Phantastic Phillies Insider: Preview of Phillies-Rockies Series

Ryan Howard hit no HRs in the 1st 11 playoff games of 2008. Then in the bottom of the 6th in Game 3 of the World Series, Chase Utley sparked the Phils to a 3-1 lead with a leadoff homer against the Rays' Matt Garza. The next batter was Ryan Howard, who connected for a back-to-back HR to right. The next day, he would hit 2 more and drive in 5 runs.

This year they will need the Big Man to get going a little earlier. With Utley hurting, Howard will be more relied upon than ever from the 4-spot.

Meanwhile, Jayson Werth could be the Phils X-Factor. Werth's 36 HRs and 99 RBIs defied most everyone's expectations. He is capable of going on a tear and proved it by hitting .309 during last year's victorious postseason. The Phillies hit 19 HRs in 14 playoff games in 2008. This year, they have four 30 HR hitters: Utley, Ibanez, Werth and Howard (the most for any team since the 1977 Dodgers team had five). Colorado will have to ride its late-season Rocky High to prevent getting rocked early and often. That will be harder to do without their hottest starting pitcher, injured Jorge De La Rosa (7-1 in his last 8 decisions).

This Phillies-Rockies League Divisional Series is a rematch from 2007, when the Phils got swept. Of course, in the year between, the Phils won the World Series while the Rockies missed the playoffs-- and lost their star player, Matt Holiday. With the title on their backs and NL RBI king Ryan Howard cleaning up, the Phils have a great chance of enjoying an energizing pounding of Colorado that could propel them to more October winning. They couldn't find their groove at the end of the season, but the playoffs could light their fire and rekindle 2008's glory ride. The additions of Lee and Ibanez, all-stars who are hungry for their 1st taste of Championship champagne, can only help:

"It's definitely a winning atmosphere," said starting pitcher Cliff Lee. "These guys, they know how to play the game and they know how to have fun off the field, in between games and stuff. It's loose. It's a comfortable atmosphere.

"It's the defending world champions. They've got a core group here already that's done some things. They know what it takes to win and they do things the right way. You can see it in the game and I can see it in between, off the field. It's a good thing to be a part of . . . "

The NL East-winning Phils won only 4 of their last 10, but were in good company. The NL West-winning Dodgers lost 6 of their last 10 (including 5-out-of-6 against S.D. & Pittsburgh), while St. Louis, the trendy favorite to win the NL, lost 8-of-10 to finish the year. Colorado, meanwhile, finished 20-11. However, they have been ruled by streaks and can appear very good or extremely bad, not unlike the Phillies, but lacking the Championship to prove their metal. The Rockies lost 5-straight to end Aug., then won 8-in-a-row and 10-of-11 to start September.

The Phillies won the season series 4-games-to-2, and should overtake the Rockies in 4 games beginning Wednesday. A Phils 3-game sweep would do a lot to bolster confidence and team morale, especially if driven by excellent starts by Lee and Hamels, which would be exactly what the Phillies need right now. It may not be Doc (Halladay) in the playoffs, but it would be just what the doctor ordered for a rerun at the Championship.

Notes:

No one had more RBIs in the NL than Ryan Howard in '06, '08 or '09. Then Colorado's/presently St. Louis' Matt Holiday tallied 1 more than Howard to lead the NL in '07.

Game 1