Phillies vs. Cardinals: Roy Halladay Puts Phils Weak Offense in Huge Hole

Roy Halladay stepped to the mound for the heavily favored Phils in Game One of the NLDS and wasted no time laying an egg. He gave up three runs before anyone had a chance to blink an eye, and just like that the anemic Phils offense was in a hole they are not in a position to climb out of.

Lance Berkaman delivered the big blow as he hit a two-run jack with one out in the first. And with that, the Cardinals capitalized on the old adage that if you are going to get to a great pitcher you have to get to them early.

And in the course of his slow start Halladay set a dangerous precedent. These fantastic Phillies pitchers cannot afford to let teams jump ahead of them early. Their offense is not setup to overcome that deficit.

Especially in the landscape of the playoffs where they are going to face better pitching throughout the game.

The Phillies hit just .253 during the regular season. That was the 16th ranked team average in the majors.

Their is not a stretch of the Phillies lineup that opposing pitchers will fear. Beyond that there isn't a single hitter that pitchers will fear.

While they have a lineup of decent hitters, they don't have one player that is offensively equipped to take this team on his back and carry them.

Give an opposing pitcher an early lead, and they are going to come out attacking the zone with confidence, and mow down the Phillies lineup.