The Dude abides

Since it’s the opening playoff game in Colorado, the players are being (re)introduced before the game. Jimmy Rollins started a nice little trend by going all the way to the very end of the line and shaking the hand of all of his teammates. Charlie Manuel just ambled out to home plate. Anyway, it’s a very beautiful night here at Coors. The temperature and the conditions couldn’t be better. Nevertheless, I suggest they play fast so, a.) We can get out of here earlier because it’s already been a long day and I’m sure you folks can’t wait to read our stories, and b.) It’s going to get cold and windy.

If there is a Game 4, it most likely will played in quite cold conditions. Like maybe the mid-30s. But enough weather talk from me… that’s Dennis Deitch’s bag. All I know is that the weather is beautiful and the press box is nice and low and I have a great vantage point askew of home plate.

Meanwhile, the news from here is that Charlie Manuel revealed that the Phillies had contacted him regarding his future plans. As has been well publicized, Manuel’s contract runs out at the end of the season and there appears to be interest in bringing him back. General manager Pat Gillick wasn't around to comment, though he is here in Denver.

Anyway, most of the wiling away time before the game was spent discussing the comedic genius of Norm McDonald and the greatest film ever produced…

The Big Lebowski.

These are important matters.

Also, it should be noted that there were no members of the Philadelphia press corps interested in trying the “Rocky Mountain Oysters” they sell at a few concession stands.

Can’t blame them.

Greetings from Blake Street

DENVER – Yay! I made it. Actually, I think I am the only person to be on the premises of both the Phillies and Rockies stadiums today. In order to pull off such a stunt, one has to get up early… I’m sleepy.

Nonetheless, we have a big ballgame tonight. Apparently the weather is going to take a wild turn as a front comes in, but I will report that the wind has been fairly fierce. There have been some gusts that could knock a big, strapping fella on his duff.

I can’t believe I used those terms in that sentence.

Anyway, well be coming at you live just like in the first two games, so get ready. In the meantime, here are the lineups:

Rockies 7 – Kaz Matsui, 2b 2 – Troy Tulowitzki, ss 5 – Matt Holliday, lf 17 – Todd Helton, 1b 27 – Garrett Atkins, 3b 11 – Brad Hawpe, rf 19 – Ryan Spilborghs, cf 8 – Yorvit Torrealba, c 38 – Ubaldo, Jimenez, p

As you can see, Clint Hurdle is sticking with the same lineup that he used in the first two games. Hey, if it ain’t broke…

Phillies 11 – Jimmy Rollins, ss 26 – Chase Utley, 2b 5 – Pat Burrell, lf 6 – Ryan Howard, 1b 33 – Aaron Rowand, cf 8 – Shane Victorino, cf 51 – Carlos Ruiz, c 3 – Abraham Nunez, 3b 50 – Jamie Moyer, p

With Moyer on the mound, Charlie Manuel is going with a more defensive lineup. Those nine guys remind me of something Moyer and I chatted about the other day – I told him that 50 percent of good pitching is good defense.

He said: “Ha! In my case it’s 99.9 percent.”

What a card!

Do or die in Denver

The Coloradoans are having fun. As a brief diversion from the Broncos for a couple of hours, the folks in Colorado are chirping about how great their Rockies are. The entire state of Colorado pretty much shuts down whenever the Broncos play, and they are known to take hardcore sports participation to a degree that Philadelphians… well, don’t. But that’s just the way it is when the county due north of Denver is home to more than 60 people who were in the last Olympics. And yes, they are chirping. They’re chirping like crickets near the lake on a hot summer night. In making some arrangements to pay some visits in Estes Park over the next couple of days, I informed folks that as long as the series was in full throttle I would be busy in Denver.

“So you will be around Saturday night and all day Sunday, huh?”

Yep, they’re really confident about the Rockies chances. Actually, so are the Rockies.

“We believe we're going to win every game,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “We've been playing in the loser's bracket for a month.”

