Philadelphia Phillies: 4 Reasons They Won't Get Past the Cardinals

The Phillies finished the regular season on cruise control, having clinched their division on September 17, sporting the best record in baseball at 102-60. They face the St. Louis Cardinals in the division series and this could be a matchup the Phillies are concerned with.

The short, best-of-five series causes problems for teams because it leaves little room for mistakes. The Phillies have their starting rotation set and have had the opportunity to rest players and get ready for the series over the course of several weeks. The Cardinals are on a roll having fought to the final game of the season to make the playoffs as the wild card.

Here are five reasons that the Cardinals could win this series.

Complacency Factor

Since 2001, six teams with either the best record in baseball or in their league, have failed to win the World Series—including the 2010 version of the Philadelphia Phillies. The 2001 Mariners (116-46), the 2002 Oakland A's (103-59), 2004 New York Yankees (101-61), 2005 St. Louis Cardinals (100-62) and the 2008 Chicago Cubs (97-64) all failed to even reach the World Series after dominating their leagues in the regular season.

I think there is something to the notion of having too much time to prepare. A team can lose their edge and their momentum when they play too many games that have no significance leading up to the end of a season. 

The Phillies Offense Underperformed in 2010

The Philadelphia Phillies boast a significantly dangerous offense. From Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, there really are no easy outs on this team. 

In the 2010 postseason, the Phillies hit .215/.309/.304/.614 as a team. Shane Victorino hit .216/.293/.270/.563 and Chase Utley hit .212/.325/.333/.525 while Ryan Howard struck out 17 times in 33 at-bats.

The Phillies offense will have some pressure on them to perform more to their capabilities, or the pitching staff will not be able to carry the load alone again.

The 2011 Season Series Between St. Louis and Philadelphia

The postseason is a different style of baseball than the long haul of the regular season. Games are managed differently in the postseason; there is more of a sense of urgency. Regular season head-to-head stats don't necessarily translate directly to the postseason because of the style of baseball that is necessary to be played.

That having been said, the Phillies record against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 was 3-6 including losses in games started by Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, and two losses by Roy Oswalt.

St. Louis Has a Ton of Momentum

The Phillies finished off the season winning four straight games, the last three games against the Atlanta Braves who were fighting for their 2011 lives. 

The Cardinals finished off September with an overall record for the month of 18-8, winning the wild-card spot in the playoffs on the last day of the season. The momentum that they are riding should not be discounted.  Teams that have to fight to the very end to make it to the playoffs have a history of riding that wave of momentum to postseason success. Sometimes the energy dissipates after the first series, sometimes it carries a team to a championship.

The wild-card team is always a dangerous team in the first round and this year will be no different.  The Cardinals may prove to be a team of destiny this year.