colorado pretty much shuts down whenever the Broncos play, and they are known to take hardcore sports participation to a degree that Philadelphians… well, don’t. But that’s just the way it is when the county due north of Denver is home to more than 60 people who were in the last Olympics. Hell, Brian Dawkins and the Broncos play the Patriots here on Sunday afternoon to give folks time to get over to the ballpark in relative warmer weather.

That’s because a “front,” as they like to say out there, is moving in quickly and that means temperatures are going to drop to a high of 30 degrees as quickly as it takes for a room to get dark after flipping a switch. Saturday night’s game should be breezy, and snowy and bone-chilling cold, though OK for a ballgame. After all, if they deemed the weather good enough to start Game 5 of last October’s World Series, a little cold shouldn’t bother anyone.

But that happens out here all year round. In fact, I remember a time a few years ago when it was a comfortable and sunny August day with temperatures in Estes Park in the mid-80s. But after a short drive up Trail Ridge Road we had to pull over because it was snowing and hailing too hard to negotiate those tricky mountain roads.

That was August.

This was July of 2007 in the relative low altitude of Denver:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNK9L9kLZa8]

So if you’re going to Denver and can’t get tickets for the game (it’s sold out, I presume), go check out the El Chapultepec, a bar a block or two away from Coors on 1962 Market Street. It’s one of those holdovers from the pre-gentrification Denver where Kerouac and Cassady along with Sinatra and Bono have been seen having a few while eating authentic Mexican food from paper plates and listening to jazz from the stage. The music is what really drives folks in, they say.

El Chapultepec is a little trendier than it used to be, but it doesn’t look like it from the outside.

See how close it is to Coors:

map to El Chapultepec

Other than that, my wife has stopped in the Chop House for a pre-Coors lunch. She still talks about the salad she ate there four years ago.

For those looking for the old Denver of the Beats, there are tours to take.

Or, if you want to really see the mountains, drive the 60 miles up to Estes Park to the Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a Swiss-inspired little town where the elk out-number the people. Plus, Stephen King stayed at the stately Stanley Hotel for inspiration for The Shining.

Better yet, stay indoors out of the cold weather and find a warm spot and watch Pedro dial it up. That’s what I’m going to do.

Game 2: Wolf and the cats

The Phillies just finished up with batting practice here at the Bank and the Rockies are getting ready to run through their paces before Game 2. Better yet, let’s hope they play the game at a rate comparable to Game 1 where the always efficient and quick-working Cliff Lee kept everything moving. That was so much better than the debacle that went on in Los Angeles last night where the Dodgers and Cardinals played the longest nine-inning game in NLDS history. It damn-near went on for four hours thanks largely to 30 runners left on base between the teams.

Imagine how frustrating it must have been for the Dodgers and Cardinals to leave all those runners out there. In that regard, the teams were pretty evenly matched, too. The Cards left on 16 and the Dodgers stranded 14, only LA made their hits count a little more in the 5-3 victory.

Nevertheless, right smack dab in the middle of the marathon effort was ex-Phillie turned Dodgers’ Game 1 starter, Randy Wolf. In his first ever playoff game Wolf needed 38 pitches to get through the first inning on his way to 82 in just 3 2/3 innings. Had he been able to get four more outs he would have received the win. Instead, 11 base runners against 11 outs ruined the debut.

That’s a shame, too, because based on past discussions with Wolf, I know how badly he wanted to participate in playoff baseball. Being in the playoffs was his greatest wish in his career and I know it pained him to see both the Dodgers and the Phillies in it last year while he was off playing for Houston.

“I was extremely happy for them,” Wolf said about watching his old team win the World Series, “But I was little jealous, too.”

It’s not like Wolf didn’t have a chance to be a part if the Phillies during the past three seasons. Before testing free agency and going home to California to play for the Dodgers and Padres, Wolf had an offer on the table from the Phillies. In fact, general manager Pat Gillick went to visit Wolf at his home in Los Angeles before the 2007 season to persuade the lefty to re-sign with the Phillies.

Gillick thought he had a chance to get Wolf, too… that was until he saw the cats.

You see, Wolf and his then girlfriend packed up their house in Conshohocken and had it shipped to the other coast. That included the pet cats, which was Gillick’s tip off. If a guy goes as far to move cats 3,000 miles away you can pretty much bet it’s not going to be a round trip.

