Phillies vs. Cardinals: 2011 NLDS Preview!

My Fellow Phans,

So it is finally the day. The start of the most anticipated postseason in the history of the Phillies franchise. This has been a record setting year this season for the team itself with their 102 wins and Charlie Manuel, who became the most successful Phillies manager in history, when he won 646^th career game at the helm of the club on Wednesday.

For their season’s efforts, clinching the best record in all of baseball and home field throughout the postseason, they draw the wild card winning St. Louis Cardinals in the opening round of the 2011 MLB postseason. Here is your preview for the upcoming NLDS set to begin later this evening:

Philadelphia Phillies (East Champs; 102-60) vs.                              St. Louis Cardinals (Wild Card; 90-72)

Schedule/ Pitching Matchups:

Game 1: Friday, Saturday, October 1 @ Philadelphia (5:07pm):

Roy Halladay (19-6 2.35) vs. Kyle Lohse (14-8 3.39)

Game 2: Sunday, October 2 @ Philadelphia (8:37pm):

Cliff Lee (17-8 2.40) vs. Chris Carpenter (11-9 3.45)

Game 3: Tuesday, October 4 @ St. Louis (TBD):

Jaime Garcia (13-7 3.56) vs. Cole Hamels (14-9 2.75)

Game 4 (If necessary): Wednesday, October 5 @ St. Louis (TBD):

Lohse vs. Halladay or Roy Oswalt (9-10 3.69)

Game 5 (If necessary): Thursday, October 6 @Philadelphia (TBD):

TBD vs. TBD

Phillies Roster & Notes:

Hitters:

C: Carlos Ruiz (.283-6-40), Brian Scheinder (.176-2-9)

Inf: Ross Gload (.257-0-8), Ryan Howard (.253-33-116), Michael Martinez (.196-3-24), Placido Polanco (.277-5-50), Jimmy Rollins (.268-16-63), Chase Utley (.259-11-44), Wilson Valdez (.249-1-30)

Of: Ben Francisco (.244-6-34), Raul Ibanez (.245-20-84), John Mayberry (.273-15-49), Hunter Pence (.314-22-97), Shane Victorino (.279-17-61)

Pitchers:

Rhp: Joe Blanton (1-2 5.01), Roy Halladay (19-6 2.35), Kyle Kendrick (8-6 3.22), Brad Lidge (0-2 1.40), Ryan Madson (2.37 – 32 saves), Roy Oswalt (9-10 3.69), Michael Stutes (6-2 3.63), Vance Worley (11-3 3.01)

Lhp: Antonio Bastardo (6-1 2.64), Cole Hamels (14-9 2.79), Cliff Lee (17-9 2.40)

Phillies Season Notes:

The Phillies completed the greatest season in their franchise’s history winning 102 games and sweeping out the Braves to end the season.

Pitching: Roy Halladay led the way winning 19 games in his second season with the Phillies and Cliff Lee followed close behind with 17 wins of his own…The pitching staff itself led the major leagues in ERA (3.02), complete games (18), Shutouts (21), quality starts (108), and wins with 102…Ryan Madson finished with 32 saves in 34 chances.

Offense: Ryan Howard was the overwhelming leader offensively with his 33 homers and 116 RBIs. Since his acquisition, Hunter Pence has hit .324 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs with the Phillies in just 54 games… Shane Victorino finished with 15+ homers, triples, doubles, and steals for the first time in his career…The Phillies are the 7^th lowest scoring team in the postseason, only ahead of Tampa Bay, and lowest in the National League.

Cardinals Roster & Notes:

Hitters:

C: Gerald Laird (.232-1-12), Yadier Molina (.305-14-65),

Inf: Daniel Descalso (.264-1-28), David Freese (.297-10-55), Rafael Furcal (.231-8-28), Tyler Greene (.212-1-11), Albert Pujols (.299-37-99), Nick Punto (.278-1-20), Skip Schumaker (.283-2-38), Ryan Theriot (.271-1-47),

Of: Lance Berkman (.301-31-94), Adron Chambers (.375-0-4), Allen Craig (.315-11-40), Matt Holliday (.296-22-75), John Jay (.297-10-37)

Pitchers:

Rhp: Mitchell Boggs (2-3 3.56), Chris Carpenter (11-9 2.37), Octavio Dotel (5-4 3.50), Edwin Jackson (12-9 3.79), Kyle Lohse (14-8 3.39), Jason Motte (2.25- 9 saves), Fernando Salas (5-6 2.28), Jake Westbrook (12-9 4.66),

Lhp: Jaime Garcia (13-7 3.56), Arthur Rhodes (3-4 4.64), Marc Rzepcynski (2-6 3.34),

Cardinals Season Notes:

The Cardinals creeped their way into the postseason as the Wild Card aided by a monumental Braves collapse. They finished a NL best 18-8 in the month of September edging Atlanta by a single game.

Pitching: The Cardinals finished 8^th in the National League in ERA (3.74)…St. Louis had 5 pitchers with at least 10 wins (Lohse, Garcia, Westbrook, McClellan, and Carpenter)…The Cardinals bullpen blew the second most saves (26) in the major leagues last season…Garcia, Lohse, and Carpenter combined to allow just 5 earned runs in 45 innings against the Phillies this year (1.00 ERA).

Offense: In the NL this year, the Cardinals led in runs, hits, total bases, RBIs, batting average, and OPS. ..Albert Pujols led the Cardinals in homers (37) and RBIs (99) this season…Yadier Molina is the regular season batting champ (.305)…7 of the Cardinals regular starters are hitting .283 or above…As a team, they hit .290 with runners in scoring position…Despite these high offensive numbers, the Cardinals stole a National League low 57 bases last year.

Stand Out Stars:

Phillies: My stand out star for the Phillies this series is a playoff-newbie. That is Philadelphia’s new right fielder, Hunter Pence. Pence has starred for the Phillies since he was picked up from the Astros right before the trade deadline. One thing that I have learned about Mr. Pence since he’s been here is that he can quickly adjust to high pressure situations. Coming from Houston to Philly is a whole new atmosphere and Pence found his niche almost immediately. The playoffs are no exception, this is exactly the type of stage he wants to play on and I expect him to thrive under the bright lights.

Cardinals: While many people may pick Pujols here, I am going a bit down the pecking order for the player to watch from the Cardinals. Yes, we know Pujols and Berkman and Holiday will get their cracks, but my player to watch for on the Cardinals is catcher Yadier Molina. Molina quietly led the Cardinals in hitting this year and had a career year offensively. Of course, his numbers were overshadowed by the aforementioned superstars. He has a knack for getting big hits for the Cardinals this season and has in the postseason as well; remember his go ahead homer against the Mets back in 2006?

Series Analysis:

This series features both the top pitching team in the National League and the top offensive squad. Expect a low scoring, pitching oriented series. The Cardinals did go 6-3 against the Phillies this past season, but the postseason is a whole other can of worms. The Phillies are experienced, focused and refuse to be denied their quest to be world champions. In the other dugout, the Cardinals are ready, eager and dying to knock the big bad Phillies out of the postseason.

Prediction

As long as the Phillies aces can keep the Cardinals hitters off balance, their offense should produce enough runs to lead them to victory. It won’t be easy for the NL East champions as the Cardinals late season surge will provide a temporary boost. However, the top team in the National League is raring and ready to go.

Phillies in 4.

Until we meet again Phillies fans: happy readings and go Phillies!