Phillies Win 4th Series in a Row

The Phillies won a series 2-1 against the Mets for the 2nd time in a little over a week. It was good to bounce back from the first game of the series when Mets knuckle baller R.A. Dickey dominated the Phillies.

There isn't much to say about the first game of the series as R.A. Dickey threw a complete game shutout, outdueling Cole Hamels. Hamels continues his strong play this season, by also throwing a complete game, and only allowing 1 run. The problem was the Phillies offense; it was bad, and the Phillies couldn't even muster a run against Dickey. The Phillies lost the game 1-0.

The 2nd game of the series, and needing a win, Halladay took the mound. All he did was his usual work; threw 8 scoreless innings, and the Phillies won the game 4-0. Again the Phillies offense wasn't great, but was good enough to win... especially with Halladay on the mound.

The rubber match was the ESPN Sunday night game last night, and then Phillies really needed to win this series, and did just that. The Phillies got a quality start from Kyle Kendrick, who only allowed 1 run, and the Phillies played some small ball to take the game 3-1. The Phillies took the series 2-1.

There are some offensive concerns coming out of this series. The Phillies only scored 7 runs in the 3 games. They are just lucky that the Mets have an even worse offense right now. There is some good news, as Chase Utley will probably make his return from the disabled list tomorrow as the Phillies are back home against the Giants this week for a 3 game series. The Phillies are currently tied with the Giants for the wild card lead. The Phillies remain 2 games back of the Braves for first place in the NL East. Ryan Howard is also due off the disabled list tomorrow, but it looks like he will sit out at least another week.

The Phillies definitely need to step up the offensive game. The Phillies are winning games, but it isn't going to last very long if they continue to struggle offensively. The Phillies have not hit a home run in a week. Hopefully the return of Utley, and the soon return of Howard will fix the home run drought.

Phillies Need a Lot of Help

The Phillies right now have a lot of issues, and will need a lot of help to not only try to win the division, but even get the wild card in the National League.

With the trade deadline a little over a week away, it looks like the Phillies have targeted an elite starter to attempt to acquire. Roy Oswalt is the name that has been mentioned most in this situation. It seems kind of stupid that the Phillies need to acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline this season when they had Cliff Lee on the team signed through the season. It's actually beyond stupid; it's moronic; it's asinine; and the series of moves that Ruben Amaro has made since taking over are basically all moronic, and they leave the Phillies in a horrible position as it stands right now.

Since the Phillies got rid of 7 of their top 10 prospects in the Lee and Halladay deals respectively, and since I would imagine Domonic Brown will not be traded, the Phillies don't have many prospects right now, and almost all the ones that they do are at the single A level. This means that the Phillies might have to include Jayson Werth and J.A. Happ in a trade. Since Werth is a free agent in the offseason, it makes sense to trade him; however, trading Werth really puts the already struggling lineup in an even tougher position.

If you trade Werth, you can replace him in the field with top prospect Domonic Brown, who is a natural right fielder. That is fine, as Domonic Brown is overdue to join the major leagues in my opinion. However, Jayson Werth, even though he is struggling, fills the #5 hole in the Phillies batting order, and is the right handed bat there. Batting behind Ryan Howard is not as easy thing to do. Domonic Brown is a lefty, and will join and already lefty heavy Phillies batting order. Also, you can't expect Domonic Brown to jump into the #5 hole behind Utley and Howard, as a lefty.

This means that you would have to probably put Rollins or Victorino in the #5 hole, both of whom are switch hitters, and unfortunately, both of whom are struggling at the plate. Rollins can hopefully turn it around and have a good end to the season; Shane Victorino just flat out sucks. If you put Rollins there, he can swing away like he always wants to anyways, but you then have Victorino at the leadoff spot, popping up the first pitch he sees every at bat. Either decision is not optimal.

Bottom line, the lineup right now isn't good enough to make the playoffs. In fact, the offense has been so bad that the Phillies fired hitting coach Milt Thompson tonight. Thompson will be replaced with Greg Gross, who has already been the Phillies hitting coach. The offense is flat out bad no matter who is the hitting coach right now, and I can't even remember the last time I said that about the Phillies. Chase Utley coming back obviously can't hurt, but I don't think it will do enough to revive the offense. Utley isn't going to fire anybody up with his personality, and Utley wasn't even hitting the ball anyways before he got injured.

Therefore, if the Phillies do make a trade, it will need to be for a pitcher, and this is what will need to carry the Phillies into the playoffs; because it sure isn't going to be the hitting.

Phillies Need a Wake Up Call - Badly

The Phillies are in much need of a wake up call. The 2nd half of the season has gotten underway, and the Phillies have not yet started to play. They are a very easy Geovany Soto mishandled hop away from starting out the 2nd half 0-5.

The Phillies need someone on the team or on the coaching staff to get in the players faces, throw some chairs around, and start benching players. The Phillies are flat out a bad team right now, and since no one on the team is man enough to get in the other players faces, I will do my best to do it here.

Shane Victorino - You are playing like complete shit. In the top of the 7th tonight, with 2 on and 2 out, Shane Victorino came up and popped up the first pitch to the catcher. Sadly, we have seen Victorino and his stupid uppercut swing do this way too many times. Victorino is one of the dumbest baseball players I have ever seen, and actually had the audacity to sort of blame the fans for some of the Phillies struggles for not picking the Phillies up. You're right Shane, I forgot. It is our job as fans to pay money to come see you, and even though you make millions, it is our job to pick you up and cheer you on, and say go get 'em next time as you pop up first pitches. What is this, freakin little league? Should we have cheered, and said "nice try" as Shane jogged back to the dugout? Maybe Victorino should stay in St. Louis, where fans actually might do that. Just as an aside, Shane Victorino has 69 at bats this month, and has walked a grand total of 1 time. 1 time he took a walk.

