mplant
10-05-2010, 09:23 PM
The 162-game marathon that is the Major League Baseball regular season has come to a close. Eight teams get to play on beyond the season's final Sunday, and for the fourth consecutive year, the Philadephia Phillies are among the elite eight. The Phils ended the regular season with a 97-65 record, good enough for their fourth consecutive National League East title and homefield advantage throughout the postseason. It was the fourth time in Phillies history in which they finished with the best record in the National League, joining the 1915, 1950, and 1977 teams. The Phils also finished with the best record in Major League Baseball for the first time in franchise history. The 97 wins are tied with the 1993 club for the third-highest regular season win total in franchise history behind the 1976 and 1977 teams, who each won 101
While the 2010 ballclub's final standing and win total was pretty much in line with what just about everyone predicted, the journey getting there was anything but predictable, as injuries, head-scratching offensive slumps, and overall ineffectiveness saw the Phillies sitting just two games above .500 and seven games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves as late as July 21. But then, the team started to get healthy again, the offense picked things up, the starting pitching remained strong as it had all season, and the bullpen settled. As a result, the Phils won 49 of their final 68 games to win the NL East by six games over the eventual Wild Card-winning Braves. The Phillies enter the 2010 postseason overwhelmingly favored to represent the NL in the World Series, and are considered the frontrunner to bring home what would be a second title in three years. The games are not played on paper, however, so for the Phils it's now a matter of getting it done on the field
The first opponent for the Phillies in the 2010 postseason will be the Cincinnati Reds, who were one of the biggest surprises of the regular season. Not only had Cincinnati not made the playoffs since 1995, they hadn't even finished above .500 since 2000. In 2010, though, the Reds found themselves atop the NL Central for most of the season, fighting off occasional challenges from the St. Louis Cardinals to finish first with a 91-71 record. A young starting rotation and a veteran bullpen proved to be a good mix and they got plenty of support from a high-scoring offense. The Phillies won the season series between the two clubs, 5-2. The Reds took two of three at Great American Ballpark June 28-30, while the Phils swept a four-game set at Citizens Bank Park July 8-11. The head-to-head record may seem to indicate the Phillies dominated the season series, but it should be noted that six of the seven games were either decided by one run or in extra innings. This will be the second time these clubs have met in the postseason. The other was in 1976, when the Reds swept three straight from the Phils in what was then a best-of-five NLCS
Pitching Matchups
Game 1 (Wednesday, October 6, 5:07): Roy Halladay vs. Edinson Volquez
Game 2 (Friday, October 8, 6:07): Roy Oswalt vs. Bronson Arroyo
Game 3 (Sunday, October 10, 7:07/8:07): Cole Hamels vs. Johnny Cueto
Game 4* (Monday, October 11, 5:07/7:37, if necessary): Roy Halladay vs. TBA
Game 5* (Wednesday, October 13, 6:07/8:07, if necessary): Roy Oswalt vs. TBA
Note: The start times for Games 3-5 are dependent upon the outcome of the other Division Series
Halladay was everything the Phillies hoped he'd be in his first season with the club, going 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA in 33 starts. His regular season ended in appropriate fashion, as he shut out the Washington Nationals on two hits to give the Phils the NL East title and homefield advantage throughout the postseason. Halladay faced the Reds twice in the regular season, dropping a 4-3 decision on June 30 despite pitching a complete game, then getting a no-decision after tossing nine scoreless innings on July 10 in a game the Phillies would win, 1-0 in 11 innings. He is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in four career starts against Cincinnati. Halladay has never pitched in the postseason...A 50-game PED suspension combined with his recovery from Tommy John surgery limited Volquez to just 12 starts in 2010. He was 4-3 with a 4.31 ERA in those dozen starts. Volquez did not face the Phillies during the regular season, but has pitched well against them in two career starts, going 2-0 with an ERA of 0.73. He has never pitched in the postseason...Acquired from the Houston Astros two days before the trade deadline, Oswalt was nothing short of masterful with the Phillies, going 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) after the trade. Overall he was 13-13 with a 2.76 ERA in 33 games, 32 of which were starts. Oswalt was 0-2 against the Reds in