MLB FanHouse

Rockies Near Extension With Jim Tracy

Pat Lackey — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:45:00 EST

The Rockies and manager Jim Tracy are nearing a three-year extension, the Denver Post is reporting, though an official announcement on an extension will likely wait until after the World Series. Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle after Hurdle was fired on May 27 and led the Rockies to a 74-42 record and the wild-card berth in the National League playoffs.

When Tracy took over, the Rockies were 18-28 and 14 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Under Tracy, they challenged L.A. for the division title. That sprint to the playoffs makes this extension more or less a foregone conclusion. What team in their right mind wouldn't extend the interim manager that had his team playing at a 103-win pace over a large chunk of the season?

For Tracy, the extension completes the career rebirth he's had in Colorado after his firing by the Dodgers in 2005 and his disastrous two-year run in Pittsburgh in 2006 and 2007. Tracy's Rockies won more times in 114 games than his 2005 Dodgers, 2006 Pirates, or 2007 Pirates won in a full seasons. His laid-back style meshed with the Rockies, though, and he deserves the extension and the dropping of the interim tag. His task now? Lead the Rockies to a second straight winning season for only the second time in franchise history.

Rockies Near Extension With Jim Tracy originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: Common Ground

B. Thompson Stroud — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Rockies, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, The Dugout

The playoffs are almost over and the stage is set for the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies to face the dreadnought New York Yankees ... or the Los Angeles Angels Angels, pending a dead Christopher Lloyd-style miracle.

The bottom line is this: the World Series is like one block to our left, and we're going to have to start buckling down and making some declarative statements. Before we do that, though, today's Dugout features some pre-ALCS decision arguing and some sad realities.

The Dugout

	Online Host Welcome to the 2009 MLB Playoffs Chat!
	NeedsABathia: ...and then if we beat the Angels tonight, we go to the World Series. I can't believe it.
	ManuelLabor: that's great... it's gonna be the very best team in the AL against the very best team in the NL.
	BenFranciscoGiants: it's fun to hate on you because y'all are a bunch of greedy homosexual ingrate dirtbags, but "baseball success" and "Yankees" are pretty much synonymous
	ACliffLeeTiltingPlanet: And hey, if we're gonna win, we should win against the best!
	CarlNotLenny: well yeah they're good, but "best in the AL?" I don't know, I thought we had a real shot at it
	PeteRoseWentToBetancourt: the yankees won 161 1/2 of 162 games this year no offense to the twins but
	FightTheHerges: It doesn't matter! The Angels aren't out of this yet. The ANGELS are the best team in the AL.
	TheDefeatedVictor: yeah right, they're the best team because they're in the AL West, even the Orioles could win 80 games in the AL West
	InTheSpringBecomesDeRosa: dude, have you SEEN the Orioles?
	TheDefeatedVictor: not since I came to Boston, they wouldn't let me play, they've got me washing their dishes
	LudwickVanBeethoven: the AL West isn't so bad, you've still gotta beat the Mariners 55 times out of 60
	InTheSpringBecomesDeRosa: washing their dishes??
	FightTheHerges: Angels/Phils Angels win in 5
	TheDefeatedVictor: yeah I hear next season they're gonna sign David Eckstein and David Wright and move Fenway Park to Berlin
	PointBlake: we kept telling people to "think blue," but I guess we should've specified the shade
	PunchedYourBelliard: anybody still picking the angels is a dumb, i'm still picking the angels to lose in the first round i don't care what you say
	NeedsABathia: come on, guys, calm down, I can't tell where the conversation is going anymore
	ManuelLabor: Everyone here deserved to be here. We all had great seasons, win or lose, and we gotta remember that.
	ACliffLeeTiltingPlanet: maybe if we could all find some common ground
	NeedsABathia: I'm pitching my next two games on one day and twenty minutes rest respectively, is anybody else doing that
	CarlNotLenny: lol no
	InTheSpringBecomesDeRosa: well we all like 30 Rock, don't we? That's new tonight, we could watch that instead of the Yankees
	PointBlake: I find 30 Rock to be pedantic, overrated, and mediocre at best. Also, "underwhelming"
	LudwickVanBeethoven: give me a break, what kind of shows do you like then
	FightTheHerges: I bet he says "Scrubs"
	PointBlake: why yes I do like Scrubs, I like how they go from jokey to serious without any warning and I also love the use of low-distrubition rock songs to show emotion instead of dialogue or acting
	PointBlake: I also like "My Name Is Earl." Your point???
	PeteRoseWentToBetancourt: we should check and see if we all have the same birthday, in case we are merely fragments of an insane man's imagination
	BenFranciscoGiants: maybe we all been dead this whole time!
	ManuelLabor: What about baseball? We all love baseball, right?
	NeedsABathia: nah man I f***in hate baseball
	ManuelLabor: What!! Since when?
	NeedsABathia: when you get traded to New York they put you under and remove the part of your brain that thinks baseball is fun and happy and replace it with one that treats it like a stressful obligation
	NeedsABathia: it also makes you think Ed Hardy clothes and Affliction t-shirts are cool
	CarlNotLenny: come to think of it Ed Hardy is pretty bad ass
	TheDefeatedVictor: I guess we're never gonna find common ground
	ManuelLabor: Yeah, you're right. I mean, what could EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US have in common?
	Online Host Meanwhile, in the Los Angeles Dodgers Chatroom...
	WordUpThome: /sits on bench with head in hands
	MannyTheTorpedoes: nyah hee hee /makes bizarre scooping gesture with hands
	WordUpThome: WHAT ARE YOU DOING
	MannyTheTorpedoes: signelling to payro that we are oud of playoffs
	MannyTheTorpedoes: r u ok do u wan hifive
	WordUpThome: NO, I'M NOT FINE. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS JUST NEVER GONNA...
	WordUpThome: NEVERMIND, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABO
	WordUpThome: ABOUT IT
	MannyTheTorpedoes: what r u gona do neg season /puts entire sunflower into mouth
	WordUpThome: HEAD BACK TO THE AMERICAN LEAGUE, SEE IF ANY TEAMS NEED A NIGH IMMOBILE OLD MAN D.H. HOW ABOUT YOU
	MannyTheTorpedoes: gona get millons of dollar to be gray at baseball sometime an sometime not care go home watch spontchbob
	WordUpThome: ALL THAT WORK WE DID TRAVELING THE COUNTRY ON A TANDEM BICYCLE, AND WHAT DID IT GET US
	MannyTheTorpedoes: cople extra weeks of beisbol
	WordUpThome: I GUESS I SHOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED A BUNCH OF CLEVELAND INDIANS TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS
	WordUpThome: SEE YOU NEXT SEASON, BUDDY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: bye jim tommy
	Online Host WordUpThome has left the chatroom.

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: Common Ground originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playoff Pulse: Goats, Car-Go and a Dream Final Foursome

Andrew Johnson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, American League Division Series, National League Division Series, American League Championship Series, National League Championship Series

Playoff Pulse is our morning rundown of the night that was and the night that will be during the MLB postseason.

Looking Forward ...

Let's keep this section short, since there will be plenty of looking ahead here over the next few days. TBS took a hit in the first round of the postseason, with three sweeps robbing the network of a more dramatic finish to the Division Series.

The League Championship Series ought to make up for it.

Two teams from Los Angeles, the defending champion from a rabid East Coast market and, oh yeah, the Yankees. Save the Red Sox in place of the Angels, this is a perfect foursome for the television networks. And for impartial observers who love good baseball, this is a pretty hard group to beat.

In Their Own Words
"If you watched these games, some of the best baseball that I've been around in quite a while." -- Phillies manager Charlie Manuel on his team's NLDS against Colorado.
By the Numbers
15 Career postseason hits by Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba, a Colorado record. Rookie Carlos Gonzalez could catch him quickly. He had 10 hits in the series.
More From FanHouse
Tomasson: Phils' Grit Wins Out Piliere: Scouting Notes

Looking Back ...

What will we remember the 2009 Division Series for years from now?

How about all of the goats?

Each of the four teams that bowed out in the first round didn't just lose, they had one or a few specific culprits to heap blame upon.

There was Matt Holliday, of course, who dropped what would have been the final out in a Cardinals' win in Game 2. Let's not forget his teammate Ryan Franklin, who melted down from that point on.

There was Jonathan Papelbon, who went from bulletproof in the postseason to bullet-riddled in Game 3 against the Angels.

And Twins closer Joe Nathan, who melted down in similar fashion against the Yankees in Game 2.

Let's not forget Huston Street who lost the last two games for the Rockies in their NLDS defeat at the hands of the Phillies.

And finally, there were the umpires, who, from one end of the country to the other, made a mess of things over and over again. There were heroes in the first round too, but let's hope there are more of them as we head

Scout's Eye View ...

It might be a good time for any baseball fans looking ahead to next year to highlight the name Carlos Gonzalez. With a skill set, stance and swing at the plate that resemble Carlos Beltran, he appears poised to have a breakout season in 2010. Few things are better for a young player than to finish a season strong and as all viewers of this NLDS could see, finish strong he did.

Gonzalez has an outstanding swing path in which he keeps the barrel of the bat in the zone extra long, allowing him to cover a variation of speeds and locations. He creates a lot of loft in his swing, so it would not be shocking to see him put up 25-30 home runs as soon as next season. With skills that impressive in just about every tool category, this series may have given fans a sneak preview of a future star.

