So it’s going to a game five. Sure, it would have been nice to wrap this thing up and pop the bottles on Tuesday, but guess what, that didn’t happen. Here’s the good news though, the Cardinals haven’t popped the bubbly either, and as long as that doesn’t happen, the Philles can still win the series. So chill out. Now, I know in the postseason, everything is magnified, and as Phillies fans, we tend to remember the negatives. It’s in our nature. However, negativity will get us no where. Instead, let’s dispel some rumors, and look to game five with all the positives we’ve got going for us.
I was tweeted last night that the Phillies lackluster offense is a concern. Chew on this: The Phillies have scored 21 runs thus far in the series while the Cardinals have scored just 18 runs. Full disclosure, I didn’t major in math at college, but I’m pretty sure 21 is more than 18. If I was a Cardinals fan, I’d be more concerned with a lackluster offense more than Phillies fans should be. Now the Cardinals have outhit the Phillies in the series at a 38 to 34 clip, but so what? They don’t mark wins in hits, they mark them in more runs scored. So you can bitch that Howard struck out four times in game 4, but I’ll remind you that he had four RBI’s in game 1, and whether you’d like to admit it or not, he was a big reason we won that game. RyHo has 6 RBI’s in the four games so far; that’s most for either team. The next close is Freese at 5 (4 of which came in game 4). Chase is heating up, hitting .462 in the series, and Rollins is red hot, hitting .563. I’m not concerned about the offense, and neither should you.
Another reason not to worry: We’re playing game 5 in Philadelphia with the craziest fans on the face of the earth. CBP is going to be electric when 8:30 PM rolls around on Friday. The Phillies have said countless times that playing in front of 45,000+ Fightins faithful is unlike playing anywhere else in the country. (Or countries if you wanna throw Toronto in there.) They say this about regular season games. Now imagine how it’s going to be in a decisive game 5. This is why it’s nice to have home field advantage. The rally towels will be waving, the intensity is going to be palpable and the Cardinals are going to have to deal with a lot more than just the boys in pinstripes.
The biggest reason to chill out: Roy Halladay. We’re throwing Doc in a game five. Is there any other pitcher in the league you would rather have going with the season on the line? Not me. Would you rather switch pitchers and go against Doc while we throw Chris Carpenter? A giant “HELL NO!” is the correct response here. The Phillies definitely have the advantage on the mound going into game five. After a shaky first, Roy then came out and shut down the Cardinals for seven innings in game 1. Carpenter on the other hand, only went three innings in his outing, letting in 4 runs for an ERA of 12.00. Sure, Carpenter was on short rest in that game on Sunday, something that won’t be the case come Friday, but I’m reminded of the words of Cliff Lee, “It’s not the game on short rest that gets you, it’s the next start.” If those words hold true, than imagine what that means about Carpenter’s chances in game 5. In game 2, Carpenter didn’t look flat, and his velocity wasn’t down, he just looked hittable. I’m okay with going against their Ace in game 5. I’m looking forward to it.
The final reason not to hit the panic button in game 5: The Phillies aren’t hitting the panic button. Our boys in pinstripes believe the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of the Cardinals. Just check out these quotes:
“Everyone in this clubhouse is looking forward to it. We wanted to close it out here [St. Louis], but we’re here for Game 5. There’s no better place to do it than CBP.” -JRoll
“We get to go back home, and there’s a Game 5. We’ve got Doc going and they have Carpenter going, and it’s going to be a good game, and we have to come ready. Like I said, the crowd is going to play a huge factor. Everybody in Philadelphia has to be ready for Game 5.” – RyHo
“I do like our chances. Our home crowd is pretty intense, and they can be overpowering at times. I hope they show up Friday and are loud the entire game.” -Chase
“You get your big boy on the bump, and that’s the reason he was brought up here, to come out and be the man, be Doc and perform a little surgery. Everybody else, it’s is all hands on deck.” -JRoll
Put on your big boy pants, Philadelphia. Game 5 is coming, and I like our chances.
SW-Ian Anderson
Tags: NLDS, Postseason, St. Louis Cardinals 67 days ago 2 Comments Short URL Share this post! Share on Facebook Tweet This! 2 Comments
Yo Mama says:October 6, 2011 at 7:46 pmOk, if you say so. I will try not to panic. Ha!
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itsalwayssunnyinphiladelphia says:October 6, 2011 at 10:51 pmI want nonstop noise and rally towels tomorrow and the players r saying they want nothing less as well. Step it up Philadelphia its show time!
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