2008 Woodie Awards
Phillies power into NLCS with 6-2 win
Nancy Armour, AP
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Sports
MILWAUKEE (AP) _ The Philadelphia Phillies found plenty of power to go with their pitching, right in time for the NL championship series.
Pat Burrell broke out of his slump in a big way with two homers, one a three-run shot, and Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth added solo drives Sunday to lead the Phillies to a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that clinched their first trip to the NLCS since 1993.
Overshadowed by the offensive barrage was a gem by midseason addition Joe Blanton, who held the Brewers to one run after an eight-day layoff. Rollins got the Phillies started with a leadoff shot and Philadelphia won the best-of-five series three games to one, earning another crack at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
The teams have met for the NL pennant three times before. The Dodgers won in 1977 and '78, while the Phillies took the flag in 1983.
Game 1 is Thursday in Philadelphia. During the regular season, each team swept a four-game series from the other at home.
The wild-card Brewers, meanwhile, head for an offseason of uncertainty after their first playoff appearance in 26 years. Ace pitcher CC Sabathia, who almost single-handedly salvaged Milwaukee's postseason hopes, is a free agent and isn't expected back. Ben Sheets, the team's second-best starter, might be gone, too.
Oh, and the Brewers need a manager after firing Ned Yost with 12 games left in the regular season. Dale Sveum took over on an interim basis.
Burrell, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were a fearsome trio in the regular season for the Phillies, putting up the kind of numbers that make opposing pitchers shudder. Howard made a case for the NL MVP, leading the league in home runs (48) and RBIs (146), and Utley and Burrell added 33 homers each.
But their bats were deafeningly silent in the first three games of the series, even as Philadelphia jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The three were a dismal 4-for-28 in the first three games, with Burrell going hitless. The power outage was reminiscent of last year, when they went 5-for-27 while being swept by Colorado.
Pat Burrell broke out of his slump in a big way with two homers, one a three-run shot, and Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth added solo drives Sunday to lead the Phillies to a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that clinched their first trip to the NLCS since 1993.
Overshadowed by the offensive barrage was a gem by midseason addition Joe Blanton, who held the Brewers to one run after an eight-day layoff. Rollins got the Phillies started with a leadoff shot and Philadelphia won the best-of-five series three games to one, earning another crack at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
The teams have met for the NL pennant three times before. The Dodgers won in 1977 and '78, while the Phillies took the flag in 1983.
Game 1 is Thursday in Philadelphia. During the regular season, each team swept a four-game series from the other at home.
The wild-card Brewers, meanwhile, head for an offseason of uncertainty after their first playoff appearance in 26 years. Ace pitcher CC Sabathia, who almost single-handedly salvaged Milwaukee's postseason hopes, is a free agent and isn't expected back. Ben Sheets, the team's second-best starter, might be gone, too.
Oh, and the Brewers need a manager after firing Ned Yost with 12 games left in the regular season. Dale Sveum took over on an interim basis.
Burrell, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were a fearsome trio in the regular season for the Phillies, putting up the kind of numbers that make opposing pitchers shudder. Howard made a case for the NL MVP, leading the league in home runs (48) and RBIs (146), and Utley and Burrell added 33 homers each.
But their bats were deafeningly silent in the first three games of the series, even as Philadelphia jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The three were a dismal 4-for-28 in the first three games, with Burrell going hitless. The power outage was reminiscent of last year, when they went 5-for-27 while being swept by Colorado.
Be the first to comment on this story