-- Frankie Piliere (Full Scouting Notebook)

Playoff Pulse: Goats, Car-Go and a Dream Final Foursome originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here's the 'Nitty-Gritty': Phils Onto NLCS

Chris Tomasson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:08:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

DENVER -- How the Philadelphia Phillies were able to sneak all those cases of Bud Light into Coors Field is another story. But it was quite evident what the beverage of choice was following the team's scintillating playoff-clinching win Monday over the Colorado Rockies.

Sure, champagne was sprayed at the start. But, other than shortstop Jimmy Rollins walking around with a bottle of Domaine Michelle, eventually nearly every Phillies player was content to be chugging a jumbo can of suds.

"It's definitely more of a beer team, no doubt about it,'' said Philadelphia reliever Brad Lidge. "Champagne tastes great for celebrating and when it's in your face. But after that it's beer.''

The Phillies are a gritty team from a hard-working town, so it's only appropriate in beer they trust.

Game 4: Phillies 5, Rockies 4 | Box Score | Series Home

Yes, there are some stars on the team. In Philadelphia's NLDS-clinching 5-4 win over the Rockies, decorated slugger Ryan Howard tied the score at 4-4 with a two-run, two-out double to right field in the top of the ninth inning.

But the game-winning hit, a single to center field that scored Howard from second, came courtesy of right fielder Jayson Werth. Afterward, he described himself as a blue-collar, scrappy-type player, of which the Phillies have plenty.

"I'm a nitty-gritty guy,'' said Werth, whose team moves on to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. "If you want to call me that, that's fine. ... That's what I am. I just want to contribute any way I can. We've got 25 of them. We've got 25 nitty-gritty guys that just battled and battled.''

Led by manager Charlie Manuel, the West Virginian country boy who certainly fits the nitty-gritty description, the Phillies fell behind 4-2 after the Rockies scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out pinch-hit single by Jason Giambi that was followed by two-run double by Yorvit Torrealba. But no way was Philadelphia done.

"This is the kind of team that doesn't quit until the game is over, until there's 27 outs,'' Howard said.

Rollins got a one-out single against Colorado closer Huston Street. After a fielder's choice, center fielder Shane Victorino eventually was standing at second with two outs and a 2-2 count on second baseman Chase Utley. It looked for a moment as if Utley might have struck out on a Street curve that caught the plate. But a ball was called, and Utley soon walked.

"The answer is yes,'' Rockies manager Jim Tracy said about whether he thought it should have been a called third strike.

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Rockies-Phillies Photos

DENVER - OCTOBER 12: Jayson Werth #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits the game winning single in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jayson Werth

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Phillies vs. Rockies

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DENVER - OCTOBER 12: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies walks off the field as the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate the victory in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carlos Gonzalez

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies strikes out to end the game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Troy Tulowitzki

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Philadelphia Phillies' Jayson Werth sprays teammates in the clubhouse as they celebrate their 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 4 in a National League baseball division series in Denver on Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. The Philadelphia Phillies will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

DENVER - OCTOBER 12: Brad Lidge #54 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with catcher Carlos Ruiz #51 after defeating the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brad Lidge;Carlos Ruiz

Getty Images

Colorado Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki walks back to the dugout after striking out to end the game as Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz heads to join teammates in celebration as the Phillies beat the Rockies 5-4 in Game 4 in a National League baseball division series in Denver on Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins, top, hops over the sliding Colorado Rockies' Dexter Fowler as Rollins commits an error in the eighth inning of Game 4 in a National League baseball division series in Denver on Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. The Phillies won 5-4 and advanced to the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP Photo/Will Powers)

DENVER - OCTOBER 12: Brad Lidge #54 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after defeating the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brad Lidge

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It figures Utley was involved in more controversy. In Game 3, a 6-5 Philadelphia win, Utley got a questionable infield single during a game-winning ninth-inning rally after the ball struck him in the batter's box and should have been called foul. Home plate umpire Jerry Meals, after watching a replay, later admitted the call was wrong.

But back to the Phillies' latest rally. With runners on first and second, Howard lashed his double to tie the score at 4-all.

"I hoped that [Street] would make a mistake and leave something up over the middle and just try and drive it and get a double,'' Howard said.

"I'm a nitty-gritty guy. ... That's what I am. ... We've got 25 of them. We've got 25 nitty-gritty guys that just battled and battled."
-- Jayson Werth Street complied. Werth, whose solo homer in the sixth gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead after Victorino's solo shot in the first put them up 1-0, followed with his single to center to score Howard.

Soon, it was time to let the beer flow.

"I'm not a beer person, but most of these guys are,'' Rollins said in the very wet Phillies clubhouse that got wetter when pitcher Brett Myers dumped a bucket of ice on Rollins during the midst of an interview.

Rollins was the National League MVP two years ago. Perhaps it's hard to truly fit the blue-collar beer image when you've got a trophy like that on your mantel.

But the defending World Series champions have no shortage of the nitty-gritty types Werth spoke about.

One would be Lidge, who continues to battle after a disastrous season in which he went 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA while leading the majors with 11 blown saves. Lidge in 2008 converted all 48 of his regular-season and postseason save opportunities.

Lidge is slowly getting back into the groove. He got a trying save in Game 3, and got another one Monday, when the temperature was a balmy 48 degrees at the start compared to 35 the day before. Manuel didn't put Lidge in to start the bottom of the ninth, instead going with Scott Eyre. But with runners on first and second, Lidge came in and struck out Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to end the game.

"It's huge for me,'' said Lidge, whose resurgence in the series was a mirror opposite to Street having an impressive regular season before taking the losses in Games 3 and 4. "I really do feel like the postseason starts over, and I felt like this is going to be my time. This whole year, for whatever reason, just hasn't worked a lot of times. I never thought it was because my stuff didn't work. I had some injuries, fell out of sync really badly mechanically. But I knew everything would lock back in in the postseason.''

And, with that, Lidge could go back to the Bud Light the Phillies somehow were able to get through the gates of Coors Field.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Here's the 'Nitty-Gritty': Phils Onto NLCS originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confidence Makes All Difference in 'Pen

Frankie Piliere — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:58:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series, Scout's Eye View

In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.

There is one lesson that we learn year in and year out as the postseason unfolds. The team that has their bullpen clicking is often the team that wins. Game 4 on Monday night was a microcosm of the series between the Phillies and Rockies. While they were not dominant out of the 'pen, the Phillies were able to slam the door where Colorado could not.

In the final two innings of Monday's game, the Philadelphia bullpen surrendered just one walk against Colorado's four. As close as the Rockies came to winning the game, it is unrealistic to feel confident in winning a contest in which your bullpen surrenders that many free passes to a lineup that hardly needs the help.

Part of the issue with the Colorado bullpen is the inexperience factor and the erratic performance that can come with it. That's what you get when you have young pitchers that are still learning their craft like Franklin Morales. With his electric stuff, he has a very good chance to have a successful career, but his inexperience reared its head at the wrong time this October.

What appeared to be plaguing Colorado closer Huston Street in this series was a lack of confidence in his stuff, despite his ability to match up with Philadelphia hitters. Although he has good stuff with a sinking 90-93 mph fastball and sharp slider, it is not what you would call truly electrifying. If a pitcher that is not blessed with upper-90s velocity or a disappearing breaking ball can not fall back on his fearless mentality and the confidence to hit his spots, he's going to have problems.

What the Phillies had in their favor in this series, despite their question marks in the bullpen, was having guys who had both electric stuff and the confidence to come over the plate with it and not give out free passes. The relief work wasn't always pretty from the Phillies but the difference really was the ability to throw strikes and be aggressive.

Spotlight Moment

It looked clear that one some level Huston Street was dealing with some shaken confidence on Monday night. Whether it was a result of his failures in Game 3 is unknown, but whatever the cause was, his lack of aggression in the zone ultimately came back to bite him. If he goes after some of the previous hitters more aggressively, he may have never wound up in a situation where he had to face the dangerous part of the Philadelphia lineup.

Flashing back to Street's ninth-inning battle with Jayson Werth, he only has himself to blame for winding up in a bad position. Even setting aside the fact that if he's more aggressive the game is already over, he still had the chance to keep the game tied. But, continuing to avoid the plate, Street backed himself into a difficult count yet again against Werth, who saw just one fastball out of the six pitches the Rockies closer delivered. With the way he can drive the ball to right-center, at some point a pitcher needs to put the thought of the fastball into Werth's head. Street did not do that, fell behind in the count and continued to look to his slider, which he was leaving up in the zone. Being tentative with any of your pitches in the postseason, specifically the fastball is going to lead to trouble against a lineup as challenging as the Phillies.

Quick Hits

o. It might be a good time for any baseball fans looking ahead to next year to highlight the name Carlos Gonzalez. With a skill set, stance and swing at the plate that resemble Carlos Beltran, he appears poised to have a breakout season in 2010. Few things are better for a young player than to finish a season strong and as all viewers of this NLDS could see, finish strong he did. Gonzalez has an outstanding swing path in which he keeps the barrel of the bat in the zone extra long, allowing him to cover a variation of speeds and locations. He creates a lot of loft in his swing, so it would not be shocking to see him put up 25-30 home runs as soon as next season. With skills that impressive in just about every tool category, this series may have given fans a sneak preview of a future star.

o. As he continued to roll along, Cliff Lee looked superb again in the Phillies' clinching game. Lee continues to work mostly off the command of his 91-94 mph fastball, and he is able to sprinkle in his secondary pitches seemingly at will. As aggressively as he uses the fastball, it's extremely difficult for a hitter to pick up any kind of pattern. His ability to expand the zone on hitters should profile well against the Dodgers. However, the Dodgers are paced by fastball hitters like Matt Kemp, so it will be interesting to see how Lee alters his strategy against their lineup, if at all.