It’s much easier to lug a dinette set from Pennsylvania to California than it is to wrangle up the cats, get them in a vehicle and take them across the country. Add in a girlfriend and you’re really talking about commitment.

So as soon as Gillick left the pitcher, the girl and the cats in the house in California, he scurried to the airport where he immediately phoned up the agent for Adam Eaton and offered him the deal he was going to give Wolf.

The rest is history.

Game 2: Utley integral

A few notes and observations before Game 2... I had hoped to write a little ditty about Chase Utley last night, but a couple of things happened. One, we were informed by the Phillies that the All-Star second baseman would be available on the podium at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Yeah, Chase Utley on the podium. Imagine that.

Normally, Chase Utley is about as interesting as shoving a Bic pen into your middle ear when it comes to talking about baseball. The guy is just not into it, which I don’t understand but accept. Some people don’t like talking about their jobs—what are you going to do?

However, upon waiting to see if Utley would come into the clubhouse after the victory in Game 1 on Wednesday evening, I was told that he would not be discussing his work with the big media throng. Or even the smallish one that waited around, for that matter.

“He didn’t really do anything,” I was told.

For a second I thought it was me. Maybe I shouldn’t believe my lying eyes? Maybe something occurred in the game that I completely missed… you know, whiffed on. But then I took a nanosecond to scout the outline of the ballgame in my mind, and blurted out.

“He got a key hit, swiped a base that was huge and played defense,” came the blurt. “Plus, the last time he faced the Rockies in a Game 1 of a playoff series he struck out four times on 13 pitches. He’s an All-Star with a .154 average in the NLDS and a .213 playoff average.

“He was integral!”

By that point I was standing by myself in the middle of the clubhouse bantering out loud like a crazy person on the street. It could have been worse, though. Instead of talking about baseball I could have been imitating trumpet noises as if I were the acapella version of Chet Baker because who doesn’t like to do that when they are alone and talking to themselves?

The point remains, though—Chase Utley was a big part of the Game 1 victory for the Phillies. Yes, he rode a 3-for-37 from the regular season into the playoffs and struck out in his first two plate appearances to stretch his hitless streak to 18 at-bats.

“Zero-for-a week,” I said to no one in particular when Utley struck out a second time.

But his leadoff single and stolen base in the sixth inning broke the game open like a piñata. To that point the Rockies’ hard-throwing righty Ubaldo Jimenez had been dealing. He needed 46 pitches to buzz through the first four innings and looked as if he was going to settle in nicely. However, in the fifth inning an eight-pitch leadoff walk to Jayson Werth resulted in a pair of runs to set the table for Utley’s table-setting. With the second baseman in scoring position after the stolen base, Jimenez was like Randall “Tex” Cobb in that fight against Larry Holmes. Sure, he was standing, but please, for the love of God, someone throw in the towel or stop it or make the guy go down.

A long double by Ryan Howard and a crazy triple from Werth delivered the knockout punch.

And it all started with Utley…

Who didn’t really do anything.

Statage: Utley is 2-for-12 in opening games of the NLDS and 6-for-20 with two homers in opening games of playoff series.

Game 1: Pitchers straight dealing

Cliff Lee has settled in nicely here at the Bank with his first perfect inning in the third. The key to his success—as it is for every pitcher—is those first-pitch strikes. In that regard, Lee has thrown six in a row and nine to the 11 hitters he faced through the first third of the game. Just for good measure, Lee belted a single in his first postseason plate appearance. You don’t need it to be said, be here it goes anyway:

Cliff Lee has the greatest batting average in the history of the playoffs.

Oh, if only that were enough… three pitches after the single, Lee took off for second and swiped the bag without a throw. If that wasn’t enough he even drew a pick-off throw to second that appeared to nab him in real time. But in slow motion, Lee was safe with a step to spare.

As such, Lee has the first (and only) stolen base by a Phillies pitcher in playoff history.

But yes, we have a real pitchers’ duel brewing through the first half of the game. After five innings Lee had recorded 12 outs in a row with 11 straight first-pitch strikes. In a game earlier this season pitched by Lee, the lefty threw 16 first-pitch strikes right out of the chute.

