Phillies Rockies NLDS Game 1 Preview
Cliff Lee will start the NLDS off for the Phillies this afternoon (Slocum/AP)
Well, it’s all made up and ready to go. The Phillies will take on the Rockies at the awkward time of 2:37. Where these TBS exec’s come up with these times is beyond me. Speaking of TBS, how about the game they aired last night? The Minnesota Twins outlasted the Detroit Tigers in 12 innings to take on the New York Yankees in the ALCS tonight in the (roughly) 6:00 game. Must have been Brett Favre’s presence on the field within 24 hours of the game.
Anyway at 2:37 this afternoon, reigning AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, not Cole Hamels, will take the mound for the World Champion Phillies as they look to defend their crown.
It was almost a toss up whether the Phils should have gone with Lee or Hamels, and with Charlie’s loyalty you might have expected him to hand the ball to the 2008 World Series MVP. However, Hamels pitched on Saturday, albeit fewer than 50 pitches, and the Phillies probably didn’t want to start him on three days rest. With that in mind, here is the Phillies’ current postseason roster and The ADD Show’s preview picks for this series.
2009 Philadelphia Phillies NLDS Roster
CATCHERS
Carlos Ruiz, Paul Bako
INFIELDERS
Ryan Howard,Chase Utley, Pedro Feliz, Jimmy Rollins, Greg Dobbs, Miguel Cairo
OUTFIELDERS
Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Ben Francisco, Matt Stairs
PITCHERS
Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, Pedro Martinez, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers, Scott Eyre, Chad Durbin, Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo
vs. 
Aaron: This series, perhaps more than the other three, has the most question marks. It’s quite easy to talk about Brad Lidge or what happened in 2007 and things of that nature, but there are bigger issues. Do the Phillies really have a 1-2 punch, or are Hamels and Lee going to struggle like they have down the stretch this year? Will the Phillies bats come alive, or will the only man hitting the ball – Ryan Howard – be alone in that department? Can the Rockies left-handed power handle a Hamels, Lee, and possibly Happ? Will the Rockies hot streak, and it’s scorching hot, continue? All legitimate questions with no answers other than the games that lie ahead.
This could easily be a sweep by the Phillies as they are the better team on paper. But as we know, what’s on paper rarely translates on the field. I expect this series to be close – 5 games close. You cannot discount the way the Rockies are hitting the ball, and they’ll touch up at least one of the ‘star’ Phillies pitchers. The Phillies win with power, but Jiminez could alter the momentum drastically in game one with a strong showing which wouldn’t be surprising. The way I see it, in 2008 the Phillies got the breaks they needed to win it all. You need the breaks to win it all. This year is completely different, and things haven’t gone their way in a lot of different departments. When the series and the season is now so short, I’m afraid they won’t catch those breaks, and the hotter team prevails.
in 5
Dave: Well if you’ve even been paying a little bit of attention you know that the biggest question mark for the Phillies is their bullpen. But consider that their top three pitchers, Cole Hamels (reigning World Series MVP), Cliff Lee (reigning Cy Young winner), and Joe Blanton have the potential to eat up a lot of innings.
Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, and Jason Marquis are all great pitchers, but this Phillies team can turn up their explosive offense with the flip of a switch. All year long there has been pressure on this team to repeat as World Series Champions. There was a quiet, vague confidence that everyone seemed to have about the 2008 Phillies and there have been times where they have shown it in 2009. It’s now time to flip the switch, and the Phillies will deliver.
in 4
Jeff: The defending world champs are back playing baseball in October. No surprise there. If it does surprise you, you have got some real problems to work out. Powered by a strong trio of starting pitchers in Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton, the Phillies are looking to repeat as champs for the first time since the Yankees did it from 98-00 and the first National League team to do so since the Big Red machine from 75-76.
The Rockies are a good team, and a good story. But, for them to beat the Phillies, they would need everyone on their squad to perform very well. Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton have done a great job this season, but I think the Phillies will prove to be too much to overcome for the Rockies. I’ll at least give them one game in the series.
in 4
To view The ADD Show’s picks for the rest of the division series, click here.
For some last minute insight, check out our latest podcast with MLB.com Phillies beat reporter Todd Zolecki.
