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Brewers lack arms to keep up with Phillies
Postseason matchups
NLDS
ALDS
April: 5th
May: 16th
June: 2nd
July: 4th
August: 5th
September: 16th.
A touch streaky, don't you think?
The Brewers often were painful to watch offensively even after Dale Sveum replaced Ned Yost as manager with 12 games remaining. In the final week, they hit dramatic home runs and did little else.
The question now is whether the Brew Crew is capable of another offensive tear. The pressure is all on the Phillies, right? The Brewers can almost relax after making the playoffs for the first time in 26 years.
There is no indication, mind you, that the Brewers are about to revive offensively. But really, it's their only hope against the Phillies, considering that CC Sabathia, much to the Brewers' dismay, cannot pitch every day.
Phantastic Phils
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Phillies win 4-1 |
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Rosenthal | Kriegel | Video | Photos |
Rosenthal | Fraley | Video | Photos |
Rosenthal | Kriegel | Video | Photos |
Rosenthal | Kriegel | Video | Photos |
Rosenthal | Kriegel | Video | Photos |
More on the playoffs:
The good news for the Brewers is that their .807 OPS against lefties ranked a close second to the Cubs' in the NL this season, and the Phillies will start southpaws Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer in two of the first three games.
I'm reaching: The Brewers' prowess against lefties certainly didn't help them Saturday against Ted Lilly. Hamels is one of the top lefthanders in the game, while Moyer — a changeup artist who routinely carves through young lineups like Milwaukee's — is 8-1 with a 3.39 ERA since the All-Star break.
The point is, the Brewers are nearly as explosive as the Phillies offensively, if less experienced. Yet, even if the Brewers steal one of the first two games in Philadelphia — a distinct possibility with Sabathia facing enigmatic righty Brett Myers in Game 2 — their pitching would not be strong enough to complete the upset.
Dave Bush had a 3.50 ERA at Miller Park in the regular season, but is the type of righty that the Phillies typically maul. Ditto for Jeff Suppan, who might have started Game 1 over Yovani Gallardo if not for his awful numbers against the Phillies. Sveum has yet to decide in which order he will use Bush and Suppan in Games 3 and 4.
Reliever Seth McClung, a hard-throwing righty, could be a huge factor in relief, spelling Bush or Suppan for multiple innings, if necessary. But lefties Brian Shouse and Mitch Stetter will not strike fear into Howard and Utley, the Phillies' best left-handed hitters. Closer Salomon Torres, meanwhile, looks gassed; his September ERA was 8.53.
The Phillies' bullpen, too, showed signs of wear in the final month — righty Chad Durbin and lefty J.C. Romero struggled, and even closer Brad Lidge's stuff was down from where it was earlier in the season, scouts say. But righty Ryan Madson has pitched well of late, and the Phillies still rate the edge — in this phase of the game and virtually every other.
Postseason experience will mean something in this series, and not simply because the Brewers lack it. The Phillies, swept three straight by the Rockies in last year's Division Series, were not satisfied to win their second straight division title. Manager Charlie Manuel vows that his hitters will take a more patient approach than they did against the Rockies. Outfielder Jayson Werth calls the Phillies a "team of necessity," meaning they play best when they absolutely must.
The Brewers already have achieved their major goal. The Phillies are just getting started.
Phillies in 4.
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