Phillies Baseball

The Phillies knocked the Brewers out of the playoffs with a 6-2 win Sunday in Milwaukee.

The Phillies won their NLDS series 3 games to 1 and advance to the NLCS for the first time since 1993 and will face the Dodgers.

Joe Blanton threw 6-plus strong innings in the win. He allowed only one run on five hits while striking out seven.

Ryan Madson pitched two innings in relief, allowing only one run and Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth to nail down the win.

The National League Championship Series begins on Thursday. It will more than likely feature Cole Hamels against Derek Lowe in Philadelphia.

With the Cubs being eliminated from the playoffs the Phillies now hold home field advantage for the final round of the National League playoffs since they finished the regular season with a better record than the Dodgers.

The first two games are at Citizens Bank Park, the middle three are in L.A. and the final two (if necessary) are back in South Philadelphia.

Charlie Manuel will need to submit a roster for the NLCS but it shouldn’t have any changes from the opening round. Catcher Lou Marson and reliever Rudy Seanez will still be traveling with the team in the event of an injury to one of the players on the roster. They can be activated if need be and have to be swapped pitcher for pitcher or player for player and it needs to be approved by the league.

On a brief side note, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig threw out the first pitch of Sunday’s game in Milwaukee and received a standing ovation.  Selig is a former owner of the Brewers franchise.

The Phillies offense, or lack of offense, was brutal to watch on Saturday night in Milwaukee.

Dave Bush and a handful of Brewers relievers handled the Phillies potent offense to hold on to a 4-1 win and force a game four in the best of five series.

The two teams will face off in Milwaukee again on Sunday at 1pm for game four. The Phillies now only lead the best of five series 2-1.

Jamie Moyer struggled in the first inning; allowing two runs after walking the first two hitters of the game. He settled down after that but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth.

The Phillies offense was brutal to say the least on Saturday.

Salomon Torres, who blew seven saves in the regular season, was shaky in the ninth. He loaded the bases with no one out and Pedro Feliz decided to swing at the first pitch, grounding into a double play that scored a run, for a split second.

Shane Victorino did not slide going into second base and ran into Craig Counsell. That voided the run because the umpires sent Greg Dobbs back to second and Ryan Howard back to third on the interference call. It was the correct call by the way.

For the Phillies pitchers to hold the Brewers offense to only four runs when it looked like they would score at least 10 on Saturday night and the offense not to produce against a starter who was 9-10 coming into tonight and a closer that couldn’t get anyone out in the month of September is a recipe for disaster.

If the Phillies do not win on Sunday their season is more than likely over because they will return home to face C.C. Sabathia one more time and it is highly unlikely that he will blow a second straight start. If the series were to go to a fifth game he would be pitching on a regular five days’ rest.

The Phillies are one win away, one win away from advancing to the NLCS for the first time since 1993.

Everyone remembers that 1993 season. It was a magical, unexpected run that saw the Phillies knock off the Braves in the NLCS to get to the World Series for the first time in 10 years.

The Phillies have won their first two games of their NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers with strong pitching performances from Cole Hamels in game one and Brett Myers in game two.

The ‘Ageless Wonder’ goes for the Phillies in game three, to be played in Milwaukee on Saturday night, in an effort to catapult the Phillies into the NLCS for the first time since ‘93.

Moyer is 16-7 in 2008 and will oppose Dave Bush who is 9-10 in 2008.

If there is to be a game four it will take place on Sunday at 1pm in Milwaukee.

The Phillies are one win away from advancing to the NLCS for the first time since 1993.

In South Philly Thursday night the Phillies took on baseball’s best pitcher of late, C.C. Sabathia, and knocked him out in the fourth inning of a game two 5-2 win over the Brewers.

Brett Myers allowed two runs on two hits over seven strong innings. He allowed a bases loaded walk in the first but got a double play to end the inning.

The Phillies scored all five of their runs in the fourth inning; the big blow was a grand slam off of Sabathia from Shane Victorino. It was Victorino’s first career grand slam and the first grand slam for the Phillies’ franchise in their postseason history.

Brad Lidge came on for the ninth and picked up a 1,2,3 save after a shaky outing on Wednesday.

The two teams have off on Friday for travel and game three will be on Saturday in Milwaukee.

Jamie Moyer will look to clinch a berth into the NLCS for the Phillies while Dave Bush is slated to fend off elimination for the Brewers. Moyer is 16-7 in 2008 and Bush is 9-10.

The Phillies won their first playoff game in 15 years with their 3-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon in South Philadelphia.

Cole Hamels threw eight shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out nine en route to his first playoff win.

Brad Lidge, despite allowing a run in the ninth, picked up the save for the Phillies.

Chase Utley notched a two run double and the Phillies got into the Brewers bullpen early in the game when they chased starter Yovani Gallardo in the fourth inning.

The Phillies got their three runs, all that Hamels would need, in the third inning.

Game two will be on Thursday at 6pm in Philadelphia. It will pit Brett Myers against veteran lefty C.C. Sabathia. This will be the fourth straight time that Sabathia will pitch on three days’ rest for the Brewers.

Jayson Werth struggled for the Phillies in game one, going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts and 3 left on base.