Frankie Piliere 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.

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MLB Postseason Photos

FR42408 AP

2009 Baseball Playoffs

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DENVER - OCTOBER 12: Jayson Werth #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after defeating the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jayson Werth

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Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brad Lidge, right, gets a champagne bath from teammates in the clubhouse after they beat the Colorado Rockies 5-4 in Game 4 in a National League baseball division series in Denver on Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. The Phillies will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague drives down court around Charlotte Bobcats guard Raymond Felton during second half action at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, October 12, 2009. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)

MCT

Confidence Makes All Difference in 'Pen originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huston Street and Ryan Howard Illustrate The Closer Fallacy

Pat Lackey — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:41:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, NL Central, NL West, National League Division Series

Let's start by looking at two stat lines. Some of you have probably already guessed where I'm going with this, but bear with me.

Player A: .319/.395/.691, 1 HR/11.56 plate appearances
Player B: .207/.298/.356, 1 HR/37 plate appearances

If you haven't already figured it out, both of those players are Ryan Howard. "Player A" is Howard against righties in 2009 and "Player B" is Howard against lefties in 2009. To simplify, Ryan Howard is Albert Pujols against righties and David Eckstein against lefties. So why does no one question Jim Tracy's decision to leave right-hander Huston Street in the game to face Howard with the Rockies' season on the line?

The answer, of course, is that Street is Colorado's "closer." The Rockies were winning 4-2, so Street had to be on the mound. It was Tracy that made the decision to not bring Joe Beimel (the only remaining lefty in the Rockies' bullpen) in to face Howard, but I'm willing to bet you could count on one hand (or maybe even no hands), the managers in baseball that would've made that move.

Watching the post-game coverage tonight, not one on-air analyst or reporter is questioning Tracy's decision to stick with Street. He probably won't take much heat for the move in the Denver papers tomorrow. That's all because sticking with your "closer" is what's done in baseball.

Now flip the situation around; imagine that Tracy had brought Beimel in to face Howard. Beimel's a decent but not great reliever with a slight platoon split. If he had given up the hit to Howard, everyone would be frothing at the mouth over Tracy's decision without even mentioning Howard's platoon split. In fact, people would probably be questioning the move even if Beimel had gotten Howard out, because that's how out of place the move would've seemed.

Maybe using Beimel against Howard isn't a slam dunk move given the history between the two (Howard is 3-for-10 with a double, a triple, and a homer), but Howard's platoon split is still about as big as it gets and if it's not an easy decision, it's one at least worth thinking about. It's telling that no one has even mentioned the thought of pulling Street for a lefty against Howard. It's not even part of the discussion.

Closers are an ingrained part of baseball, but the Rockies and Red Sox were eliminated by blown saves and the Twins and Cardinals both had their chances to win crippled by them. Why is it so crazy to rethink this model a little bit?

Huston Street and Ryan Howard Illustrate The Closer Fallacy originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playoff Pulse: Games Compelling, but Dramatic Series Sorely Lacking

Andrew Johnson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Phillies, Red Sox, Rockies, Yankees, American League Division Series, National League Division Series, Playoff Pulse

Playoff Pulse is our morning rundown of the night that was and the night that will be during the MLB postseason.

Looking Forward ...

TNT purports to know drama. Its sister network TBS knows all too well the absence of it. At least when it comes to the Division Series, that is.

For the second time in three years, there were three sweeps in the opening round of the playoffs (there was only one in 2008). October baseball is all about drama, and while the games themselves have been extremely compelling this year, once again there just aren't going to be enough of them in the first round.

In fact, this problem extends beyond TBS' coverage of the postseason, which began in 2007, and outside the Division Series.

As FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher points out, 11 of the last 20 LDS have been sweeps dating back to 2005, and the last first-round series to go the distance was Angels-Yankees in '05. Since the 2004 postseason when both the ALCS and NLCS went seven games, 15 of 32 playoff series -- almost half -- have been sweeps. Conversely, only four of 31 (with the 32nd the not-yet-completed Phillies-Rockies NLDS) have gone the distance.

What to make of it? Probably very little, other than a bizarre fluke -- it's not as if parity is lacking, especially this season. Little that is, except disappointment.

In Their Own Words
"You need a hit. You need to keep the rally, keep it going. You need to stand up in that situation and show if you're a good hitter that's what the good hitters, you want it to be. That's what happened. That's my reaction. That was so emotion." -- Bobby Abreu on his contribution to the Angels' stunning rally to beat the Red Sox.
By the Numbers
15 Postseason wins by Andy Pettitte after he picked up the decisive victory in Game 3 of the Twins-Yankees ALDS. Pettitte is tied for the all-time lead with John Smoltz. -- Ed Price
More From FanHouse
Price: Yanks Draw Nemesis Steele: Halos Exorcise Demons Tomasson: Cold Call Piliere: Scouting Notes

Looking Back ...

Can the J.D. Drew vitriol be put to bed now? That's probably a silly question since Drew, a guy who has done nothing wrong in his career other than get hurt, seems to be a magnet for criticism.

But it really should be.

All Drew has done in a Red Sox uniform is produce, hitting .276 with a .390 on-base percentage and a .486 slugging average. Oh, he's also a terrific right fielder.

Drew was Boston's highest-paid player this year. He's certainly not its best. But that's more a quirk of baseball's financial structure than anything else. Tim Lincecum wasn't the highest-paid Giant nor Evan Longoria the highest-paid Ray. More often than not, salaries do not mirror production, at least directly.

But that's a digression. Drew may not be Boston's top star, but he is among its best, and he's hit some critical playoff home runs. His grand slam in Game 7 of the 2007 ALCS was the final nail in the Indians' coffin. His two-run blast in Game 2 of the 2008 ALDS off of record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez put the Angels in an insurmountable hole. Had his titanic two-run shot off of Scott Kazmir in Game 3 of this year's ALDS held up, it would have been yet another huge postseason big fly.

From the infamous Red Sox message board Sons of Sam Horn comes these numbers (double-checked by yours truly) on J.D. Drew when Boston is facing elimination: Drew is hitting .400/.483/.840 (AVG/OBP/SLG), with three home runs, five extra-base hits and 11 RBI.

Who wouldn't want that guy on their side?

Scout's Eye View ...

If you want the definition of a quality at-bat, look at A-Rod's seventh-inning battle with Carl Pavano on Sunday night. Quite often there is an obvious mistake by a pitcher early in a count that results in a home run, or in other cases there is finally a mistake forced by the hitter. This was a case of the latter against a pitcher who was on the top of his game.

Taking the close pitches and fouling off the tough ones, he was able to work the count full until Pavano left a fastball just elevated enough that he could drive it. In Pavano's defense, it was not a clear mistake pitch. When you are swinging the bat like A-Rod though, a minor mistake is all it takes. The rocket of a home run he drove over the right-field wall is the type of thing you'll see when he is letting the ball come to him. It can't be said enough what a special, and locked in player it takes to be able to drive a pitch like that in a two-strike count.

-- Frankie Piliere (Full Scouting Notebook)

Monday's Tale of the Tape ...

Phillies (Cliff Lee) at Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez), 6:07 PM ET: We've seen what Lee can do to the Colorado offense. Following his Game 1 shutout, he's 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA against the Rockies in 2009 (and his career). The X-factor? He's never pitched in Coors Field, the ballpark which yielded the most runs in the majors in 2009. Despite the aforementioned Coors effect, Jimenez's ERA is actually a tick better at home -- something that could be attributed to comfort. He's coming off a less-than-stellar outing against these Phillies, but he's shown the ability to make good adjustments during the 2009 season. Beginning May 1, Jimenez allowed four runs or more six times and he followed those outings by giving up two earned runs or less each time out.

Playoff Pulse: Games Compelling, but Dramatic Series Sorely Lacking originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blown Call Could Freeze Rockies Out

Chris Tomasson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:03:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies

DENVER -- The temperature was ideal for a Coors Light, but not a Coors night at the ballpark.

When the first pitch was thrown, the temperature at Coors Field on Sunday was announced as 35 degrees, tying the record for baseball's coldest postseason game ever. And that might have been a generous figure since several services had reported readings in downtown Denver to be barely above 30.

But perhaps the only people who froze were the umpires.

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Colorado Rockies 6-5, thanks to a sacrifice fly by slugger Ryan Howard in the top of the ninth inning. But Howard might not have been able to put the Phillies up 2-1 in their National League Division Series had a controversial call not gone their way.

Game 3: Phillies 6, Rockies 5 | Box Score | Series Page

This one wasn't as blatant as Phil Cuzzi calling an obviously fair ball foul last Friday that perhaps cost Minnesota a win over the Yankees. But second baseman Chase Utley admitted his Phillies got a break.

"I'm definitely glad it didn't go extra innings. If it did, I was going to have to come in and get sleeves on."
- Shane Victorino With one out in the ninth and Jimmy Rollins at second, Utley had a check swing. He didn't deny the ball hit him in the batter's box, but nothing was called by home plate umpire Jerry Meals. Utley beat the throw from pitcher Huston Street when first baseman Todd Helton was pulled off the bag.

