Returns Only

Well this is it. The Phillies are within a game of returning to the World Series for the second year in a row. Considering the way the Phillies won on Monday, I don't see any way that the Dodgers can rebound. It was a completely deflating loss and I will be extremely impressed if they are able to come back after such a crushing loss. Well this is Cole Hamels' 3rd postseason game this year. He has done pretty poorly up to this point, but had it not been for Chase Utley's error in game one of the NLCS, he may not have had that bad of an outing. The Padilla Flotilla won't be able to handle being on the opposite side of the raucous Philadelphia crowd. If the Phillies score early, this game could be over quickly.

Prediction: 6-3 Philadelphia

Literally Without Speech

I'm not going to say I saw this coming, because I didn't. But I will say that I had faith in this Phillies team even with two outs and down a run in the 9th. I said at the beginning of the 2009 playoffs that that special something that the 2008 team seemed to have, the 2009 team didn't. Well I officially retract that statement. It's not that this team refuses to lose, because I don't think that's the right way to put it. I think it's that this team knows it is going to win. Even when the chips are down and it looks like an impossibility, they still have full confidence in themselves and simply know that they'll end up on top.

Last night was not nearly as much of a roller coaster ride as game four of the NLDS, but it was certainly a fun game to watch. In the NLDS, I didn't have the confidence in this team that I have now. Brad Lidge looks to be back in form with his 9th inning appearance last night and Ryan Howard just can't be stopped from knocking in runs. I don't know how the Dodgers have any confidence that they'll win another game in this series or if Johnathan Broxton can ever find a way to finish off the Phillies in the post season.

Now I'm not going to say this series is over yet, because it's not. We still have to win one more game, but the scales are definitely tilted in our favor. With Cole on the mound and the Phillies getting their second look at the ever unpredictable Padilla, it looks like the Phils may punch their ticket to the World Series at home this year.

NLCS Game 1 Prediction

If a pitcher can't be motivated by pitching game one of the NLCS, there's something wrong with him. And especially after having your first child, this is the greatest time of your life! I believe that Mr. Cole Hamels will be mentally prepared for his second postseason outing of 2009. The Phillies have a fairly good track record against the Dodgers starting pitcher, Clayton Kershaw. There's no reason the Phillies shouldn't win this game, yet it is the playoffs and anything can happen.

Prediction: Philadelphia 6-3
In a nailbiter...

A Not so "Happ"y Beginning

Well who would have thought that with sub 30 degree temperatures game 3 of the NLDS would have been a show of offensive displays. J.A. Happ looked worse than Cole Hamels did. In the first inning Happ wasn't hit tremendously hard, but when they were hit, they just seemed to find the open places. But these open places wouldn't have been found if Happ was able to pitch ahead in the count and not go to 3 ball counts to more than half the batters he faced. But the offense was there to back him and the rest of the bullpen up, showing why they were the most prolific offense in the National League.

It is kind of disappointing that Cliff Lee has to pitch today, because if he wins, he won't be able to pitch until game 2 of the NLCS, at the earliest (assuming the Phillies beat the Rockies). But I think that Lee will have a good game this afternoon. Maybe not as good as game 1, but enough to get the win. Phils win the series today.

Prediction: 6-3 Philadelphia

Disappointment

Well Cole Hamels showed Phillies fans today that he wasn't in the right mindset to be pitching game 2 of the NLDS. Apparently his wife went into labor following his departure from the game. We can only assume this was due to him giving up a 2 strike to the pitcher and a homerun to a guy, Torrealba, who hasn't homered since May 6th. If his wife going into labor was dominating his mind instead of focusing on the next pitch, then he shouldn't have been on the mound. We had J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton, and Pedro Martinez waiting in the wings to take his place. If he wasn't fully, 100% prepared for this game, he shouldn't have been in there.

And could someone tell me who was on the mound for the first 5 innings for the Rockies? Because it most certainly wasn't Aaron Cook, a sinker-baller with a cheesy mohawk who can't break 90. It's also tough to score runs when your leadoff hitter goes MIA. But this all stems from Cole Hamels. He pitched poorly, but it was even worse than it looked. The first batter of the game, Cole got ahead in the count and continued to nibble until he got it to a 3-2 count in which he gave up a single to right. Go after the batters and stop worrying about making a mistake. Make being aggressive your only mistake, not getting ahead 0-2, then going to 1-2, 2-2, 3-2...

Off day on Friday and we can only assume Pedro will be on the mound on Saturday, but we'll see. Game 2 is the most important game in every series, and they lost it. You know that loss of anxiety that I talked about before? Yea, well it's back with a side of no confidence to go along with it.

Mission: Repetition

Wednesday afternoon at 2:37 cannot come fast enough. The Phillies embark on their third straight playoff adventure and hope to have the same results as they did last year, a World Series Championship and another parade down Broad Street. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who feels this, but last year just felt like something special was going to happen. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm not feeling it this year. Don't get me wrong, I'm hoping and rooting for the Phils to win it again this year, but I just don't have the confidence going into the playoffs this year that I did last year. Now maybe it's just the fact that they won it all last year and every year you expect your team to do better, but that's kind of impossible with the 2009 Phillies. That special quality that the 2008 Phillies seemed to possess just doesn't seem to be here this year. 2009 Brad Lidge is far from 2008 Brad Lidge. Cole Hamels isn't Cole Hamels this year either. In 2007, it was the Phillies first playoff appearance in over a decade and just getting into the postseason that year was an accomplishment. In 2008, we had gotten into the playoffs the previous season, but in 2008, players and fans alike wouldn't be happy with anything less than a World Series appearance/victory. But in 2009, the uniqueness just isn't there and the thing that made the 2008 team special just doesn't seem to be there.

Now let the playoffs begin and hopefully bring another special year to this town and another championship to Philadelphia. But just don't be surprised if that doesn't happen.