There is some hope for the Phillies fans, though. For instance, the Phillies are 8-2 in their last 10 road games and the Rockies are just 11-7 in games at Coors Field when the wind blows harder than 10 mph. According to the weather forecast,

Still, the Rockies have won 16 of their last 17 games and are 8-3 in the last 11 at Coors. A “front,” as they like to say out there, is moving in and that means temperatures are going to drop 30 degrees as quickly as it takes for a room to get dark after flipping a switch. Saturday night’s game should be breezy, though OK for a ballgame. But if there is a Game 4 on Sunday night it’s likely that the temperatures will be a touch warmer than freezing. There’s even a chance for a few snow flurries, too.

But that happens out there all year round. In fact, I remember a time a few years ago when it was a comfortable and sunny August day with temperatures in Estes in the mid-80s. But after a short drive up Trail Ridge Road we had to pull over because it was snowing and hailing too hard to negotiate those tricky mountain roads.

That was August.

This was July in the relative low altitude of Denver:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNK9L9kLZa8]

So if you’re going to Denver and can’t get tickets for the game (it’s sold out), go check out the El Chapultepec, a bar a block or two away from Coors on 1962 Market Street. It’s one of those holdovers from the pre-gentrification Denver where Kerouac and Cassady along with Sinatra and Bono have been seen having a few while eating authentic Mexican food from paper plates and listening to jazz from the stage. The music is what that really drives folks in, they say.

El Chapultepec is a little trendier than it used to be, but it doesn’t look like it from the outside.

See how close it is to Coors:

map to El Chapultepec

Other than that, my wife has stopped in the Chop House for a pre-Coors lunch. She still talks about the salad she ate there two years ago.

For those looking for the old Denver of the Beats, there are tours to take.

Or, if you want to really see the mountains, drive the 60 miles up to Estes to the Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a Swiss-inspired little town where the elk out-number the people. Plus, Stephen King stayed at the stately Stanley Hotel for inspiration for The Shining.

*** Speaking of horror stories, did everyone see all those bugs swarm onto Joboa Chamberlain in last night’s Indians-Yankees game? Wow. That was almost like something out of Hunter Thompson, only in his case he was fighting off low-flying bats.

There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge.

*** Oh yeah, Ian is ALIVE!

*** I'm on the way to Denver and will make posts here during the game just like in Philly... I'll check back from Coors.

Long road back

By now we have heard all about the resiliency of the Phillies. They started the season poorly, winning just one of their first seven games and two of their first nine. As the season progressed the club was plagued with injuries, bad luck and other oddball maladies that often send the average ballclub spiraling down the standings.

Finally, the Phillies looked as if they were ready to fall off the ledge trailing the Mets by seven games with 17 to play before streaking past and into the playoffs.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

It looks as if once the slate was wiped clean the Phillies got off to yet another slow start. That’s just so typical of these Charlie Manuel-managed teams.

But here we are now. Once again the Phillies are in an all-too familiar position with their backs against the wall. This time, though, they seem to be facing the wrong opponent. At this exact moment, the Colorado Rockies might be the best team in baseball. Yes, there have been a few teams that won the World Series by accident, like the 2006 Cardinals. But no team wins 16 of its last 17 games on a lark.

Actually, listening to the Rockies’ Matt Holliday explain it, there really isn’t much to his team’s ridiculous winning streak.

“We just came in and keep playing,” he said. “We don't really talk about what we have to do – we need to get one, we need to get two, we need to get whatever. Just every day, go out there, play hard, play the game the right way.”

On the other hand, the Phillies know exactly what they have to do… better yet, they know what they cannot do. If the Phillies lose one more game the whole thing comes to a grinding halt. Just like that – poof! – it will be all over.

Or, it could be another one of those crazy comebacks that have defined this team all season long.

The odds are long, though. Of the 84 five-game series in Major League Baseball history, here are the seven teams to overcome a 2-0 deficit followed by their fate later in the post-season:

• 1981 Dodgers over the Astros – Dodgers won the NLCS in five over the Expos; won the World Series in six games over the Yankees.
• 1982 Brewers over the Angels – Brewers lost Game 7 of the World Series to the Cardinals.
• 1984 Padres over the Cubs – Padres lost World Series in five games to the Tigers
• 1995 Mariners over the Yankees – Mariners lost ALCS to the Indians.
• 1999 Red Sox over the Indians – Red Sox lost in ALCS to the Yankees.
• 2001 Yankees over the A’s – Yankees beat Mariners in ALCS in five games; lost to Diamondbacks in World Series in seven.
• 2003 Red Sox over the A’s – Red Sox lost ALCS in seven games to Yankees.

