With the game tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth, Ryan Howard hit a sacrifice fly to score Jimmy Rollins. In the bottom of the ninth, Phillies fans had to pray. Brad Lidge, Philadelphia’s closer who had a 7.21 ERA and an 0-8 record in the regular season, was able to record the save despite giving up a pair of hits.

In Game 4, the pitching matchup will be fantastic. The Phillies will send Cliff Lee to the mound, while the Rockies will go with Ubaldo Jimenez. The Rockies will need to win to stay alive, while the Phillies will attempt to move one step closer to back-to-back World Series championships.

Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Leading the way for the Phillies was slugging first baseman Ryan Howard. In the fourth inning, Howard hit a two-run blast. In the sixth, he followed up his previous at-bat with a solo home run. Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco also hit homers for the Phillies.

The win gave the Phillies an 8-game lead over the Florida Marlins and an 8.5-game lead over the Braves in the NL East. From August 25th through September 7th, Philadelphia had lost eight of 13 games and the team failed to score more than four runs in any of those contests.

With the 2009 baseball playoffs right around the corner, the Phillies seem to be heating up at exactly the right time.

Ryan Howard is going for another World Series title (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Pitcher – Greg Maddux, Los Angeles Dodgers – 18th Gold Glove
Catcher – Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals – 1st Gold Glove
First Baseman – Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres – 1st Gold Glove
Second Baseman – Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds – 1st Gold Glove
Shortstop – Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies – 2nd Gold Glove
Third Baseman – David Wright, New York Mets – 2nd Gold Glove
Outfielder – Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Philles – 1st Gold Glove
Outfielder – Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh Pirates – 1st Gold Glove
Outfielder – Carlos Beltran, New York Mets – 2nd Gold Glove

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Jimmy Rollins got the Phillies off to a fast start when he hit a lead off homer. Ryan Howard also had a big night at the plate, as he went 3-4 with a run and an RBI. The Dodgers got their lone run on a Manny Ramirez solo shot in the sixth.

Arguably the star of the game was Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels. In seven innings, Hamels gave up only one run on five hits while striking out five. Chad Billingsley wasn’t quite as effective for the Dodgers, giving up three earned runs in less than four innings pitched.

In the 2008 world series, the Phillies will take on the winner of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox. The Rays currently lead that series 3-1, with Game 5 scheduled for Thursday.

Here is a video of Cole Hamels talking about how the Phillies will prepare for the World Series:

Post from: Knuckle Curve

2. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have the best record in baseball. Their hitting is arguably the best in baseball. With a good combination of average, power and speed, the Cubs are a pitching nightmare right now. However, their 14-16 road record indicates an area where this team can improve.

3. Philadelphia Phillies
Few teams are as talented as the Phillies. From Chase Utley to Ryan Howard to Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies definitely have star power. If they can get hot at the right now, they could steamroll to a NL pennant.

4. Chicago White Sox
After manager Ozzie Guillen laid into his team, the White Sox have responded by winning seven straight games. Even though they’ve underachieved for much of the season, the White Sox remain one of the best teams in baseball.

5. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have been the talk of baseball in 2008. While they are obviously a very good team, they still face an uphill climb to make the playoffs. It’s definitely possible but a lot of teams in the AL will make a hard push. Do the Rays have the experience to hold on? I guess we’ll see.

Will BJ Upton and the Tampa Bay Rays stay hot enough?

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

On Hanley Ramirez, before his monster rookie campaign (.292/.353/.480 at age 22) with the Florida Marlins:

There’s no indication that he is ready for the major leagues, but the Marlins are apparently going to let him try.

On Jimmy Rollins, in 2004 (three years before he won the NL MVP):

In any event, his power and speed both appear to be dissipating, and without those he won’t hold a starting job for long.

On Chase Utley, before the 2005 season (in which he hit .291/.376/.540):

Utley is not going to be a star, but second base is a thin position and his extra-base power should provide the Phillies with a competitive advantage.

On the Chicago White Sox, before 2005:

Their opportunity has passed; the constant exodus of talent will relegate this team to second-tier status.

The folks at Prospectus almost nailed this one. They were a year early, and they forgot the part about winning a World Championship. Ah, the devil is in the details…

Fun stuff here. Be sure to read the entire article over at Seamheads.com.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Once again the geniuses in the marketing department Of Major League Baseball have done it again. Now you can try and bid your hard earned cash on – you guessed it bug spray.

Yes, your eye’s aren’t playing tricks on you. You can bid on the bug spray that was used when the Yankees were taking on Cleveland during the American League Playoffs. So if you were trying to find that ‘hard to find’ gift for the Yankees fan who has everything look no further. They have some other things that they’ll be auctioning – but this seems to be the ‘hot ticket item’.

Yikes – I’ll have to pass on that one.

In other news, Jimmy Rollins is the National League MVP – just beating out Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies. Huh? Maybe I’m just not seeing it (which might be truer than you think..), but the guys who vote do. This was the closest vote since Terry Pendleton beat out Barry Bonds for the MVP award back in 1991. Honestly I was pretty darn sure that Matt Holliday would’ve walked away with the MVP with the kind of year he had.

Here’s what Rollins had to say:

“It never crossed my mind that I would go out there and win an MVP,” Rollins said on a conference call from California. “I had a real big smile on my face, to make it simple. I was excited but I wasn’t quite sure what to feel.”

This is also the first time teammates have won back to back MVP’s since Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds did it for the Giants in 2000 and 2001.

Post from: Knuckle Curve