Less than 48 hours after the Phillies watched their season end prematurely in Game 6 of the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants, the free agent dance between Ruben Amaro Jr. and Jayson Werth began.


The general manager and right fielder both held press conferences at Citizens Bank Park to talk about the future. In the wake of Saturday's season-ending defeat the hot topic on the mind of every Phillies fan is whether the team will bring Werth back in 2011.

(Video of Amaro here)

"(Do) we have enough money to do it and would we like to bring him back? The answer to both questions is yes," Amaro said Monday. "However that will kind of depend on what the ask is and how that will affect us with other possible moves we would have to make to do that."

The Phillies have $143 million committed to 16 players for 2011. Amaro said last winter that the team could not go forward with a roster full of $15-million-per-year players.

Werth, who signed with super agent Scott Boras late in the summer, is expected to command a deal in the neighborhood of the seven-year, $120 million contract Matt Holliday got from St. Louis on the open market last offseason.

"I've had the best time in the last four years playing baseball with these guys in this city in front of these fans," Werth said Monday. "I've seen quite a transformation here. Going forward, Philly will obviously be one of the teams that will be in consideration.

"It's a business. This is definitely not the same game I played in my grandparents' backyard as a kid. I've known that for a long time. I signe din '97, sat at my kitchen table when I was 18-years-old and negotiated my signing bonus. I've known since back then this is a business.

"Since coming here, the club has done an unbelievable job, the owners have expanded payroll. They've taken the necessary steps to create a winning atmosphere. Hopefully they continue to do that... They have the most loyal fans in the game, they sell out every night. From the economics side of the club, I would think they're in good shape, and probably could sign whoever they want. Whether or not that’s me, we'll have to wait and see."

Werth will file for free agency when the World Series ends. The Phillies have a five-day period after he files to negotiate exclusively with Werth.

After that five-day window, he hits the open market.

"I'm in no hurry," Werth said. "Every business decision I've made over the years, I've definitely thought a lot about. There's no reason to rush into it."


(Video of Werth will be up ASAP on delcotimes.com )

Well it's come to an end, this crazy, long, strange trip that began when I left my snow-covered neighborhood in February for the kinder, friendlier environment of Clearwater, Fla., beginning with watching young Domonic Brown take a swing against Roy Halladay on the first day of live hitting.

No one really hit that day. Hitters were tracking pitches.

The last day of the season was somewhat similar. Not a lot of offensive highlights from the Phillies, who going into the season, were supposed to be a team that did just the opposite with seven former All-Stars.


Ryan Howard watched strike three from Brian Wilson to end the game and the season.

The offense unachieved all season - every player save Carlos Ruiz - and it's a shame because it's hard to imagine entering a postseason with three starting pitchers as talented as Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt and two bullpen pieces as hot as Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge.

But it happened. As Charlie Manuel likes to say, winning isn't easy. (Even if the Phils made it look easy in 2008).

So they'll reboot and hope the bats show in 2011. The core of the team is getting older, the lineup is flawed, but with the aforementioned pitching, they should once again be an NL favorite.

Here is Charlie Manuel right after tonight's game. Thanks so much for reading all season and keeping up with my nonstop (excessive) tweets, too. [Seriously dude, 10,000 in one season???]



(There is also video of Ryan Howard talking postgame on the front page at delcotimes.com)



*photo by Eric Hartline, Delco Times staff (his work also appears in SI this week).

If the Phils can stay alive tonight, they'll play the first Game 7 in franchise history tomorrow.

Cole Hamels, who has pitched in his share of playoff clinchers, is ready to go:

Staring down elimination for the second straight game, the Phillies are trotting out a new-look lineup.

Charlie Manuel has penciled Jimmy Rollins into the top spot of the order for Game 6 of the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants, moving Shane Victorino lower in the order. Rollins last led off in Game 1 of the NLDS (when Placido Polanco was a late scratch).




Rollins went 2-for-4 in Game 5 in San Francisco, and showed his right hamstring isn't an issue anymore by stealing back-to-back bases in the seventh inning. Rollins has also hit much better against left-handers this year (the Giants are starting lefty Jonathan Sanchez).

Rollins has hit .297 vs. LHP as opposed to just .218 against righties.

"He showed me the other day he's got his legs underneath him," Manuel said Saturday. "I've always felt this is our best lineup."

Manuel also had a positive medical report on Roy Halladay, who pitched despite a groin injury Thursday: "He said anytime I want him to go, he's ready."


Here are the lineups:

PHILLIES:

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Jayson Werth, RF
6. Shane Victorino, CF
7. Raul Ibanez, LF
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Roy Oswalt, P


GIANTS:

1. Andres Torres, CF
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
3. Aubrey Huff, 1B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Pat Burrell, LF
6. Cody Ross, RF
7. Juan Uribe, 3B
8. Edgar Renteria, SS
9. Jonathan Sanchez, P

Brad Lidge summed it up pretty well.

"It showed me a lot," Lidge said. "It won't go down as this, but I think it was one of the more impressive outings he's ever had. He gutted it out with a lot less than 100 percent out there… despite not having one of legs underneath him. That was huge for him to grind out those six innings."



Lidge was talking about teammate Roy Halladay. In the second matchup of former Cy Young Award winners, and arguably the best two pitchers in baseball, Halladay out-dueled Tim Lincecum in the Phillies 4-2 win in Game 5 of the NLCS.

But what was remarkable was that Halladay did so while pitching hurt. He injured his right groin while facing the sixth batter of the game.

But he toughed it out, holding the Giants to one run in his final 4 2/3 innings after the injury.

Here's Halladay afterward (turn up the volume, he speaks softly).

Until the series is over, there's no more sense is re-hashing last night. The Phils have a new opportunity to turn the series around in about three hours.

Here is the lineup Charlie Manuel will trot out:

PHILLIES:

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Jayson Werth, RF
6. Jimmy Rollins, SS
7. Raul Ibanez, LF
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Roy Halladay, P



SF GIANTS:

1. Andres Torres CF
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
3. Aubrey Huff, 1B
4. Buster Posey, 1B
5. Pat Burrell, LF
6. Cody Ross, RF
7. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
8. Jose Uribe, SS
9. Tim Lincecum, P


"This team has a lot of fight left; we're going to come out with a lot of energy and play our game," Phillies reliever Ryan Madson said Wednesday night. "We're going to win tomorrow and bring the series back."

If they don't win, the next game the Phillies play will come in the Grapefruit League in Florida in four months.

Raul Ibanez was 0-for-4 in Tuesday's Game 3.

