Phightin' Phils Phorum

Phillies First Pitch: NLDS Game 3 Phillies vs. Rockies 10/11/09 Lineups and Game Chat

The snow has cleared and the Philadelphia Phillies (1-1) are ready to face off against the Colorado Rockies (1-1) in pivotal game 3 of the NLDS. The is no overstating the importance of winning tonight for both teams. The Phillies send J.A. Happ to the mound while the Rockies counter by sending Jason Hammel to toe the rubber. Highs will be in the low 40's so the weather will not be a factor... at least in the game happening.

Tomorrow's game will either be at 6:07pm if the Yankees clinch tonight or at 4:07pm if there are two games.

Lineups are below. Game chat is in the comments section.

Game time: 10:07pm EST

Television Broadcast: TBS

Phillies Broadcast: Big Talker 1210 and the Phillies radio network.

Lineups 10/11/2009:

Phillies:

1. Rollins SS
2. Victorino CF
3. Utley 2B
4. Howard 1B
5. Werth RF
6. Ibanez LF
7. Feliz 3B
8. Ruiz C
9. Happ P

Rockies:

1. Gonzalez LF
2. Fowler CF
3. Helton 1B
4. Tulowitzki SS
5. Torrealba C
6. Atkins 3B
7. Spilborghs RF
8. Barmes 2B
9. Hammel P

Happ Replaces Martinez as Game 3 Starter

With concerns for Pedro Martinez's surgically repaired shoulder in Denver's cold climate and the Colorado Rockies lineup that is full of sluggers, Charlie Manuel has decided to name J.A. Happ the Philadelphia Phillies game 3 starter. Happ has been the Phillies best and most consistent starter all season and although he is a rookie, the Phillies feel that he is the best option on Sunday for the Phils.

Happ finished his rookie campaign in 2009 with a 10-4 mark and a 2.99 ERA. Happ will need to stay within himself and try to bust the hitters in. Game time temperatures tomorrow are expected to be in the mid 40's.

Should Happ stumble, expect to see Pedro out of the bullpen. Still expect Cliff Lee to pitch game 4 as it will be his turn in the rotation and the Phillies will either be looking to close out the series or play for a chance to get back to Philadelphia and Citizens Bank Park.

Preseries Quick Hits: Phillies vs. Rockies Game 3 & 4 10/11, 10/12/2009

The Philadelphia Phillies (1-1) are in Denver to face the Colorado Rockies (1-1) for games 3 and 4 of the 2009 NLDS. Game 3 was just postponed due to weather so the games have been pushed back to Sunday and Monday.

The Phillies won game one easily but could never catch up in game two in a 5-4 defeat. Cole Hamels struggled and may have been distracted as his wife Heidi went into labor with their first child Caleb Michael Hamels who weighed in at 6 pounds 9 ounces with blond hair.

The Phillies look to get back to business tonight as game three is critical for them. A win tonight obviously gives them a lead but also guarantees that the series can not be lost on the road. TBS continues to have all of the television action and the Phillies broadcast can be heard on The Big Talker 1210 and the Phillies radio network.

Pitching Match ups:

10/11/2009 at Col Pedro Martinez, RHP (0-0, -.--) vs. Jason Hammel, RHP (0-0, -.--) 10:07pm

10/12/2009 at Col TBA vs. TBA TBD

Quick Hits:

• The Phillies are 34-41 all time in the postseason.
• Since 1980, the Phillies are 30-22 in the post season.
• Coming into the series, 22 of the Phillies 25 players had prior playoff experience.
• The Phillies now have a 1-4 record all time in the playoffs against the Rockies.

Pitchers Scouting Report:

10/11:

Phillies: Martinez went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts for the Phillies. He is 2-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Rockies. The 37-year-old right-hander is 6-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 13 postseason games, 11 of them starts. That includes a 4-0 record and 2.84 ERA in Division Series games. He last pitched in the postseason in Game 3 of the 2004 World Series, throwing seven shutout innings in Boston's 4-1 win over the Cardinals. Martinez has pitched once since Sept. 19, going four innings against the Astros on Sept. 30. He allowed three runs on six hits.

Rockies: Hammel battled inconsistency early in the season but turned into a threat to win against high-quality lineups when he decided to eliminate a sinker and go with his four-seam fastball. The sinker was a good idea, considering that balls hit in the air at Coors Field can be dangerous. However, he didn't control it as well as the four-seamer, so he went with what was working for him. Of late, Hammel has been efficient in early innings. That was the improvement he needed to make to last longer in games. There is one red flag, though, as the Rockies head into Game 3. he was 3-3 with a 5.63 ERA in 16 regular-season starts at Coors Field, as opposed to 7-5, 3.13 on the road. Nonetheless, his strong second-half performance led manager Jim Tracy to pick him over Jason Marquis for the start.

