Despite Dynamic Offense, Pitching Will Make or Break Phillies

In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down each of the playoff teams from a scouting perspective.

While the Phillies have been able to upgrade their pitching with the additions of Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, this is a club that needs to rely on its potent offense. If they're allowed to jump on the opposition early and get into hitters' counts, they can make it a long night for anyone.

Obviously, stopping the likes of Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Chase Utley, and Jayson Werth among others is easier said than done. But, one of the keys is going to be good left-handed pitching against them. Perhaps most crucial is going to be putting pitchers up against them that can keep the ball on the ground.

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Against a team full of hitters who lift the ball out of the yard, and in a home ballpark that's a classic launching pad, a good old-fashioned sinker-ball pitcher may be just the right medicine to contain them.

It's been no secret as we head into the playoffs that there are serious questions concerning the back of the Philadelphia bullpen. And, if there's any way to knock the Phils off, exploiting their weakened relief is likely the best way. Who steps up for them will be something to watch, but if you are the opposing team you can feel a bit more confident this year in the late innings.

Matchups To Watch

With the matchup set against the Colorado Rockies, one of the more exciting matchups to look forward to is the Phillies' dynamic power offense against Colorado's power pitching. Keep an eye on the Ubaldo Jimenez-Ryan Howard matchup. Pitchers avoid throwing the fastball to Ryan Howard perhaps more than any hitter in baseball, typically feeding him a steady diet of off-speed pitches. Will Jimenez come at him with his exploding fastball or will he come out of his element? These are the matchups you want to see in October -- the 100-mph fastball coming into one of baseball's best sluggers.

X-Factors

Ryan Madson: The world was introduced to Madson last October when he established himself as one of the most effective setup men in baseball. This year he may be getting even more critical outs late in the game. The upside for Philadelphia is the unshakable nature Madson showed in tight situations last year. They are going to be leaning on him heavily throughout the playoffs, and if he's on top of his game, there may be no bigger component to the team's success.

• Scouting Perspective: Further proof that a plus changeup can be one of the more effective pitches in baseball, Madson makes his living changing hitters' eye levels and speeding up and slowing down bats. Few pitchers seem to employ the strategy when they have fastballs like Madson, but coupling a 94-95 mph fastball with a plus changeup has proven to be a dynamite combination. Essentially, he does all the things a pitching coach would like to see a guy of his height do; he creates an excellent downward plane and out of the hand, the changeup and fastball are very difficult to differentiate. If he's able to mix 95 mph down and go to the 83 mph changeup, he's going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Cole Hamels: No, things have not been as spectacular for Hamels in 2009 like they were in 2008, but as we know the playoffs are the beginning of a new season. As we also know, Hamels proved to be cool under the pressures of October baseball in 2008. It's safe to say, though, that the Phillies need to have the consistent Cole Hamels of last year to go deep into the postseason again.

• Scouting Perspective: As the world saw in 2008, when Cole Hamels is spotting the changeup on both sides of the plate and commanding his 90-92 mph fastball down in the zone, he looks like a bona fide ace. Command within the strike zone has clearly been an issue this year, however. If you watch him early in the game, look to see if he's getting his fastball to the inner half on righties (or away against lefties). It's absolutely pivotal for him to get the fastball to that side of the plate, in particular against the right-handed hitters, in order to make that fading changeup down and away as effective as it should be. It's a small mechanical issue, but Hamels' lower half has been a little ahead of his arm in starts this year, causing him to miss up in the zone. Especially for a lefty, Hamels has good stuff, but he needs to be down in the zone to be effective.

Pedro Martinez: He may not be the intimidating flamethrower that he once was, but few pitchers have the pitching aptitude of Martinez. He's rediscovered a little velocity this year, but Pedro's mix of pitches and speeds is now what gets him by. What makes his presence interesting this year is the teams the Phillies could match up against. Both Colorado and Los Angeles are driven by a good collection of young hitters. If there's one thing Pedro Martinez has proven it is that he can outwit hitters over and over again. His style of mixing pitches, reading bats, and knowing just when to change speeds could be a dangerous style against those two clubs.

• Scouting Perspective: This is not the Pedro Martinez of 1999 but he is still a guy that knows how to pitch. If he's on, you'll know early. Bringing a vast array of secondary pitches, it's hard for a hitter to ever sense a pattern. At this stage in his career, Pedro relies heavily on his still plus changeup and big curveball. He still likes to remind hitters that he can reach for a 93 mph fastball when he needs it as well. The endurance and youthful velocity may no longer be there, but the pitchability certainly has not left him. Look for him to play a big role this October.

Frankie Piliere has spent the last three seasons working as a scout, most recently in the professional scouting department for the Texas Rangers in 2009. He now serves as the National Baseball Analyst here at FanHouse.