Needless to say, Lee won that day. That first-pitch strike thing could prove to be his formula for success in Game 1, too.

Meanwhile, Jimenez tore through the Phillies’ lineup, too, with that mix of 100-mph heaters and sharp-breaking slow curves. Jimenez whiffed Chase Utley twice (more on that later) and escaped a pair of innings with a runner on first with a double play in the second and when Ryan Howard was caught stealing in the fourth.

From the jump, it appeared as if Howard spun his wheels before getting into his stolen base stride. Second baseman Clint Barmes was waiting for the big slugger to get to the bag to slap the tag on him.

Game 1: Second inning

Had a early-game browser change on the old (literally) laptop a few seconds ago. A few bugs and kinks in Firefox and Opera led to some research and now I’m running Flock. We’ll see how it goes.

In the meantime the first dramatic play of the series occurred in the top of the second when Clint Barmes skied out to Jayson Werth in right and catcher Yorvit Torrealba was thrown out on a three-hopper at third trying to tag from second. Replays showed that Torrealba was safe, and that the decoy on the cut off by Jimmy Rollins was pretty solid, so mark that one down for the Werth and the Phillies.

To follow it up, Werth laced a one-out single to left for the Phillies’ first hit.

But that didn’t lead to anything. A handful of pitches after the hit, Ubaldo Jimenez got Raul Ibanez to ground into an inning-ending double play. He also struck out Ryan Howard on and 80-mph curve that was set up with fastballs ranging from 97 to 99.

That’s not fair, is it?

End of 2: Rockies 0, Phillies 0

Game 1: First Inning

PA announcer Dan Baker just told everyone to stand up and wave their white rally towels because the game was about to go live on TV. Nothing like some manufactured enthusiasm to get these playoffs started. Apparently the fans in Philadelphia need help to know when to cheer.

They let out a loud one when Charlie Manuel was introduced before the game. The Phillies also introduced their players in reverse order, perhaps to feed Jimmy Rollins’ ego?

But we got a look at how much the wind is going to be a factor in the opener when Cliff Lee’s first pitch of the game was lifted harmlessly to right field but it sent Jayson Werth nearly to the warning track.

Nasty.

Nevertheless, Cliff Lee’s playoff debut got off to a strong start with a scoreless first. He also fired first-pitch strikes to the first three hitters he faced, so that was a good thing.

Speaking of Cliff Lee, if you read one story about the Phils’ starter, make sure it is the one Martin Frank wrote for the Wilmington News Journal. It’s an excellent read.

The difference in the first inning for the Phillies was that they went down in order while the Rockies managed to get a pair of hits. Moreover, Ubaldo Jimenez hit 100 on the stadium radar gun, which probably is not wind aided.

Watch Jimenez. He’s going to be really good.

Game 1: Cold wind and snow

Just got word on a rather ominous weather report for this weekend in Denver. Apparently, Game 3 very well could be snowed out, which would push the series back a whole day and eliminate the travel day back to Philadelphia if a Game 5 is needed. It also means the Phillies could get by with just a three-man pitching rotation and perhaps could throw three lefties at the Rockies in Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ.

But before we all go changing our flight schedules and get caught making snow angels in Denver, let it be known that predicting the weather in Colorado is a fool’s game. Sure, some folks are calling for a big snowstorm this weekend, but others, like the most-reputable Accuweather have nighttime snow showers and cold, cold temperatures for Saturday.

In other words, not Pedro weather.

Besides, there is no sense predicting the weather in Colorado. I remember a time a few years ago when my wife and I went for a drive in the mountains in which we passed through patterns ranging from 85-degrees and sunshine to sleet and hail and snow all within 30 minutes.

So it might snow in Denver this weekend, but then again, it might not snow that badly. Either way, it’s going to much colder than folks are used to in early October. Better yet, it won’t be baseball weather—that’s for sure.

I’m not sure if we’re getting ready for baseball weather here in Philadelphia, either. It’s damn near gale force winds pushing straight out to right field here at the Bank. In fact, the flags are standing straight up with clichéd waves as if direct from a movie set.

However, Phils’ right fielder Raul Ibanez reported that he did not have any difficulty tracking fly balls during batting practice. From this vantage point, the wind does not appear to be swirling. It’s just headed straight out to right field.