The 2001 Yankees are the only team to lose the first two games of a five-game series at home before going on to win the series.

*** More to come later... I have a Jamie Moyer story to finish, a radio show to do and some packing for a flight to Denver. After that, this wannabe Coloradoan will give some insights on the area for the east-coast flatlanders heading out for the rest of the series.

*** Last night's story: Manuel's Call to Lohse in Game 2 Backfires

Game 2: Rockies

Phillie-killer Kaz Matsui led the Rockies to the 2-0 series lead by going 3-for-5 with five RBIs. He smacked a grand slam and came just a single shy of the cycle to lead the rout. As I type these sentences about Matsui and the Rockies and ponder the social significance of Peter Tork and The Monkees, I suddenly recall writing a bunch of stuff about Matsui when he was playing for the Mets. Specifically, those things regard a four and/or five-hit game(s) he had in this park back in 2004 before he was run out of New York.

Matsui certainly isn’t poorer for leaving Japan to play in the U.S. As most baseball fans remember, he signed a huge, $20 million-plus deal to join the Mets and was heralded as yet another guy to redefine the shortstop position. We quickly learned that it was nothing more than the NYC media playing a story out of proportion.

Hey, that’s what they do.

Either way, it was Kaz and the Rox day. They can end this thing very quickly on Saturday.

Are we coming back to Philly for Game 5?

*** • Did you see Tadahito Iguchi slam his bat down in disgust after drawing a two-out walk to load the bases in the eighth? It appeared as if he saw five balls during that plate appearance.

• Why didn’t Charlie ask the umpires to check out Manny Corpas when he came into the game in the eighth? Corpas, off course, had the Gatorade all over his shirt in Game 1 and the skipper is allowed to ask the umps to see if the pitcher has any contraband, etc. while on the mound. Charlie could have done that, which I’m sure would have sent the crowd into a screaming tizzy.

Yes, a tizzy.

• Was Game 2 a bad one for Charlie? As a reasonable Charlie supporter, I say, “Eh… yeah.”

• J.C. Romero extended his scoreless-games streak to 22.

• Chase Ultey had never, ever struck out five times in a row until the NLDS. He ended up going 2-for-5 in Game 2.

Stay tuned for more tonight, a little extra tomorrow and a preview of what to do/expect in Denver this weekend.

Hey, hey it's a Monkee

Oh, I just can’t resist… Plus, Peter Tork sang “God Bless America” during the Seventh-Inning Stretch.

Must I explain who Peter Tork is?

Really?

Tork and his buddies Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Mickey Dolenz formed a little group called, The Monkees…

I just got a shudder… why do I know this? Why is this information taking up residence in the locus of my brain?

Why, why, why!?

Sorry about that.

The Phillies continued to chip away in the seventh. Jimmy Rollins picked up his fourth RBI when he grounded in Shane Victorino. A five-run deficit for the Phillies is nothing, but time is wasting.

Mimicking the Brew Crew?

The announced attendance is 45,991. That makes it the largest crowd in CBP history and every single one of them booed Jose Mesa. It seems very likely that the Phillies will be down in the series 2-0 heading into Saturday’s Game 3. Jamie Moyer will take the ball at Coors in attempt to keep the series alive.

Meanwhile, the Phils began strolling down the comeback trail when Ryan Howard hit a BOMB into the left-center field seats to make it 10-4.

Too bad it only counted as one run.

Perhaps a good story will be talking to some folks about that 1982 Milwaukee Brewers’ club that overcame a 2-0 deficit in the ALCS to beat the California Angels in three straight to go to the World Series. Here’s an interesting tidbit on the ’82 Brewers – they clinched the AL East on the last day of the season, won the ALCS in the fifth and deciding game, and went to the seventh game of the World Series.

They played everything the whole way out.

Maybe that’s how it will work out for the Phillies.

OK…I’m going to go start writing some stuff now. I’ll check back if something wild, wacky and/or interesting occurs.

