PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Chase Utley bristled at the repeated questions, Jimmy Rollins shooed away anyone who tried to ask.
Can’t blame Ryan Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies for wanting to forget their playoff flop against the Colorado Rockies last year.
“What happened is in the past,” center fielder Shane Victorino said Tuesday. “We’re over it. It’s behind us. We have unfinished business.”
The NL East champions expect to go farther this year. The wild-card Milwaukee Brewers stand in their way.
Game 1 is Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, with ace Cole Hamels (14-10) on the mound for the Phillies.
Yovani Gallardo (0-0) pitches for the Brewers. Those zeros next to his name are no misprint.
The 22-year-old righty will become the second pitcher in major league history to start a postseason game without recording a win that year, according to Stats, LLC.
cher.”
Virgil Trucks started Game 2 of the 1945 World Series for the Detroit Tigers after getting a no-decision in his only outing of the regular season. Recently discharged from the Navy, he threw a complete game to beat the Chicago Cubs.
Gallardo returned from a torn knee ligament and pitched four innings last Thursday against Pittsburgh in his first start since May 1. He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee just before spring training, then hurt his right knee while trying to hurdle a baserunner against the Cubs.
Gallardo had a 1.88 ERA in four starts after going 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 2007.
“He’s a special young man,” Brewers manager Dale Sveum said. “He’s got the heart of a lion. He’s way ahead of his age as far as mentally, his makeup, the poise he has when he’s on the mound. We feel he’s the right guy for Game 1.”
Gallardo has a tough task against a dynamic lineup that features Rollins, Utley, Pat Burrell and Ryan Howard, who led the majors in homers (48) and RBIs (146).
Burrell, however, left Tuesday’s workout because of discomfort in his lower back. He left after taking a swing in batting practice, and will be checked Wednesday.
Philly’s hitters have something to prove after a dismal performance against the Rockies. A potent offense that led the league in runs for the second straight year was anemic in its postseason debut.
scored eight runs, striking out 26 times in three games. Five of their 16 hits were homers, but each was a solo shot.
Only Carlos Ruiz (3-for-9) hit above .250 in the series. Rollins, Utley and Burrell each went 2-for-11 with 11 strikeouts combined. Howard was 3-for-12 with seven Ks.
“Last year is over with,” Utley said. “We didn’t swing the bats well. We didn’t score many runs. That’s not going to give you an opportunity to win. There’s no point in looking back. We have to focus on finding ways to win now, whether it’s with our hitting or pitching. There’s no extra added pressure on anybody.”
Howard batted .352 with 11 homers and a club-record 32 RBIs in September, helping Philadelphia overtake the New York Mets to win its second consecutive division title.
The slugging first baseman dismissed suggestions the offense was pressing last postseason.
“I don’t think the lineup struggled so much because of nerves,” he said. “Yeah, when you first get in there, you’re nervous. But I think that kind of subsided. We just ran into a team that was hot. The Rockies were on a tear last year.”
The Phillies made it back to the playoff because of their pitching this year. They had the fourth-best ERA (3.88) in the league and have one of the strongest bullpens in the majors led by closer Brad Lidge, who was a perfect 41-for-41 in save opportunities.
and possibly Game 5 for the Brewers, the Phillies can’t afford another slump.
“If we go out and just play our game and not try to put any added pressure or outside pressure on ourselves, we’ll be fine,” Howard said.
Milwaukee is returning to not-so-friendly Philly for the second time in three weeks. Things didn’t go so well the last time around. The Phillies swept a four-game series to move into a tie with the Brewers for the wild-card spot and pull within a game of the Mets in the East.
General manager Doug Melvin fired Ned Yost after that series, promoting Sveum from his job as third-base coach. The Brewers lost four of the first five games under their new manager before finishing 6-1, clinching their first playoff berth since 1982 on the final day of the regular season.
“You’ve got to have confidence that no matter what, you can overcome what comes your way,” Prince Fielder said. “But I think we all had confidence we’d get to the playoffs.”
The Phillies haven’t won a postseason game since losing to Toronto in the 1993 World Series. They’re seeking the second World Series title in the franchise’s 126 years and the city’s first championship since the NBA’s 76ers won it all in 1983.
No pressure, right?
got what we really had to do. And, we ran into a hot team. I think we’re the hot team this year.”
Add A Comment