10/12:

Phillies: Cliff Lee will probably get the nod as the series has been postponed and he will be on normal rest. Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ are both options but after Lee's spectacular performance and Monday being his normal day to pitch, it is doubtful Cliff would be pushed back a game.

Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez is the front runner to pitch for the Rockies although after his first start the Rockies could look elsewhere. The extra day off could also allow Jorge De La Rosa to be used in game 5.

Coming Up:

If the series is tied after game 4, the series shifts back to Citizens Bank Park. It would be the first playoff series to go to the final game since the Phillies defeated the Houston Astros in game 5 of the NLCS in 1980.

Pedro Prepares For an Ice Cold Rockies

Pedro Martinez is Charlie Manuel's choice for starter for game 3 of the NLDS between the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies. Pedro has the experience and as long as he is healthy, and I can not imagine Manuel using him if he wasn't 100%, he will excel especially in the cold weather.

With an expected high of 31 degrees for Saturday's game, the bigger concern will be the Phillies bats. The Phillies have struggled in cold weather in the past and while the Rockies have to play in the same conditions, you never want variable factors like weather getting in the way of the team's performance.

The key for the Phillies is to get an advantage. How? Pedro needs to pitch inside and have these guys get jammed. A few painful swings could make the difference for the Fightin' Phils. Meanwhile the Phillies hitters need to stay patient and wait for Jason Hammel to make a mistake.

While every game is important, tomorrow is of even more so as a win not only gives the Phillies the series lead but also guarantees another game at Citizens Bank Park should they lose game 4. Let's hope the Phillies can fight the cold and pull out a game 3 victory!

And The Game 3 Starter is.... Pedro Martinez

In a move that I will never understand Charlie Manuel used three of his starters inside of three innings and lost J.A. Happ to an injury making it clear that Pedro Martinez would be the team's starter in game 3. What in the world is Manuel thinking?

First of all, Joe Blanton has little experience as a reliever. The playoffs is no time to get on the job training. And why use Happ? I know Manuel is afraid of his bullpen but you can't waste half of your starters in game 2.

Is Manuel confused thinking this is game 5? This is not time to panic. But at least everyone in Philadelphia can stop speculating about who the game three starter will be. I hope Pedro is up to it!

In other news, Cole Hamels left the stadium as his wife Heidi is in labor with their first child. Wait until the kid grows up and he tells them that he lost the game the day they were born. Real proud!

J.A. Happ was diagnosed with a bruise of his lower leg. X-Rays were negative.

Phillies First Pitch: NLDS Game 2 Phillies vs. Rockies 10/8/09 Lineups and Game Chat

The Philadelphia Phillies look to make it two in a row as Cole Hamels takes the mound against Aaron Cook and the Colorado Rockies. 69% of teams that have one game one of a division series have gone on to win the series and the Phillies look to keep the odds in their favor.

The keys to today's game are:

• Cole Hamels being dominant. He has to stay away from the big inning that has plagued him at times in 2009.
• The lineup needs to be patient. Run up Cook's pitch count and make him make mistakes then capitalize on them.
• The bullpen needs to prove they are ready to shut down the opposition in the post season.

Game Time: 2:37PM EST

Television Broadcast: TBS

Phillies Radio Broadcast: Big Talker 1210 Philadelphia, Sirius XM

Lineups 10/8/2009:

Rockies:

1. Gonzalez CF
2. Fowler LF
3. Helton 1B
4. Tulowitzki SS
5. Atkins 3B
6. Torrealba C
7. Spilborghs RF
8. Barmes 2B
9. Cook P

Phillies:

1. Rollins SS
2. Victorino CF
3. Utley 2B
4. Howard 1B
5. Werth RF
6. Ibanez LF
7. Feliz 3B
8. Ruiz C
9. Hamels P

Phillies Chance of Winning the 2009 NLDS? 69%

In the history of the Division Series, the team that won the first game won 36 of 52 of the series. That is a 69% success rate. What does that mean? Well, not that much other than the Philadelphia Phillies go into game two with high hopes of leaving Citizens Bank Park with a 2-0 lead and the guarantee that they can not lose the series on the road.

Charlie Manuel preaches one game at a time and that is all the Phillies can think about. Winning today. Cole Hamels also needs to think about today. He needs to put an up and down season behind him and concentrate on being the dominant pitcher that won the NLCS and World Series MVP awards in 2008. The edge is in Hamels favor as pitchers tend to do better in the postseason.