"The ball came up and grazed off his leg and continued rolling up the line,'' Meals said after the game after watching a replay and realizing the ball should have been called foul. "I never heard it, never saw it. If anybody would've seen it, had an idea that it hit him. ... Chase Utley took off like it was nothing. He gave no indication to us that it hit him.''

Sounds like a pretty crafty play courtesy of Utley, who went 3-for-4 and gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead with a first-inning home run.

"Check swung,'' Utley said in an interview with FanHouse. "The ball checked up and bounced, and I think it might have hit my leg. But nobody said anything, and I've been on the wrong end of that before where it has hit my leg and I don't run and it was an easy out. So I ran hard, and it worked out.''

Utley said he was running so hard he couldn't tell whether or not he was safe. It was Colorado manager Jim Tracy's contention the second baseman was out.

"I saw the ball come out from home plate,'' Tracy said. "I did not see it [hit Utley]. I immediately started looking towards the part of the field where the ball was rolling to see if, in fact, obviously we're going to make a play. You know, I thought he was out at first base.''

Tracy's argument was in vain, although it didn't appear the umpires blew two calls on one play. With Rollins having moved to third and there being one out, the next batter, Howard, hit a sacrifice fly to left center field to put the Phillies ahead for good.

Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge had a shaky bottom of the ninth, allowing two walks. But, with runners on first and second, he retired Troy Tulowitzki on a fly ball to left to end the four-hour, six-minute freeze-a-thon.

"It was brutal,'' Rollins said of conditions during Game 3, which was postponed Saturday after snow hit Denver and temperatures were expected to be no better than the upper 20s.

As it was, temperatures were in the upper 20s late in Sunday's game. Or should we say Monday since play didn't end until 12:14 AM local time?

"It was probably the coldest I've ever played in,'' said Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino. "I remember in Buffalo in [Triple-A] in 2005, it got pretty cold. But nobody could make any excuses since both teams had to play in it.''

It was the longest nine-inning game in NLDS history, such play having gotten underway in 1995. Rollins cracked it doesn't help that "it's the playoffs and they got three-minute commercials.''

But look on the bright side. At least the teams, who don't have much of a break considering Game 4 is Monday at 4:07 PM local time, didn't have to go extra innings.

"I'm definitely glad it didn't go extra innings,'' Victorino said of the game which equaled Game 4 of the 1997 World Series at Cleveland in frigidness. "If it did, I was going to have to come in and get sleeves on.''

Despite the temperatures, pitchers didn't seem to have a problem not wearing sleeves. As for Lidge, he probably didn't mind a bit of a chill considering all of the heat he has faced recently.

Lidge converted all 48 of his save chances last season as the Phillies won the World Series. But this season he led the majors with 11 blown saves and went 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA.

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Rockies-Phillies Photos

DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Jimmy Rollins #11 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws to first as Dexter Fowler #24 of the Colorado Rockies slides into second during Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jimmy Rollins;Dexter Fowler

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Phillies vs. Rockies

DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Jason Hammel #46 of the Colorado Rockies looks on against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/ Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jason Hammel

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies flys out in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Troy Tulowitzki

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Todd Helton #17 of the Colorado Rockies fails to reach a foul ball against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Todd Helton

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Chase Utley #26 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on against the Colorado Rockies during Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chase Utley

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Colorado Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki breaks his bat as he slams it to the ground after making the final out in the 9th inning of Game 3 in a National League baseball division series against the Philadelphia Phillies in Denver on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. Philadelphia won the game 6-5. Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz is pictured at left.(AP Photo/ Jack Dempsey)

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Huston Street #16 of the Colorado Rockies watches the game-winning sacrifice fly which was hit by Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies in the top of the ninth inning of Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Huston Street

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Shane Victorino #8 (C) and Brad Lidge #54 (R) of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate their 6-5 win with teammates against the Colorado Rockies in Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Shane Victorino;Brad Lidge

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Brad Lidge #54 of of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brad Lidge

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Brad Lidge #54 of of the Philadelphia Philliesthrows a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 11, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brad Lidge

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Lidge lost his job briefly in September. But after Chad Durbin had pitched the eighth and was in position to get the win, Phillies general manager Charlie Manuel handed Lidge the ball for the ninth.

"When the postseason starts, it's a completely new slate,'' Lidge said. "And get out there and I feel real good in the postseason and in general right now.''

The same could not be said for most of the 13 pitchers used, seven by Colorado and six by Philadelphia. Phillies starter J.A. Happ was knocked out after allowing three runs in three innings.

Rockies starter Jason Hammel retired nine of the first 10 batters before falling on hard times. He was knocked out after giving up four runs in 3 2/3 innings.

"When you have a guy that retires nine out of the first 10 hitters, one of the last things you think is that you'd be removing him from the game after 3 2/3 innings,'' said Tracy, who watched as his seventh pitcher, closer Street, took the loss.

Hammel's undoing was the fourth, when he allowed three walks and the Phillies scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead. On the night, Rockies pictures gave up eight walks.

The Rockies were able to tie the score 4-4 on a fourth-inning home run by Carlos Gonzalez, who went 3-for-4. And, after Philadelphia went up 5-4 in the top of the sixth, they were able to knot the score again 5-5 in bottom of the seventh.

Temperatures by then were continuing to plummet. Rollins said that late in the game his fingers were starting to "freeze up,'' hardly ideal for a shortstop.

But the big chill didn't come until the ninth inning. The Rockies hope the blown call by Meals won't end up putting their postseason hopes on ice.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Blown Call Could Freeze Rockies Out originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2009 MLB Postseason Schedule

Pat Lackey — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:20:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Rockies, Twins, Yankees, AL Central, AL East, AL West, NL Central, NL East, NL West, MLB Playoffs, American League Division Series, National League Division Series

With two series over, Major League Baseball has updated the schedule for the rest of the Division Series.

The Rockies and Phillies will play their Game 4 at 4 PM ET if the Yankees-Twins series is still going on. Should the Yankees finish off a sweep Sunday night, the NL Game would move to 6 PM ET.

Series-by-series times are after the jump (all times Eastern).

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees:

Game 1- Twins at Yankees, 10/7, 6:07 PM, TBS
Game 2- Twins at Yankees, 10/9, 6:07 PM, TBS
Game 3- Yankees at Twins, 10/11, 7:07 PM, TBS
Game 4- Yankees at Twins, 10/12, 7:37 PM, if necessary, TBS
Game 5- Twins at Yankees, 10/14, 8:07 PM, if necessary, TBS

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Game 1- Red Sox at Angels, 10/8, 9:37 PM, TBS
Game 2- Red Sox at Angels, 10/9, 9:37 PM, TBS
Game 3- Angels at Red Sox, 10/11, 12:07 PM, TBS

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 1- Cardinals at Dodgers, 10/7, 9:37 PM, TBS
Game 2- Cardinals at Dodgers, 10/8, 6:07 PM, TBS
Game 3- Dodgers at Cardinals, 10/10, 6:07 PM,TBS

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Game 1- Rockies at Phillies, 10/7, 2:37 PM, TBS
Game 2- Rockies at Phillies, 10/8, 2:37 PM, TBS
Game 3- Phillies at Rockies, 10/11, 10:07 PM,TBS
Game 4- Phillies at Rockies, 10/12, 6:07 PM (7:37 PM if AL still going), TBS
Game 5- Rockies at Phillies, 10/13, 8:07 PM, if necessary TBS

AL Championship Series

Game 1-Angels at Yankees or Twins at Angels, 10/16, Fox
Game 2-Angels at Yankees or Twins at Angels, 10/17, Fox
Game 3-Yankees at Angels or Angels at Twins, 10/19, Fox
Game 4-Yankees at Angels or Angels at Twins, 10/20, Fox
Game 5-Yankees at Angels or Angels at Twins, 10/22, if necessary, Fox
Game 6-Angels at Yankees or Twins at Angels, 10/24, if necessary, Fox
Game 7-Angels at Yankees or Twins at Angels, 10/25, if necessary, Fox

NL Championship Series

Game 1-Rockies or Phillies at Dodgers, 10/15, TBS
Game 2-Rockies or Phillies at Dodgers, 10/16, TBS
Game 3-Dodgers at Rockies or Philliies, 10/18, TBS
Game 4-Dodgers at Rockies or Philliies, 10/19, TBS
Game 5-Dodgers at Rockies or Philliies, 10/21, if necessary, TBS
Game 6-Rockies or Phillies at Dodgers, 10/23, if necessary, TBS
Game 7-Rockies or Phillies at Dodgers, 10/24, if necessary, TBS

2009 MLB Postseason Schedule originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playoff Pulse: Bundle Up, Colorado

Andrew Johnson — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, American League Division Series, National League Division Series, Playoff Pulse

Playoff Pulse is our morning rundown of the night that was and the night that will be during the MLB postseason.

Looking Forward ...

With the World Series scheduled to go into November, we had a feeling extreme cold weather could play a factor in the postseason. Who knew it would be so soon? Wintry weather forced the postponement of Game 3 of the Rockies-Phillies NLDS to Sunday night.

It should be nicer than it was Saturday, with the game-time temperature projected to be in the low-40s, but that's still awfully frigid for baseball, and it will only get colder as the game goes on.

Advantage? Who knows? The Rockies would be the obvious pick since this is their hometown, but the Phillies might have caught the biggest break by being able to reshuffle their rotation.

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, who saw his fair share of cold-weather playoff games both in last year's World Series and when he managed the Indians in the '90s, said he has seen frigid temperatures work both ways.

