As expected, Cole Hamels will start Game 1 for the Phillies tomorrow against lefthander Clayton Kershaw. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he was not ready to announce his starter for Game 2, although he provided several strong clues that indicate it will be veteran righthander Pedro Martinez. Like last series, righthander Joe Blanton and lefthander J.A. Happ will be available to pitch in the bullpen in the first few games of the NLCS, Manuel said. Unless Manuel decides to start Cliff Lee on three days rest in Game 2, an unlikely possibility, then Martinez is the only other player who would be ready to start Friday.

Martinez threw a simulated game on Tuesday, facing hitters for the first time since his final regular season start on Sept. 30. Manuel said he thought Martinez could throw anywhere from 75 to 90 pitches, perhaps even reaching 100. He said Martinez's stuff is still there, and he would be comfortable starting him in an NLCS Game.

"He threw a simulated game yesterday, and what I saw, I liked his stuff," Manuel said. "(Pitching coach Rich) Dubee and I stood there, and we were talking while he was throwing, and his stuff is there. That speaks for itself."

So right now, here is how the match-ups look:

Game 1 - LHP Cole Hamels at LHP Clayton Kershaw

Game 2 - RHP Pedro Martinez at RHP Vicente Padilla

Game 3 - RHP Hiroki Kuroda at LHP Cliff Lee

Game 4 - LHP Randy Wolf at RHP Joe Blanton

Game 5 - Kershaw at Hamels

Game 6 - Kuroda at Lee

Game 7 - TBA

^

The Phillies have not announced their roster, but it sounds like Chan Ho Park will be a member of it. The veteran righthander said he was healthy enough to pitch, and Manuel said he felt like Park was ready to contribute in the NLCS.

That means at least one person who was on the NLDS roster will not be on the NLCS roster. Manuel said he had not talked to that player, or those players, yet.

Cole Hamels will start Game 1 of the NLCS for the Phillies, as expected. After that, however, manager Charlie Manuel was not saying during his press conference tonight at Dodger Stadium.

Manuel did say that both J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton will be available out of the bullpen in Game 1, which could mean he was leaning toward Pedro Martinez. Another possibility would be bringing Cliff Lee back on short rest, although that seems unlikely. Lee pitched Monday night in the clincher of the NLDS in Denver.

Manuel said the Phillies have not finalized their roster or talked to the players yet who were being left off. That could help explain his delay in announcing the rotation.

Rosters do not have to be finalized until tomorrow morning.

*

For the Dodgers, lefthander Clayton Kershaw will Game 1.

He will be followed by former Phillie Vicente Padilla in Game 2, Hideki Kuroda in Game 3 and Randy Wolf in Game 4. Kuroda was not on the division series roster with a neck issue but threw in Arizona to stay sharp. 

The 6-3 Kershaw is only 21 years old. He went 8-8 this season with a 2.79 ERA.

His last outing was in Game 2 of the Division Series against St. Louis last Thursday. He got a no-decision, pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

He has faced the Phillies one this year, taking the loss. He allowed two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings at Citizens Bank Park in May.

Many expected Randy Wolf to make the start against his former team since Wolf started in Game 1 of the NLDS for the Dodgers.

Kershaw is expected to oppose Cole Hamels.

The weather in Southern California is very, well, un-Southern California. Overcast, drizzle -- almost feels like we're back in Philadelphia. But have no fear -- the weather gurus are predicting temperatures in the 80's and sunny skies for both tomorrow and Friday.

In the paper today, we took a look at some of the big questions the Phillies will have to answer over the next 24 hours. Manager Charlie Manuel is scheduled to meet with the media later this afternoon, so we might get some of them then. For now, though, I thought I'd focus in on the two questions that will decide the series:

1) Can the Phillies overcome a Dodgers bullpen that is as effective this year as the Phillies' was last year?