This article was supposed to destroy a lot of players on the team, but I can't see to get past how bad Shane Victorino is. Let's try to move on. Jimmy Rollins is batting like .140 since he came back from the DL for good, which clearly isn't good from the leadoff spot. Since Rollins also never walks, the Phillies are getting from the leadoff spot. Jayson Werth is completely lost right now, and strikes out way too much. Werth actually has as many strikeouts as Ryan Howard does this year, and in about 50 fewer at bats. Not good.

Raul Ibanez is actually playing a little better the past month, but is well past his prime overall. I guess Ruben Amaro should be blamed for that more so than Ibanez, but he needs to step up his game also. I'm not going to blame Wilson Valdez, who shouldn't really be in a any position to be the man to try to jump start this pathetic offense.

Ryan Howard, Placido Polanco, and Carlos Ruiz have been solid all season. You can usually say that about Chase Utley, and even though he is on the injured list, he was not playing very well before he was on the injured list. If he continues to struggle down the stretch when he comes off the DL, Utley needs to be blamed as much as anyone for the Phillies season.

As for the pitching, the Phillies really only have 2 good starters, and everyone knew this coming into the season. Halladay has done everything he can do, and Cole Hamels has been better than most people actually thought he would be, including myself. Joe Blanton, Kyle Kendrick, and Jaime Moyer are jokes, and below average pitchers, and that is 60% of our starting staff. Cliff Lee would look real good right now, huh?

Also, Ruben Amaro deserves some of the blame as well. I don't need to re-hash the worst trade in Philadelphia sports that he pulled off, and the fact that Domonic Brown is still in the minors, destroying every level, as Raul Ibanez bats .250 in left field. You need to do everything you can to trade Ibanez. If not, I have been on record that you shouldn't trade Jayson Werth, but I wasn't expecting the Phillies to possibly be sellers at the deadline, and if the Phillies continue this free fall, they should try to trade Werth I think to get what they can, as he definitely will not be back next season.

Either way, the Phillies need some type of wake up call. I really hope one of the players steps up to the plate - not on the field - but instead in the locker room, to rustle a few feathers, and get in some players faces, to hopefully turn this season around.

Phillies Begin 2nd Half of Season

The All-Star break is over, and the Phillies begin the 2nd half of their season tonight with a 4 game series in Chicago to play the Cubs.

The Phillies unfortunately with their poor play over the past month and a half leave them with a lot of work to do in the 2nd half of the season. The Phillies are perenially a very good 2nd half team recently, but you hate to have to rely on that in order to make the playoffs. The Phillies currently sit 4.5 games back of the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. The Mets are in 2nd place, 4 games behind the Braves.

The Phillies have had their injury issues, but you don't want to blame all of their problems on the injuries. Bottom line, the Phillies offense the first half of the season is the worst it has been in a long time. Sitting out parts of the first half of the season were Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, and Carlos Ruiz. The Phillies still are without Polanco, who is due back possibly this weekend, and Chase Utley, who will probably be out for another month. Ryan Howard has been the only real consistent bat in the lineup, as he had an all-star first half of the season, and is almost batting .300.

The pitching staff has been up and down, but better than expected. The only reason the Phillies are even 4.5 games back is due to the pitching, which has picked up the hitting. In fact, the final 2 games before the all-star break, the Phillies won consecutive games 1-0, behind solid starting pitching from Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels. Halladay has been everything he was brought in to be. Cole Hamels has been solid this year so far. Kyle Kendrick and Jaime Moyer have been very up and down, and Joe Blanton has been flat out bad.

I hate to keep bringing up the worst trade in Philadelphia sports in my lifetime, but trading away Cliff Lee was a horrible mistake by Ruben Amaro, Jr. People say get over the trade and stop talking about it; however, the trade is significant and applicable to how the Phillies are playing now. If you want to agree with Amaro and say the Phillies couldn't spend the money, then you can blame Amaro for giving Moyer a 2 year deal, and not trading Joe Blanton, although there wasn't much demand for Blanton. Also, if you want to agree with Amaro and say the Phillies needed to replenish the farm system, this is just untrue, because if the Phillies had kept Cliff Lee this year and then let him walk, they would receive 2 first round draft picks as compensation. You could easily argue that these 2 first round picks would be much better than the prospects that the Phillies did get.

Also, Ruben Amaro needs to make the correct decision and try to trade Raul Ibanez. Ibanez is having a bad year, which you kind of had to expect, as Ibanez is up there in age. If no one wants Ibanez, most people feel like the Phillies should trade Jayson Werth. I do not however. You need Werth in the lineup, as he is one of the positives in a poor lineup, and is the only power right handed bat. Bottom line, Dominic Brown absolutely needs to be a starter on this Phillies team, like yesterday. According to Ruben Amaro, Brown can't replace Ibanez because Brown isn't a left fielder. Ohh right, I forgot Ibanez is an outfield covering gold glover out there. Brown technically is a right fielder, but I have to imagine can fill in left field for the rest of the season. Dominic Brown was recently listed as the #1 prospect currently not in MLB by ESPN.com. He can definitely give a jolt to the lineup.

