A Great pitching rotation, solid defense and explosive offense have propelled the Philadelphia Phillies to the 2009 World Series.
Charlie Manuel's Phillies will be playing for baseball's top prize as Philadelphia will be looking to repeat as World Series champions; a feat that hasn't been done since the New York Yankees did it in 1999 and 2000.
2009 NLCS Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
For the second year in a row Philadelphia destroyed the dreams of the fans in Mannywood and made quick work of the Dodgers in five games, winning the NLCS four games to one.
Philadelphia can thank general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. for his key trade-deadline acquisition in starting pitcher Cliff Lee, and the signing of free-agent starting pitcher Pedro Martinez.
Pedro Martinez started game two of the series and was pitching like he did when he was with the Boston Red Sox. His pitches were painting corners and dancing everywhere. Martinez went seven innings strong and only allowed two hits in his outing.
Cliff Lee pitched a masterful gem in the Phillies 11-0 win in game three of the series. Lee pitched eight innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10.
Why the Dodgers Didn't Win the NLCS
The lack of depth and big game experience in the Dodgers pitching rotation was their own enemy. Unlike their NLCS opponents, the Dodgers decided to load up on big bats and relief pitchers, but gave no attention to a void within the ranks of their starting pitching situation.
Both Kershaw and Billingsley had a great season for LA, but injuries and inconsistencies throughout the rest of their rotation provided some problems.
When the trade deadline came, many teams around the league shook up their rosters in order to prepare for the post-season and a run at the World Series.
The Phillies landed Lee and Martinez, and the Dodgers picked up .... Vicente Padilla. Talk about dropping the ball at the trade deadline.
Padilla was rocked early for six runs over three innings in game five of the series.
Los Angeles was in deep talks with the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire American League ace Roy Halladay, but Ned Colletti did not want to give up starting pitchers Klayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, or infielder James Loney.
Had the Dodgers acquired Halladay, Los Angeles would not be packing up their locker room today, and could possibly be sniffing at a World Series title.
The other cause of the Dodgers early exit from the post-season was the poor play of outfielder Manny Ramirez. Manny finished the series 5 for 19 (.263), one homerun and two RBIs. This was his worst outing since the 2007 World Series where he posted a .250 batting average (3 for 16) for the Boston Red Sox.
It seemed like a lot of pressure was on Manny after last year's playoff spectacle he put on. In the 2008 NLCS against the Phillies, Ramirez had two homeruns, and finished 8 for 15 (.533).
Ramirez seemed almost unfocused at times when he was at the plate, and provided little spark to this team like he did in 2008.
2009 NLCS MVP Ryan Howard
Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard proved to be an unstoppable beast in the NLCS.
In game one, Howard had a double and two RBI's in the game. Game two, he plated the Phillies only run of the game with a solo-homerun in the fourth inning off of Vicente Padilla. Howard had a bases loaded triple in game three, and a two-run-homer in game four.
Howard hit for the series cycle and finished the NLCS with eight RBIs.
If the Phillies leader keeps up his stellar performance in the World Series, Howard might be able to add an World Series MVP to his list of hardware this year.
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