He is hitless (0-for-11) in the NLCS and 0-for-15 since hitting a single in the second game of the LDS against the Reds.

But Charlie Manuel sounded like a guy not ready to tinker with his lineup following Tuesday's game.

“He’s been hitting lefties good the second half of the season,” Manuel said, defending the left-handed hitting Ibanez, who hit .268 against lefties and .277 off right-handers this season. “(Raul) has got some big hits off lefties. Francisco hasn’t played since we left Washington at the end of the season. I’ll think about all that. But at the same time it’s getting kind of late to be trying to make moves, isn’t it?”


But Charlie changed his tune Wednesday. Ibanez is on the bench; right-handed hitting Ben Francisco is in the starting lineup vs. Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner.


Here are the lineups:


PHILLIES

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Chase Utley, 2B
3. Placido Polanco, 3B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Jayson Werth, LF
6. Jimmy Rollins, SS
7. Ben Francisco, LF
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Joe Blanton, P



GIANTS

1. Edgar Renteria, SS
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
3. Aubrey Huff, 1B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Pat Burrell, LF
6. Cody Ross, RF
7. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
8. Aaron Rowand, CF
9. Madison Bumgarner, P

Imagine, if you will, the Phillies playing in a decisive, seventh game of a playoff series. It's win and go forward or lose and go home.

Charlie Manuel wants to draw up the perfect lineup. There's no time for playing around.

The Phils also want to put the best pitchers possible on the mound. Imagine, if you will, having both Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay able to pitch on the same day.

Now forget everything you just read. Because the first lesson of trying to win in baseball, according to the philosophy of one Charlie F. Manuel, is to play for that day, the game in front of you. You're not concerned about the one you just played; you're not worried about the one on the horizon after today.

The Phillies trail the Giants 2-1 in the best-of-seven NLCS. The goal at hand is to win Game 4, nothing less, nothing more.

If you have the wherewithal to send you best pitcher to the mound for Game 4, why wouldn't you?

Roy Halladay can pitch Game 4. He would be coming back on short rest (one day short), but it's something he's done six times before in his career (with success) and it's something he said Tuesday he'd happily do if called upon.

But the Phillies are going with Joe Blanton. They want to keep all of their pitchers on regular rest.

Hey, that's their preference and it's fine. They have confidence in Joe Blanton.

But if the objective, if the only thing you need to be worried about, as Manuel preaches, is the game in front of you, shouldn't you play your best possible hand and worry about the next step when it comes? In this case, you can't get to Game 6 without winning Game 4 and/or 5 first.


Pitch Halladay in Game 4. Continuing with the philosophy of playing to win for that day, pitch Roy Oswalt in Game 5, also on short rest, but also something he's done before and succeeded at doing.

So now it's Game 6. Whether you're trailing 2-3 or up in the series 3-2, you're best possible pitcher for this day - and the goal is to win on this day - is Joe Blanton. Cole Hamels has never pitched on short rest in his career and isn't likely to do so here.

The Phils have handled him with kid gloves and Hamels is very cognizant of the number of days in between his starts. For good or bad, he's more of a creature of routine than most.

So, again, Blanton is you best available option for Game 6, regardless if the series is 3-2 in your favor or 2-3 in the Giants favor.

On to Game 7. Your best available pitcher on this day? Cole Hamels on full rest or Roy Halladay on short rest (again, one day short). Take your pick.

Start Hamels and have Halladay come in relief if needed.

But once again, we're getting ahead of ourselves. The only concern is to win today - not to worry about Game 5 or Game 6 or Game 7.

As Manuel preaches - almost every day - you play to win on that day. With that logic, Roy Halladay takes the ball Wednesday at AT&T Park, not Joe Blanton.

This isn't to say the team can't win with Blanton on the mound; but their chances of winning are better with Halladay.

Will you have to use Blanton eventually? Sure, if you advance to a sixth game.

If you moved Halladay up a day for Game 4, would you then also have him available for Game 7? You would... if you get to a Game 7.

But neither of those points - the logic that you're eventually going to have to use Blanton and the possible luxury of having Halladay available for Game 7 - should be your concern.

You can't get to Game 6 or Game 7 or a World Series unless you win the game in front of you first.

What worked in Game 2 sticks for Game 3.

Charlie Manuel's lineup was just posted and the Phillies manager has Chase Utley once again hitting in the second slot, followed by Placido Polanco.


PHILLIES

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Chase Utley, 2B
3. Placido Polanco, 3B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Jayson Werth, RF
6. Jimmy Rollins, SS
7. Raul Ibanez, LF
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Cole Hamels, P




GIANTS

1. Edgar Renteria, SS
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
3. Buster Posey, C
4. Pat Burrell, LF
5. Cody Ross, RF
6. Aubrey Huff, 1B
7. Juan Uribe, 3B
8. Aaron Rowand, CF
9. Matt Cain, P

So writing on deadline can be a chore, and sometimes you can't get everything into your stories. Here is the game story, on deadline.


Here's what is missing: what third base coach Sam Perlozzo said, after Roy Oswalt ran right through his stop sign in the best moment of the night in the Phillies 6-1 win over the Giants in Game 2 of the NLCS on Sunday night.



Q: Were you yelling anything?
Perlozzo: I usually throw my hands up in the air and say right here, right here. But you’ve got a crowd out there.

Q: What think when he blows by you?
Perlozzo: “I wouldn’t exactly call that blowing.”


Q: Did you think he would be safe at home?
Perlozzo: “Absolutely not. I think I put my hands up on top my head like, oh no. I went in there to home plate with him and I was a little worried.”

Q: Did he almost run you over?
Perlozzo: “It was an extremely wide turn, which was part of the problem... I had my hands over my eyes at that time.”






photo by Eric Hartline, Daily Times

Is exactly the one I predicted here earlier today:

1. Victorino
2. Utley
3. Polly
4. Howard
5. Werth
6. JRoll
7. Ibanez
8. Ruiz
9. Oswalt


Lawrence, out.

An interesting (and somewhat odd) suggestion seemed to come out of the postgame press chatter with the Phillies players and coaches following Saturday night's Game 1 loss to the San Francisco Giants: batting Jimmy Rollins at leadoff.

Count me in for and I-don't-get-it vote. How exactly does putting the team's least consistent and least productive hitter atop the order help right a lineup?

Rollins is 1-for-15 in the postseason, he went hitless (with three strikeouts) in Saturday's 4-3 defeat and his offense has been on a steady decline since winning MVP honors in 2007. Oh, he also has a right hamstring that may or may not be close to 100 percent (he won't say), so it's likely he can't run at 100 percent.

