Phillies Favored Over Rockies In Game 1

NFL News - October 7th, 2009 - Written by Scott

The Major League Baseball playoffs begin this afternoon as the Colorado Rockies head to Philadelphia to take on the defending World Series Champions.  The Rockies, who got off to a very slow start, rebounded and won the wild card race to sneak their way into the playoffs.  The Phillies won their third straight NL East title and led the division since the end of May.  Philadelphia is trying to become only the second NL team to win consecutive World Series titles.  Both teams are known for their hitting, so pitching should play a significant role in this series.

The Philadelphia Phillies will start Cliff Lee, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, in game one this afternoon.  Lee (14-13) won his only appearance against the Rockies back in August 3-1.  The bullpen for the Phillies might be at a disadvantage in this series.  After getting 48 saves in 48 attempts a year ago, reliever Brad Lidge has blown 11 save attempts this year.  The Phillies offense has given their pitching staff plenty of support throughout the regular season.  They lead the National League in both runs (820) and home runs (224).  Philadelphia comes into the game boasting five All-Stars.  Shane Victorina leads the team in batting with a .292 batting average.  First baseman Ryan Howard leads the team in both home runs and RBIs.  He has 45 round trippers and 141 runs batted in.     

Colorado will send Ubaldo Jiminez to the mound in Game 1.  Jimenez is 15-12 on the year and realizes he is in for a huge challenge against a strong offensive Phillies team.

“Anybody in that lineup can hurt you,” Jimenez said. “It’s a tough lineup, a really tough lineup. It’s a big challenge. But there’s nothing you can do. The only thing, I’m going to go out there and just pitch my game, try to win.”

The Colorado Rockies are led in hitting by Todd Helton who leads the team with a .325 batting average.  They are also led in both home runs and RBIs by Troy Tulowiski.  He had 92 runs batted in and 32 home runs during the regular season.  Their bullpen seems to have the edge in this series, despite their bullpen ERA being ranked 13th out of 16 NL teams.  Releiver Huston Street has converted on 35 out of 37 save attempts. 

According to BetUS sportsbook, the odds for the Rockies in this series are set at +1 1/2 (-160).  The odds to win the series for Los Angeles are 3-0 (+850), 3-1 (+400), and 3-2 (+375).  The over under is set at 8 1/2.

The odds for the Phillies are set at -1 1/2 (+140).  The odds to win the series for Philadelphia are 3-0 (+400), 3-1 (+330), and 3-2 (+300).

To discuss this and other NFL related stories be sure to check out our new forum at:
https://www.usaplayers.com/forums/