Either way, the Phillies need to step up their game, and have a solid 2nd half if they want to make the playoffs. Luckily, this is nothing new for the Phillies, as they usually do have very good 2nd halves.

Philadelphia Phillies All-Decade Team

The Phillies all-decade team was not too hard to come up with to be honest, especially since the team has been solid most of the decade, especially recently, and has a team with great offensive players, and full of all-stars and MVP’s. Jim Thome deserves mention, but Howard still easily gets the nod at 1st base. Even though Scott Rolen is not much a Philly guy, we went with Rolen at 3rd base. The only other discussion we had was Victorino or University of Pennsylvania's own Doug Glanville in CF. We went with Victorino. Team MVP was a tough choice considered there are 2 actual league MVP’s on this team, and that doesn’t include Chase Utley. We went with Rollins for the MVP because he has been with the team since before we became one of the best in the league.

Here is our Philadelphia Phillies all-decade team--

1B- Ryan Howard
2B- Chase Utley
SS- Jimmy Rollins
3B- Scott Rolen

LF- Pat Burrell

CF- Shane Victorino

RF- Bobby Abreu

Catcher- Mike Lieberthal

Starter: Cole Hamels
Closer: Brad Lidge

Lineup

1. Rollins
2. Abreu
3. Utley
4. Howard
5. Rolen
6. Burrell
7. Victorino
8. Lieberthal
9. Hamels

Manager: Charlie Manuel

MVP: Jimmy Rollins

Close Calls: Jim Thome, Doug Glanville

Cliff Lee is my Father

The Phillies took Game 1 against the Yankees 6-1 to take a 1-0 series lead in the World Series. Cliff Lee was amazing. Lee outdueled the person he calls his best friend in baseball, and got the victory. Lee kept the Yankees hitters off balance all night long. The only run was unearned and came in the 9th inning when Jimmy Rollins threw a potential double play ball into the Yankee dugout. The Phillies have been pretty good this postseason at air mailing double play balls, recording their 3rd of the postseason thus far. Lee's final line was 9 IP, 6 hits allowed, only 1 extra base hit, 0 ER, 10 K, 0 walks. 10 strikeouts and 0 walks is real solid. Lee's curveball was on point all game long and clearly had Yankee hitters off balance all night.

The offense consisted of 2 Utley solo home runs to take a 2-0 lead into the 8th inning, before putting the game away with 2 runs each in the 8th and 9th innings. Every Phillies player had a hit besides Pedro Feliz and Ben Francisco, who was playing in left field, with Raul Ibanez as the DH.

Obviously, it goes without saying to talk about how winning Game 1 is huge. The winner of Game 1 has won the World Series for the last 6 consecutive years, including last year when the Phillies took Game 1. Not only does winning Game 1 give the Phillies the 1-0 series lead, it allows them to take the home field advantage.

The Phillies have the opportunity to really take command of the series if they can win tomorrow night's game in New York. Pedro Martinez will take the mound for the Phillies and will oppose A.J. Burnett. It will be interesting to see how Pedro responds to this huge game. Obviously Pedro is no stranger to this situation or facing the Yankees in Yankee Stadium in big games.

World Series Game 4 Preview

It seems like earlier this morning we were all celebrating a Phillies Game 3 victory. Ohh that's right, we were. The Phillies Game 3 victory did not end until 1:47 a.m., and they will have to come back 18 short hours later for Game 4.

Game 4 will feature a pitching matchup of Joe Blanton vs. Andy Sonnanstine. Sonnanstine, like the other Rays pitchers, has a good ERA and good record. Blanton never amazes with the stuff he had, but he just gets the job done, and still has 0 losses as a member of the Phillies. The Phillies have also won both of the games he has pitched in the postseason thus far. Blanton is the key to this game, as a good performance by him, and the Phillies could be looking at a chance to clinch the World Series on Monday. I can barely even type those words without getting excited for what could come.

First things first however, the Phillies need to come out strong Game 4, and put their emotional Game 3 victory behind them. The Phillies still didn't really hit with runners in scoring position, but they did generate a run, and finally saw some power from Ryan Howard. The Rays bats have been quiet this whole World Series. The Rays came into the World Series setting records for home runs in the ALCS. The Rays only have one home run thus far in the World Series, and it came in Game 1. You can't expect to keep shutting down the Rays the way we have so far, so the offense has to step it up. It is nice to win low scoring games, but at some point, the Phillies offense needs to take the pressure off of the pitching, and put up a large number.

Jimmy Rollins finally got the Phillies started in this game, and went 2-4 with a run scored. Utley and Howard hit homers. All of those things are good signs for the offense who needs to score some runs. The bottom of the lineup has done a good job most of the postseason, and continued to last night, mostly thanks to Carlos Ruiz, who had been great this World Series.

As fans, we need to do our parts again, and I think that the fans are a huge advantage in a close game, and there is no reason to suggest that every game this series will not be close.

Game time is 8:00 EDT, Blanton vs. Sonnanstine. Phillies lead the series 2-1.

Phillies Win Game 3

The Phillies beat the Rays in Game 3 of the World Series, in a wild game that featured a little bit of everything. It rained throughout the day, and Phillies fans were checking the weather forecast as much as anything else. It had all the feelings of what would turn out to be a wild game, even before it started.