So, other than the "change of scenery" argument, I'm not seeing the point of that move.

Here's what's more likely (not because it's the right move, but because it's me getting in Charlie Manuel's brain): flipping Chase Utley and Placido Polanco in the order.

Let's get this out of the way first: Utley can hit lefties. We understand that this move, when looking at splits, might not make a ton of sense from the lefty pitcher standpoint.

But throughout the year, a year when the offense has been lethargic more often than not, Manuel has tinkered with the second and third spots in the order, flipping Utley with Polly to break up the Utley-Ryan Howard, back-to-back-lefties spot in the heart of the order.

The firs time Manuel made the Utley-Polanco move was on June 15 at Yankee Stadium. The Phils scored three runs off (lefty) CC Sabathia in the game's first four innings... but lost 8-3.

Manuel made the Utley-Polly move again in the last game of the same series. Against (lefty) Andy Pettitte, the Phils struck first, with three runs in the first five innings, en route to a 7-1 win.

The Phils entered Yankee Stadium in the worst stretch of the season - having lost 16 of 23 - and their offense was the guilty party. They had scored three runs or less in 18 of those 23 games, and had been shut out in six of those games.

The offense woke up enough to take two of three from the Yankees. Whether the Utley-Polanco move was a major factor can be debated (Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick were probably more responsible for the Phils taking 2 of 3 from the Yanks).

But the point here is Manuel has made the Utley-Polanco move before when his team is struggling and a left-hander is on the mound.

Although both hitters missed a good chunk of the middle of the season, including not long after the Yankees series, Manuel used the Utley-Polanco switch six more times in 2010. Th results? A mixed bag: the Phils went 3-3 in those six games, averaging 3 runs per game.

The first time Manuel made the Utley-Polly move since the Yankees series? On Aug. 17, the first day Utley returned from the DL, against the San Francisco Giants.

The Phils battered (lefty) Barry Zito and San Fran that night 9-3.

Also worthy of taking note: the Phils faced Sanchez in that same series, managing just one run on two hits in eight innings. The lineup that night, when Ryan Howard was on the DL, was: Rollins-Vic-Polly-Utley-Werth-Sweeney-Ibanez-Ruiz-Hamels.

I don't have a crystal ball, but if I were hedging my bets, I think I would place my chips on Charlie flipping Polanco and Utley instead of moving Rollins back to the top. Of course, he could also do both.

Here's one man's guess on the lineup vs. San Fran lefty Jonathan Sanchez for Game 2:

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Chase Utley, 2B
3. Placido Polanco, 3B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Jayson Werth, RF
6. Jimmy Rollins, SS
7. Raul Ibanez, LF
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Roy Oswalt, P


Also of note concerning the struggling Rollins: he is 1-for-16 (.063) with 4 strikeouts and no walks in his career vs. Sanchez.

For the first time since they were swept out of the playoffs by the Rockies in 2007, the Phils trail a postseason series 1-0.


Roy Halladay surrendered two home runs to Cody Ross (or as he's known in Phillies fan circles, Cody Bleepin' Ross) in a 4-3 defeat to the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night. Whether it was Halladay's off-kilter outing or an offense that continues to baffle with its ineffectiveness (they do have seven former All-Stars and another guy who hit .300 this year), the game wasn't pretty to watch for the Phils fans that made up the 45,929 at CBP.

Here's a little of what was said afterward:



CHARLIE MANUEL

(On trailing 1-0 in a series for the first time since '07): How does that change? I look at it this way: How do we play? What do we talk about? We can't do nothing about right now. We've got to come out and win tomorrow's game.
We've been playing that way for the last four years. I mean, that's kind of how we play. That's what we talk about. And, look, I don't think we can do nothing to bring this game back tonight. It's a loss. So we come out tomorrow, and we come out and play in that moment, try to win that game. That's what we've got to do. That's about the only thing we can do.

(On consideration of bringing Halladay back on short rest in the series): I don't want to think about that yet. I'm not even thinking about that.

(On how concerned he is with Jimmy Rollins, 1-for-15 in postseason): How concerned? I want Jimmy Rollins to hit, of course. I mean, you know, I'm very concerned about him hitting. I want him to hit. But I also think that we have to get him hitting, too. We need to try to get him hitting. What's he got, 0-for-13, 14.
That's happened before. It happens quite a bit.

(On possibly moving Rollins back to leadoff): I'll think about that. I'll think about it. Tonight I'll think about a whole lot of things.
We need to put together more offense. But like we've had trouble - basically we got off to a good start during the season, but three weeks or whatever, the first month, we've been sputtering kind of ever since. But at the same time we're capable of doing it. It's up to us to do it.

(On whether he thinks his offense needs a more-disciplined approach): What I always say, baseball's a funny game. That's how I see it.
If I go in there tell them something, if I could tell them something that's going to help them hit and things like that, believe me I will. They're definitely trying. I mean, sometimes that's the way it goes. And they're going to come out and they're going to try hard tomorrow. Maybe they'll try even harder. Maybe too hard. I don't know.
But at the same time, we've got to come out. We've got to be ready to play and go up there and try to get a good ball, and hit. We've got to have a plan against a guy pitching, and we've got to make them throw strikes and see if we can do better than we did tonight. That's how I look at it, you know?




JIMMY ROLLINS

(On the loss): It was a one-run game. You can’t expect the bats to not find the ball regardless of who’s on the mound.

(On if it would help to go back to leadoff spot): It doesn’t really matter. It’s funny that [Charlie] said that because I was in the lunch room thinking about that. We’ve got a lefty going tomorrow [Sanchez] and and the right side is working well for me all year long. Whatever Charlie wants me to do.

(On his confidence): Confidence is unshakeable. If you don’t have that, you don’t have a chance.

(On examining his hitting woes): After the game, I looked at some footage. I see what I’m doing. I’m just not executing. I’m pretty close, but it got worse as the night went on.

(On trailing 1-0 in series for first time since '07): Usually, it’s the other way around. We win Game 1 and find a way to lose Game 2. Now we’ve got to find a way to win Game 2. We’ve won on the road, and we’re confident in our offense. We’ve got to find a way to get even tomorrow.
We swung better in Game 1 than we did in any game last series, so that’s a positive.



ROY HALLADAY

(On losing first game of NLCS): It’s a part of baseball. We gotta win four, so we move on. That’s the bottom line.