Dealing with this Dodgers' team can be a lot like dealing with the Phillies of last year: An offense has six innings to score enough runs to win the game. After that, it is dealing with the best bullpen in the National League. Closer Jonathon Broxton has had an excellent season, but he hasn't been as automatic as Brad Lidge was last year. Broxton, who gave up Matt Stairs' famous home run last year in the NLCS, has blown six saves. And it is tough to argue that he is more dangerous than Huston Street, against whom the Phillies rallied twice in the NLDS. But it is the guys in between the starting pitcher and Broxton who make this Dodgers' 'pen so dangerous. Young righthanders Ramon Troncoso and Ronald Belisario have both had excellent seasons. And the 13 hitters on the Phillies roster are a combined 6-for-32 in their careers off of that duo. But it is lefties Hong-Chih Kuo and George Sherrill who really give L.A. the advantage. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are a combined 1-for-12 with six strikeouts off of Kuo. They don't have much experience against the former Oriole Sherrill, but he has held lefties to an average under .175 for his career. And the lack of experience would seem to play into Sherrill's favor.

In the paper today, I floated the possibility of Charlie Manuel changing his line-up around to better prepare it for late-innings work. He used the same line-up in all four games of the NLDS, but the special challenges that the Dodgers present might convince him to further split up his lefties -- especilly in Game 1, where opposing starter Randy Wolf has held Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to two hits and eight strikeouts in 17 career at-bats.

Try this line-up on for size:

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

2) Can the Phillies' starting pitchers tilt the series in their favor?

I've said it for the better part of the month: if Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels pitch like a pair of pocket aces, they have the ability to overcome any match-up advantage the Dodgers might enjoy. Hamels has had an inconsistent season, and he is coming off an NLDS start in which he lasted just five innings. But he has a number of things going in his favor this time around: First, he is familiar with the Dodgers, and had success against them in two NLCS starts last year. Second, he loves the mound at Dodger Stadium, which is reputed to be higher than a lot of other mounds. He tossed a complete game shut-out there this season and has allowed just two runs in 17 career regular season innings there. Third, his wife is no longer nine months pregnant and he won't be facing the possibility of leaving the stadium early to be with her at the hospital.

Lee, on the other hand, doesn't have much experience with this Dodgers team. But he has faced them once - last summer at Dodger Stadium - and performed well, allowing one run in 7 1/3 innings.

If Hamels and Lee can give the Phillies four wins, they will obviously be headed to the World Series.

^

Here are my projected match-ups. Hamels and Lee (kind of sounds like a Law Firm) are no-brainers for Games 1 and 3. I think the Phillies end up putting J.A. Happ in the bullpen, given the shaky health of Scott Eyre and the inexperience of Antonio Bastardo. With two lefties on the bench in Juan Pierre and Jim Thome and a balanced line-up, the Phillies need all the southpaws they can get. Plus, Matt Kemp and Casey Blake kill lefties, and Rafael Furcal is much better from the right side of the plate than the left side. The one hesitation is sending Martinez out to pitch Game 2, since he hasn't started a game since Sept. 30, and even he admitted that he thought it would be beneficial to face hitters before making his first postseason start. But Game 2 would seem to be as good of a place to slide Martinez back into action -- a warm environment, a day game, in a stadium where he started his illustrious career.

Game 1: Cole Hamels at Randy Wolf

ANALYSIS: Since July 1, Wolf has allowed more than three runs in an outing twice (out of 17 starts), and has not allowed more than four runs. Sixteen of those 17 starts have lasted at least six innings, and 10 have gone into the seventh. Interestingly enough, the Phillies hit Wolf harder than any other team has this season, scoring six runs on eight hits and two home runs in 6 1/3 innings in their 7-2 win at Dodger Stadium on June 7. But in two other starts against his former team, Wolf has thrived. On May 13, Wolf held the Phillies to one run on three hits while striking out eight in six innings of a 9-2 win. On May 1, 2008, Wolf allowed two runs on six hits and struck out nine in six innings of a 3-2 loss at Citizens Bank Park while pitching for the Padres.

Game 2: Pedro Martinez at Clayton Kershaw

ANALYSIS: Historically, the Phillies have done an excellent job of making Kershaw work. Although he held them to two runs on four hits the last time he faced them, he lasted just 5 1/3 innings, throwing 105 pitches and walking three in a 3-0 Phillies win at Dodger Stadium on June 4. The previous month, he allowed four runs on four hits and four walks while throwing 98 pitches in five innings of a 5-3 Phillies win at Citizens Bank Park.

But after Kershaw's last outing against the Phillies, he went 5-4 with a 1.97 ERA while holding opponents to a .195 average in his last 20 appearances - 19 of them starts - of the regular season. In his one start in the NLDS, he held the Cardinals to two runs on nine hits and one walk while throwing 106 pitches in 6 2/3 innings of the Dodgers' 3-2 win.

