MLB 2010 Playoffs: Five Reasons Why The Philadelphia Phillies Will Be Champs
When the Phillies traded Cliff Lee in a roundabout way to acquire Roy Halladay some questioned the move. Especially after Lee had carried Philadelphia to the World Series where they were defeated by the New York Yankees.
Fast forward to the 2010 playoffs and the Phillies are favorites to reach the World Series once again. Halladay is most likely going to win the Cy Young and the trade deadline acquisition of Roy Oswalt has paid dividends thus far.
Add in the lefty Cole Hamels who has regained his form this season and Philadelphia could be celebrating its second championship in two seasons.
If the Phillies do come away winners again these five reasons will be why.
Terrific Trio
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Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels represent the best pitching staff in the majors hands down. The best part about having three pitchers—who would be an ace on any other team—is the fact that if one has a bad game the other can pick them up the next night.
One potential downfall is that Halladay has yet to be tested in a postseason atmosphere, but it would be surprising to see him become phased by the pressure. Judging by Halladay's past success and his longing to be on a playoff team he will likely excel under the bright lights.
Oswalt and Hamels have had experience in the playoffs before and are no strangers to October baseball.
Simply put, nobody wants to face the Phils right now and every other team wants to see them get knocked out.
Jayson Werth
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The 31-year-old right fielder is in the last year of his contract and most likely his last season with the Phillies. He's had a tremendous season hitting close to .300 while knocking out 27 home runs and driving in 85 runs.
A big postseason will equal a big payday when he hits the free agent market. Never underestimate the effect that money has on a player when it comes to motivation. We see it all the time with players putting up uncharacteristic numbers in a contract year and falling off the season after they've signed the big contract.
Expect big things from Werth as he looks to pad his bank account.
Brad Lidge
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It's been a roller coaster couple of years for Lidge, but it appears he is back on top after a dismal season a year ago. The Phillies' closer hasn't blown a save in his last 10 chances and in the month of September allowed only one earned run in 11.1 innings pitched.
When Philadelphia won the World Series Lidge was literally perfect saving games for them, but something happened to him last year as he failed to get the job done. While many Phillie fans still get nervous when he takes the mound it isn't as bad as it once was.
No matter how good a team's starting pitching is in the playoffs it's vital to have a guy that can close the door in a tough situation. Lidge will look to be that guy once again.
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A Deep Bench
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Having depth on your team's bench is always important, but even more so in the National League where pinch hitting is a bigger part of the game. The Phillies have one of the deepest benches, which features the likes of Wilson Valdez, Domonic Brown, veteran Mike Sweeney, and Ben Francisco.
The Phillies were ravaged by injuries all throughout the season leading to bench players getting important at bats in a pennant race. Now, that they are healthy Charlie Manuel knows he has guys who can step in if somebody suffers an injury.
Of the players that are listed above don't be surprised if one of them comes up big in key pinch hitting spots.
Ryan Howard
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Howard received a big contract extension during the season and would love nothing more than to prove to the organization that they made the right choice. A big postseason would help validate the amount of dollars they spent to keep the slugger in a Phillies' uniform.
The left-handed power-hitter still managed to hit 31 home runs and finish with 108 RBI's despite missing 20 games while nursing an injury. Now that he is healthy again we can expect to see some mammoth shots throughout October as he looks to guide the Phils to their third straight World Series appearance.
Howard has been the catalyst of the offense during the Phillies past two World Series appearances and he will have to continue to be. This is a great opportunity for Howard to further his legacy as a clutch hitter if he leads Philly back to the promise land.
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