(On if he didn't feel sharp from get-go): Well, I made some bad pitches at times. There are times I made good pitches, other times they weren’t good. The first pitch to Ross I didn’t think was that bad. The second one, I left the ball over the plate. In the sixth, a couple pitches there cost me. At this point, if you make a couple mistakes they end up costing you.

(On close call against Burrell, whether he thought he struck him out): Yeah, I did, but there obviously are calls they wanted to. It’s part of the game. If you don’t’ get a pitch, you have to make a pitch on the next one.

(On going from high of no-hitter to low of losing first LCS game): It’s obviously something you’re never prepared for. That’s part of it. You find out what you’re made off. You never obviously expect it to be easy. You grind it out and make adjustments next time out. I think if you can’t handle failure at this point, you’re in the wrong business... You swallow it and move on.



BRAD LIDGE

Y(On whether knowing Yanks lost Game 1 of WS and won it helps): It’s pretty tough to go through the postseason and not lose a game. IT’s gonna happen. Thought we did a good tonight. Those two home runs were obviously big for us. They’re a tough team. They have a lot of good hitters that give you good at-bats. They did a good job tonight overall. We still feel …we like we’re at and are feeling pretty good about the series. Like I said, You’re not going to win every game in the postseason. Little bit of a reality check. Now e just need to work and do our thing and we’ll be fine.


(on if mental makeup of this team means confidence hasn't been shaken): No, it’s definitely not. It’s the playoffs and the teams you’re playing are very good. So if you’re a little off one night, you’ll probably lose. Tonight, they were just a hair better than us. We still feel very confident about our ballclub. There’s not a whole lot that’s gonna rattle us. But we need to keep working hard.


(on if it was odd seeing Halladay scuffle some): You expect Roy to go out every time and do his thing, but at the same time, the way the series was built up, if anyone got a hit it was gonna be a miracle. So you’ve got too good offensive clubs playing also and tonight there were some HRs. Sure, You’re always surprised when Roy gets hit, but that’s one every blue moon, and its gonna be exciting to watch him pitch the next time he gets the ball.

We're closing in on four hours til game time. Here are the lineups:


PHILLIES

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Jayson Werth, RF
6. Jimmy Rollins, SS
7. Raul Ibanez, LF
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Roy Halladay, P




GIANTS

1. Andres Torres, CF
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
3. Aubrey Huff, 1B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Pat Burrell, LF
6. Juan Uribe, SS
7. Mike Fontenot, 3B
8. Cody Ross, RF
9. Tim Lincecum, P


For more on why there is so much hype and hoopla for the pitching matchup, Halladay vs. Lincecum, click here.

Interesting observation from lineups: No Pablo Sandoval for the Giants. The "Kung Fu Panda" was the team's best hitter a year ago, but has struggled mightily in '10.



Game prediction: winds are blowing out to right-center. That, coupled with Howard's career numbers off Lincecum (.316, 6-for-19, 3 HR, 5 RBIs) makes me think the Big Piece could be the difference maker in the battle of the best two pitchers in the league.

This is unofficial, only because the press release hasn't been issued yet. But Ruben Amaro Jr. confirmed the makeup of the NLCS roster a little while ago.

Greg Dobbs is off, Kyle Kendrick is on.

Since the NLDS was a best-of-five series, the Phils had luxury to carry just 10 pitchers. They're going with 11 in the best-of-seven series against the Giants.

In the end, the decision became Dobbs vs. Domonic Brown. Dobbs' ability to play third base - and the health of both Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco - made his spot on the roster a decent possiblity.


But the fact that the Phils swept the Reds - and got six days off in between series - was critical in proving everyone with a rest, including Rollins and Polanco.

Here is the 25-man roster:


Rotation:
SP Roy Halladay
SP Roy Oswalt
SP Cole Hamels
SP Joe Blanton

Bullpen:
RHP Kyle Kendrick
RHP Chad Durbin
RHP Jose Contreras
RHP Ryan Madson
RHP Brad Lidge
LHP Antonio Bastardo
LHP J.C. Romero

Starters:
C Carlos Ruiz
1B Ryan Howard
2B Chase Utley
SS Jimmy Rollins
3B Placido Polanco
LF Raul Ibanez
CF Shane Victorino
RF Jayson Werth


Bench:
1B Mike Sweeney (R)
1B/OF Ross Gload (L)
OF Ben Francisco (R)
INF Wilson Valdez (R)
OF Domonic Brown (L)
C Brian Schneider (L)

The Phillies will keep their rotation in the same order for the NLC as it was in the LDS: Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels.

Joe Blanton also appears to be on tap for Game 4, meaning Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels would follow in Games 5, 6 and 7 (if they're necessary) with the H2O trio on full rest.

Here is Charlie Manuel talking rotation:

Although Charlie Manuel wouldn't confirm that Roy Halladay would be his Game 1 starter, Roy Halladay will be the Game 1 starter. Who is kidding who, people?

The Giants will almost certainly counter with two-time reigning NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum.

What was confirmed today was the start time for that Game 1, as well as the sked for the rest of the NLCS. Here goes:


GAME 1: Giants at Phillies, Saturday @ 7:57 p.m.

GAME 2: Giants at Phillies, Sunday @ 8:19 p.m.

GAME 3: Phillies at Giants, Tuesday @ 4:19 p.m.

GAME 4: Phillies at Giants, Wednesday @ 7:57 p.m.

GAME 5 (if necessary): Phillies at Giants, Thursday, Oct. 21 @ 7:57 p.m.

GAME 6 (if necessary): Giants at Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 23 @ 3:57 p.m.***

GAME 7 (if necessary): Giants at Phillies, Sunday, Oct. 24 @ 7:57 p.m.


All game times are Eastern Standard Time. All games will be televised on FOX.


*** GAME 6 would be moved up to 7:57 p.m. if the AL series is already over.

It'll be Tim Lincecum vs. Roy Halladay...






























Pat Burrell's home-away-from home homecoming vs. Jimmy Rollins' hometown homecoming...

The Phanatic vs. Lou Seal....





















Pat Burrell's dog vs Jayson Werth's Beard...

Ladies and gentlemen, this could get ugly.

The San Francisco Giants won another one-run game against the Atlanta Braves tonight, completing the other half of the NL bracket. It'll be Phils-Giants in the NLCS, beginning Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park (with the aforementioned, whale of a pitching matchup).

The two teams split the regular season series 3-3.

The Phils were out in San Fran in late April, losing 2 of 3. That series would be best remembered by starting on the day Ryan Howard signed a $125 million contract and ended with Ryan Madson kicking a chair and breaking his toe. (The Giants played this series before Rookie of the Year candidate/team MVP Buster Posey was their every day catcher).