The Phillies got on the board early, which was important, as Jimmy Rollins finally got a hit, and led off with a single. An RBI groundout by Utley allowed Rollins to score. It would still be nice if the Phillies could get a hit with a runner in scoring position, but it was nice to see a run generated. The Rays answered in the top of the 2nd, with a sac fly, allowing Carl Crawford to score. Carlos Ruiz, who has been amazing in this World Series turned on a ball in the bottom of the 2nd, and hit it out to left field to make it 2-1. The Phillies then got back-to-back home runs in the 6th off Garza to make it 4-1. The Rays would answer. The Rays got two runs in the 7th, which was the result of a blown call at 1st base that went against the Phillies. Another run crossed the plate in the 8th for the Rays to tie the game at 4.

Then came the bottom of the 9th. Eric Bruntlett was leading off the bottom of the 9th, as he had come in as a defensive replacement for Burrell. Bruntlett got hit with a pitch to start off the inning. Victorino squared around to bunt as the next batter, and a wild pitch was thrown. Then, Navarro, the catcher threw the ball into the outfield trying to get Bruntlett going to 2nd. Bruntlett advance to 3rd. Victorino was walked, and so was Dobbs, setting up the bases loaded with 0 outs, and Ruiz at the plate. The Rays used five infielders on the play, and Ruiz hit a swinging bunt right down the 3rd base line to score Bruntlett, and allow the Phillies to take a 2-1 series lead.

Jamie Moyer was amazing in this game, and only allowed 3 runs and went 6.1 innings. In the 7th inning, Carl Crawford bunted down the first base line. Moyer flew off the mound, and was on the ball, making a diving, then flipping out of his glove play to Howard, all in one motion. Crawford was called safe, however, replays clearly showed that the play beat the runner, and to be honest, it wasn't even close. This opened the door for the Rays two runs in the 7th. Give credit to Moyer, who came out dealing, in a game where they said that he shouldn't even be pitching.

It made it all the more exciting that the game wasn't over until 1:47 a.m. Sunday morning. Kotite's Corner was down at the stadium complex for the game, and the atmosphere was amazing.

.... And Then There Were 3

The Phillies won Game 1 of the World Series last night 3-2 in Tampa Bay against the Rays, leaving them three wins shy of winning the World Series. I have never been alive to say the words, the Phillies won game 1 of the World Series, so this is extremely exciting for any Phillies fan, young and old.

The Phillies, who were supposed to be the cold team coming into this series having sat around for a whole week warmed up real quickly with a Chase Utley 2-run home run as the 3rd batter of the game. The Phillies got another run in the top of the 4th inning to make it 3-0 on an RBI groundout by Carlos Ruiz.

The Rays would not go quietly however, and answered with a run each in the 4th and 5th innings to make it a tight 3-2 game. The Rays wouldn’t get a hit the rest of the game. The Phillies took a 1-0 series lead led by the stellar pitching from mostly Cole Hamels, and then Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge. Hamels went 7 innings once again, and allowed 2 earned runs, striking out 5. He got out of a few jams, and induced two huge double plays, both from B.J. Upton, in key situations. Madson, who has looked unhittable this postseason got through the 8th, and Lidge mowed down the Rays in the 9th to record the save.

The offense did their job of getting on base, however, could not convert the baserunners into runs. The Phillies set a World Series record for futility by going 0-13 with runners in scoring position, the worst ever in World Series history. On offense, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, and Pedro Feliz all had 2 hits each for the Phillies. Those were the only 8 hits the Phillies had all game. Give credit to Werth, Utley, and Victorino for really doing good work on the base paths, and stealing 3 total bases, and disrupting the Rays pitchers multiple times.

Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins combined to go 0-9 with five strikeouts. This team really struggles when their lead-off man Jimmy Rollins does not get on base. Rollins will need to step it up this series for the Phillies to succeed.

The Phillies will need to do some things better if they want to win this series, but guess what? A win is a win in the World Series, so none of the bad things really matter anymore. The goal is to win 4 games anyway possible, and the Phillies are up 1-0, with 3 wins to go until the biggest celebration Philadelphia has ever seen.

Phillies-Rays Breakdown

The Phillies will begin play against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday. Let's break down how these two teams stack up in some key areas--

HITTING

Both of these teams feature very good offenses, which rely heavily on the home run ball to generate runs. The Rays have been smashing the ball this postseason, especially in their series against the Red Sox. The Rays hit 17 home runs in that series, an ALCS record. With guys like B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, and Phillie killer Cliff Floyd, the Rays are not going to be an easy offense to contend with. The Phillies also have speed at the top of the order, and power in the middle. We still have really yet to see Rollins, Utley, and Howard all play well offensively at the same time this postseason. We expect Shane Victorino to bat 2nd most of the series, and Greg Dobbs to be the extra man in the order. The Phillies will need to find a way to keep getting big hits in big moments to win this series.
Advantage: PUSH

STARTING PITCHING

The Rays come into the series with 4 good starting pitchers. The Phillies feature probably the best starting pitcher in the series in Cole Hamels, and then a lot of question marks. Brett Myers has been solid late in the season, but struggles on the road, where he will be the Game 2 starter. Jaime Moyer has looked awful in his 2 postseason starts, and while Joe Blanton has still yet to lose a game as a Phillie, he isn't anything more than a slightly above average pitcher. It looks like the Phillies will go with their 4-man rotation that they have used so far in the playoffs in both previous rounds. This means that Cole Hamels has to win both games he pitches, and Brett Myers needs to win at least one. It is very important for the Phillies to take the lead early in all of these games, as they are much better when playing from ahead.
Advantage: RAYS

BULLPEN

The Phillies bullpen is probably a little deeper, with guys such as Romero, Madson, Durbin, and Eyre, any of which can come into a critical situation and get a big out. Everyone knows the numbers on Lidge, and what you will get when he comes into the game, that goes without saying. The Rays, however, have three left-handers in their bullpen, which will help them in a series against a team that struggles against left-handed pitching. One of those left-handers the Rays have is David Price, the former #1 overall pick last season. The less we see of David Price, the better for the Phillies.
Advantage: PHILLIES

The matchups appear to be fairly even, and again it will come down to who makes the critical plays at the big moments.