the regular season, dropping a 4-2 decision on April 29 and suffering a 7-0 defeat in what turned out to be his final start with the Astros on July 24. Those losses to the Reds could qualify as headline news, as Oswalt is 23-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 34 career appearances (32 starts) against Cincinnati. Oswalt is 4-0 with a 3.66 ERA in eight postseason appearances (seven starts) and he was the MVP of the 2005 NLCS for the Astros against the St. Louis Cardinals...Providing a steady veteran hand in an otherwise young starting rotation, Arroyo was Cincinnati's top winner in 2010, going 17-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 33 starts. He did not face the Phillies in the regular season and is 1-5 with a 5.54 ERA in eight career appearances against them, seven of which are starts. Unlike most of his teammates, Arroyo does have postseason experience, as he appeared in ten playoff games (two starts) between 2003 and 2005 while with the Boston Red Sox, compiling a 7.41 ERA while not getting any decisions...Hamels bounced back nicely from a subpar 2009 season, going 12-11 with a 3.06 ERA in 33 starts in 2010. He won his only start against the Reds in the regular season, shutting them out over seven and 2/3 innings to pick up a 1-0 victory on July 11. It seemed to be par for the course for Hamels against Cincinnati, as he is 6-0 with a 1.07 ERA in seven lifetime starts against them. Hamels is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA in ten career postseason starts, best known for his MVP performances in the 2008 NLCS and World Series as the Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays respectively...Though he lost five of his last six decisions, Cueto had a solid regular season overall, going 12-7 with a 3.64 ERA in 31 starts. He defeated the Phillies, 7-3 on June 28, allowing a run on six hits over eight innings, then allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over seven inning on July 8, getting a no-decision in a game the Reds would lose, 4-3 in 12 innings. Lifetime against the Phils, Cueto is 1-2 with a 5.96 ERA in four starts, though most of that ERA is the result of his start on July 6, 2009, when he was chased after retiring just two batters, allowing nine runs in what became a 22-1 Phillies romp. Cueto has never pitched in the postseason...How the series plays out will dictate who starts for the Reds in Games 4 and 5, if necessary. If Cincinnati employs a four-man rotation, Travis Wood would likely get the nod. Wood, a 23-year-old rookie, was 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 17 regular season starts, memorably taking a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Phillies on July 10 before allowing a double to Carlos Ruiz leading off the ninth. He got a no-decision in that game, as the Reds would fall 1-0 in 11 innings
While the 2010 ballclub's final standing and win total was pretty much in line with what just about everyone predicted, the journey getting there was anything but predictable, as injuries, head-scratching offensive slumps, and overall ineffectiveness saw the Phillies sitting just two games above .500 and seven games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves as late as July 21. But then, the team started to get healthy again, the offense picked things up, the starting pitching remained strong as it had all season, and the bullpen settled. As a result, the Phils won 49 of their final 68 games to win the NL East by six games over the eventual Wild Card-winning Braves. The Phillies enter the 2010 postseason overwhelmingly favored to represent the NL in the World Series, and are considered the frontrunner to bring home what would be a second title in three years. The games are not played on paper, however, so for the Phils it's now a matter of getting it done on the field
The first opponent for the Phillies in the 2010 postseason will be the Cincinnati Reds, who were one of the biggest surprises of the regular season. Not only had Cincinnati not made the playoffs since 1995, they hadn't even finished above .500 since 2000. In 2010, though, the Reds found themselves atop the NL Central for most of the season, fighting off occasional challenges from the St. Louis Cardinals to finish first with a 91-71 record. A young starting rotation and a veteran bullpen proved to be a good mix and they got plenty of support from a high-scoring offense. The Phillies won the season series between the two clubs, 5-2. The Reds took two of three at Great American Ballpark June 28-30, while the Phils swept a four-game set at Citizens Bank Park July 8-11. The head-to-head record may seem to indicate the Phillies dominated the season series, but it should be noted that six of the seven games were either decided by one run or in extra innings. This will be the second time these clubs have met in the postseason. The other was in 1976, when the Reds swept three straight from the Phils in what was then a best-of-five NLCS