The Giants came to Philly two months ago, in the middle of August. Burrell hit home runs in his first two games back at Citizens Bank Park (both Phillies wins). The Phils couldn't finish off the sweep in the third game, when Jonathan Sanchez (the guy you should probably fear in the upcoming series) outdueled Hamels in a battle of lefties. (The Phils played this series without Ryan Howard, who was on the DL with an ankle injury).


The Phillies have been considered the class of the NL for some time now. But I wouldn't sleep on these Giants.



San Francisco has been known for their stable of strong starters (Lincecum, Matt Cain, Sanchez, Barry Zito and rookie Madison Bumgarner), but their offense has been a lot better this season with the additions of Aubrey Huff, Posey and Burrell.



The H2O trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels is tough to beat. But the Giants should be able to put up a darn good fight with Lincecum (16-10, 3.43 ERA), Cain (13-11, 3.14), Sanchez (13-9, 3.07) and Bumgarner (7-6, 3.00).

Phillies and Giants. The fun begins with Halladay-Lincecum, Saturday, at CBP.

Cole Hamels was brilliant. (Remember all the talk from fraud fans who wanted him traded this time last year?).

Hamels was back to pitching like a playoff ace, firing a five-hit shutout, five days after Roy Halladay's no-hitter, to lead the Phils to a 2-0 win and a sweep of the Reds in three games of the NLDS.

Plenty in tomorrow's paper (and online at delcotimes.com/sports and delcotimes.com/sports/phillies

But here's a little taste from the celebratory clubhouse, including an embrace (manly hug?) from the two big pieces in the middle of the lineup, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard:

We're almost five hours away from game time. For the first time in franchise history, the Phillies can sweep a playoff series in Game 3 of the NLDS tonight at Great American Ball Park.

For all of the notes from Saturday's workout, on Chooch, Jose Contreras' visit to the Reds team hotel in Philly, etc, click here.

Cole Hamels takes the mound tonight. For more on Hamels, the playoff veteran of the rotation, click here.

If you'd like to watch a video of Hamels talking about Carlos Ruiz, the rotation, tonight's start (among otehr things) click below:

So we've made it to the Queen City or whatever they call this brown-rivered place... and although many of us are sleep-deprived, we are conscious for this afternoon's late workout at Great American Ball Park (which really ain't so "great").

It's quite warm here. A nice change from where we were at a year ago: snowy Denver.

Anyhow, Charlie Manuel addressed the media earlier. He talked Cole Hamels, had an update on Carlos Ruiz's left knee (after getting plunked last night) and he answers the question on whether the Reds can win three straight games against Hamels, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt.

(I have to give my boys at the 700 Level props for that magnificent photo. Well done, fellas).

It's all here in this nifty video:

The Phillies lineup for Game 2 is what the lineup for Game 1 would have looked like of Placido Polanco had been available. But two days after missing the first game of the NLDS, Polanco is back in his normal No.2 spot in the lineup tonight.


1. Shane Victorino, CF

2. Placido Polanco, 3B

3. Chase Utley, 2B

4. Ryan Howard, 1B

5. Jayson Werth, RF

6. Jimmy Rollins, SS

7. Raul Ibanez, LF

8. Carlos Ruiz, C

9. Roy Oswalt, P


Of course the most interesting thing about this lineup, other than Polanco being back, is that Victorino - and not Jimmy Rollins - is in the leadoff spot. It's the first time in the 34 postseason games the Phils have played since '07 that Rollins is not in the top spot.

It's really no surprise since the offense took off for the first time in a long time after Manuel demoted Rollins and promoted Victorino on Sept. 6. The transition was a lot smoother after Rollins injured his right hamstring and missed 16 straight games two days after the lineup switch.

Although neither guy is the prototypical leadoff hitter from a stat standpoint - they rank 7th and 8th in on-base percentage among the Phils regular eight position players - Victorino is the Phils all-time playoff hits leader and has had better offensive years than Rollins for three straight years.

So why Rollins in the 6th spot, in between Werth and Ibanez?

"I made Jimmy sixth tonight and put Raul 7th, because I wanted a couple of right-handed hitters behind Howard in case they brought in the lefty. We can get some balance," Manuel said. "Ibanez has been hitting the second half of the season, and especially hitting left-handers pretty good. But I liked that lineup the other day, and I like it now because of the fact they've got depth and left-handers in the bullpen."

And now, a photo of Jimmy Rollins surfing. Why? Because I saw it on a google image search for "Rollins and Victorino" and couldn't resist using it.

Here is the first few minutes of Charlie Manuel's press conference from this afternoon, prior to the Phillies workout.

Early on, he addresses Placido Polanco's availability for Game 2 on Friday.

Everyone at Citizens Bank Park remains abuzz after Roy Halladay pitched the second postseason no-hitter in baseball history.

(OK, maybe not everyone -- the Phils, of course, are moving on and focusing on Game 2. It's how they're built).

But we know you're still geeked up about it. So here's the Halladay postgame press conference, in Q&A form, in its entirety:



Q. With all due respect, if this is what you do for your first ever postseason start, what do you do for an encore?

ROY HALLADAY: Just try and win. It was a lot of fun. It's just one of those special things I think you'll always remember. But the best part about it is the playoffs take priority, and that's pretty neat for me to be able to go out and win a game like that and know there's more to come for us and more to accomplish. So that makes it a lot of fun.



Q. What was your day like? When did you get to the ballpark? What were you thinking about on the way down here? It was your first postseason start, can you kind of take us through the emotions and the build-up.

ROY HALLADAY: It was pretty normal, really. I think you try and disconnect yourself, I think, from the emotions a little bit. Knowing that you've prepared yourself, you're ready, and you try to go out and execute your plan.
I think once the game started, I got out there and I felt like I was able to do that. I wasn't thinking about all that stuff, first playoffs or any of that. It was go out and try and execute a plan, and that made it a lot easier. But it's been fun for me. It's been a challenge that I look forward to.
So I never -- excited, I guess, is a better word to describe it than nervous. I was excited. It was a lot of fun to look forward to pitching in this game.



Q. Could you just go through each of your pitches and which were the best pitches working for you? And how did your stuff tonight compare to the night in Florida with the perfect game?

ROY HALLADAY: I thought we used everything pretty well today. Changeup was big for me today, curveball was good. I know I always go back to it, but Ruiz has done a great job of recognizing early on what's working, what's effective, and calling that.
Changeup has been a little bit hit and miss for me the last few times out and it was good today. He recognized that early, continued to call it, and did it in good situations. Through the middle innings, I thought we did a good job mixing pitches, going soft early, and I think that was key for it.
But really I thought we were aggressive. We were aggressive, made good pitches, and Carlos, again, what can I say?



