Bullpen-wise, the Phils have a clear edge.
They have a clear, legitimate closer in Brad Lidge, and have received great contributions from J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson, and Chad Durbin, all of whom are utilized to bridge the gap to Lidge.
The Brew Crew lack that kind of a reliable back of the bullpen, with Solomon Torres not even close to Lidge in production this season, and they have Eric Gagne. Todd Coffey has been a nice producer lately, and Brian Shouse has also been a good contributor.
The Brewers do have a lot of young arms that have been called up this year, in Parra, Mark DiFelice, Mitch Stetter, and Tim Dillard who all could play key parts coming out of the bullpen in October, along with Suppan.
Offensively, the Phils have the edge based on their speed.
Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino should be wrecking havoc on the basepaths this series, as October baseball seems to always thrive on small-ball tactics.
The Brewers' most prolific base stealer is Corey Hart, whose total sits at a respectable 23. Jimmy Rollins alone has double that number, swiping 47 on the season.
Shane Victorino has 36, just shy of the combined total of Hart and Mike Cameron's 40.
Most importantly, the Phillies lineup is more potent.
Both teams have two guys that can hit the ball out and hit it out frequently, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley for the Phils, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun for the Brewers.
The difference lies in the rest of the lineup.
Mike Cameron, the Brewers' lead-off man, is posting roughly the same numbers as Ryan Howard in AVG and OBP. Ray Durham, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and JJ Hardy have all been good, as well as Corey Hart.
The biggest problem with the Brewers is that they do not walk nearly enough; this is a sign of impatience.
Corey Hart is hitting a decent .268, but has a .300 OBP, so 3.2% of the time, Hart will reach base without a hit.
This trend is present throughout the lineup, which is a telling sign as to how youthful the Brewers still are. They've struck out 1203 times this year, or an utterly-awful 7.43 times per game.
In comparison, the Phillies have struck out 1117 times, roughly 6.9 times per game.
The Prediction:
The loss of Ben Sheets is huge, as is the Brewers' lack of a base stealing threat, and their weak bullpen. Their youthful lineup of impatience plays right into the hands of Cole Hamels and his changeup, and Jamie Moyer and his 82 MPH fastball.
Ultimately, CC Sabathia keeps it from being a sweep, and Brett Myers' recent struggles continue in Game Two, giving the Brewers their only win.
Phillies take the series in four.
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