Why? Hitters are more aggressive in the post season and tend to expand their strike zones. An entire game is more like a ninth inning as every at bat is magnified. No matter how good or patient a hitter is, somewhere inside they want to be a hero in a post season game and will swing at a pitch that they would never swing at in the regular season. Advantage, the pitcher.

With the Phillies post season experience and with every player in the lineup getting a hit yesterday, the Phillies look to improve the 69% with a series win. These are the playoffs though so anything can happen!

Lee Brings Home First Post Season Win

 One down, ten to go as the Philadelphia Phillies take the first step in defending their World Championship crown in a game one 5-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Cliff Lee went the distance pitching a complete game and the bats belted out 12 hits. Any questions about Lee being the game one starter were certainly answered and Charlie Manuel again looks like a genius.

The observation from today's game in addition to any questions of Cliff Lee in the playoffs being answered was the fact that the Phillies batters looked like seasoned October veterans. After the first few innings it looked like it was going to be a pitcher's duel. The Phillies batters were patient though and waited for their spots before knocking Ubaldo Jimenez out of the game early. Inexperienced teams traditionally struggle in games like this and base runners and runs are scarce. Not so for the World Champs!

This team is now an experienced playoff team. There are no jitters and another newcomer to the playoffs Raul Ibanez got his feet wet and showed he is ready to contribute. This team is confident and has what it takes to repeat. One down, ten to go!

Let's go Phillies!!!

Phillies First Pitch: NLDS Game 1 Phillies vs. Rockies 10/7/09 Lineups and Game Chat

Game one of the NLDS begins today at Citizens Bank Park! The Philadelphia Phillies look to repeat as World Champions but the Colorado Rockies are the first to stand in their way as they look to return to the World Series for the second time in three years.

Cliff Lee gets the nod for the Phillies while the Rockies will counter with Ubaldo Jimenez. The good news for the Phillies is some of their players statistics against Jimenez:

• Pedro Feliz is a career .750 hitter against Jiminez.
• Shane Victorino is a career .600 hitter against him.
• Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Greg Dobbs are all a career .400 hitter against Jimenez.

More good news for the Phillies, Jorge De La Rosa will not be available for the division series as he is suffering from a left groin strain.

It's October baseball!!!

Game Time: 2:37pm

Television Broadcast: TBS

Game 1 Lineups 10/7/2009:

Rockies:

1. Fowler CF
2. Gonzalez LF
3. Helton 1B
4. Tulowitski SS
5. Atkins 3B
6. Torrealba C
7. Hawpe RF
8. Barmes 2B
9. Jimenez P

Phillies:

1. Rollins SS
2. Victorino CF
3. Utley 2B
4. Howard 1B
5. Werth RF
6. Ibanez LF
7. Feliz 3B
8. Ruiz C
9. Lee P

2009 Philadelphia Phillies Post Season Roster and Newsy Playoff Notes

The Philadelphia Phillies have made the final decisions for their post season roster. Some highlights include Miguel Cairo, Antonio Bastardo, and Kyle Kendrick being included and Tyler Walker, Eric Bruntlett, and Clay "Hit Parade" Condrey being cut.

Pitchers:

1. Cole Hamels
2. Cliff Lee
3. Pedro Martinez
4. J.A. Happ
5. Joe Blanton
6. Brad Lidge
7. Brett Myers
8. Ryan Madson
9. Scott Eyre
10. Chad Durbin
11. Kyle Kendrick
12. Antonio Bastardo

Infield:

    13. Ryan Howard

    14. Chase Utley

    15. Jimmy Rollins

    16. Pedro Feliz

    17. Miguel Cairo

    18. Greg Dobbs

Outfield:

    19. Raul Ibanez

    20. Shane Victorino

    21. Jayson Werth

    22. Ben Francisco

    23. Matt Stairs

Catchers:

    24. Carlos Ruiz

    25. Paul Bako

Other Playoff Newsy Notes:

• J.C. Romero will have flexor tendon surgery. His recovery time is 3 to 4 months. He should be ready for opening day.
• De La Rosa will miss the NLDS for the Colorado Rockies.
• Dick Allen and Geoff Jenkins will throw out the first pitch for game 1.
• John Kruk will throw out the first pitch for game 2.
• Cliff Lee will pitch game 1 for the Phillies and Cole Hamels will pitch game 2.
• Ubaldo Jimenez will pitch game 1 and Aaron Cook game 2 for the Rockies.
• Jason Hammel will start game 3 for the Rockies in Colorado.
• The Bacon Brothers will sing the National Anthem for game 1 at Citizens Bank Park.
• Jarod Spector from "Jersey Boys" will sing the anthem for game 2.

Stay tuned to Phightin' Phils Phorum for in depth insight about MLB's 2009 post season!