Q. At any point in this game did history come into your mind that only one person in postseason history has ever done this? And did that ever enter your thoughts as you were sitting by yourself?

ROY HALLADAY: It didn't. It's hard to explain, but pitching a game like that, being able to win the game comes first. That's kind of your only focus until after it's over with. I think once it ends it's a little bit surreal to know some of that stuff.
But the best part about it is when you're out there, your only job is to help your team try to win the game. And if you can keep that focus off of yourself, on the team, trying to help, it makes your job a lot easier.


Q. What was your view on the final play and did your heart skip a little bit when the ball kind of hit the bat?

ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, I saw it bounce around the bat, tough play, good runner. Carlos made a great play. It kind of hit the bat and chucked up a little bit. It definitely wasn't an easy play, but it couldn't happen to a better guy to have Carlos get the last out. It was fun, definitely, definitely exciting, exciting way to end it.



Q. You're so focused and so methodical in your approach to pitching, and obviously you probably didn't think too much about it. When did you realize that it was happening? At what stage of the game? And what were your thoughts? Did you just concentrate totally on pitching or could you think a little bit about what it might be like to do this?

ROY HALLADAY: I would say I think by the fifth or sixth obviously you're aware of it the whole time. But by the fifth or sixth it's a little bit more, not achievable, but you're definitely closer.
I think throughout the whole game though, it's definitely not something you're trying to do. I think as soon as you try and do it kind of takes you out of your plan a little bit.
Yeah, I was definitely aware of it, knew what was going on in the fifth or sixth inning. After that I was just trying to stay aggressive, make them put the ball in play, don't beat myself up and trying to keep that focus on what was going on in the game. A four-run lead, trying to stay aggressive and not pitch around and get myself in trouble and end up now not only are you giving up hits but you've got yourself in a jam. So really just tried to stay aggressive.
I think being able to pitch in that game took the priority for me.


Q. What about the outs?
ROY HALLADAY: I think just trying to execute pitches, it wasn't even outs. I think if I can keep my focus on just making the pitches, not worry about the outs, try and stay aggressive and make quality pitches. I think the rest will come.
I think even outs, sometimes you get a little bit ahead of yourself.



Q. Roy, kind of a follow-up to an earlier question. Your name now goes next to a guy who is a pretty big legend in the game of baseball, Don Larsen, have you thought about what that means to you personally?

ROY HALLADAY: Not really yet. I think, at this point we're one game up. We've got to win two more. Like I said early in the year, I think these are types of things that once the season is over, I think you're able to kind of soak it all in and enjoy it.
I think right now it's easy to keep your focus on the team, especially at this point in the season knowing we need a couple more wins here to move on. It's easier for me to keep that focus, I think, than to kind of analyze where those things stack up. I think that's something you do later.



Q. Charlie said it got quiet about the sixth inning in the dugout. Is that distracting to you at all? If I could put another one on top of that, the ball that goes right by you under your glove, did you think you'd lost it at that point?

ROY HALLADAY: Well, like I said, it's something I wasn't real worried about achieving at that point. I thought I had a chance to make the play. But I think if you're not putting too much emphasis on trying to throw a no-hitter, you're going out and staying aggressive, it makes it, like I said, a lot easier. So I wasn't worried about losing it, I was worried about not getting myself in a situation where now, as a team, we have a chance to get ourselves in trouble.
So that made it easy for me. You know, I wasn't paying a lot of attention to what was going on in the dugout at that point, no (laughing).



Q. The perfect game was down there on the road in Florida, this being here and the first playoff game you've ever been a part of, could you sense the crowd getting louder in each inning or do you have just complete tunnel vision?

ROY HALLADAY: No, when it gets that loud, it's hard to ignore. I thought especially the last three innings, it seemed like it got louder every inning. It's probably, obviously, one of the most electric atmospheres I've ever been in. It was pretty neat.
It's something, you obviously can't ignore, so it was a lot of fun.



Q. Not to nitpick on the only negative thing, but can you take us through what happened with the walk?

ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, two strikes, we tried to throw a sinker inside, and it kind of stayed on its line. It didn't come back as much as they had earlier in the game. I think if it does, we'd probably get a strike there. But it kind of held its line, and then 3-2 just trying to make a quality pitch. You never want to give in, never want to throw a ball over the middle, but you're still trying to make good pitches.
Got myself in a jam, and just one of those pitches that got away, wasn't exactly where I wanted. But I think it was still early in the game and with two outs, you're still, after the fact, trying to keep your focus on one or two pitches, get myself out of the inning. But yeah, there were one or two that got away from me there.


Q. Was it helpful, actually, since your teammates, including yourself, scored a bunch of runs early, and then they weren't doing anything either offensively, were you able to get back out there and get going as opposed to keeping your rhythm, as opposed to them scoring three runs in a half hour or half inning at some point?

ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, I think once we scored a couple of runs there in the second inning you give yourself a little bit of leeway. It's not going to be one pitch that costs you. So as a pitcher, that's always a nice feeling to have knowing that you can continue to be aggressive, go after guys and you make one or two mistakes and it's not going to cost you the game. So that definitely helps.
But you'll take all the runs you can get no matter how long you wait in the dugout. I think if you can keep somewhat of a rhythm, it's always helpful. That seemed to be the case after that inning. Things went pretty quickly.
Like I said, you'll always take the runs, but to be able to stay in that groove is always good, too.



Q. Everybody talks about your dedication. I think you had some dedicated teammates today. Madson said out in the bullpen he had to go to the bathroom for three or four innings, and wouldn't even move.

ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, he's a piece of work (smiling). I'm surprised that's all he did, to be honest with you. You know, it's fun to play on teams with guys like that that you feel like are always rooting for you and you're always rooting for them. It's a great atmosphere and it's been that way all year. So definitely you feel that team unity and it's a great thing to be involved in.



Q. You were pitching in a pretty heavy downpour there for a couple innings. Were the conditions on the mound any problem whatsoever, and did you have to adjust your approach at all to the Cincinnati hitters because it was raining so hard?

ROY HALLADAY: No, I didn't have to change anything. It definitely got sticky. You spend some time cleaning your shoes in between innings, but it wasn't bad. It never got slick, it never got out of control. So it really wasn't that bad. I'm glad we got it in, that's for sure.
You know, it really wasn't a problem. I don't think it changed anything the way you went about it.