On a side note, Philly’s own, Jayson Stark is the man.

Phillies Going to the World Series

picture by: Yong Kim (philly.com)


The Philadelphia Phillies are going to the World Series.

I will repeat since it sounds so surreal….. THE PHILLIES ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!! The Phillies beat the Dodgers 4 games to 1 in the NLCS to advance to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993.

Kotite’s Corner would like to extend a congratulations to all the players,and managers of the 2008 Phillies, and to us, the fans, for helping this team all year, and being the best fans of any city in the world.

The Phillies are a true team, and are getting contributions from everyone on the team. The players really seem to like each other, and are excited to see someone come through and get the big hit, no matter who it is.

Jimmy Rollins got the team going with a lead-off home run in Game 5, the same way he hit a lead-off home run in Game 4 of the Milwaukee series. He really is a great catalyst when he is playing well. Shane Victorino has been great in this postseason, making every play in the outfield, and coming up with clutch hits. Victorino already has the Phillies record for RBI’s in a postseason, and he still has more games to play. Chase Utley has been solid all-around, especially against the Dodgers. A lot of questions surrounded Utley, as he struggled in the playoffs last season,and against the Brewers. However, he has come through against the Dodgers,and made two unbelievable diving plays in the field in Games 4 and 5. Ryan Howard, who really struggled in the first three games against the Dodgers,came on big in Games 4 and 5, and had five hits in those two games, and drive in a couple big runs. Pat Burrell has also been solid, with three home runs this postseason, and a very good batting average in both series’thus far. Jayson Werth has played well, and had a big homer in the clinching game against Milwaukee. He is a threat whether he is batting 2nd or 6th. Pedro Feliz has been solid at 3rd base, and made a big play to retire Manny Ramirez in Game 5. Carlos Ruiz is always solid behind the plate, but really picked up his offense against the Dodgers. Ruiz calls great game, and Lidge loves pitching to him in the 9th.

The pitching staff has been amazing and really gotten the Phils here. NLCS MVP Cole Hamels is 3-0 this postseason and has looked like a true ace.Brett Myers is 2-0 and has done a great job in the 2nd spot in the rotation this postseason. He has even shown the ability at the plate. Jamie Moyer has struggled, but most certainly will be counted on in the World Series,and being the veteran that he is, I am confident he will be able to bounce back and contribute however he is asked. Joe Blanton has been solid as the#4 starter, and has still yet to lose as a Phillie, in the regular season,or playoffs.

Just like the starting pitching, the bullpen has been great. Ryan Madson has looked better than he ever has in this postseason, hitting 97 MPH on the radar gun. J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin, and Scott Eyre have also done a good job proving a “bridge to Lidge.” Once Brad Lidge enters the game in the 9th (or 8th) it has been Lights Out. Lidge has yet to blow a save all season, and has continued that in the postseason. He even got his first 4out save of the season in Game 4 against the Dodgers.

The bench has been a solid part of this team, and will need to come up in the World Series if asked upon. Greg Dobbs, who gets a lot of starts at3rd, is the best pinch hitter in the game. He is a great asset to have offensively whether he starts at 3rd, or comes off the bench. We all know what Matt Stairs did in Game 4 against the Dodgers, a huge home run, the first postseason home run of his career could not have come at a bettertime. Eric Bruntlett has come in to replace Pat Burrell defensively, and always does well in left field when asked. Geoff Jenkins is a true teammate, always one of the first to congratulate everybody else, and is a veteran who deserves every moment of this. He will be asked to come through in the World Series with some pinch hits.

The managing has been solid. Charlie Manuel continues to keep the players loose, and the players seem to love playing for Manuel. You may argue that it doesn’t take too much to manage a baseball team, but give credit where credit is due. Manuel has made all the right moves in this postseason whether it be pinch hitting, or relief pitching or double switching.

Lots of credit again goes to the Phillies players, managers, and the fans.We are all in this together, enjoying every moment of it. We, as fans,want a championship so badly, and the fans around my age, who have never seen one, are championship starved. This Phillies team is a very likeable team, and extremely fun to watch. The World Series should be exciting.

Congratulations to the 2008 NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies!!!!!

The World Series will start Wednesday, October 22, against either the Rays or the Red Sox.

Phillies Win, Up 2-0 in Series

Game 2 Recap

The Phillies won Game 2 of the NLDS to take a 2-0 series lead against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phillies pulled out an 8-5 victory, in a game that featured some strange, and interesting storylines.

The Dodgers scored first for the 2nd straight game, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd. The Phillies offense then busted out in bottom of the 2nd inning, with a two-out rally. With two outs and nobody on base, Greg Dobbs, obviously in there for his offensive ability, singled up the middle. Carlos Ruiz then doubled to the gap scoring Dobbs. Brett Myers, who would go on to be the offensive MVP this game, then singled to center scoring Ruiz. Rollins then singled to center, and on an error advanced to 2nd, as Myers advanced to 3rd. Shane Victorino, who has been the catalyst throughout the playoffs so far this year singled in Myers and Rollins to take a 4-1 lead. The Dodgers got a run across in the top of the 3rd, but the Phillies would answer again in the bottom of the inning.