If someone like Ryan Howard gets ahold of one and puts it in that air pocket, it might crash down in Fishtown.

Game 1: Day games, lineups and the Bay Area

OK, is everybody ready? Does everyone all set up to watch the midday playoff ballgame? Apparently the start time for Wednesday’s opener of the NLDS against the Colorado Rockies was a source of contention because people have jobs and things like that. What, it isn’t cool to watch baseball at work? If not, that’s just silly unless the worker is going to perform surgery or something. Then no, that guy should not be watching ball.

Nevertheless, I am a bit confused. After all, we always hear about how they don’t play enough day games during the playoffs and kids can’t stay up to watch. But then when they play a day game everyone complains about it because they have to go to work.

Which is it, dude?

From my point of view, the day game is great. These things tend to run a bit long as it is and we need all the time we can get to do some writing and that kind of crap. However, it seems as if Phillies’ pitcher Cole Hamels is not a big fan of the day games in the NLDS. In fact, he complained about it before the game during his formal MLB sanctioned press conference complete with microphones, hot lights and satellite feeds.

Using his “Who are you?” voice direct from that commercial that runs in a veritable loop on the TV, Hamels said: “I understand TV ratings, but I think at the end of the day, most players would rather play when they’re both comfortable and that’s kind of what we’ve trained at—either 1 o’clock or 7 o’clock, and I think it’s more fair for us than the TV ratings, because truly, I don’t think we mind as much for TV ratings.”

Wait… what?

“We can understand that people want to watch it on TV, but I don’t know too many people that are going to be watching this game at 11 on the west coast.”

Oh… in other words, Hamels is ready for his start in Game 2 on Thursday afternoon.

Here are the lineups for Game 1 Phillies 11 – Rollins, ss 8 – Victorino, cf 26 – Utley, 2b 6 – Howard, 1b 28 – Werth, rf 29 – Ibanez, rf 7 – Pedro Feliz, 3b 51 – Ruiz, c 34 – Lee, p

Rockies 24 – Fowler, cf 5 – Gonzalez, lf 17 – Helton, 1b 2 – Tulowitzki, ss 27 – Atkins, 3b 8 – Torrealba, c 11 – Hawpe, rf 12 – Barmes, 2b 38 – Jimenez, p

The key to the Rockies’ lineup is shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Jimmy Rollins, Tulowitzki’s counterpart on the Phillies, talked about the third-year star on Tuesday afternoon and marveled at the kid’s defensive prowess and throwing arm. Plus, Tulowitzki belted 32 home runs in 2009.

Though Rollins didn’t put Tulowitzki at the top of the list for young shortstops coming up in the game, he gave the most credence because like Rollins, the Rockies’ shortstop is from the Bay Area.

That’s when Rollins went on to list all the top ballplayers from his area of the country, such as Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson, Dontrelle Willis, Pat Burrell, Tom Brady, etc., etc. Of course Rollins’ favorite is Willie Stargell, the fellow Encinal High grad whose name was on the high school field Rollins and Willis played on.

“I thought one day they might name the field after me, but nope, it already has Pops’ name on it,” Rollins said.

Ready to dive in

The playoffs start tomorrow! That’s an awesome thing. What makes it especially awesome is that after idling through February and March in Clearwater and six months of a regular season, we’re down to just eight teams. That’s barely a quarter of the league whereas is the other major league sports (hockey included), a high percentage of the teams get into the playoffs. Kind of waters down the regular season doesn’t it?

More interestingly, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Phillies could be out of it by the time the Eagles play on Sunday. Or, they could be waiting on the Cardinals and Dodgers to decide the other NLDS.

That’s the beauty of baseball… we do this every day.

Nevertheless, before we dive in full force for Game 1, be warned that this site will go live for all playoff games. That’s just the way we do it for the big ones. Oh… and in the interest of self-congratulation, looks like I nailed the Phillies’ playoff roster with a perfect 25-for-25.

OK, there were two hedges, but really, there’s no sense in over thinking it. Put the best guys out there and don’t get too fancy with the fancy boy stats and let ‘em get at it.

Nevertheless, HONK! HONK!