Q. When you arrived here in December, you talked about how the goal is to pitch in the playoffs and you just mentioned that tonight was surreal. After all those years in Toronto and the Octobers when you're not part of the playoffs, did you ever dream about pitching then? And if so, how does it compare to what transpired tonight?

ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, I think even if you go a couple times, I think if you don't go you're always thinking about being there. I think the longer you play, the more you think about having that chance and being able to be involved in it.
It's been fun to do here because of the atmosphere and the guys on the team. It's been really everything that I hoped it would be. It's something that I've looked forward to, and obviously very glad I got the chance.


Q. In June that game in Cincinnati when you gave up 13 hits, since then you've faced these guys twice and just dominated them. Did you learn anything that day about facing the Cincinnati Reds? And second part, today with the first pitch strikes they were amazing. When you get all those first pitch strikes, do you approach the at-bat in terms of thinking you can go outside of the strike zone a little bit, particularly with your curveball?

ROY HALLADAY: Yeah. I mean, first, obviously I think the more you face guys I think the more you learn about them. We felt pretty good about our plan going into the game. They have some good hitters. I think for me, it was important because it kind of plays into the second question, it was important to get ahead. They have some guys in the middle of the lineup that are patient, they have good at-bats, that can cause trouble.
It's definitely something that any time you're facing a good team, I think the more aggressive you can be early in the count, get yourself in pitcher's counts, the more the numbers play into your favor. So that was definitely a priority. I think any time you're facing good hitters, especially over there in the middle part of their lineup is pretty solid, I think it's a priority. Getting pitcher's counts and the numbers are in your favor, and then you can work out of the zone a little bit, but it's definitely important getting ahead.


Q. Can you just speak about the overall defense behind you, Jimmy made some big plays out there, Chase, can you just talk about that?

ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, it was very good. It's been that way all year. Even Jayson Werth made a good play, you know, with the pitcher up. It's a good defensive team. I think we do a good job of focusing on the little things and defense is sometimes definitely a big part of it. We did a great job. Wilson at third did a great job stepping in. I know he hasn't played there as much lately, but all the way around very good defensive game.


Q. You had obviously a fairly significant RBI single. Can you talk about that hit and does it make it that much sweeter? And the second question is: I saw your boys, how nice is it to do this in front of family?

ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, lucky and lucky. I think any time you get a hit as a pitcher you're definitely going against the averages, that's for sure. But it made it fun for me. You enjoy competing regardless of how good you are. To be able to go out and compete and play the game is a lot of fun.
To have family here is the same. It's been a lot of fun for me, and you want to share things like this with family and friends. My family's here, and I feel like my friends are on the team, so it makes it special for me.


Q. After the game, Orlando Cabrera said he thought you got a little help from the home plate umpire tonight. I wanted to know your reaction to that, and what you thought of the strike zone?

ROY HALLADAY: I thought it was good. Any time you're getting strikes I think it's good. That's something that I've never tried to concern myself a lot with. There's going to be pitches you're going to get, there's going to be pitches you don't get. I think if you let that bother you one way or the other, I think it can cause you problems.
I felt like really it was a pretty fair zone. From what I saw in between innings, they were calling the same pitches that I was getting. It's one of those things that I think there's always going to be certain cases where people aren't happy with what's called, but that's part of the game. It's always been part of the game.

So Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter in his first career playoff game. We're sure you've heard by now.

We're going to get this edited nicely soon enough, but I thought all of this raw footage told a pretty good story from tonight.

Must admit it was pretty darn cool to watch a perfect game and no-hitter, by the same pitcher, in one season.

THE FINAL OUT:




OFF THE FIELD AND TO THE CLUBHOUSE:




ENTERING THE CLUBHOUSE, TO A STANDING OVATION:




THE POST NO-HITTER PRESS CONFERENCE:

Ruben Amaro Jr. just got finished addressing the media about the "mid back soreness, tightness" that is keeping third baseman Placido Polanco out of the starting lineup.

Amaro said Polly first felt the soreness while getting out of his car Monday. Although Polanco didn't feel up to starting, the injury doesn't sound too serious.

"I hope by the end of today he's ready," Amaro said when asked if Polly would be available for Friday's Game 2.

If that's the case, there appears to be the possibility that Polanco could pinch hit. We shall see....

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If Polanco is back in the starting lineup on Friday, he'll join Roy Oswalt. The 33-year-old right-hander is on tap to follow Roy Halladay in the rotation for Game 2.

Here's a little from his press conference this afternoon.

Interesting news as the media arrives at the ballpark for tonight's Game of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds: Placido Polanco is not in the lineup.

It's reportedly a back injury, and thus, not related to his ongoing left elbow issues. Could be a day-to-day thing, but we'll hear from Charlie Manuel in a bit.

Follow the twitter feed for a live update when we have one.

Here is the lineup.

Wilson Valdez is starting at 3B. Not shocking that he's in there instead of the left-handed hitting Greg Dobbs vs. Reds righty Edinson Volquez. Roy Halladay is a groundball pitcher and Valdez is the superior defensive third baseman.

Valdez has also handled himself with the bat this year. In 88 starts while playing for one of the many injured infielders this season, Valdez hit .256 with four home runs and 32 RBIs.

I was enjoying some back-and-forth twitter chatter a few weeks back during a Roy Halladay start. I happened to be off that night, but I was still drawn to the TV to check out what was going on in the Phillies game.

In the third inning, Jayson Werth hit a three-run home run to put the Phils in front 3-0. My reaction: "Game over."

Sure enough, the Phils beat the Braves that night 5-3. But why so certain it was "game over" in a 3-0 game with six innings left to play?

As I said in the beginning of this post, Roy Halladay was on the mound. Fact: when Roy Halladay gets a lead like that, he rarely ever lets it go.

How rare is it for Halladay to give up a lead like that? In 33 starts this year, Halladay has failed to hold a three-run lead once.

Coincidentally, that one time was against the Cincinnati Reds on June 30. Halladay had a 3-0 lead against the Reds that afternoon, but lost it after giving up home runs to Joey Votto and Jay Bruce.

Is that a sign of things to come in the upcoming LDS, which begins with Halladay against the Reds at 5:07 p.m. today? Probably not.

Halladay got another crack at the Reds two weeks after that start at Great American Ball Park. All he did was throw nine shutout innings in a game that was eventually won 1-0 by the Phils in extra innings.

In his first start against the Reds, when he blew the lead, Halladay allowed a season-high 13 hits; two weeks later, he held them to five hits. So what was the big difference?