Pitching Matchups
Game 1 (Wednesday, October 6, 5:07): Roy Halladay vs. Edinson Volquez
Game 2 (Friday, October 8, 6:07): Roy Oswalt vs. Bronson Arroyo
Game 3 (Sunday, October 10, 7:07/8:07): Cole Hamels vs. Johnny Cueto
Game 4* (Monday, October 11, 5:07/7:37, if necessary): Roy Halladay vs. TBA
Game 5* (Wednesday, October 13, 6:07/8:07, if necessary): Roy Oswalt vs. TBA
Note: The start times for Games 3-5 are dependent upon the outcome of the other Division Series
Halladay was everything the Phillies hoped he'd be in his first season with the club, going 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA in 33 starts. His regular season ended in appropriate fashion, as he shut out the Washington Nationals on two hits to give the Phils the NL East title and homefield advantage throughout the postseason. Halladay faced the Reds twice in the regular season, dropping a 4-3 decision on June 30 despite pitching a complete game, then getting a no-decision after tossing nine scoreless innings on July 10 in a game the Phillies would win, 1-0 in 11 innings. He is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in four career starts against Cincinnati. Halladay has never pitched in the postseason...A 50-game PED suspension combined with his recovery from Tommy John surgery limited Volquez to just 12 starts in 2010. He was 4-3 with a 4.31 ERA in those dozen starts. Volquez did not face the Phillies during the regular season, but has pitched well against them in two career starts, going 2-0 with an ERA of 0.73. He has never pitched in the postseason...Acquired from the Houston Astros two days before the trade deadline, Oswalt was nothing short of masterful with the Phillies, going 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) after the trade. Overall he was 13-13 with a 2.76 ERA in 33 games, 32 of which were starts. Oswalt was 0-2 against the Reds in the regular season, dropping a 4-2 decision on April 29 and suffering a 7-0 defeat in what turned out to be his final start with the Astros on July 24. Those losses to the Reds could qualify as headline news, as Oswalt is 23-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 34 career appearances (32 starts) against Cincinnati. Oswalt is 4-0 with a 3.66 ERA in eight postseason appearances (seven starts) and he was the MVP of the 2005 NLCS for the Astros against the St. Louis Cardinals...Providing a steady veteran hand in an otherwise young starting rotation, Arroyo was Cincinnati's top winner in 2010, going 17-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 33 starts. He did not face the Phillies in the regular season and is 1-5 with a 5.54 ERA in eight career appearances against them, seven of which are starts. Unlike most of his teammates, Arroyo does have postseason experience, as he appeared in ten playoff games (two starts) between 2003 and 2005 while with the Boston Red Sox, compiling a 7.41 ERA while not getting any decisions...Hamels bounced back nicely from a subpar 2009 season, going 12-11 with a 3.06 ERA in 33 starts in 2010. He won his only start against the Reds in the regular season, shutting them out over seven and 2/3 innings to pick up a 1-0 victory on July 11. It seemed to be par for the course for Hamels against Cincinnati, as he is 6-0 with a 1.07 ERA in seven lifetime starts against them. Hamels is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA in ten career postseason starts, best known for his MVP performances in the 2008 NLCS and World Series as the Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays respectively...Though he lost five of his last six decisions, Cueto had a solid regular season overall, going 12-7 with a 3.64 ERA in 31 starts. He defeated the Phillies, 7-3 on June 28, allowing a run on six hits over eight innings, then allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over seven inning on July 8, getting a no-decision in a game the Reds would lose, 4-3 in 12 innings. Lifetime against the Phils, Cueto is 1-2 with a 5.96 ERA in four starts, though most of that ERA is the result of his start on July 6, 2009, when he was chased after retiring just two batters, allowing nine runs in what became a 22-1 Phillies romp. Cueto has never pitched in the postseason...How the series plays out will dictate who starts for the Reds in Games 4 and 5, if necessary. If Cincinnati employs a four-man rotation, Travis Wood would likely get the nod. Wood, a 23-year-old rookie, was 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 17 regular season starts, memorably taking a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Phillies on July 10 before allowing a double to Carlos Ruiz leading off the ninth. He got a no-decision in that game, as the Reds would fall 1-0 in 11 innings