Pat Burrell led off with a single in the bottom of the 3rd, followed by a Jayson Werth double. Dobbs was intentionally walked, loading the bases with 0 out. Ruiz grounded into a fielder's choice and Burrell was retired at home. It was up to Myers to get the job done. Myers was up to the task, and hit a 2-RBI single down the right field line. Two batters later, Victorino tripled scoring two more runs. This is all the run support that the pitching would need. Myers gave up a home run to Ramirez in the 4th inning, making the score 8-5, and it would stay there the rest of the game, as the Phillies bullpen came in and did what it has done all year long; shut down the opposing team. Shane Victorino made the defensive play of the game in the top of the 7th, with two outs. The Dodgers had two men on base, and Casey Blake ripped a ball to the deepest part of the park. Victorino trailed back, felt for the wall, and made a jumping catch right against the wall, to preserve the lead, and the game.

Brett Myers ended the game 3-3 at the plate with 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Myers said that he told Charlie Manuel before the game that he was going to go out and win one for Manuel's mother, who passed away earlier in the day. Shane Victorino also lost someone close to him, as he found out after the game that his grandmother had passed away also.

Game 3 Preview

The Phillies march on, 2 games away from advancing to the World Series. It seems like whatever this team does, they find a way to win. The Phillies are hot right now, and are doing almost everything right. The offense is doing enough to win, even without Ryan Howard hitting the ball hard. Guys like Shane Victorino are really coming up large in this postseason. Also, the bottom of the lineup, which got ridiculed most season long as they struggled, has really started playing well, and generating runs. When is the last time you can remember the Phillies putting up 8 runs on the board without a single home run. The Phillies led the league in home runs this season during the regular season, and usually live or die by the home run.

The starting pitching has really been another key, and has been really solid. Both Cole Hamels and Brett Myers have gotten the Phillies a 2-0 lead in both series' so far. Hamels has shown what a true ace of the staff is supposed to do. The bullpen has been amazing, and has an ERA of roughly 2.30 so far in the playoffs. The guys who did it all season are still going strong, in Durbin, Madson, and Romero. They have been able to keep the lead to get to "Lights Out" Lidge, who has kept his amazing saves streak alive.

I am looking forward to Rollins, and Howard just taking over this series at some point. I do feel like Howard will start hitting shortly. Right now, it doesn't matter, as long as the Phillies continue to find ways to win games.

Game 3 is Sunday night, 8:22 EDT. Moyers vs. Kuroda. Phillies lead series 2-0.

Phillies Up 1-0, Ready For Game 2

Game 1 Recap

The Phillies are now only three wins shy of getting to the World Series, as they won Game 1 against the Dodgers 3-2. You never want to lose home field in Game 1 of the series, especially with Hamels on the mound, and the Phillies took care of business.

The Phillies came out sluggish on offense, struggling with Derek Lowe’s sinker. The Dodgers got an RBI double from Manny Ramirez in the 1st inning, in what had to be the longest hit ball that wasn’t a home run in Citizens Bank Park history. A sac fly gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead, and the Dodgers were in control, as Lowe was dealing. Then came the play of the game in the bottom of the 6th inning. Shane Victorino was leading off, and hit a routine grounder to short. Due to Victorino’s speed, Rafael Furcal hurried the throw, and threw wide of the base, allowing Victorino to end up on 2nd, and an error charged to Furcal. The very next pitch, Chase Utley put into the ball into the seats in right field, tying the game at two. After Ryan Howard grounded out, Pat The Bat crushed a line drive home run to left field. Burrell has three home runs in his last two games now, all of which have been clutch. The three runs would be all the Phillies pitchers would need.

Hamels pitched another gem, and ended up with 7 innings pitched, only allowing 2 runs, striking out 8. Hamels got more and more comfortable as the game went on. He cruised through the 6th and 7th innings, which was important as the Phillies had just taken the lead. Madson got out of the 8th, retiring Manny on a line drive to 3rd. Lidge came in to record the save, and got it done with a 1-2-3 inning on only 13 pitches to give the Phillies the 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 Preview

Game 2 will feature a matchup between the Dodgers strikeout machine, Chad Billingsley, and the Phillies Brett Myers. We all know about Brett Myers up-and-down season. Myers pitched well in his start against the Brewers in the NLDS, but will be facing a tougher lineup this time. The Phillies need to get off to a good start this game, take the lead, and force the Dodgers to come from behind to win this game. The Dodgers have a lot of young players on their team, and if you get them into a situation where they start pressing, they are likely to struggle. Just as Game 1 was, this is another important game to win for the Phillies, as the next three games are in Los Angeles.

On offense, Chase Utley was called out coming into this series, and really delivered in Game 1. We need to get our big man, Ryan Howard going now. The Phillies were fortunate as Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, and Ryan Howard all went 0-4 in Game 1, and the Phillies still won the game. The Phillies will need those guys to hit if they want to win this series. Rollins, and Victorino really need to set the table for Utley, Howard, and Burrell to drive them in. When Jimmy Rollins is hitting, this team is very hard to beat.

Game 2 is Friday, 4:30 EDT, Myers vs. Billingsley. Series: 1-0 Phillies

In breaking news, Kotite's Corner has learned that Charlie Manuel's mother has passed away. The Kotite's Corner family sends our condolences to the whole Manuel family. No word yet on what Manuel's managing status will be for Game 2. Either way, let's come together as fans, and hope the team comes together to win this whole thing for Charlie.