Burn, baby, burn

We’re into the bullpens now and, strangely, things appear to have settled down. Maybe those rookie starting pitchers had some jitters despite what Kyle Kendrick told us yesterday. Nonetheless, Kyle Lohse retired four in a row after giving up the grand slam to Kaz Matsui. From my seat it looks like Jose Mesa is warming up in the bullpen. It will be quite interesting to hear the reaction from the fans when Joe Table gets into the game in the sixth.

Josh Fogg, the starting pitcher from the Rockies’ playoff win over the Padres last Monday, relieved Franklin Morales to start the fourth. So far the only mar on his two innings was a single by Chase Utley to end his oh-fer. Chase was 1-for-12 and 0-for-8 heading into that two-out single in the fifth.

So Mesa entered the game and threw three straight balls before giving up a leadoff walk.

I’m curious why Charlie went with Mesa instead of Tom Gordon since he had been using Flash in the sixth the last few games.

But the leadoff walk was as good as it got for Mesa and the Phillies. A walk to Ryan Spilborghs followed by a double to Yorvit Torrealba made it 8-3 and forced the crowd to begin the ever popular, “MESA SUCKS!” chant.

Come on, sing along!

When Charlie went to get Mesa the crowd went with the old standby:

BOO!

I’m sure it was a coincidence, but when Mesa walked off and Clay Condrey entered, the PA blasted the song, “Disco Inferno” with the popular refrain, “Burn, baby, burn…”

They aren’t talking about the bullpen are they?

Condrey quickly made it 9-3 when Matsui tripled. Now he needs a single for the cycle.

Is Flash hurt?

Start your second-guessing

There was much hubbub this afternoon about Rockies’ closer Manny Corpas potentially doctoring baseballs in yesterday’s game. Apparently, Corpas intentionally dumped Gatorade onto the front of his uniform shirt before going to the mound to pitch. The idea is that Corpas did this to make his shirt sticky and then when he touched the garment with his hand, he would be able to get a better grip on the ball.

You can’t do that. It’s cheating.

Besides, there are much easier and better ways to make oneself sticky. For instance, Corpas could have rolled around on top of a mix of Sugar Daddies or Sweet Tarts. Try throwing a ball as hard and as smooth as an egg with that crap on your hands – it turns a baseball into a wiffle ball.

Anyway, I watched the tape of Corpas’ outing and it seems like much ado about nothing. He did go to his jersey once, but immediately wiped his hand clean on his pants… then again, maybe he had stickum on his trousers.

The smooth right-hander Kyle Lohse relieved Kyle Kendrick with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth. Not only did summoning Lohse mean that he would not start Game 3, but it also meant that the Phillies had lost the lead. Four pitches in, Lohse gave up a grand slam to Kaz Matsui to make it 6-3.

I think the manager is being second-guessed here in the press box.

That will happen…

Forging ahead

The series that everyone had anticipated got underway in the first inning when Troy Tulowitzki (that’s T-U-L-O-W-I-T-Z-K-I) and MVP candidate Matt Holliday launched back-to-back homers off rookie starter Kyle Kendrick. Tulowitzki’s shot was a CBP Special that scraped the flower planters in left-center before bouncing back onto the field. Charlie Manuel argued a bit, but it was a lost cause.

Holliday’s homer was struck with such ferocity that it seemed as if he was trying to get back at someone. It was angry and it went a long, long way.

Kendrick settled in to retire the side and carried on relatively unscathed to the third inning (which is where the game is as I write this). Kaz Matsui doubled to lead off the third, but was left stranded there.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Phillies, as he and Holliday appear to be dueling one another as if fighting it out for the MVP Award. Rollins smacked the first pitch thrown by Franklin Morales deep into the seats in the power alley in left and the crowd was finally given a chance to get into it.

Apropos, Rollins’ stroke was smooth and pure and the ball carried out of the yard like a perfectly thrown Frisbee, never gaining a course of altitude that was too gaudy.

Chase Utley followed the homer with his fifth straight whiff.

Rollins continued his MVP duel and put the Phillies ahead in the second with a two-run, two-out triple in the second. He slid into third, but that was just for show – the pop up slide and the point to the heavens looks better on TV than if he goes in standing up.

