Bring on the Dodgers! Phillies on to the NLCS

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The Phillies did something today that they hadn't done in 15 years: win a playoff series. For the first time since their magical run in 1993, the Phillies beat the Brewers and advanced to the NLCS with a 3-1 series win. The Phillies will now take on the Dodgers who are fresh off their sweep of the Chicago Cubs.

Sunday's series clinching 6-2 win featured lots of homers and great pitching by the Phils. All 6 of the Phillies runs came off homers as Pat Burrell hit two bombs and Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth each hit one. Rollins' homer was a leadoff shot and Burrell added a 3-run homer in the 3rd inning as the Phils jumped out to an early lead.

With the offense taken care of early, Joe Blanton cruised. Blanton dominated the Brewers, giving up 5 hits in 6 innings and striking out 7 batters. He gave up one run to Prince Fielder but was otherwise unhittable. The homer by Fielder was the only extra-base hit the Phils gave up the whole game.

Now it's on to the NLCS and the Dodgers. The Phillies will have the home field advantage for the series, meaning it will start in Philly sometime in the middle of next week. The Dodgers and Phillies split their season series 4-4 with each team winning all of their games at home, so having the extra game in Philadelphia is crucial. It should be a good series, but I have to give the early advantage to the Phillies. The Phillies pitching nearly matches up with the Dodgers staff and their offense, despite Manny, is better than the Dodgers'.

Anyway, we'll worry about the Dodgers later. Now is the time to celebrate!!

Phillies falter in Game 3, Game 4 becomes a must win

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Game 3 just wasn't meant to be. Although they stayed close all night and only lost by 3 runs, the Phillies lacked energy as the Brewers fed off the home crowd. The Phils repeatedly allowed runners on base and had to fight just to keep them from scoring. Starting with a shaky performance by Jame Moyer, Phillies pitchers gave up 11 hits and walked 5 batters in the game. Moyer and the four relievers that followed him did an admirable job in keeping the Brewers to only 4 runs and giving the offense a chance to win the game.

Unfortunately, the offense was stifled all game by the Brewers. The Phils managed 9 hits in the game but failed to string any together until the 9th inning. The Phils did load the bases in the 9th to keep things interesting, but a Pedro Feliz double play and an interference call on Shane Victorino when he failed to slide into second base killed a possible rally.

With a 2-1 series lead, the Phillies are still in the drivers seat, but Sunday's Game 4 is now a critical game. With C.C. Sabathia scheduled to pitch Game 5 for the Brewers, the Phillies can't afford to lose and hope to beat the Brewers ace a second time. The Brewers will send Jeff Suppan to the mound in Game 4 while the Phillies will likely counter with Joe Blanton, a pitching matchup that slightly favors the Phillies.

The Phillies must win Game 4 because they are playing with fire if they have to face Sabathia a second time. If it comes to a 5th game in the series, Sabathia won't hang another pitch to Shane Victorino like he did in Game 2 meaning the Phillies would need another perfect pitching performance from Cole Hamels to win the series. While that certainly could happen, the Phillies could do us all a favor and not let it get to that point.

Victorino's slam puts Phillies in the drivers seat

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The Phillies had one mission in Game Two of their series with the Brewers: get to C.C. Sabathia early and get him out of the game quickly. Thanks to a 5-run second inning highlighted by a Brett Myers walk and a Shane Victorino grand slam, the Phillies suceeded in running the Brewers ace out of the game after only 3 and 2/3rds innings. The Phils didn't do any damage against the Brewers bullpen, but they still held on to win 5-2 and take a 2-0 series lead.

Victorino was the hero tonight with his grand slam but Brett Myers deserves a ton of credit not only for what he did on the mound, but how he kept the Phillies second inning rally going. With two outs and Pedro Feliz on third base, Myers made Sabathia work by fouling off a series of pitches before earning a 9-pitch walk. Here was the sequence of pitches for Myers:

Pitch 1: Swinging strike (0-1 count)
Pitch 2: Swinging strike (0-2 count)
Pitch 3: Ball (1-2 count)
Pitch 4: Foul (1-2 count)
Pitch 5: Ball (2-2 count)
Pitch 6: Foul (2-2 count)
Pitch 7: Ball (3-2 count)
Pitch 8: Foul (3-2 count)
Pitch 9: Ball (WALK)

Myers was able to climb his way out of an 0-2 count and get on base. That opened up the inning for the Phils as Jimmy Rollins walked and Victorino followed with his grand slam. Myers completed his solid effort at the plate later in the game by getting a single and also forcing Sabathia to make 10 pitches to him in one at bat before he flew out.

Myers was great at the plate but he was even better on the mound. He went 7 strong innings and allowed only two hits and 3 walks. Myers allowed one run in the first inning but he was able to bounce back and didn't allow another Brewer to cross the plate until the 7th inning.