Game 3: Cliff Lee vs. Vicente Padilla

ANALYSIS: The Phillies have faced Padilla once since he left town, back on June 28 in Texas while he was pitching for the Rangers. They scored seven runs on seven hits with two home runs off of him in six innings of a game they won 8-6.

Game 4: Joe Blanton vs. Hiroki Kuroda

ANALYSIS: The return of Kuroda, who pitched in an instructional league game earlier this week and should be ready to return to the Dodgers roster, could tilt the balance of this series.  For whatever reason, the Japanese import dominates them. In four career regular season and postseason starts, Kuroda has held the Phillies to five runs on 11 hits in 25 innings. Kuroda stymied the Phillies on June 6 at Dodger Stadium, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out five in six scoreless innings of a 3-2 Dodgers win.

Kuroda pitched the Dodgers to their only win in the 2008 NLCS, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three and walking one in six innings of L.A.'s 7-2 victory in Game 3.

In two starts against the Phillies in 2008, Kuroda allowed three runs on four hits in 13 innings, picking up a win and a no decision. 
 

Game 5: Hamels vs. Wolf
Game 6: Lee vs. Kershaw
Game 7: Blanton/Martinez vs. Kuroda/Padilla

^

I still haven't made my predictions for the series, which will run in the paper tomorrow. The Phillies appear to have the advantage in both of Lee's starts, while the Dodgers seem to have the advantage when Kuroda is on the mound. That leaves the series hanging in the balance of the Hamels vs. Wolf match-ups.

I really think this one is going to go seven games. Who will win? I'm not sure yet.

It appears as if righthander Hideki Koruda will be added to the Dodgers' roster for the National League Championship Series.

Koruda was left off the Division Series roster after a small herniation of the cervical spine was found in his neck. Kurada had been struggling with neck pain at the end of the season.

He pitched in Arizona in front of manager Joe Torre and Torre indicated Kuroda could be ready for the LCS.

Torre did not announce a starting rotation during a media session tonight following the team's workout at Dodger Stadium.

Kuroda last pitched Sept. 28 in an 11-1 loss in which he allowed seven runs (three earned) in four innings.

He faced the Phillies once this season, allowing no runs and two hits over six innings in a no-decision in June.

*

After late-night starts and daytime weekday starts, the Phillies will face the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series with six of the potential seven games starting in prime time in the East.

TBS announced the complete schedule this afternoon. Chip Caray will handle play-by-play with analysts Ron Darling and Buck Martinez, and reporter Craig Sager.

Games 1 and 2 and 6 and 7, if necessary, are in Los Angeles. Games 3 and 4, and 5, if necessary, are in Philadelphia.

Game 1: Thursday, 8:07 p.m.

Game 2: Friday, 4:07 p.m.

Game 3: Sunday, 8:07 p.m.

Game 4: Monday,  8:07 p.m.

*Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 21: 8:07 p.m.

*Game 6: Friday, Oct. 23, 8:07 p.m. 

*Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 24, 8:07 p.m.

* if necessary

Wanted to run some bullet points down before the start of a potential NLDS-clinching Game 4:

1) Scott Eyre ran under the supervision of head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan and looked to the untrained eye as if he were doing much better than last night, when he sprained his ankle in the seventh inning and limped off the field. Manager Charlie Manuel did not provide a specific update, but both he and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said they do not anticipate having to make a roster move before the end of the series. If the Phillies replaced Eyre on the roster, he would be ineligible for the NLCS. Manuel said the Phillies have no plans to summon lefthander Sergio Escalona, where he is working out at the team's spring training complex in case he is needed. That's a pretty good sign the Phillies do not feel Eyre is in danger of a prolonged absence.

2) Chan Ho Park threw a bullpen session today in Clearwater and, according to Amaro, is progressing nicely. There is a still a good chance that Park is able to re-join the playoff roster if the Phillies make it to the NLCS.

3) The line-ups look much the same as they did last night, although Jim Tracy has moved Yorvit Torrealba back to his usual home in the sixth spot. Also, Seth Smith is starting in left field tonight. The Phillies are using the same line-up they have in the first three games: Rollins SS, Victorino CF, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Ibanez LF, Feliz 3B, Ruiz C, Lee LHP.

