LOS ANGELES – The NL World Series representative essentially has been reduced to a prop in late October.
They show up to be stomped by their AL counterpart, a pit stop on the way to a champagne celebration and a parade. In three of the past four World Series, the NL has been swept right off of Fox’s fall schedule. Only the 2006 Cardinals avoided the quick cancellation, surprising the Tigers in five games.
Now we see what is in the cards for the 2008 NL champion Phillies. They sure looked good in eliminating CC Sabathia’s Brewers and Manny Ramirez’s Dodgers in the NL playoffs. But before we get too enamored with Philadelphia, we should think a little more about Sabathia and Ramirez.
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Both went from terrific players in the AL to legends in the NL after their midseason acquisitions. They are being talked about as NL MVP contenders despite playing just two months in the league. Both are now free agents, and Sabathia has said he wants to stay in the NL, in part because he can hit, but also almost certainly because the lineups are so much less fierce.
Ramirez confided to a friend, after thoroughly dominating as a Dodger, that he considers the NL junior varsity and may want to return to the AL just for the greater competition.
So what does being the champion of the NL mean? The Phillies want to believe it means they can beat anybody, even the best of the AL. It is possible. They really do have a deep roster and have shown great mental toughness. And they do have a few elements that should bolster them when the World Series opens next week.
Here are four of those items:
1. They will have a real designated hitter, particularly against right-handed starters. Matt Stairs and Greg Dobbs are legitimate left-handed bats. With one of them in the batting order, the Phillies will have a lineup that would fit in just fine in the AL. If there are shootouts in the AL park, the Phils should be competitive.
“DH-wise, we are fine,” Philadelphia general manager Pat Gillick said. “We won’t have to go out and look for someone to DH.”
2. Ryan Madson is a weapon. The entire Philly bullpen has pitched well all year, and that, obviously, includes closer Brad Lidge, who is still perfect in save situations. But Madson is just dominant right now. And having a dominant setup man who can bridge from the starter to the closer is so invaluable this time of year. Think about Hideki Okajima last year for Boston, or what Mike Stanton did for the Yankees in the 2000 Subway Series against the Mets.
Madson was firing 97-mph sinking pellets at the Dodgers in the eighth inning of NLCS Game 5. He has now pitched nine postseason innings, allowed one run, struck out six and walked one.
“Madson is just throwing lights out right now,” Dodger third-base coach Larry Bowa said.
3. Cole Hamels is an ace. He very well may be the best starter in the World Series. He has appeared in three postseason games, won them all, working a total of 22 innings and allowing three runs. There will be great pressure on Hamels to win his starts because the rotation fall off after him is steep, especially if the enigmatic Brett Myers is the bad Brett Myers.
The advantage is that by eliminating the Dodgers so quickly, Myers will be fully rested to go in Game 1 next Wednesday. AL lineups, though, are traditionally more patient, and so it should be a riveting battle to see if a more unfamiliar opponent can lay off of Hamels’ devastating changeup.
4. Aside from Ryan Howard at first, the Phillies are a good defensive team. So the expectation should be that they will not throw away a series. The expectation is that between the good glove work and their steely makeup, the Phillies will force an AL team to beat them rather than give the World Series away.