National League Division Series
Colorado Rockies (92-70) v. Philadelphia Phillies (93-69)
The bullpens of every team will have a major impact in the playoffs, and that will be no different for the Philadelphia Phillies or Colorado Rockies. With the Phillies' bullpen in disarray, they will certainly have more questions to answer in this series against the Rockies. Meanwhile, the Rockies have a very solid bullpen, especially at the back end. In this playoff series between two very evenly matched teams, the bullpens and especially lefties, will be critical. While the Phillies will try to lean on their starters to pitch deep into games, they need their bullpen to close out games. The Rockies can depend on a solid pen, but need to worry more about getting the ball to their relievers.
Key Relievers: Colorado Rockies
Huston Street, RHP - Huston Street was acquired this season from the Oakland Athletics as part of the Matt Holliday deal. After getting off to a sluggish start, the young righty was solid in the pen for the Rockies, serving as their primary closer for most of the season. He seemed to get worn down late, but the 25-year old should have plenty left in the tank after tossing just 61.2 innings this season. However, in his career he has not performed especially well in the postseason, so the jury is still out on what the Rockies can expect from Street in this series.
Franklin Morales, LHP - Franklin Morales will play a critical role in this series for Colorado. He will serve as the primary left-hander out of their bullpen and could potentially even see some save situations. The young 23-year old will be a bit more fresh entering the postseason, having compiled just 40.0 innings pitched this year. But the situational lefty has struggled with command and walks a lot of batters, which is uncharacteristic of much of the Rockies pen. Still, expect to see Morales in key situations against left-handed hitters.
Matt Daley, RHP - Matt Daley is a rookie pitcher who had a solid 2009 campaign. The 27-year old is a strikeout pitcher and does not allow a lot of base runners. Daley, the righty, had a moderate work load in 2009 with 51.0 innings pitched. Expect to see Daley in the late innings against righties, despite not having much experience. Daley does not throw especially hard, but has excellent command and can be used in short stretches to get big outs.
Rafael Betancourt, RHP - Rafael Betancourt was a mid-season acquisition for the Rockies, as they revamped their bullpen. Betancourt, the 34-year old, came over from the Cleveland Indians and was highly effective for the Rockies. He totalled 56.0 innings between the two leagues and has some playoff pedigree. The hard throwing righty will likely be one of the primary setup men for the Rockies out of the pen.
Key Relievers: Philadelphia Phillies
Brad Lidge, RHP - Brad Lidge is widely considered to be the pivitol player in this series. After a dominating 2008 season, Lidge has struggled with injuries and command all season long. The Phillies look for their 32-year old closer to pick up the pieces and have a solid postseason for them again. Lidge racked up 58.2 innings this season and saved 31 of 42 games on the season. It is uncertain how Lidge will be used, but whatever his role, the Phillies need him to get outs.
Ryan Madson, RHP - Ryan Madson is the one, true flamethrower out of the bullpen for either squad. Madson, the 28-year old, throws a wicked fastball that often approaches triple digits on the radar gun. He had a moderately successful 2009, picking up 10 saves in 16 chances for the Phillies. The righty was a horse this year, throwing 77.1 innings and fanning a batter per frame. If Brad Lidge doesn't assume the closing responsibilities, look for Madson to get the nod.
Scott Eyre, LHP - Scott Eyre's importance this series cannot be overstated. With an injury to J.C. Romero, Eyre is the Phillies' only reliable situational lefty in the bullpen. Eyre himself struggled through an injury-plagued 2009 season that has left the reliever pondering retirement. The Phillies will need one more playoff push out of the 37-year old veteran. He threw only 30.0 innings this year, so despite bone chips in his elbow, he hopes to be fresh.
Brett Myers, RHP - Brett Myers was a stud in the Phillies rotation down the stretch in 2008. This season, a hip injury sidelined the veteran righty and he returned to a role in the bullpen. The 28-year old will look to make an impact out of the back end of the pen, but his impact will be determined by the situations he faces. Very much a wild card for the Phillies, Myers once closed games for them in 2007 and could potential fill the role if needed (and if healthy).