PUNTO! I was planning on writing an epic blog post of the greatness of Twins’ infielder Nick Punto (Posnanski has Duane Kuiper, I have Punto!), because he seemed to be in the middle of a few big plays in the terrifically epic playoff game in Minnesota against the Twins, but we’ll wait for a bona fide heroic moment.

Still, who didn’t think Punto! Wasn’t the hero when he lined that ball to left in the 10th with one out?

For a stadium that everyone agrees is a dump, the Metrodome, in its last regular-season baseball game, has seen some epic ballgames. First, Game 7 of the 1991 World Series where Jack Morris went 10 innings to beat the Braves, 1-0, was one of the greatest games I’ve seen. And now the Tigers-Twins to get to the ALDS and face the Yankees.

Good stuff.

Not worth the pain

Before the proliferation of the cellular phone, there is no way I would have been able to witness the conversation like the one this morning on the Amtrak train to the NLDS workout day at Citizens Bank Park. There, separated by three inches of reclining cushion and plastic, a woman chit-chatted for the entire trip about whether or not she would be able to take a jar of jelly on a plane. (Pause)

Yeah, I know. Can you believe that? Jelly? On a plane? There she was (loudly) wasting good lean muscle mass and the wireless infrastructure to mull over the mystery of jelly on a plane.

Don’t they put that warning on the side of the Welch’s bottle?

But that wasn’t the worst of it. After chewing on the notion that TSA agents just might toss her to the ground and ransack through her carryon bag because she dared to sneak a glass jar of mashed up fruit and sugar on an aeroplane, she pushed her chair back all the way so she was perfectly arranged on my lap and continued on with the yak fest.

Sheesh, is this what Alexander Graham Bell had in mind when he yelled into the next room for his boy Watson? That question is debatable, but we must thank Steve Jobs for coming up with the iPod for just this type of issue—you know, a chatty lady with no regard for personal space.

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, Tuesday is the first day of all the NLDS hoopla here in Philadelphia. We’ll do it all again on Friday in Denver, though by then the series will have taken shape and we can neatly package into one type of compartment or another. In fact, the last two years we hit the road after two games in Philadelphia looking at a sweep. Last year we even conjured plans of escaping Milwaukee for Chicago if the Phillies had been able to take care of the Brewers in three games.

But alas…

Oh, but as we get ready to dive into playoff baseball for the third straight October here, they are already laying the groundwork for a winter of intrigue in Queens. Yes, that’s where the Mets have begun circling the wagons after a horrid 2009 season in which only the Washington Nationals’ ineptitude kept them out of the basement in the NL East. So in order to right the ship—as they say—Mets’ GM Omar Minaya reached out to his recently fired GM brethren, Kevin Towers and J.P. Riccardi. The hope, according to a story by Joel Sherman, was to iron out a deal to get both men in on some of the Mets’ action for 2010.

And no, the story did not indicate that Minaya was interviewing his successors.

Still, why the Mets’ arch-nemesis Phillies were preparing for Game 1 of the NLDS and contemplating a Game 1 and/or Game 2 starter, the Mets were firing coaches talking about hiring fired GMs and throwing around the big-time names they want to acquire this winter. You know, big free-agent names like they did last winter with J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez. Those guys were supposed to rescue the Mets’ horrid bullpen that cost them the division in ’08, only it didn’t quite work out as planned. Putz was out for the year by the first week of June, and though Rodriguez saved 35 games (in 42 tries) that turned out to be exactly half of the Mets’ total wins.

So while the Phillies look to defend their title, the Mets just might be placing the kiss of death on the cheeks of John Lackey, Matt Holliday and Roy Halladay. Sure, the money is good, but ballplayers already have plenty of money and it lasts only so long.

Maybe players ought to be thinking about glory… it lasts longer.

93 wins and more holes than a slice of domestic Swiss

It wasn’t that long ago that Game 162 meant the end of the line for the Phillies. In fact, we were used to it that way. As September morphed into October, that was pretty much it for the baseball season. If the Phillies could make the season last up to the last few days of the regular season, then it was a pretty successful year. That was then, though. Now, we’re beginning to get spoiled with baseball. Game 162 is nothing more than a dress rehearsal or when the season really begins to get interesting. Sure, the regular season is important, but the post season is what we’ll all remember.