Phillies NLCS Preview

The Philadelphia Phillies are in the NLCS. I'll say it again.... the Phillies are in the NLCS. It's hard to believe, because it hasn't happened since 1993. Anytime you are in the playoffs in baseball, it is exciting, because not many teams make it like the other professional sports. Now, the Phillies are in the NLCS, only 4 wins away from going to the World Series, and we are excited as hell for Game 1.

PITCHING

The Phillies should start out with the same four starters they used against the Brewers, going with Hamels, Myers, Moyer, and Blanton. I would assume Hamels would pitch game 5 if necessary, and Myers game 6, then who knows how they would work it for Game 7, probably Moyer. The Dodgers have some very good starters of their own, who have all been pitching well lately. Their first three starters will be Lowe, Billingsley, and Kuroda. The Phillies do not have much success off of that trio of right-handers. The pitching appears to be fairly even and will come down to which starting pitching staff is pitching well at the right time. Both starting pitching staffs were impressive in the teams' first round series. Both teams bring to the series a very good bullpen, and in a 7 game series matching two teams that appear to be fairly equal, the bullpen is sure to decide a game or two. The Dodgers have multiple lefties in their bullpen, who will no doubt be called upon to get Utley and Howard out at critical times in the series.

BATTING

The Phillies offense was the superior offense throughout most of the season. But with the Dodgers mid-season acquisition of Manny Ramirez, their offense has been hitting on all cylinders late in the season and into the playoffs. The Dodgers lineup features a few playoff-tested veterans, and some very young players, who have never been this far in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how the Dodgers young players look in a hostile playoff environment. It will also be interesting to see how the Phillies approach Manny Ramirez, who has two world series rings, and can get it done in the postseason. Andre Ethier batted behind Ramirez in their series against the Cubs, and is one of the aforementioned young players in the Dodgers lineup. The Phillies throw out a very inconsistent offense, which is usually very good from batters 1-6, and pretty bad from batters 7-9. Obviously, going six batters deep in any lineup is not too shabby, both all six of those players (Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell, and Werth) need to produce if the Phillies want to win. Just as the Phillies have decisions to make on how to approach Ramirez at the plate, the Dodgers have to figure out how they are going to pitch to Utley, and Howard. The two lefties have not gotten off to a good start in the first series against the Brewers, both batting under .200. However, both of them faced more than half of their at-bats against left-handed pitching.

INTANGIBLES

The managing has to favor the Dodgers. It's not a coincidence that the Dodgers have gotten this far with Joe Torre as their manager, and the Yankees did not even make the playoffs for the first time in forever. Joe Torre has been here before, many times, and knows the right moves to make, and will approach this as just another game on his way to another world series. Charlie Manuel is mostly untested in the playoffs, especially as Phillies manager. I give Uncle Charlie a lot of credit for the way he has managed this season, and in the first round of the playoffs. Manuel may make questionable decisions on when/who he pinch hits, and who he brings out of the bullpen, but the team played very loose against the Brewers, and that is a credit to Manuel. Manuel has to do his best to try to match Joe Torre now, but Manuel should stick to what he does best - adjust his hitters when he sees something they are doing at the plate, and keep the players loose; do not let the players get wrapped up in the fact that they are four wins away from appearing in the World Series.

The home field I think is very important in baseball, and the Phillies will get 4 out of 7 games at home, which is a big deal. Our home crowd was unbelievable in the NLDS, and I feel like we really gave a boost to the players on the team. Players such as Rollins, Victorino, Myers, and Burrell seem to feed off the crowd's energy, and there are no better fans than here in Philadelphia, especially when the energy coming from the fans is positive. Most important in regard to the home field advantage, are Games 1 and 2. The Phillies have to use their knowledge of the park, and hopefully get some good umpiring, and some help from the fans to hold down our fort, Citizens Bank Park.

Game 1 of the NLCS is Thursday night at 8:00 EDT, on Fox. The starting pitching matchup is Hamels vs. Lowe.

Phils Still Chasing the Dream

Chase Utley is a baseball player’s kind of player. He’s the quintessential “leave it on the field” kind of guy. He runs plays out, takes the extra base, and isn’t afraid to stand in and get hit by a pitch. This is why I feel bad having to write the following:

Chase Utley needs to step it up!

The Phillies second baseman had a chance to put last year’s dismal playoff performance against the Rockies behind him. But his 2 for 15 showing against the Brewers won’t have people confusing him with Bernie Williams. And even his 2 RBI were gift wrapped by a Mike Cameron misplay.

Chase is certainly one of the most beloved Phillies on the current roster. His hard-nose play has made him a favorite of guys. And his cute boyish looks even have throngs of females wearing number 26. His regular season numbers speak for themselves. A career .298 hitter with four straight 100 RBI seasons have made him arguably the best second baseman in the league. But that gets lost in October and replaced by the glaring .154 postseason batting average.

If the Phillies are to beat the Dodgers, they will surely need an increase in productivity from Utley (and Howard for that matter). The starting staff—Hamels, Myers and Blanton--threw three gems against the Brewers. So there wasn’t a need to score 7 or 8 runs to win. But what are the chances that the pitching staff can perform an encore against the Dodgers? I wouldn’t bank on it. Therefore, the offense is gonna need more than a home run here and a home run there. They are going to have to piece together a few crooked numbers. The Dodgers pitching surely isn’t overwhelming.