"Five hits," Halladay joked Tuesday.

Halladay pitches to contact. He'll give up his share of hits, but he has a knack for erasing those hits with double play ground balls, too.

He also has arguably the biggest arsenal of pitches in the big leagues. As Raul Ibanez, who faced Halladay for many years in the American League, once said, Halladay is hard to beat because none of his pitches begins and ends in the same place. The ball is constantly moving.

Halladay had one of his worst starts of the season against the Reds. He also had one of his best against them.

It's too small a sample size to draw too many conclusions. For Halladay, the key to success is pretty simple.

"More than anything it just comes to out-executing, that is the bottom line. If you're executing pitches, you're going to be in great shape one way or the other," Halladay said. "I think you're always aggressive. I'm going to give up hits at times. That's part of who I am. I think if I can control that to a certain extent and control the damage of it, I thinks that's a big factor. So, yeah, I'm going to continue to be aggressive, continue to challenge guys, but I'm going to try to do it on my pitches, get quick outs, get outs on quality pitches, and I think that's the biggest difference."

If the Phils can score runs early off the Reds starting pitchers in this series, they won't have to worry about Cincy's left-handed heavy bullpen. If they score runs early with Halladay on the mound....

Game over.

During the media availability, it was a guessing game.

As Charlie Manuel made a last walk through the clubhouse and into his office, a nosy reporter tried one more time.

"Your roster finalized?" the reporter asked.

"You'll know tomorrow," Manuel said.

"Are you guys OK with 10 pitchers?" the reporter asked.

"(Rich) Dubee wants to go with seven," Manuel joked.


During the Phillies hour-long media availability in the clubhouse, two things were certain: relievers Danys Baez and David Herndon will not be on the NLDS roster. Kyle Kendrick wouldn't comment... meaning there was a pretty good chance he's also off.

The guessing and fact-checking proved right. The Phils are going with a 25-man roster heavy on position players: they're taking 15 hitters and 10 pitchers.

The Phils can afford to go with 10 pitchers because they're going with a 3-man rotation. In the end, the bullpen has the same number of pitchers it would normally have: seven.

Here is the official roster:

Rotation:
SP Roy Halladay
SP Roy Oswalt
SP Cole Hamels

Bullpen:
RHP Joe Blanton
RHP Chad Durbin
RHP Jose Contreras
RHP Ryan Madson
RHP Brad Lidge
LHP Antonio Bastardo
LHP J.C. Romero

Starters:
C Carlos Ruiz
1B Ryan Howard
2B Chase Utley
SS Jimmy Rollins
3B Placido Polanco
LF Raul Ibanez
CF Shane Victorino
RF Jayson Werth


Bench:
1B Mike Sweeney (R)
1B/OF Ross Gload (L)
OF Ben Francisco (R)
3B Greg Dobbs (L)
INF Wilson Valdez (R)
OF Domonic Brown (L)
C Brian Schneider (L)

Roy Halladay met the media on Tuesday, a day before the first playoff game of his 13-year career.

Halladay pitched against the Reds twice this season. In one game, he took the loss, allowing a season-high 13 hits; in the other, he pitched nine innings, allowing five hits in a 1-0 win.

Halladay was asked what the difference was between the two starts. "Five hits," the right-handed quipped.

Here is a five-minute clip from the beginning of Halladay's Q&A with the media:



And in today's paper, how close the Phillies were to drafting Roy Halladay back in 1995.

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Injury update: This will be brief.

When asked about the health statuses of Carlos Ruiz (elbow) and J.C. Romero (back), Charlie Manuel said both were "good to go."


-------------------------------------------------------------------

Scheduling: we hope you don't have plans of watching the Eagles and 49ers Sunday night -- Game 3 of the NLDS will be going on at the same time.

In a press release, TBS and MLB announced that Game 3 of the NLDS between the Phils and Reds at Cincinnati will take place at 7:07 or 8:07 p.m.

If the Yankees-Twins series is still ongoing (their Game 4 would take place Sunday, if necessary), the Phils are are 7:07 on TNT. If there is no Game 4 between Yanks and Twins, Phils will play at 8:07 p.m.

Kickoff for Eagles-49ers is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. EST.


If a Game 4 between the Phils and Reds is necessary, it will be played at 5:07 p.m. at Great American Ball Park. If they need to play a Game 5, that will take place at 6:07 p.m. or 8:07 p.m.

(It would only be at 6:07 if the other NLDS Series, Braves-Giants, also goes to a Game 5).

Once the Phillies clinched both their fourth straight NL East title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs on Monday, it was assumed that Charlie Manuel would use the five games left on the regular season docket to rest his regulars.

Give Chase Utley a breather. Tell Ryan Howard to take the day off. Have Raul Ibanez kick up his legs and chill out. Send Carlos Ruiz out for some ice cream.

But Charlie Manuel doesn't exactly work that way. It may sound very cliche, but Manuel has one objective when he comes to the ballpark every day: he wants to win.

That's it. That's why you'll see the same relievers logging innings throughout September, it's why Utley, Howard, Jayson Werth, Jimmy Rollins and the rest of his regulars - when healthy - rarely get a day off any time during the season.

Charlie isn't going to change, especially not with the playoffs on the very-near horizon. And isn't it a good idea to take some winning mojo into the postseason?

The Phils are 26-7 since getting swept by the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park in late August. They don't see any point in slowing down now.

"We go out there to play baseball to win, every game," Rollins said Friday night. "Charlie isn't going to sit there and let you be complacent. If you don't look like you want to play, he'll escort you out of the game. You go out there and you play the game the right way. You execute and play good defense, get timely hitting and you play expecting to win. The games technically don't mean much, but we know we have to keep going because in a few days the real fun starts, when wins and losses really count."

Although the Atlanta Braves had everything to play for - a playoff spot still on the line - and the Phils had every reason to relax and not risk injury, Charlie Manuel and Co. were 11-5 winners Friday. Rollins led an offensive onslaught with a sixth-inning grand slam.

Don't be surprised if Manuel starts his regular eight players Saturday. All of the available starting position players were in the lineup Friday.

Shane Victorino, who will rejoin the team today, was out of town after his wife gave birth to a son; Placido Polanco rested his left elbow two days after a cortisone shot.

Manuel has two reasons to play everyone: he wants to keep the integrity of the game by giving the Braves his best effort and, of course, he wants to win. The fact that both may keep the Braves out of the playoffs isn't his concern.

"That’s kind of what we plan on doing, why shouldn't we?" Charlie Manuel said. "We've come to play, haven't we?"