The Phillies are now in complete control of the series. With a 2-0 lead and the Brewers not able to pitch Sabathia again until the 5th game, the Phils appear poised to go to the NLCS. The only alarming thing for the Phillies at this point is how all 8 of their runs in this series have come from two innings. Besides two big innings, they have been shut out for the other 14 innings of the series. It hasn't mattered yet, but a few more crooked numbers up on the board would make everyone a little more comfortable.

What a difference a year makes. After two playoff games last year, the Phillies and their fans were searching for answers. Now, everyone is starting to look ahead at who the Phils might face in the next round. As the series shifts to Milwaukee, hopefully the Phillies do what the Rockies did to them last year and eliminate them immediately. They can't let the Brewers stick around and force a Game 5 back in Philly. Something tells me if C.C. Sabathia gets another shot at the Phils things will turn out quite different from this game.

The 2008 Phillies are already better than the 2007 Phillies!

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The Phillies did something today that they were unable to do last season: win a playoff game. After getting swept in 3 straight games by the Colorado Rockies in 2007, the Phillies started off their playoff series with the Brewers in strong fashion, winning Game 1 3-1 and taking a 1-0 series lead. The win was also the Phillies first playoff game win since 1993.

Cole Hamels was the story of the game. He absolutely dominated the Brewers, going 8 innings, striking out 9 and allowing only 2 hits. Brad Lidge came into the game in the 9th and had his second straight shaky outing, giving up a run when Ryan Braun doubled in Ray Durham. Lidge is inching closer and closer to blowing his first save of the season, it would be an absolute shame if he melted down in the playoffs after being perfect all season long. The last thing he needs is to have his confidence shaken like it was after Albert Pujols hit that bomb off of Lidge when he was with the Astros.

Offensively, the Phillies scored all 3 of their runs in the 3rd inning. Chase Utley doubled in a pair of runs and Shane Victorino walked with the bases loaded. The Phils were able to chase Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo after just 4 innings of work but were unable to do any damage against the Brewers bullpen.

Game 2 is Thursday, and the Brewers send their ace to the mound to try to even the series up. C.C. Sabathia will be pitching on only 3 days rest, although it hasn't slowed him down before, while the Phils will send on-again, off-again Brett Myers to the mound. Hopefully the Myers from August shows up or the Phillies will find themselves right back where they started in the series.

In all, it was a good start to the playoffs for the Phils. They won a game they should have won considering they sent their ace to the mound while the Brewers pitched a guy who isn't completely healthy. Game 2 will be pivotal for the Phillies. If they can find a way to beat Sabathia, the series will essentially be theirs for the taking. If the Brewers win, the Phillies know that they will have to face Sabathia again in Game 4 or 5. They need to focus on beating him the first time so they won't have to face him again. Unfortunately for the Phillies, they have a tendency to not kick teams when they are down, a tendency that could come back to haunt them if they let the Brewers back in the series.

Phillies/Brewers pitching matchups set

The Phillies and Brewers announced their starters for games 1 and 2 of their playoff series:

Game 1, Wednesday, October 1st:
Brewers (Yovani Gallardo, 0-0) @ Phillies (Cole Hamels, 14-10)

Game 2, Thursday, October 2nd:
Brewers (C.C. Sabathia, 17-10) @ Phillies (Brett Myers, 10-13)

The Phillies also announced that Jamie Moyer will start Game 3. Depending on how the series is going, the Phillies could start Joe Blanton in Game 4 if they have a 2-1 lead or Cole Hamels if they are behind 2-1.

The Brewers have yet to announce a Game 3 starter. Gallardo is an interesting choice to start in Game 1 considering he has only made one start since suffering a major injury five months ago. He helps give the Phillies have a definite advantage in Game 1 while Game 2 definitely has to favor Sabathia and the Brewers. Jamie Moyer would probably have an advantage over whoever the Brewers throw out in Game 3, especially considering Ben Sheets is out for the playoffs. The Brewers rotation is not deep at all, in fact, it really isn't much after C.C. Sabathia.

Mets falter, bring on the Brewers!

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

The Mets collapse is complete. After C.C. Sabathia pitched the Brewers to a win over the Cubs, the Mets season came to an end as they lost to the Florida Marlins, 4-2. The Mets finished out the season with a 3-6 record to stumble out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

The Phillies, who finished the season with an 8-3 victory over Washington, now prepare themselves to take on the Brewers. They rested all of their starters today, giving them an extra day to gear up for the first game of the series, which will be Wednesday. The Phils have already announced that Cole Hamels will take the mound for Game One while the Brewers will have to go with someone other than Sabathia since he pitched today. The early advantage has to go to the Phils since they will avoid the Brewers ace for at least one game.

Here is the tentative schedule for the first round playoff series:
Game 1: Brewers @ Phillies, 10/1
Game 2: Brewers @ Phillies, 10/2
Game 3: Phillies @ Brewers, 10/4
Game 4: Phillies @ Brewers, 10/5
Game 5: Phillies @ Brewers, 10/7