"I've seen it work both ways. I've seen pitchers totally be dominant in cold weather, and then in the World Series ... I saw a lot of hitting against what we thought was very good pitching for us," he told reporters.

In Their Own Words
"I think it's already started. From the beginning it would be fine with me to go with it and take the umpire's best call. But if you're going to do it, seems like in the postseason with something that's obvious, what does the rule book say, get the play right." -- Tony La Russa on expanding instant replay.
By the Numbers
1928 The last year the Cardinals went to the playoffs and didn't win at least one game ... until 2009, of course.
More From FanHouse
Fletcher: Vicente the Vindicator Piliere: Scouting Notes

Looking Back ...

Despite his gaffe in Game 2, Matt Holliday heard plenty of cheers from the St. Louis crowd in Game 3, receiving a standing ovation before his first at-bat.

By the end of the game, as Holliday closed in on an 0-for-4 night and the Cardinals closed in on going out with a whimper, there was suddenly a smattering of boos.

Looks like even the could-they-be-any-nicer Cardinals fans had had enough by then. Still, the cheers for Holliday were probably a nice free-agent pitch to the left fielder, who will hit the open market in just a few weeks. Do you think the slugger would receive that kind of reception in Boston or New York if he had made a similar gaffe for the Red Sox or Yankees?

Scout's Eye View ...

Vicente Padilla, in many ways proved a very simple point against Pujols on Saturday.

First, pounding the fastball inside if you have the power fastball to do it, is still a sound strategy against any slugger, even the best in the game. And second, there is no magic formula for getting Albert Pujols out. If you can pitch to a hitter of his caliber without fear on the inside part of the plate you open up a lot of options on the other side with your secondary pitches.

-- Frankie Piliere (Full Scouting Notebook)

Sunday's Tale of the Tape ...

Angels (Scott Kazmir) at Red Sox (Clay Buchholz), 12:07 PM ET: The focus here will be on Kazmir, who has traditionally given the Red Sox tons of trouble. David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew all have sub-.700 OPS' in their careers against the left-hander. All four are key cogs in the Boston lineup. Buchholz has a limited track record against the Angels, with varying degrees of success. Los Angeles is hitting .214 against him as a team, but Vladimir Guerrero and Chone Figgins have given him trouble, with Guerrero 4-for-9 against him in his career.

Yankees (Andy Pettitte) at Twins (Carl Pavano), 7:07 PM ET: Pettitte battled shoulder problems down the stretch, missing a start in September, and his performance wasn't exactly crisp. The left-hander went 1-3 with a 4.64 ERA in his final four turns. To make matters worse, he's had a ton of trouble against the Twins, allowing a .394 opponents average against this group of Minnesota hitters. Joe Mauer is hitting .400 against the left-hander and Michael Cuddyer . 471, but that pales next to Delmon Young's .643. Pavano has limited experience with the Yankees -- at least when it comes to things other than their disabled list. He'll have to watch out for Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon, who are both hitting over .400 against him.

Phillies (J.A. Happ) at Rockies (Jason Hammel), 10:37 PM ET: Happ has made one career start against Colorado, a four-hit shutout on Aug. 5, but the Phillies are throwing another southpaw at the Rockies, who have struggled against left-handers this season. They hit 11 points lower against left-handers as a team this year. Current Phillies only have a combined 52 at-bats against Hammel, but they've lit him up, hitting a collective .385 against the right-hander. Look out for Matt Stairs off the bench. Charlie Manuel's favorite left-handed pinch-hitter is 5-for-8 with two home runs against Hammel in his career.

Playoff Pulse: Bundle Up, Colorado originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Manuel Leans Left as Weather Allows Phillies to Shuffle Rotation

Chris Tomasson — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

DENVER -- Charlie Manuel stepped outside Saturday morning and it was 17 degrees.

But Manuel didn't feel left out in the cold. He looked at it as another opportunity to roll out a left-hander.

Saturday's postponement due to winter weather in Denver allowed the Philadelphia manager to change his pitching rotation. With Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the Phillies and Colorado moved to Sunday at Coors Field, Manuel scratched right-hander Pedro Martinez and named rookie J.A. Happ his starter.

"We like left-handers against Colorado, and I think that gives us the strongest way to go about it,'' said Manuel, whose defending World Series champions are tied 1-1 with the Rockies, who have been much poorer this season against lefties.

More Coverage: Snow Postpones Game 3 | Series Home

The postponement means every pitcher the Phillies are expected to start in the series will be a left-hander. Cliff Lee got the nod in Game 1, Cole Hamels in Game 2 and Manuel will go back to Lee for Monday's Game 4 in Denver. If there is a Game 5 on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Hamels likely would get the nod.

Manuel had planned to start Happ in Game 4 had it remained scheduled for Sunday, so he didn't consider the change that big of a deal. Manuel wasn't too concerned about Happ being knocked out of Thursday's Game 2 when he was struck in the knee by a line drive off the bat of Seth Smith in the seventh inning. Smith was the only batter Happ faced.

"I saw some swelling on the side of it a little bit,'' Manuel said of looking Saturday at the pitcher's leg. "Our trainer said he was fine. And also the way he moves around is fine.''

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Rockies-Phillies Photos

DENVER - OCTOBER 10: The statue of 'The Player' is dusted with snow outside the stadium as Game 3 of the National League Division series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field has been postponed due to inclement weather on October 10, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. Light snow covered the field and sub freezing temperatures are predicted for game time so Game 3 has been rescheduled to be played at Coors Field on Sunday October 11, 2009. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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Phillies vs. Rockies

DENVER - OCTOBER 10: The trees outside the stadium are adorned with a dusting of snow as Game 3 of the National League Division series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field has been postponed due to inclement weather on October 10, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. Light snow covered the field and sub freezing temperatures are predicted for game time so Game 3 has been rescheduled to be played at Coors Field on Sunday October 11, 2009. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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A light snow covers the sculpture of The Player outside the main entrance of Coors Field after Major League Baseball officials postponed Game 3 of the National League division series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Denver. Temperatures below freezing combined with a light coating of snow to force officials to delay the game. Game 3 will be played Sunday night, with Game 4 pushed back to Monday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Snow covers outside the first-base entrance to Coors Field on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Denver after Major League Baseball officials postponed Game 3 of the National League division series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Denver. Temperatures below freezing combined with a light coating of snow to force officials to delay the game. Game 3 will be played Sunday night, with Game 4 pushed back to Monday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Dave Leonard, back left, jokes with Jeff Hart, back right, as Michael Delaney holds up the trio's tickets for seats in the left-field stands of Coors Field for a television photographer outside the stadium after Major League Baseball officials postponed Game 3 of the National League division series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Denver. Temperatures below freezing combined with a light coating of snow to force officials to delay the game. Game 3 will be played Sunday night, with Game 4 pushed back to Monday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Seats sit empty on the main concourse as snow covers the playing surface of Coors Field in Denver on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, after Major League Baseball officials postponed Game 3 of the National League division series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Denver. Temperatures below freezing combined with a light coating of snow to force officials to delay the game. Game 3 will be played Sunday night, with Game 4 pushed back to Monday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Happ didn't disagree.

"The leg is a non-issue,'' said Happ, who went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA during the season.

So was the Rockies making a change to their rotation. Colorado will stick with right-hander Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.33 ERA) in Game 3, although Game 1 starter Ubaldo Jimenez could be moved up to go again in Game 4.

Martinez was looking to make his first postseason start in five years. But Manuel said he will noe come out of the bullpen.

"When I talked to Pedro, he totally understood,'' Manuel said. "He was very professional about it. Of course he wants to pitch. He was like everybody else. ... But, at the same time, he was very understanding.''

Rather than going with the experience of Martinez, 37, the Phillies will turn to the youth of Happ, 26.

"I've had a lot of anticipation kind of throughout the year hoping that we'd be in this position and hoping that I could help us any way possible,'' Happ said. "Getting a start I think is going to be a great opportunity, and I'm definitely looking forward to it.''

Happ on Aug. 5 pitched a four-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over the Rockies in Philadelphia.

Of course, it was a lot warmer then.

There was a dusting of snow on the ground Saturday morning and the 17-degree reading easily broke Denver's record low for the day of 25. Temperatures Saturday night were expected to be in the mid-to-upper 20s, but Sunday's projected high will be around 50.

"I think it's a very wise decision," Rockies manager Jim Tracy told The Associated Press about the postponement. "You could have something happen in weather like this where you could lose a player for half a year in 2010. I don't think that would be good for anybody.''

Manuel, whose team had a few players work out indoors at Coors Field on Saturday while the Rockies went through a full workout, also welcomed not playing.

"I know early the conditions were very bad,'' he said. "I think there comes a time when I think the magnitude of the game and what it means and what it's all about, that temperatures can hit a low, like where you don't play. I think it gets very uncomfortable not only for both sides, for the team and the fans.''

Manuel was uncomfortable when he stepped outside Saturday morning. But he felt a lot better after changing his pitching rotation.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Manuel Leans Left as Weather Allows Phillies to Shuffle Rotation originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phillies-Rockies Game 3 Postponed

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:56:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, National League Division Series

The Phillies and Rockies will have to wait another day to resolve the 1-1 tie in their NLDS series, as Saturday's Game 3 has been postponed due to inclement weather.

