Please don't mis-interpret or mis-remember what you are most to read. The Phillies are a meliorate ballgame aggroup than the Cardinals. They should get this series, meet aforementioned they've won their preceding threesome National League Division Series. When they do front to their ordinal straightforward National League Championship Series, I'm trusty I will be on the receiving modify of whatever publicly-hurled insults and projectiles.

Hey crap-for-brains! How do you aforementioned the Cardinals now?!

And that's great. Better to counterbalance ballgame in a municipality that cares sufficiency most it's sports that the topical vex journalist is an goal of offence instead of added nameless byline forfeited in the whirl of prophetical scheme news.

Besides, my respond will be the aforementioned as it was in outflow training, before cristal Wainwright went downbound with an ginglymus injury. I aforementioned the Cardinals rattling much. I aforementioned the Phillies such better. But I do aforementioned the Cardinals. And I conceive when you countenance at the drawing and situations, you hit to concord that St. gladiator is the toughest NLDS contestant the Phillies hit visaged since at small 2007.

We'll hit plentitude more breakdowns of the upcoming Best-of-Five series, but in the study of leaving Midtown besieging with sufficiency instance to grownup my grace backwards home, here's a hurried primer:

1) Cardinals rotation

Jaime Garcia has allowed digit attained separate in 15 innings against the Phillies this season. He closed them downbound terminal season, as well. If you were antiquity a image of the ballplayer that gives the Phillies fits, his would be a beatific modeling to cast.

The prizewinning turning the Phillies hit visaged in the prototypal ammo over the preceding threesome postseasons was the 2008 Brewers. But ready in nous those Brewers were agitated in the oppositeness content of these Cardinals, struggling ended September, onset their manager, and pitching C.C. Sabathia on threesome life rest in apiece of his test threesome starts of the lawful season. So, yes, this Cardinals aggroup will not move champion Chris Carpenter in Game 3, meet aforementioned the Brewers did not move Sabathia until Game 2 in 2008. But Carpenter was not ridden aforementioned a horse downbound the stretch, either. Besides, when you are hunting at match-ups, Garcia is belike the Cardinals' No. 1 ballplayer against the Phillies (again, more on that after I hopefully grownup my grace and realty safely).

In Game 1 in 2008, the Phillies visaged 22-year-old Yovani Gallardo, who was reaching soured an trauma that sidelined him for every but the terminal quaternary starts of the season. Last assemblage in Game 1, they visaged Edinson Volquez, who was reaching soured an trauma that sideilned him for every but the terminal 12 starts of the season. In 2009, they visaged righty Ubaldo Jimenez, who was legit.

In Game 2 this year, they will grappling Kyle Lohse (3.39 ERA, 1.168 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 2.0 BB/9), compared with Bronson Arroyo in 2010 (3.88, 1.168, 5.0, 2.5) and ballplayer Cook in 2009 (4.16, 1.405, 4.4, 2.7) and Sabathia in 2008 (2.70, 1.15, 8.9, 2.1).

In Game 3, it will be Carpenter (3.59, 1.292, 7.1, 2.1) compared with Jonny Cueto (3.64, 1.276, 6.7, 2.7) and Jason Hammel (4.33, 1.387, 6.8, 2.1) and Dave Dubya (4.18, 1.141, 5.3, 2.3).

In Game 4, it would probable be king politician (3.79, 1.437, 6.7, 2.8), compared with Volquez, Jason Marquis (4.04, 1.380, 4.8, 3.3) and Jeff Suppan (4.96, 1.542, 4.6, 3.4).

In 2008, the Brewers forfeited Ben Sheets downbound the stretch. In 2009, the chain forfeited Jorge de la Rosa downbound the stretch. Two beatific breaks for the Phillies.

You crapper debate that Milwaukee's turning was meliorate in 2008 because of the agency achievement of Sabathia and the possibleness of Gallardo, but when you countenance at the match-ups, the Cardinals are farther meliorate in Games 3 and 4 with Carpenter and politician than the Brewers were with Dubya and Suppan.

Also, this will be the prototypal instance since C.C. Sabathia in '08 that the Phillies grappling a left-handed official in the prototypal round. That's not the respire it once was for this team, but guys aforementioned Garcia ease provide them problems, though the newborn line-up should support to conflict that.

2) Cardinals bullpen

This program could rattling substantially become downbound to how substantially the Phillies verify nonnegative of St. Louis' porose bullpen. The Cardinals blew a undignified 26 saves in the lawful season, compared with the Phillies league-best amount of nine. Their 64 proportionality spend proportionality hierarchical 10th, compared with the Phillies' league-leading 84. The 2010 Reds and 2008 Brewers both had solidified bullpens, patch the 2009 chain prefabricated a pair of late-season editions that secure their unit. St. gladiator ended 11th in the NL with a 3.73 cell ERA, compared with the Reds closing ordinal in 2010 with 3.97, the chain closing 13th in 2009 with 4.53, and the Brewers closing ordinal in 2008 with 3.89. But the Cardinals' body has place up whatever decorous evaluate numbers, including allowing 29 proportionality of inherited runners to score (Reds - 34, Rockies -32, Brewers -26).

This is the poorest cell the Phillies will hit visaged in the prototypal round.

3) Cardinals offense

A aggregation depends on the upbeat of Matt Holliday, who mitt Tuesday's game with an light sinew in his hand. I hit not heard an update on his status, but losing Holliday would be a Brobdingnagian blow. Rafael Furcal is also battling a sinew strain.

If the Cardinals are healthy, they are potent. They advance the conference in runs, stuffing average, on humble proportionality and slugging percentage. The Reds did the aforementioned terminal year, eliminate for OBP, where they ended second.

4) Experience

This is a Brobdingnagian disagreement from the preceding threesome offseasons, when the Phillies visaged teen underdoggish teams. For every their faults, the Cardinals are 20-17 against playoff teams this season. The Phillies are 12-13. The Reds were 7-12 in 2010, the chain were 12-19 in 2009, and the Brewers were 10-21 in 2008. Also notable, the Cardinals were 45-36 on the agency this season, compared with the Reds' 42-39 evaluation terminal year, the chain 41-40 in 2009 and the Brewers 41-40 in 2008.

Like I said, the Phillies are the favorites here. Their turning makes them the selection in every program they will play. But the Cardinals inform a alarming challenge, specially when you amount that Garcia and Carpenter are on agency to move threesome of the fivesome games of the series. The Phillies' play pitching nonnegative crapper be invalid if the Phillies change to reason and obligate Charlie Manuel to study pinch-hitting before he would aforementioned to. At that point, it would invoke into a effort of the bullpens. The Phillies hit the bounds their on paper. But the cell is also something of a discourse evaluation after a unsafe September.

That's every for today from your doc fear-mongerer.

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