Anyway, the Phillies have a lead. Let’s see what they do with it.

Old man and the scribes

A little late starting today because I had to take care of some Phillies’ related business, etc. … I’m sure you’re all really interested in how busy I am. You know, because no one else is ever busy at all... Sheesh!

Anyway, I (and a bunch of others) had a nice little chat with Game 3 starter Jamie Moyer before today’s game where the ol’, wily lefty waxed on about everything under the sun as it related to baseball. At one point Moyer mentioned that after yesterday’s game he asked Cole Hamels if he had learned anything from his first post-season start. Hamels told Moyer that he had.

Moyer said he told Hamels that learning and having fun was the best part about baseball, and as long as a player does just that, everything will be OK.

So I asked Moyer what he’s learned this year, 22-years into his Major League career, and what kind of “new fun” he’s having.

“Sometimes you just got to shut up and not say anything,” Moyer laughed.

That’s funny because if you know Jamie Moyer and had a conversation with him, it will last all day. The guy loves to talk, which is great because he has interesting things to say.

Just think if he was Brett Myers… wait, was that my out loud voice again?

Anyway, I will be writing about Moyer today. Look for the story after the game.

Game 2 lineups

Facing another lefty in Game 2 of the NLDS, manager Charlie Manuel will go with the Phillies’ “lefty” lineup. Manuel did not alter the order to face lefty Jeff Francis in Game 1, opting to go with Shane Victorino in right field instead of Jayson Werth, who hit .375 against southpaws this season. However, Manuel did go with Wes Helms at third base instead of Greg Dobbs. He did it again for Game 2:

Phillies 11- Jimmy Rollins, ss 26 – Chase Utley, 2b 5 – Pat Burrell, lf 6 – Ryan Howard, 1b 33 – Aaron Rowand, cf 28 – Jayson Werth, rf 18 – Wes Helms, 3b 51 – Carlos Ruiz, c 38 – Kyle Kendrick, p

Meanwhile, Clint Hurdle is sticking with the status quo for Game 2:

Rockies 7 – Kaz Matsui, 2b 2 – Troy Tulowitzki, ss 5 – Matt Holliday, lf 17 – Todd Helton, 1b 27 – Garrett Atkins, 3b 11 – Brad Hawpe, rf 19 – Ryan Spilborghs, cf 8 – Yorvit Torrealba, c 56 – Franklin Morales

Like Kendrick, Morales is a rookie. However, the Rockies’ lefty is not as seasoned as the Phillies’ rookie. Game 2 will be Morales’ ninth big-league start. For Kendrick it will be No. 21.

Yet another must win

OK. It's only one game. So Chase Utley struck out four times and the first four hitters in the batting order went 0-for-15 with nine strikeouts... big deal. That doesn't mean that the series is over... does it?

C'mon, no it doesn't. If there has been one constant this season it's that the Phillies are pretty good at bouncing back. Even when they are down and seemingly out, the Phillies always found a way to rally. They trailed the Mets by seven games with 17 to play, for Pete's sake... what's the big deal about a 1-0 deficit in a five-game series?

Well...

For one thing, a rookie with over 200 innings on his thin, right arm is taking the ball for Game 2. For another, Chase "Golden Sombrero" Utley has just four hits in his last 25 plate appearances. And for yet another, the Rockies are sending another lefty to the mound to face the Phillies. Lefties, as seen in Jeff Francis' gem in Game 1, give the Phillies fits.

Plus, if the Phillies lose Game 2, they would have to win three in a row with two of those games to played at Coors Field.

No, the Phillies don't have their backs against the wall. But they very well might soon...

Here's the Game 1 output from the big boy (me), excluding the inning-by-inning updates posted here:

• Rookie Kendrick Relaxed Before Game 2 • Utley Struggles Mightily in Playoff Debut • Game 1 a Learning Experience for Hamels

Game 1 to the Rockies

Brett Myers started the ninth, which makes it more and more unlikely that we won’t see Kyle Lohse out of the bullpen today. If Lohse doesn’t pitch tomorrow, either, perhaps he will be ready to go as the starter in Game 3 from Coors Field? Maybe holding back Jamie Moyer an extra day for Game 4 on Sunday will be a perfect amount of rest for the 44-year old veteran?