The game, which was supposed to start in Colorado at 7:37 p.m. MT Saturday, has been pushed to Sunday at 8:07 MT. Game 4 will now be played Monday. A start time for that contest will be announced before Sunday's Game 3. Game 5, if necessary, is still scheduled for Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Phillies vs. Rockies: Series Home

Denver citizens awoke Saturday to snow, freezing rain and record-low temperatures. At Denver International Airport it was as low as 17 degrees, well below the 25-degree mark set in 1905. Temperatures aren't expected to rise above freezing level by game time and snow will continue into the afternoon, but isn't expected to be much.

FanHouse's Ed Price has previously discussed possible repercussions of a weather-delayed Game 3.

Phillies-Rockies Game 3 Postponed originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pedro Martinez to Start Game 3

Tom Fornelli — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:04:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

It had been one of the greatest mysteries of the baseball postseason thus far in 2009. Who would start Game 3 for the Philadelphia Phillies in their NLDS matchup with the Colorado Rockies? It was an answer that became somewhat clearer, yet more confusing at the same time, on Thursday afternoon when the Phillies brought both Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ in to relieve Cole Hamels.

Happ threw only four pitches before having to be removed from the game after taking a line drive off his leg, and Blanton gave the Phillies an inning of work. All of which made you think that Charlie Manuel was leaning toward veteran righty Pedro Martinez. Friday it became a fact when MLB.com's Todd Zolecki announced it on his Twitter page.

Now off the bat there are a few questions that come to mind immediately upon hearing this announcement. One is will Pedro still start Game 3 if it's snowed out on Saturday? As of now the weather forecast for Saturday's game in Denver calls for a high of 37 degrees with snow showers.

The second question is if the game does manage to be played, is Pedro Martinez really the guy you want pitching in that kind of weather? It will have been 10 days since Martinez's last start if/when he takes the mound on Saturday night, and considering he's 37 and has had some injury problems in recent years, 37-degree weather probably isn't the ideal condition for him.

Of course, it's not exactly fun weather to hit in either, so maybe the guy on the mound won't matter nearly as much.

Pedro Martinez to Start Game 3 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cards Show Manny Isn't Same Manny

Frankie Piliere — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series, Scout's Eye View

In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.

The Dodgers have gotten by down the stretch and in the playoffs despite a less than dynamic Manny Ramirez. While still productive, it's becoming blatantly obvious to opposing teams that Ramirez isn't as dangerous as he once was. The reality may be that he is a diminished player.

Of course, a diminished Ramirez is still a well above-average player. He's just not the out of this world hitter we've come to know.

Essentially, there seems to be a hole in Ramirez's offensive game that wasn't there before, and the Cardinals appear to be pitching to it over and over again. What consistently made Manny one of the most potent hitters over the last decade was his ability to cover and punish the good fastball inside, and also his ability to stay back long enough to drive the pitch away.

He no longer appears to have the incredible bat speed to pull that off. He now needs to sit on or cheat on the fastball inside and open up his front side earlier. By doing so, he is unable to stay on his back leg long enough to drive the outside pitch with any authority. More specifically, by opening up a little earlier to hit the fastball inside, he leaves only his arms and hands to hit off-speed pitches on the outer part of the zone.

The Cardinals will continue to stay away from Ramirez with the off-speed pitches like Adam Wainwright did on Thursday. As the game went on, Wainwright also began to attack with the fastball on the outer half, creating consistent late swings from the Dodger outfielder. The more we see of him, the more it seems that bat speed is the issue at this stage in his career.

Wainwright forced Ramirez to honor the 92-94 mph fastball, creating issues for the slugger when he tried to drive the ball with any authority and stayed away with the curveball. That's going to be the formula against him from here on out. He has enough bat control and coordination to still single to the opposite field, but he's going to need to prove he can drive it that way with the power of old.

Whether Manny is diminished or will eventually return to his old form remains to be seen. But right now, this weakness exists. You can bet that the Cardinals and any other opposition the Dodgers may face should they advance in the playoffs are going to continue to exploit it.

Spotlight Moment

Wainwright's -- and the Cardinals' -- strategy against Ramirez was well illustrated in his seventh inning at-bat. With the count even at 1-1 they went at him with a fastball, but the pitch missed badly over the heart of the plate. Ramirez was late on the pitch, however, and fouled it off. Yadier Molina then called for a fastball in, which missed down. Still showing his patience, Manny took a tantalizing curveball in the dirt to run the count full. Ramirez then continued to foul off 93-94 mph fastballs. After he finally was able to turn on a fastball and ground it foul, Wainwright froze him with a devastating curveball on the outside corner. Wainwright deserves credit for feeding Manny a steady diet of fastballs until he proved he could catch up. Then, after speeding up his bat, Wainwright left Manny with almost no way of hitting his breaking ball with any authority.

How he handled Ramirez Thursday night should serve as a blueprint. Granted, few pitchers have Wainwright's stuff, but this at-bat and others in this game revealed a lot about Ramirez's declining ability to catch up to the fastball without sitting on it and his subsequent inability to react to the breaking ball.

Quick Hits

o. Despite the loss in Game 2, the Phillies have to be pleased with what they saw from Ryan Madson on Thursday. With all the question marks at the back of their 'pen, Madson is making a strong case to fill the closer role. Pounding the fastball at 96-97 mph, working at a blistering pace and spotting his outstanding plus changeup, Madson cruised through his one inning of work. Few pitchers can boast his combination of a power fastball and plus changeup with such quality command. His stuff would profile well in any team's closer role. Following 97 mph with a low-80s changeup is close to unfair.

o. Franklin Morales ended the regular season on somewhat of a sour note against the Dodgers with a nightmarish inning of work. But the Rockies were given a strong outing by their hard-throwing lefty in a key situation on Thursday afternoon. In to face Raul Ibanez, Morales pumped 95-96 mph fastballs and located a breaking ball at 73 mph on the corner. Getting a peak performing Morales in the playoffs could be a huge lift to their championship hopes. If he can come in and shut down the big Philadelphia lefties it will be a huge boost.

o. Clayton Kershaw did not bring his best curveball to the mound on Thursday, but that's what made his outing so impressive. Kershaw looked a little strong early, leaving his curveball up in the zone and getting burned by Matt Holliday for a solo home run. Living 93-96 mph all night, the young lefty was extra aggressive in the zone. He was able to move the ball in and out and create a lot of late swings. It goes a long way for a young pitcher's psyche to be able to pitch effectively, even without his best weapon at certain points.

Frankie Piliere 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.

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MLB Postseason Photos

ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 08: Kendry Morales #19 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim celebrates with Chone Figgins #9 after defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 in Game One of the ALDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Angel Stadium on October 8, 2009 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kendry Morales;Chone Figgins

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2009 Baseball Playoffs

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Los Angeles Angels' Torii Hunter, right, and Juan Rivera celebrate after their team defeated the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League division baseball series in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009. The Angels won 5-0. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 08: Pitcher Darren Oliver #38 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim celebrates with teammate catcher Jeff Mathias #2 after their teams 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game One of the ALDS at Angel Stadium on October 8, 2009 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Darren Oliver; Jeff Mathis

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ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 08: Torii Hunter #48 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim celebrates with teammates Erick Aybar #2 and John Lackey #41 after defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 in Game One of the ALDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Angel Stadium on October 8, 2009 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Torii Hunter;Erick Aybar;John Lackey

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ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 08: Torii Hunter #48 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hits a three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox in the fifth inning of Game One of the ALDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Angel Stadium at Angel Stadium on October 8, 2009 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Torii Hunter

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ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 08: Bobby Abreu #53 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rounds the bases to score as starting pitcher Jon Lester #31 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after giving up a three-run homerun to Torii Hunter #48 in the fifth iinning of Game One of the ALDS at Angel Stadium on October 8, 2009 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Bobby Abreu;Jon Lester

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Los Angeles Angels' Kendry Morales is tagged out at home by Boston Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez while trying to score from second in the seventh inning in Game 1 of the American League division baseball series Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher John Lackey smiles after leading his team to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League division baseball series Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Angels' Torii Hunter is hit by a pitch by Boston Red Sox pitcher Ramon Ramirez during the seventh inning in Game 1 of the American League division baseball series Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Cards Show Manny Isn't Same Manny originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unfazed by Deficit, Cool Rockies Slug Back at Defending Champs

Ed Price — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:59:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

PHILADELPHIA -- Getting down 1-0 in a best-of-five series really set off the panic buttons in the Rockies clubhouse.

"It's unbelievable," Jason Giambi told FanHouse on Thursday after Colorado's taut 5-4 defeat of Philadelphia in Game 2 of the team's NL Division Series. "They don't get rattled. They don't start going, 'Oh my God.' They don't feel pressure. They have a good time together. It's all fun. Today they were goofing off like it was a frat house."

Apparently, when you've been 12 games under .500 and 15 1/2 games out in the regular season, a 1-0 postseason hole doesn't seem very deep.

Game 2: Rockies 5, Phillies 4 | Box Score | Series Home

"We've been down and out before," Todd Helton said before the game. "A quarter way through the season, everybody kicked us to the curb and thought we were done. But nobody in that locker room ever thought that. We always knew that we had the talent. It's a long season. We knew we had a chance to turn it around. And we did that."

The game itself Thursday was the opposite, with the Rockies -- shut down in Game 1 by Cliff Lee -- playing from ahead. They scored four runs off 2008 postseason hero Cole Hamels, who bolted soon after being removed for a pinch-hitter as his wife, Heidi, went into labor.

"They know once they get going, they're going to score some runs," Giambi said of his teammates. "They're definitely a huge team when they score first. They get the ball rolling."

Yorvit Torrealba did that with a two-run homer in the fourth that made the score 3-0.

