Phillies-Cardinals NLDS Game 1 Thoughts

One down, 10 more wins to go.  After a sluggish start for both Roy Halladay and the offense, the Phillies woke up in time to pound the Cardinals, 11-6, and start off the 2011 playoffs with a win.  Here are some of my thoughts on the game:

-Who else had a sinking feeling in their stomach after Halladay gave up the 3-run homer in the first inning and when the Phillies offense looked impatient and inept against Kyle Lohse in the early innings?  You had to figure that Halladay would settle in and he certainly did, retiring 21 straight and looking dominant from the 2nd inning on.  Take out that one swing by Lance Berkman and we'd be talking about another amazing Halladay playoff outing.

-With one swing, Ryan Howard already has more homers and RBI than he did in the entire 2010 playoffs.  We've all seen Howard come up small with runners on in close games before but he stayed patient and waited for Lohse to make a mistake.  If that's the Howard we get for the next few weeks, another title is just a formality.

-The rumors of Raul Ibanez's demise have been greatly exaggerated.  These could be his last few games with the Phillies and Ibanez has already made a huge impact.

-The bullpen still might be something to worry about.  The fact that they had to turn to Ryan Madson just to put the Cardinals away was disheartening.  Although the starters can be expected to go deep in nearly every game, someone besides Madson has to step up and get batters out.

-Albert Pujols is good and all but how about they don't basically intentionally walk him in the first inning?  Berkman and Matt Holliday (when he's healthy enough to start) can really rake so there is no reason to give them extra runners to drive in.

-Hunter Pence looked comfortable in the playoffs, picking up a big hit before Howard's homer as well as the single that put the game out of reach in the 8th inning.  He continues to be exactly what the Phillies needed to add to the lineup.

With Cliff Lee going against Chris Carpenter tomorrow, Game 2 should be a great matchup.  Expect the first team to get to 2 runs to win.

Phillies send Domonic Brown to the minors

With the addition of Hunter Pence to the roster, the Phillies had to make a move to clear up space. That move turned out to be the demotion of Domonic Brown to the minors, which means the Phillies will play the struggling Raul Ibanez every day in left field for the foreseeable future.

While Brown probably isn't happy to be sent to the minors it will be good for him down the road. With Pence in the fold for the next few seasons, right field, the position Brown is most comfortable playing, is locked up. The Phillies plan to play Brown in left field at Lehigh every day and let him get comfortable in the position with the hopes that he takes over in left next season when Ibanez is gone. Brown can also continue to develop at the plate in the minors and hopefully be a solid bat when he is called up again no later than September.

In other Phillies news, Placido Polanco was activated and the team sent Andrew Carpenter to the minors. The lineup is now stacked 1-8 and ready to roll. Can't wait for October.

Phillies acquire Hunter Pence for prospects

The Phillies have finally acquired that right handed bat they have been looking for, getting Hunter Pence from the Astros for two of their top prospects, pitcher Jarred Cosart and outfielder Jonathan Singleton, pitcher Josh Zeid and a player to be named later. While he had been rumored to be a part of the deal, the Phillies thankfully were able to hold on to Dominic Brown. The Phillies also received cash in the deal.

Pence is a solid bat and should slide nicely into the 5th spot in the lineup. While he doesn't have a ton of power, the two-time All Star is hitting over .300 this season and driven in 62 runs on a terrible Astros team. He does strike out too much and doesn't have a great on base percentage but Pence should help to balance out the Phillies lineup with another threat from the right side of the plate.

As for where Pence will play, he has been a right fielder for most of his career. The Phillies will likely let him play every day and rotate Dominic Brown and Raul Ibanez in left, though I fear that Brown may be relegated to the bench more often than not, something that won't help his development.

It was a stiff price to pay for Pence as Cosart and Singleton where the best the Phillies farm system had to offer, but Pence does fulfill a big need for the club. While I would still like the Phillies to go grab another bullpen piece, picking up Pence, who will be with the team for several years, gives the lineup an extra boost heading down the home stretch. Does Pence guarantee that the Phillies get past the Giants this year? No, but he certainly will help. With the window of opportunity always closing for this aging Phillies team, this was a trade that needed to happen.