That is if there is a Game 4.

Anyway, Myers struck out the first two hitters of the inning, gave up a pair of singles, and then whiffed Kaz Matsui to finish the frame.

But needing a pair of runs in the ninth to tie, the Rockies’ reliever Manny Corpas had to face the big boppers in the Phillies’ order.

When Ryan Howard was punched out for out No. 1, the big fella lit into home-plate ump Dale Scott, even going so far as to pump his fists in rage as a borderline call for strike two.

Aaron Rowand grounded out weakly for the second out and Pat Burrell battled through an eight-pitch at-bat before flying out to center to end the game.

Game 2 is set for 3 p.m. tomorrow.

I’ll have more of the color and pageantry of the losing clubhouse later on…

Strike three, con't...

Tom Gordon remained in for the eighth where he struck out Tulowitzki only to follow that up with a home run to Matt Holliday that might strike the earth’s surface by sunset. The foul Holliday hit was a rocket – his homer was a bomb.

It also spelled the end of the work day for Gordon. J.C. Romero came in and pitched two-third of an inning to extend his scoreless games streak to 21.

Tadahito Iguchi pinch hit for Romero to start the eighth and grinded out a six-pitch walk. Things always seem to happen when Iguchi gets into a game… maybe that’s a story for later in the series. The premise will be: Things happen when Tadahito Iguchi gets into the game.

Call the Pulitzer people.

But things haven’t been happening when the meat of the Phillies’ order has stepped to the plate. Jimmy Rollins is 0-for-3 with a whiff, a double play and a walk. Shane Victorino is 0-for-4 with a whiff. Chase Utley was punched out looking against another lefty – reliever Brian Fuentes – for auspicious Golden Sombrero.

Mix in the 0-for-3 with a pair of whiffs for Ryan Howard and the top four hitters for the Phillies are 0-for-14 with eight strikeouts.

Wow.

Exit, stage right

Ryan Spilborghs snapped Cole Hamels’ streak of 13 straight outs with a walk. Spilborghs is another difficult name to spell. Not as bad as Tulowitzki, but Spilborghs… what is that? S-P-I-L-B-O-R-G-H-S

Of course a dude named “Finger" is making fun of guys named Tulowitzki, Zolecki and Spilborghs.

Cute.

Anyway, Hamels recovered from the walk to retire the next two hitters on a lazy fly to right, and a bouncing ball into the hole behind first that Chase Utley neatly fielded and flipped to Ryan Howard at first.

He might not be hitting, but he’s helping with the glove.

But at the 115-pitch mark, Charlie Manuel headed for the mound in his familiar gait, said a few words to his lefty and then raised his right hand to signal for reliever Tom Gordon. That’s a wrap on Cole Hamels:

6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 7 K on 115 pitches – 72 strikes

It didn’t seem as if Hamels was too pleased about leaving the game trailing by a run since he didn’t acknowledge the big cheers he received as he walked off.

Gordon entered and whiffed Kaz Matsui to end the eighth, while J.C. Romero and Kyle Lohse warmed in the ‘pen.

Here’s a new one… Jeff Francis took the mound to start the seventh, warmed up and then when Pat Burrell was announced as the hitter, Clint Hurdle walked to the mound and called for a reliever.

Perhaps LaTroy Hawkins needed some extra time getting loose?

Be that as it may, the best managerial move ever was pulled by Frank Robinson of the Nationals when he called in a relief pitcher, ordered him to issue an intentional walk and then pulled him out of the game. If I recall correctly the pitcher was Joey Eischen. He’s the intentional walk specialist.

Greg Dobbs was the Phillies walk specialist in the bottom of the seventh when he drew a one-out walk and then exited for pinch-running specialist, Michael Born. But a hot-shot grounder to second baseman Kaz Matsui was deftly turned into a 4-6-3 double play.

Remember when Kaz Matsui was with the Mets and was supposed to be the second-coming of Ichiro and Hideki Matsui? In fact, the Mets stuck with Matsui at short and moved Jose Reyes to second before learning (quickly) that they were better off the other way around.