Torrealba has caught all 116 innings of Rockies postseason games since 2007, but why? He was awful throwing out runners this year (4-of-53) and hadn't homered since May 6.

"I don't even believe it myself, I'm telling you," he said of his shot off a Hamels hanging curve. "I'm being honest, I forgot when was the last time I hit one.

"I didn't even know how to run the bases. I didn't know whether to run hard or slow down."

"They don't get rattled. They don't start going, 'Oh my God.' They don't feel pressure. They have a good time together. It's all fun."
-- Jason Giambi But even though the Phillies have come back from three runs or more down to win just once after the All-Star break -- on the final day of the season -- Colorado labored to hang on. There was some, uh, interesting managing by Jim Tracy and Philadelphia's seven hits over the final four innings.

The victory didn't feel anywhere close to safe until, with two on and two out in the ninth, second baseman Clint Barmes caught Shane Victorino's soft liner. That allowed the Rockies to go home with a split.

"It's going to make the flight a lot easier when we hit our turbulence in Colorado," Ryan Spilborghs said.

"It's going to make it hard on Philly to come in there. They're going to be hoping to get a split."

Since baseball went to the 2-2-1 Division Series format in 1998, teams that managed a split on the road in the first two games have won 12 of 19 series.

And the Rockies went 51-30 at home this year -- 44-17 since May 29.

"We feel really confident," Spilborghs said. "It's our turf. We enjoy the cold. We enjoy our fans. We enjoy everything about it."

With their bullpen so shaky, the Phillies used starters Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ in relief Thursday, and Happ lasted just a batter after Seth Smith lined a ball off his left leg (x-rays were negative).

So Pedro Martinez is the likely Game 3 starter for Philly. And because of a sore neck, Martinez will go into that game having thrown four innings and 84 pitches in the past three weeks.

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Rockies-Phillies Photos

PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: Pitcher Joe Blanton #56 of the Philadelphia Phillies rubs his head as he talks with catcher Carlos Ruiz #51 (L) and Chase Utley #26 against the Colorado Rockies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joe Blanton;Carlos Ruiz;Chase Utley

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Phillies vs. Rockies

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: Ryan Madson #46 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ryan Madson

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: Manager Charlie Manuel #41 of the Philadelphia Phillies walks back to the dugout with his head down against the Colorado Rockies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Rockies won 5-4. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Charlie Manuel

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: Dexter Fowler #24 of the Colorado Rockies hits a sacrifice fly to drive in Ryan Spilborghs #19 in the top of the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dexter Fowler

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies walks towards first base flanked by manager Jim Tracy and trainer Keith Dugger (R) after Tulowitzki was hit by a pitch from Brett Myers #39 of the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Troy Tulowitzki;Jim Tracy;Keith Dugger

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: (L-R) Miguel Cairo #9 and Jimmy Rollins #11 of the Philadelphia Phillies look on during a pitching change against the Colorado Rockies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Miguel Cairo;Jimmy Rollins

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: Antonio Bastardo #58 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ROckies won 5-4. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Antonio Bastardo

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: Jayson Werth #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Rockies won 5-4. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jayson Werth

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 08: J.A. Happ #43 of the Philadelphia Phillies takes some warm up tosses off of the mound under the watchful eyes of home plate umpire Bob Davidson, Phillies trainer Scott Sheridan and manager Charlie Manuel #41 after Happ was struck on the leg by a ball hit by Seth Smith #7 of the Colorado Rockies in Game Two of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** J.A. Happ;Scott Sheridan;Charlie Manuel;Bob Davidson

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Carlos Gonzalez, 5-for-9 so far in the series, was asked if he has ever faced Pedro.

"I faced him," Gonzalez said, "in PlayStation."

Game 3 will be the real thing, and the Rockies resiliency is still alive.

There were times late this season, as Colorado was winning just enough to off San Francisco, then Atlanta, for the NL wild card, that Barmes would ask Helton, "Is that what it's like to play in playoff baseball?"

And Helton would tell him, "That's exactly what it's like."

Unfazed by Deficit, Cool Rockies Slug Back at Defending Champs originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phillies vs. Rockies, Dodgers vs. Cards: Day 2 LDS Live Chat

Tom Fornelli — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Rockies, MLB Live Blogging, American League Division Series, National League Division Series

The first day of action in the MLB playoffs on Wednesday brought us a wide array of stories to talk about. We got to see Cliff Lee dominate the Colorado Rockies, the Yankees overpower Brian Duensing and the Twins, and the Cardinals and Dodgers keep us up all night in a battle to see who could leave the most runners on base.

We enjoyed covering it here at FanHouse so much, we're going to do it again. So that means we'll be chatting along with the action again as the Phillies and Rockies get underway again this afternoon, and we're doing it whether Cole Hamels likes it or not. We love day games, Cole! Our ERA is much better than yours when the sun is out.

So please join us in infuriating Mr. Hamels after the jump.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=0380e63358" &amp;gt;LDS Day 2 Live Chat&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Phillies vs. Rockies, Dodgers vs. Cards: Day 2 LDS Live Chat originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here's Where Jimenez Went Wrong

Frankie Piliere — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:14:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Rockies, Twins, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Division Series, National League Division Series, Scout's Eye View

In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.

Early on during the first day of the 2009 playoffs, it looked like Ubaldo Jimenez and his 100 mph fastball would rule the day. But it turned out that the experienced Phillies' lineup came back to punish Jimenez for some poor pitch selection, and from the middle innings on it was clear that the day in fact belonged to Cliff Lee.

In the early innings, Jimenez was downright electric, pounding the fastball at 98-100 mph. Somewhere along the line, however, he seemed to lose faith in his heater, which may be the best in baseball. Looking at the damage done, be it the Raul Ibanez double down the line in the sixth inning or the Jayson Werth triple in the ninth, Jimenez was repeatedly hurt on the second and third pitches in his arsenal.

As we touched on in the Rockies' playoff preview, Jimenez has the tendency to lose feel for his mechanics at times. It appeared that's what happened as he lost confidence in the command of his fastball.

Credit also needs to go to the Philadelphia hitters for being ready for the off-speed offerings even while having to respect the right-hander's fastball. But, the key to the day was still ultimately his loss of faith in the fastball and being overly aggressive with sliders in the zone. He'll learn as he continues to mature as a big-league pitcher that if you are going to make location mistakes with off-speed pitches they had better be out of the zone or heavy-hitting teams like the Phillies will do damage.

On the other side, there was the brilliant performance of Lee. When he's at his best as he was Wednesday, Lee can locate his fastball on a dime. We didn't see many of those big curveballs from Lee, as he relied mostly on his fastball and cutter. He proved once again that plus command of the fastball is as important as any secondary pitch. He kept the Rockies on their heels all day as he pounded the fastball and put them in an immediate hole. Also of note was Lee's velocity, as he touched 94 mph in the ninth inning of his complete game masterpiece. From the downward angle he creates and with the fastball command with which he throws, pitching at that velocity made Lee tough to get any kind of aggressive swings off of for Colorado.

Turning Point: Rockies vs. Phillies

Perhaps most obvious among Ubaldo Jimenez's mistakes in Game 1 was the Carlos Ruiz shot to the gap in the fifth inning. In the at-bat, Jimenez had Ruiz late on the fastball, then slowed down the bat on a slider. He then followed up with yet another slider with too much plate on a 3-2 count. When you are a pitcher with perhaps the best fastball among starters in all of baseball, you do not want to get beat on an off-speed pitch in a 3-2 count against a bottom-of-the-order-hitter.

This was either a case of not reading the hitter's swings well enough or just not trusting the fastball. 3-2 breaking pitches naturally back pitchers into a corner. Naturally, he doesn't want to walk the batter so it needs to be a strike. And, most often the best breaking pitches are the ones out of the zone. Bottom line: this was probably a fastball situation in which one of the weaker hitters in the Philadelphia lineup was allowed to beat them with less than their ace's best offering. These can be the little choices, or in this case pitch selections, that can turn the tide of a game.

Quick Hits

o. It was a small moment but Joe Mauer showed on Wednesday night just why he's able to hit .365. After a steady diet of 94-95 mph fastballs, Mauer took a curveball at the knees on the outside corner and lined it up the middle. There's no way to sit breaking ball in that situation; it's all about Mauer's bat speed and ability to wait back. You won't see too many hitters, if any, hit that very same pitch in that situation with authority. In Game 1, the Yankees appeared to try and move the ball in and out on him, having their best success on pitches moving down and away.

o. The Minnesota Twins had their shot at CC Sabathia in Game 1 and let it slip away. The big Yankee lefty did not have his pinpoint command early on Wednesday night, and was unable to locate his key pitch, the changeup, in the early innings. Before they could do any damage, Sabathia had settled into his typical groove. Once he's locating the fastball on both corners, his changeup is extraordinarily difficult to read out of his hand. The changeup is always the pitch to keep an eye on early with Sabathia; if he's spotting that against the righties he's just about unhittable given his mid-90s velocity.

o. Conviction in one's fastball can't always be learned by a pitcher. But in all cases it can be one of the most significant components to whether or not a pitcher can be successful. Phil Hughes throws his fastball with as much confidence as any reliever out there -- consistently at 94-96 mph. Hughes is going to continue to be a weapon throughout the playoffs if he throws the way he did on Wednesday evening. Pitchers like to flaunt their secondary pitches out of the 'pen, but pitchers like Hughes are proof that the well located fastball can still be one of the best pitches in baseball.

o. Chris Carpenter ran into a problem early in Wednesday's action that a pitcher never wants to run into in a playoff game - wildness in the strike zone. Hitters like Matt Kemp, whom he surrendered a two run home run to, rarely miss mistakes in the middle of the zone. Carpenter typically thrives on expanding the zone and having a feel for just how far out of the zone a hitter will go. Despite having good velocity, touching 95 mph with ease, the tall righty looked a bit strong and left some fastballs in the middle of the plate.

