PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Dale Sveum and the Milwaukee Brewers are hoping this trip to Philly works out better than their last time in the city.
Milwaukee was swept by the Phillies in a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park last month and manager Ned Yost was fired the next day. Two weeks later, the wild-card winners are back and Sveum is filling out the lineup card.
“We learned yet again we were able to deal with adversity,” left fielder Ryan Braun said. “The end of that series was about as low as we got as a team.”
The Phillies trailed the Brewers by four games in the wild-card standings, and capped the surprising series with a day-night doubleheader sweep. Yost was fired Sept. 15 and Sveum took over for his friend.
“It wasn’t a very pleasant experience, but obviously my life changed the next morning,” Sveum said. “It’s definitely been a whirlwind.”
After a 1-4 start under Sveum, the Brewers finished 6-1 and clinched their first postseason berth since 1982 with a win in the last game of the season.
prepared for since I got done playing.”
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel doesn’t expect this series to be won as easily as their last matchup.
“I think at that time they weren’t hitting the ball real good. They were having problems,” Manuel said. “At the same time, I look at how we pitched and we did a good job.”
While the Phillies are 5-1 against the Brewers this season, they haven’t faced Game 1 starter Yovani Gallardo or Game 2 starter CC Sabathia this year.
“He’s a good pitcher,” Manuel said of Sabathia, “but I feel like we still have a chance to score some runs on him.”
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CRAWFORD READY?: Barring a setback, Rays left fielder Carl Crawford likely will return to the lineup on Thursday in the division series against the White Sox after missing most of the past seven weeks with a finger injury that required surgery.
The two-time All-Star participated in an Instructional League game Tuesday, and manager Joe Maddon liked what he saw.
“You can assume he’s going to be there. His health looks good,” Maddon said, adding that Crawford would take over his customary spot in left field but not necessarily move back into the No. 2 hole in the batting order.
don said.
“He’s had less chance to get ready. Furthermore, it is the playoffs. It’s not the middle of June.”
Regardless of where he bats, Crawford’s return will be a huge boost, Maddon said.
“You send the lineup card over to the other side and it has his name on it, there’s a lot more angst created as to when it’s not,” Maddon said.
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CUBS: In spring training, pitcher Ryan Dempster predicted the Cubs would get to the World Series.
Jim Edmonds? He thought he’d be sunning himself on a beach right now.
Edmonds got off to such a rough start after signing with San Diego that the club released him on May 9. Retirement was a possibility. The Cubs picked him up five days later and he wound up playing a big role for a team that won the most games in the National League.
Edmonds hit .256 with 19 homers and 49 RBIs in 85 games with the Cubs, and now he’s giving pregame speeches and acting as an elder statesman.
“I thought I’d be in Hawaii today, the way the season started,” Edmonds said Tuesday in Chicago. “This is great. I can’t emphasize enough, this is why we play the game. This is what we’re here for. Otherwise I would’ve stayed home.”
Edmonds said he’s still not sure if he will retire after the playoffs.
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ox won three straight to win the AL championship series.
Byrd is getting another chance this fall with those same Red Sox, who rescued him from the scrap heap in a trade with the Indians on Aug. 12. And their opponent in the division series is the Los Angeles Angels, whom Byrd helped get to the ALCS in 2005.
“I was available for weeks,” Byrd said Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif. “I passed the trading deadline, then they put me on waivers and nobody wanted me. Then it went past waivers and still nobody wanted me. Then finally, Boston said, `Hey, we’ll take a chance on this guy.’ And it felt really good to be able to help them out.”
The 37-year-old right-hander still feels the sting from the Indians’ Game 7 loss at Fenway Park, when the Red Sox beat them 11-2. CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona were Cleveland’s starting pitchers in the final two games, but couldn’t close the deal.
“It was so hard to say, `Man, we had it. It was ours. What the heck happened?”’ said Byrd, who will be used out of the bullpen against the Angels. “That was what my offseason was like.”
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RAYS ROTATION: Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon announced his rotation for the Rays’ series against the AL Central champion Chicago White Sox, and right-hander James Shield will start Game 1 Thursday over lefty All-Star Scott Kazmir.
starts.
“This is what it’s all about. This is what we work hard all season for,” Shields said. “I’m going to try to do my best out there to keep our team in the game and hold some leads maybe. The first game is a big game. I’m going to take on the challenge.”
Kazmir (12-8), who has been inconsistent since going 5-1 in May, will start Game 2 Friday night at Tropicana Field. Matt Garza (11-9) and Andy Sonnanstine (13-9) will start Games 3 and 4.
“You pretty much know that Shieldsy will go deep into the game,” Maddon said. “Kaz, obviously, has not gone deep into games, but normally you’re pretty much in the game by the time he leaves and you have a good chance to win. … There’s just some common sense applied to it.”
The team’s fifth starter, Edwin Jackson (14-11), said he will not be on the roster for the first round.
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CALM COLE: Phillies Game 1 starter Cole Hamels is still looking for that first postseason win. What he doesn’t need is another case of the playoff jitters.
Hamels, who went 14-10 this season, believes he’ll be more calm on the mound the second time around the playoffs.
not as foreign as it was last year.”
Hamels allowed three earned runs in 6 2-3 innings in last year’s opener, which Colorado won 4-2.
Hamels hasn’t pitched in eight days. The lefty was scheduled to pitch in Sunday’s season finale if the Phillies were still fighting for a playoff spot. Once the Phillies clinched the NL East on Saturday night, Hamels was given the day off.
“I definitely had to change it up a little bit with the extra days of rest,” Hamels said.
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