Then they were better off without Matsui.

But Matsui is in the playoffs in 2007 and the Mets are not.

Strike three

Apparently, the second inning was nothing more than a apparition for the Phillies’ Cole Hamels. That’s the case because since that 40-pitch second inning, Hamels has mowed down 13 straight on 47 pitches. As a result, he has given his high-powered offense a really good chance to win this game. But Chase Utley whiffed to open the sixth. For Utley, it was his third straight strikeout against the lefty Jeff Francis. As a result, it appears as if Utley is in a bit of a slump since he only has four hits in his last 24 plate appearances.

Meanwhile, the whiffs appear to be stifling the Phillies’ offense. Utley and Ryan Howard have whiffed five times in six plate appearances. That’s five of the team’s eight strikeouts.

That’s too many.

Back in it

Oh, I just couldn’t resist. Hamels is back to dealing after sitting down the Rockies in the fifth in order. That’s 10 in a row, with only two coming on fly balls. Was it a matter of getting back to the changeup, or is he still working that curve? It’s hard to tell from my vantage point.

And here comes the Phillies…

Just like that and the crowd is back into it thanks to back-to-back home runs from Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell. Both were CBP Specials, which means it’s doubtful that they would have carried out of any other ballpark. Maybe Coors, but there the aid of low-altitude is somewhat significant.

But as the M-V-P! chants rained down on Jimmy Rollins with two outs in the fifth, and Chooch Ruiz swiped second base on a 2-2 count, it appeared as if it was Jeff Francis’ turn to scuffle. Rollins walked on a full count to put two on with two outs for Shane Victorino.

Before the game Charlie Manuel said he put Victorino in the lineup against the lefty instead of Jayson Werth because he wanted to the Hawaiian’s speed at the top of the order. Who would have guessed that it would have been the catcher to swipe the first base of the series?

Either way, it’s 3-2 heading into the foyer of the late frames.

Settling in

Cole Hamels seems to have settled in after that clunker of a second inning. After Walking Troy Tulowitzki to force in a run, the Phils’ lefty has retired seven straight hitters, including three on strikeouts. Apropos of nothing Tulowitzki is one of those names that I have to read as I spell it. T-U-L-O-W-I-T-Z-K-I. Is that right? I’m always afraid I’m going to spell it wrong… like Zolecki.

Anywho, Jeff Francis turned in another perfect frame. This time, though, he allowed a fair-ball out before whiffing the two hitters that followed.

OK. I’m going to go back to writing the Kendrick thing now. If something spectacular occurs, I’ll toss it up here. Baring that, I’ll post something on the way home from the ballpark tonight.

Todd Helton is good

Todd Helton is a tremendous baseball player. This is like saying pizza tastes yummy. Regardless, Todd Helton is a great baseball player. I read something recently in which former Rockies’ and Royals’ manager Buddy Bell said that Helton understood the competitiveness of baseball better than anyone he had ever met. I don’t know what that statement means, but it’s quite a significant thing to say. For starters, it’s significant because there are more than a handful of guys in the big leagues that would thrash out their mother’s larynx if it gave them an edge in a game.

It’s also significant because Buddy Bell is a link to a baseball legacy. Buddy was an All-Star, his father was an All-Star, and his son, David, enjoyed a long career in the big leagues. This means that baseball isn’t just a game or a job to the Bells – it’s the familt business. It runs deep.

So yes, Todd Helton is a fantastic player. He is also appearing in the first post-season of his 11-year career, covering 1,578 games. That should worry Charlie Manuel and the Phillies a little bit, because Helton is not going to take his first-ever series lightly.

My guess is he attempts to thrash out a larynx if given the chance.

Hamels rebounded after his mulligan to retire the Rockies in order in the third. However, it took him 20 more pitches, which puts him at 71.

Be that as it may, Hamels got the Phillies first playoff hit in 14 seasons with one out in the third. Had Francis gotten two more outs without giving up a hit we would have opened up the no-hitter pool here in the press box. Earlier this summer I got my first-ever win in the no-hitter pool – that’s $55 coming back.

Yeah, boy.

Anyway, Jimmy Rollins took care of those last two outs by grounding into an around-the-horn double play.