Pitching Primer: Colorado Rockies
Huston Street: (4-1) 64 G, 61.2 IP, 3.06 ERA, 70 K, 7 HR
2009 Home Splits: (4-1) 37 G, 35.1 IP, 4.08 ERA, 37 K, 3 HR
2009 Road Splits: (0-0) 27 G, 26.1 IP, 1.71 ERA, 33 K, 4 HR
2009 vs. Phillies: (0-1) 2 G, 1.2 IP, 16.20 ERA, 1 K, 1 HR
Postseason Career: (0-1) 5 G, 6.1 IP, 7.11 ERA, 4 K, 2 HR
Career vs. PHI: 40 PA, .316 BA, .350 OBP, .553 SLG, 2 HR, 7 K
Franklin Morales: (3-2) 40 G, 40.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 41 K, 4 HR
2009 Home Splits: (0-0) 23 G, 20.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 20 K, 0 HR
2009 Road Splits: (3-2) 17 G, 20.0 IP, 7.20 ERA, 21 K, 4 HR
2009 vs. Phillies: (0-0) 1 G, 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 K, 0 HR
Postseason Career: (0-0) 4 G, 10.0 IP, 9.90 ERA, 6 K, 1 HR
Career vs. PHI: 20 PA, .056 BA, .150 OBP, .056 SLG, 0 HR, 4 K
Matt Daley: (1-1) 57 G, 51.0 IP, 4.24 ERA, 55 K, 6 HR
2009 Home Splits: (1-0) 30 G, 29.1 IP, 3.99 ERA, 39 K, 5 HR
2009 Road Splits: (0-1) 27 G, 21.2 IP, 4.57 ERA, 16 K, 1 HR
2009 vs. Phillies: (0-0) 1 G, 1.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 K, 0 HR
Postseason Career: n/a
Career vs. PHI: 3 PA, .000 BA, .000 OBP, .000 SLG, 0 HR, 2 K
Rafael Betancourt: (4-3) 61 G, 56.0 IP, 2.73 ERA, 61 K, 4 HR
2009 Home Splits: (2-1) 34 G, 26.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 23 K, 0 HR
2009 Road Splits: (2-2) 27 G, 29.1 IP, 2.76 ERA, 38 K, 4 HR
2009 vs. Phillies: n/a
Postseason Career: (0-0) 7 G, 10.0 IP, 5.40 ERA, 9 K, 1 HR
Career vs. PHI: 26 PA, .346 BA, .346 OBP, .385 SLG, 0 HR, 6 K
Pitching Primer: Philadelphia Phillies
Brad Lidge: (0-8) 67 G, 58.2 IP, 7.21 ERA, 61 K, 11 HR
2009 Home Splits: (0-2) 33 G, 31.0 IP, 6.10 ERA, 33 K, 5 HR
2009 Road Splits: (0-6) 34 G, 27.2 IP, 8.46 ERA, 28 K, 6 HR
2009 vs. Rockies: (0-0) 4 G, 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 4 K, 0 HR
Postseason Career: (1-3) 26 G, 34.1 IP, 2.10 ERA, 51 K, 2 HR
Career vs. COL: 48 PA, .286 BA, .362 OBP, .500 SLG, 1 HR, 14 K
Ryan Madson: (5-5) 79 G, 77.1 IP, 3.26 ERA, 78 K, 7 HR
2009 Home Splits: (1-4) 36 G, 36.1 IP, 3.72 ERA, 35 K, 4 HR
2009 Road Splits: (4-1) 43 G, 41.0 IP, 2.85 ERA, 43 K, 3 HR
2009 vs. Rockies: (1-0) 3 G, 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 4 K, 0 HR
Postseason Career: (1-0) 11 G, 12.2 IP, 2.13 ERA, 12 K, 1 HR
Career vs. COL: 51 PA, .429 BA, .451 OBP, .571 SLG, 1 HR, 9 K
Scott Eyre: (2-1) 42 G, 30.0 IP, 1.50 ERA, 22 K, 3 HR
2009 Home Splits: (0-0) 20 G, 13.2 IP, 2.63 ERA, 10 K, 2 HR
2009 Road Splits: (2-1) 22 G, 16.1 IP, 0.55 ERA, 12 K, 1 HR
2009 vs. Rockies: (0-0) 1 G, 0.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0 K, 0 HR
Postseason Career: (0-0) 17 G, 9.1 IP, 0.96 ERA, 4 K, 0 HR
Career vs. COL: 57 PA, .269 BA, .316 OBP, .385 SLG, 0 HR, 11 K
Brett Myers: (4-3) 18 G, 70.2 IP, 4.84 ERA, 50 K, 18 HR
2009 Home Splits: (0-3) 10 G, 34.0 IP, 5.56 ERA, 23 K, 7 HR
2009 Road Splits: (4-0) 8 G, 36.2 IP, 4.17 ERA, 27 K, 11 HR
2009 vs. Rockies: (1-0) 1 G, 7.0 IP, 5.14 ERA, 6 K, 3 HR
Postseason Career: (2-1) 5 G, 20.1 IP, 4.43 ERA, 15 K, 1 HR
Career vs. COL: 108 PA, .268 BA, .330 OBP, .557 SLG, 7 HR, 19 K
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