It’s what we expect, because we’re spoiled.

Don’t believe me? OK, the Phillies won 93 games this season, which is two more than the World Series champs in 1980 and one more than the 2008 champions won. Ninety-three wins are the most by a Phillies team since the 1993 club won 97. Since 1883, the Phillies have had just four team win more than 93 games in a season—in 1899, 1976, 1977 and ’93.

In other words, the 2009 Phillies won more games than 122 other teams in franchise history. Yet strangely, we’re kind of disappointed with the Phillies.

Go ahead; admit it… there was a bit of disappointment in how this season played out. Sure, the Phillies won the NL East rather easily, but the rational fan is worried about the NLDS against the Rockies. That’s especially the case with Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels pitching the way they have lately. And the bullpen in the shape it has been in this year.

Can you believe the ‘pen had 22 blown saves this year? Actually, make that 17 blown saves for the two guys (Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson) that likely will be closing out games in the playoffs.

And then there is the matter of hitting with runners in scoring position. Sure, the Phillies led the league with 224 home runs this year, but they hit .253 with runners in scoring position, including just .216 with runners in scoring position and two outs.

The most worrisome aspect of the hot-and-cold offense has been Chase Utley, who finished the season bone tired. In fact, manager Charlie Manuel should have told his All-Star second baseman to spend the week at home sleeping and replenishing for the playoffs. Think about it—not only did Utley play in 156 games in 2009, but also he did so after spending the winter busting his rear to rehab his surgically repaired hip in order to be ready for Opening Day. Add this onto the fact that Utley played a month longer than normal in 2008, had surgery, rehabbed from it and then played in all put six games in 2009…

Yeah, he’s whipped.

Need proof? Look at how Utley finished the season. With a 0-for-2 on Saturday, Utley ended the year hitless in his last five games and 17 at-bats. Actually, Utley finished 2009 with a 3-for-37.

Notably, Utley hit just two homers in September/October and none since Sept. 12.

Though Utley finished the season in an ugly slump, Ryan Howard solidified himself as the team’s MVP by capturing the RBI crown for the third time of his career with 141 and belted 45 homers.

So for the third year in a row, Howard slugged at least 45 homers and got 140 RBIs—only Sammy Sosa and Babe Ruth have done that in Major League Baseball history.

No, Howard is not the top MVP candidate in the NL. That’s Albert Pujols all the way. But since the end of May, Howard improved every month culminating with a final month where the lefty slugger batted .302.

And whereas Utley can’t buy a hit, Howard has a hit in 10 of his last 11 games.

Still, the fifth-most winningest team in franchise history heads into the playoffs with more holes than a slice of domestic Swiss. There are just so many question marks and they all are fairly significant. From the injuries to the offensive production. From the end of the ‘pen to the middle of the order.

So many questions and so little time… it starts for real on Wednesday.

Mulling over the playoff roster (again)

It’s funny how important putting together a postseason roster can be. If you really think about it, the core part of the roster is already determined and the only players Charlie Manuel, Ruben Amaro and the rest of the gang are discussing are bench and complimentary bullpen pieces. In other words, the most debatable parts of the 25-man playoff roster are for spots filled by guys Manuel hopes he won’t even have to use.

Funny, isn’t it?

So in the take two edition of the Phillies playoff roster, here’s the 25 we’ll go with. By Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. we’ll see if this is the way it works out:

Starting pitchers (4) Cliff Lee * Cole Hamels * Joe Blanton Pedro Martinez

Relief pitchers (8) J.A. Happ * Ryan Madson Brad Lidge Scott Eyre * Chad Durbin Brett Myers Kyle Kendrick/Tyler Walker Sergio Escalona*/Clay Condrey/Antonio Bastardo*

Catchers (2) Carlos Ruiz Paul Bako *

Infielders (6) Ryan Howard * Chase Utley * Pedro Feliz Jimmy Rollins # Miguel Cairo Greg Dobbs *

Outfielders (5) Raul Ibanez * Shane Victorino # Jayson Werth Ben Francisco Matt Stairs *

* lefty # switch hitter

With Jamie Moyer, Chan Ho Park and J.C. Romero out for at least the first round of the playoffs, the decisions got much easier for the Phillies in the bullpen. Otherwise, Manuel says he would prefer to have three lefties in the bullpen—including situational man Scott Eyre—which is why Escalona could find his way on there. Kendrick gets on as the long man, and if Brett Myers gets on, there might not be much of a need for Clay Condrey since they both do the same thing (more or less).