Frankie Piliere 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.

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MLB Postseason Photos

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: (L-R) James Loney #7, Casey Blake #23, Andre Ethier #16, Rafael Furcal #15 and Manny Ramirez #99 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Cardinals 5-3. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** James Loney;Casey Blake;Andre Ethier;Rafael Furcal;Manny Ramirez

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2009 Baseball Playoffs

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Pitcher Jonathan Broxton #51 of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the mound in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jonathan Broxton

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Manny Ramirez #99 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Cardinals 5-3. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Ramirez

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St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols reacts to grounding out in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 1 of the National League division baseball series in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009. The Dodgers won 5-3. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: (L-R) Manny Ramirez #99, Andre Ethier #16 and Matt Kemp #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Cardinals 5-3. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Ramirez;Andre Ethier;Matt Kemp

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Pitcher Jonathan Broxton #51 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with catcher Russell Martin #55 after closing the game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jonathan Broxton;Russell Martin

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Pitcher Jonathan Broxton #51 of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the mound in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jonathan Broxton

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Julio Lugo #12 of the St. Louis Cardinals turns a double-play in the seventh inning as Andre Ethier #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is out at second base on a ball hit by Manny Ramirez #99 in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Julio Lugo;Andre Ethier;Brendan Ryan

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Matt Holliday #15 of the St. Louis Cardinals reacts after striking out in the seventh inning of Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Matt Holliday

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo #56 of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the mound in the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hong-Chih Kuo

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Here's Where Jimenez Went Wrong originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phil-Lee Steals Game 1 Show, Literally

Ed Price — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:28:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

PHILADELPHIA -- The wind howled through Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday afternoon, with gusts up to 50 mph that had all two world championship banners flapping nonstop.

Cliff Lee? Unflappable. At least until the ninth inning.

Leading the Phillies over the Rockies 5-1 in the opener of their NL Division Series, Lee came within a strike of becoming the first pitcher in nine years to throw a complete game shutout in his postseason debut (the Mets' Bobby Jones did it in 2000).

"His nerves are ice, I think, all the time," Phillies reliever Scott Eyre said.

"He just never let off the gas," added Jimmy Rollins.

Game 1: Phillies 5, Rockies 1 | Box Score | Series Home

But with two out in the ninth, a runner on second and a 0-2 count on Troy Tulowitzki, Lee got out of character for a moment.

"The crowd got pretty fired up," Lee said, "so I took a little second to look around and soak it all in. But then I threw three straight balls and one down the middle that went in the gap [for an RBI double].

"Maybe it cost me a run, but we still won."

Who can blame Lee for wanting to scan the largest crowd in stadium history, all waving towels while chanting "Let's go Lee!" and appreciate the moment?

Twenty-six months ago, he was in Triple-A. He got back to the majors in September 2007, but the Indians left him off the postseason roster that year.

In favor of Aaron Laffey.

"This is my next opportunity to do it," said Lee, who came back in 2008 to win the AL Cy Young Award, making him so good Cleveland had to trade him. "That's in the past. I'm not even thinking about that at all. I'm looking forward.

"Even today['s game]. It's over already."

He said that at 6:08 PM Eastern time, 42 minutes after he had thrown his 113th pitch, a 94 mph fastball that struck out Garrett Atkins.

Lee had two men on base at the same time once, in the first inning. He went to a two-ball count on just nine of 32 batters, and only four of those went to three balls (none walked).

"He was just having his way with the strike zone today," Colorado's Brad Hawpe said.

"He got really, really good as the game went on," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said, "and to the point where by the third inning, I don't know if he missed a spot. But we certainly didn't have very many good swings off of him beyond the third inning, and we certainly didn't get too many good pitches to swing at. He was pretty much on the corners."

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Rockies-Phillies Photos

PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 07: Todd Helton #17 of the COlorado Rockies walks bakc to the dugout after he committed an out against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 7, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Todd Helton

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Phillies vs. Rockies

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 07: Fans fill the stands during Game One of the NLDS between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 7, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 07: Starting pitcher Cliff Lee #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 7, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Cliff Lee

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 07: Manager Jim Tracy removes Ubaldo Jimenez #38 of the Colorado Rockies from the game in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 7, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ubaldo Jimenez;Jim Tracy;Yorvit Torrealba

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 07: Ubaldo Jimenez #38 of the Colorado Rockies walks back to the dugout after he was taken out of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 7, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ubaldo Jimenez

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 07: Franklin Morales #56 of the Colorado Rockies throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 7, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Franklin Morales

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 07: Cliff Lee #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies gets set to throw a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 7, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Cliff Lee

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 07: Starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez #38 of the Colorado Rockies throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 7, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ubaldo Jimenez

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Lee raised some concerns in phickle Philly down the stretch as he went 2-4 with a 6.13 ERA. But that may have been little more than bad luck; he struck out 35 and walked only four in that stretch, and over those five weeks he had the highest batting average on balls in play in the NL.

Then on Wednesday he justified Charlie Manuel's decision to start him in Game 1.

"He handled the whole flow of the game pretty good," Manuel said.

Manuel had about 17 bodies in the home bullpen at one point, but the Phillies needed none of them. They found their closer, for a day, and his name was Cliff Lee.

He made the bullpen questions moot by pitching the first NL postseason complete game since Jose Lima (!) for the 2004 Dodgers.

From the second inning through the ninth, Lee retired 21 of 22 batters. On a total of 77 pitches.

"He comes right at you," said Phillies left fielder Raul Ibanez, whose RBI double in the fifth scored the game's first run. "He makes the other team swing the bat. And whatever happens, happens fast."

Speaking of fast -- well, not really -- Lee even became the fourth pitcher ever to steal a base in the postseason, and the first since John Smoltz swiped three in the early 1990s.

After Lee singled leading off the third, first base coach Davey Lopes tipped him off on a way to get a good jump off Ubaldo Jimenez.

So Lee swiped his first base since ... "probably American Legion," as he said.

"I thought, 'What the hell is he doing?'" said Manuel, who forgave Lee once he explained Lopes' advice.

Reminded he has one fewer stolen base than Lee this postseason, Rollins rolled his eyes and said, "I know, right?"

"[Lee] was just having his way with the strike zone today"
-- Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe Rollins said Jimenez seemed to be affected by the aggressiveness on the bases.

And, according to the shortstop, during their inevitable march to a division clincher, the Phillies had been waiting for this day to find another gear.

"It's finally here," he said. "We can go out and finally let the wins actually count for something. Rather than just 1-0 or 0-1. If you win, that's one less win that you need to go to the next round.

"Now winning feels like we're doing something, rather than just moving the win-and-loss column up."

The Phillies played like the did a year ago, going 4-for-11 with men in scoring position, catching all the wind-blown popups and runnng the bases well.

And all the time, Lee did what he came to Philadelphia to do -- anchor the pitching staff and put them in command of a series.

"We've been in this position before," Tracy said, "trust me, more than once."

But the Phillies have won eight straight postseason games at Citizens Bank Park, and in Game 2 on Thursday they will start Cole Hamels, who in three home playoff starts last year was 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA.

"Now," Rollins said, "we've got somebody to push Cole."

Phil-Lee Steals Game 1 Show, Literally originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies (And More): Day 1 LDS Live Chat

Tom Fornelli — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Rockies, Twins, Yankees, MLB Live Blogging, MLB Playoffs, American League Division Series, National League Division Series

While the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers were a delicious appetizer on Tuesday night to the MLB postseason, the real meal begins this afternoon as the baseball playoffs officially get underway. There are eight teams remaining, all with the same goal of hoisting that World Series trophy in a champagne-soaked locker room next month. Some of them were expected to be here, others surprised us.

All of them deserve it.

The defending champion Philadelphia Phillies will start things off against the Colorado Rockies, and they'll be followed by the New York Yankees versus the Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.

FanHouse will be here for all of it as well. So please, join us after the jump for all the fun.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=191b37b1c8" &amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Day 1 Division Series Live Chat&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies (And More): Day 1 LDS Live Chat originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Weather Could Wreak Havoc With Phillies-Rockies NLDS

Ed Price — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rockies, National League Division Series

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies and Rockies might be able to get by with three-man rotations in their National League Division Series, if weather forecasts are accurate.

That would seem to favor Philadelphia, who could get two starts each from lefties Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels in a five-game series. Colorado's first two starters are Ubaldo Jimenez and Aaron Cook.

As of now, Saturday's Game 3 in Denver (a 7:30 PM start local time) is in jeopardy because of low temperatures in the high 20s and snow.

If Game 3 is postponed, it would be played Sunday and Game 4 would be played Monday, which is now a travel day. And that would allow each team to bring back its Game 1 starter in Game 4 and its Game 2 starter in a Game 5.

"There's no real competitive advantage one way or the other," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd told FanHouse.

Of course, none of this should be counted on; a saying in Denver advises that "if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes."

"Sunday and Monday look great [for weather]," O'Dowd said. "Then again things in Denver could change."

Weather Could Wreak Havoc With Phillies-Rockies NLDS originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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