Pitching: The Phillies pitching is horrible, and it's hard to imagine this pitching staff in the playoffs. Phillies ace Cole Hamels has had a good year, but the rest of the starters are a patchwork group because Phillies starters have been decimated by injuries. The bullpen has it's share of problems too with former starter Brett Myers now the closer.
Hitting: The Phillies have a very potent offense led by All-Star second baseman Chase Utley and 2006 N.L. MVP Ryan Howard. Howard has had an off year, but the Utley and leadoff batter Jimmy Rollins are both having career years. The outfield has plenty of power with Pat Burrell in left, Aaron Rowand in center, and Jayson Werth in right. Third base has been a weak spot where Wes Helms has been a disappointment.
Outlook: If the Phillies make the playoffs they will lean heavily on their offense to make it to the next round. Only a handful of teams have ever made the playoffs with team ERA's over four. The Phillies are well above that.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
San Diego Padres
Pitching: The Padres have the best 1-2 punch in the N.L. with Jake Peavy and Chris Young as starters. Young has really struggled lately though, giving up three or more runs in his last six starts. Giving up three runs a game isn't too shabby, until you consider that he was the N.L. ERA leader through August. Despite Young's struggles, Peavy has continued his dominance, taking over the N.L. lead in ERA from Young, and currently leading the league in wins and strikeouts. No one wants to face Peavy, Young, and Greg Maddux in a short playoff series. If the Padres make the playoffs, they will be a very tough matchup.
Hitting: If the Padres had a lineup as good as their starting pitching, they would have won 100 games this season. They rank 12th out of 16 in the N.L. in runs scored, and 14th out of 16 in batting average. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez leads the team with a batting average of .278, 26 home runs, 90 RBI. Shorstop Khalil Green and centerfielder Mike Cameron also have over twenty home runs. The Padres traded for Kevin Kouzmanoff in the offseason to play third base, and after getting off to a slow start he has begun to heat up lately. The Giles brothers, Brian and Marcus, play right field and second base, respectively. Both have had down years production-wise this season. Leftfielder Milton Bradley is a bit of a hot-head, but a very good hitter.
Outlook: The playoffs are all about matchups, and the Padres pitching makes them a tough matchup for any team. The Padres will have an advantage in a short series, but less of an advantage in a longer one.
Hitting: If the Padres had a lineup as good as their starting pitching, they would have won 100 games this season. They rank 12th out of 16 in the N.L. in runs scored, and 14th out of 16 in batting average. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez leads the team with a batting average of .278, 26 home runs, 90 RBI. Shorstop Khalil Green and centerfielder Mike Cameron also have over twenty home runs. The Padres traded for Kevin Kouzmanoff in the offseason to play third base, and after getting off to a slow start he has begun to heat up lately. The Giles brothers, Brian and Marcus, play right field and second base, respectively. Both have had down years production-wise this season. Leftfielder Milton Bradley is a bit of a hot-head, but a very good hitter.
Outlook: The playoffs are all about matchups, and the Padres pitching makes them a tough matchup for any team. The Padres will have an advantage in a short series, but less of an advantage in a longer one.
Welcome to the National League Blog
I will be discussing National League baseball with this blog. I'll start by talking about the N.L. contenders.
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