Forget about Myers pitching in the end of the bullpen. Scouts tell me his stuff just isn’t there… and never was.

Probably the toughest decision is whether or not to have Pedro Martinez or J.A. Happ as a starter. Logic tells me that Happ is the best choice based on how consistently good he has been all year. However, based on some of Manuel’s comments over the past few days, it seems as if he likes Happ as the wild-card pitcher. Happ could come in for the seventh and close out a game, he could come in if a starter gets knocked out early, or he could take the ball and start if need be.

Pedro, on the other hand, is likely effective only as a starter. Anyone have doubts whether or not he’ll dial it up for the playoffs?

So there it is… for now. We’ll see what Charlie and Ruben come up with on Wednesday.

Two old goats

Experienced Phillies look to playoff novice

Two years ago the Phillies were playoff novices. Of the 25 men who went to the quick, three-game series against Colorado in 2007, only Abraham Nunez, Aaron Rowand, Wes Helms, Tad Iguchi, Rod Barajas, Kyle Lohse, Jose Mesa and Jamie Moyer had appeared in a playoff game. The funny thing about that was only Moyer came back the next season. The rest were long gone by the time spring training rolled around.

This time around playoff experience might be one of those intangibles the Phillies have that could separate them from the back. Of the sure-thing players that will be on the 25-man playoff roster come next Wednesday, only two players have no experience heading into the postseason.

Strangely enough one of those guys will probably be the starting pitcher in Game 1.

Cliff Lee was a member of the 2007 Cleveland Indians that went to the 2007 ALCS, but he did not appear in any of the games for the Tribe because he had been optioned to Triple-A at midseason.

The next year he went 22-3 and won the AL Cy Young Award and now he is in the playoffs for the first time with the Phillies.

Needless to say he’s pretty excited.

“Charlie hasn’t told me if I’m going to be the guy out there in Game 1, but if I am I’ll be ready,” Lee said while teammates came by to pour beer over his head and down his back. “This is what you train for during the offseason—it’s to be ready for the playoffs, and I’m excited about it.”

Ben Francisco came to Philadelphia with Lee in the deadline deal that fans raved about because it solidified the top of the Phillies’ rotation. However, with Francisco as part of the trade the outfield became rock solid, too.

Serving as the team’s fourth outfielder, Francisco slugged five homers with 12 RBIs and a .259 average in 33 games. Combined with Cleveland, Francisco belted 15 homers with 45 RBIs and a .252 average in 122 games. Those aren’t bad numbers for the top right-handed hitting option off the bench.

But the addition of Lee and his possible role as the lead man in the rotation will be one of the major themes in the next week as Game 1 approaches.

Of course there are some concerns, too. Lee will make his final regular-season appearance on Thursday night while looking to regain the form he displayed in his first handful of outings he had when he joined the Phillies.

He went 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA in his first five starts with the Phillies, but is 2-3 with a 6.35 ERA in his last six. It’s possible, says manager Charlie Manuel, that Lee could be a little tired. After al, the lefty has thrown 226 innings this season. Only five pitchers—and one National Leaguer—have tossed more.

“I feel strong, if that's what you're getting at,” Lee said. “I feel as strong as I have all year. That's what you work all offseason for, is to prepare for a long season and hopefully something extra there at the end. I feel like I've done everything I need to do to be in a position where I'm at right now.”

The Phillies will soon find out as their prized acquisition gets into the playoffs for the first time ever.

Headed back for more

Sixth inning: Crusing

Last weekend Paul Hagen if the Daily News wrote that the Phillies took 10 cases of Domaine Ste. Michelle to Milwaukee in case they needed to have a party or something. As we know, it didn't really work out that well. They even had to tear down the plastic sheeting they placed over the lockers at Miller Park. Nevertheless, the plastic was back up over the lockers at Citizens Bank Park before Wednesday's game. It looks like they are going to need it, too. After all, not only are the Phillies leading by four runs, the Marlins are shutting out the Braves. This game could be rendered moot by the time the ninth inning rolls around.