Chase has the ability to jump start the offense. But he also has the same ability to drag it down. Let’s hope for the prior over the later.

Phillies Travel to Milwaukee for Game 3

The Fightin’ Phillies look to sweep the Brewers in Game 3 of the NLDS, coming into the game with a 2-0 series lead. Jaime Moyer will take the mound game 3 for the Phillies, opposed by Dave Bush, a Philadelphia area native. Shane Victorino had the big hit in Game 2, but look for Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to have big games against the right-handed Bush. Both players are due for a big game. Shane Victorino will probably stay in the 2-hole in the lineup and Werth, who also had a very good Game 2, will continue to bat 6th.

The series is far from over, as the Brewers are very good in their home park, so look for them to come out and play a good game 3. It won’t be easy to keep the Brewers bats quiet for a 3rd game. If anybody is up to the task, it is definitely Moyer, who is the ultimate wily veteran, and doesn’t get rattled easily. Not to mention, he has been amazing all year, especially down the stretch in big games. Even if Moyer doesn’t have his usual great stuff, the Phillies offense should be able to get runs off of Bush. The Phillies have also had the luxury of not needing to score off the bad Brewers bullpen. If this game is close late, the Phillies have a great chance to win, with the superior ‘pen. Another key will be doing what the Phillies have done in Games 1, and 2; make the Brewers throw pitches. The Phillies have gotten the Brewers starting pitchers, Gallardo, and Sabathia both out of the game early, due to large pitch counts. The Phillies hitters need to stay patient, and stick to their game plan.

The Phillies have a 2-0 series lead, Game 3 is Saturday, 6:30 p.m. EDT.

Phillies Win Game 1 - Game 2 Looming

The Phillies won Game 1 of their NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1, in what basically amounted to a must-win game. It is always important to get off to a 1-0 series lead in a best-of-five series. It was the Phillies first postseason win since Game 5 of the World Series in 1993. I believe we had the lead in Game 6 in that series, until the chump Mitch Williams came into the game..... but I digress.

Cole Hamels came up large in Game 1...

Cole Hamels was clearly the story of this game. Hamels showed why he is the ace of this staff, and looked extremely comfortable all game. Hamels pitched 8 innings, allowing only 2 hits, 0 runs, while striking out 9, and only walking 1. Hamels had to be on the top of his game, because the offense came out fairly flat. The Phillies scored 3 runs in the 3rd inning, and those would be their only runs of the game. In the bottom of the 3rd, Carlos Ruiz led off with a single. Cole Hamels came up to bunt him over, but a Brewers error put Ruiz at 2nd, and Hamels at 1st with no outs. After Rollins and Werth both were retired, it looked like the Brewers may get out of the inning unscathed. However, Chase Utley ripped a lined shot to center, which Mike Cameron mis-played. The ball went off of Cameron's glove, and allowed 2 runs to score, and put Utley at 2nd with a 2-RBI double. Howard proceeded to be intentially walked, Burrell followed with a walk, and Victorino followed with another walk to score the 3rd run. Hamels didn't need much help, as he was dominant all game long. All of his pitches were working, and the Brewers didn't hit a ball hard all day. With the threat of rain looming, Hamels was retiring the Brewers batters handily and quickly. Hamels' performance is what you expect out of your ace, and he did not disappoint.

The game never seems to be easy for the Phillies though, and Brad Lidge was shaky coming on to close out the game in the 9th. Lidge allowed an unearned run on a error by Chase Utley when he fell down taking the relay throw from Jayson Werth after a Ryan Braun double down the line. The big at-bat in the inning came with 1 out, and Prince Fielder coming to bat representing the tying run. After working a full count, and fouling off a pitch, Lidge got him with a fast ball off the outside corner of the plate. Lidge then walked J.J. Hardy, however, struck out Corey Hart to end the game. Lidge threw 35 pitches in the 9th inning to earn the save. Let's hope he is not needed in Game 2.

The Phillies ended the game with 3 runs on 4 hits. Utley had the only extra base hit, and had 2 RBI's. Ryan Howard went 0-1 with 3 walks, including 1 intentional.

LOOKING AHEAD TO GAME 2

...Brett Myers must do the same in Game 2

The reason this game seemed like a must-win for the Phillies is because C.C. Sabathia takes the bump for the Brewers in tomorrow's Game 2. Sabathia, who has been the hottest pitcher in the 2nd half of the season will be opposed by the up-and-down Brett Myers. Game 2 becomes a must-win for the Brewers with their ace on the mound. The Brewers can't go down 0-2, and lose a game in which Sabathia pitches. The Phillies hitters should be able to come out loose with a 1-0 series lead, and nobody expecting them to be able to hit off of Sabathia. Brett Myers will need to match Sabathia inning for inning, which he has shown the ability to do. Unfortunately, we don't know which Brett Myers will show up this game. Brett Myers knows how big a game this is, and will be making his first postseason start of his career. He is a very intense pitcher, which he often uses to his advantage, we just have to hope he keeps his emotions in check. The right-handers in the lineup, namely Werth, Burrell, and Feliz have to come up big and get some hits off of the left-hander Sabathia. The Phillies must take the same approach that they did in Game 1. Even though the Phillies didn't hit, they were patient, and made Gallardo throw pitches. If they can work a couple walks, and foul off some Sabathia pitches, they should be able to get his pitch count up there, and hopefully get to the Brewers bullpen with a chance to win the game.

Phillies have a 1-0 series lead, Game 2, Thursday 6:00 p.m. EDT.