Of course the Phillies need to get home field for the NLDS now. Sure, guys like Chase Utley will get some rest, but as Charlie Manuel said before the game, it's more important for the team to get home field than it is for guys to rest.

Fair enough.

So as we head into the late innings, I'm heading over to my other tabs on this laptop to begin composing my stories for the web site. We'll be back tonight/tomorrow to sum it all up for everyone.

Anyone want to make a bet that Brad Lidge is on the mound in the ninth inning tonight?

Sixth inning: Phillies 8, Astros 3

Fifth inning: Kendrick in for Pedro

We have Sarah Baicker over here doing some baseball stuff. She's writing the official, CSNPhilly.com epic on Jamie Moyer while I just write until my hands fall off. Ew.

Either way, it's fair to say Pedro didn't exactly dial it up in his first game back. In fact, he started slow as he normally does in what might be his final start of the regular season. As far as the playoffs go, we'll see. My guess is Pedro will be the fourth man in the rotation behind Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.

If it were me, I'd go old-school manager in the bullpen and have J.A. Happ give me a few multi-inning saves if the situation arose.

Nevertheless, if Pedro gets the ball again he has to do something about those first innings. This season hitters are 14-for-40 against him in the first. That's not too good.

Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick came on for the fifth and continued his strong work in relief for the Phillies since his recall from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He wasn't great in last Saturday's start in Milwaukee, but as a reliever he's ben pretty good. Heading into Wednesday's game, Kendrick appeared in five games out of the 'pen for a 2.89 ERA in nine innings. Take away his first outing of the year against the Red Sox in June and Kendrick has not allowed a run in relief.

That includes the scoreless inning he tossed in the fifth, too.

Who knows... he very well might find his way onto the playoff roster if he isn't careful.

That playoff berth seems a lot more likely now thanks to back-to-back triples to start the inning from Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.

Fifth inning: Phillies 7, Astros 3

Fourth inning: Moyer finished for the year

The news on Jamie Moyer was much worse than expected when he landed awkwardly on the mound during his final pitch in the seventh inning last night. Though he limped off the field quite gingerly, it was expected to be a strained muscle or something. Who would have guessed that it very well could be the final pitch of his career?

According to team physician, Dr. Michael Ciccotti, Moyer tore three muscles. Two of those are in his groin and one torn muscle is in his stomach. He's going to have surgery in the next week and could be back in time for spring training.

I don't think it's the swan song for Moyer because I think he likes to play and always thinks he has something to prove. He loves that very much like Michael Jordan always liked proving people wrong.

The thing about Jamie is that he is quite arrogant, too. Clearly that's part of the reason why he has been so successful during a baseball career that bucked the odds.

I have had the chance to talk to Moyer a lot over the past few years and most of the time it was always illuminating. Even this season when he wasn't as friendly as in the past or feeling somewhat slighted because the team got Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez and spouted off about being "misled" that day at Wrigley Field, something was easily gleaned.

Moyer than anything else, Jamie Moyer is a competitor.

I wrote this after a game in Washington last year:

Moyer has no timetable for retirement and may even seek another contract when the current one ends.

“Look, I feel great and I’m pitching well and I love playing so I have no plans to stop,” he told me in a late-season interview. “But I could come in here tomorrow and the desire could be completely gone.”

Clearly that’s not the case. Moyer prepares and competes at 46 no differently than he did when he was a green rookie coming up with the Cubs in 1986. However, if there is something behind Moyer’s motivation to continue to pitch (and to pitch well) it seems to be the slights he took from baseball people back when he was struggling in the early 1990s. No, Moyer didn’t cite it as a motivating cause, but then again he didn’t have to.

“Fourteen years ago I was told to retire,” Moyer said with a smirk in a recent interview.

If Moyer hangs 'em up, his legacy will be those two clinchers he pitched at the Bank in 2007 and 2008 as well as his great effort in Game 3 of the World Series in '08.

While we were contemplating Moyer, the Phillies rallied for four runs in the fourth and Pedro Martinez was yanked for a pinch hitter.

Pedro's line: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR, 1 HBP, 84 pitches (54 K)

Fourth inning: Phillies 5, Astros 3