4) Regardless of the outcome of tonight's game, the Phillies will fly back to Philadelphia. Although it will be a quick turnaround, landing in Philly early Tuesday morning, then flying back out either that night or Wednesday morning, nobody on the trip packed for five days, much less 10.

After Troy Tulowitzki's lazy fly ball lofted off the bat and hovered in the airspace above left field before landing safely in the waiting glove of Ben Francisco for the final out of last night's -- or, more accurately, this morning's -- I stared out at the field for a moment to process what had just happened.

"Holy (expletive)," I said to nobody in particular. "He did it."

I then proceeded to flush out that sentiment in 800 or so words. At the time, I was talking about Brad Lidge, who walked two batters in the ninth inning but always seemed in control of his eighth consecutive postseason save. But I could have been talking about any of a number of heros who willed the Phillies to a 6-5 victory that sets up the potential clincher today.

I could have been talking about Jimmy Rollins, who had two hits in his first 13 at-bats this series but singled up the middle off of Rockies closer Huston Street to lead off the ninth inning and set up the game-winning run.

I could have been talking about Chase Utley, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and moved the winning run to third on a play in typical Utley fashion, legging out an infield single on weak ground ball that, replays later showed, bounced off his leg.

I could have been talking about Ryan Madson, who inherited men on first and third with no out in the third inning, jogging in from the bullpen to replace the injured Scott Eyre without having warmed up, then limited the damage to a game-tying sacrifice fly.

I could have been talking about Chad Durbin, who had warmed up what feels like 100 times this series before finally getting his chance in the eighth inning, when he retired the Rockies in order to move the game to the ninth.

But most of all, I could have been talking about Charlie Manuel, who orchestrated one of the more improbable Phillies victories of the season, taking a situation that should have spelled doom for his squad and conjuring up the type of magic it takes to win in the postseason.

I want to focus on Manuel this morning, mostly because of a series of text messages I exchanged with my buddy Jared, a die-hard Yankees fan who had work at 8 a.m. this morning yet could not drag himself away from the television set last night as the Phillies and Rockies waged an epic battle in what felt like a do-or-die Game 3.

"We were second guessing him all night," he wrote.

To which I responded, "I was too."

Which is why it is time to take a break and highlight at strength of Manuel's that seemed to get lost in last year's title run. In 2008, Charlie the people person took center stage. As the Phillies cruised to their first World Series title in 28 years, Manuel was lauded for his ability to manage a clubhouse, to keep a roster full of stars playing as a team, to overcome adversity (the death of his mother) and keep his players in the mind-set it takes to win. The glowing reviews of his interpersonal prowess were both accurate and timely, but they also served as back-handed complements of sorts, their collective implication holding that his folksy understanding of the human element of the game diminished his perceived lack of baseball acumen.

But while Manuel may never find himself the subject of a Buzz Bissinger book, he has proven throughout this season that he has strong beliefs in the various strategies necessary to win a baseball game. And, much more than that, he does not allow the perceptions of the public or his professional peers to divert him from that course.

In short, Charlie Manuel has balls.

When the pitcher's spot in the line-up arrived in the sixth inning with one out and runners on first and second in a game the Phillies led 5-4, convention screamed for a pinch-hitter. Left-handed slugger Matt Stairs was still available on the bench. So too were Miguel Cairo and Ben Francisco, along with back-up catcher Paul Bako. But Manuel elected to let Joe Blanton hit, a decision that resulted in a strikeout on three straight failed bunt attempts. The Phillies failed to push another run home, and their lead remained at one. Might Stairs have driven home what would prove to be a cruicial insurance run? Or even create a comfortable margin with a home run? Perhaps. But Manuel looked at his bullpen and at the Rockies line-up and decided he needed Blanton to face the three right-handed hitters due up at the bottom of Colorado's order. Blanton retired two of those three batters, then gave way to Scott Eyre, who retired one of the top pinch-hitters in the game in Seth Smith to end the inning.

When Eyre left the game with runners on first and third and no out in the seventh, convention screamed for righthander Chad Durbin, who was already warm in the bullpen. But Manuel called on Madson, eliminating the possibility of the right-handed set-up man/closer pitching the eighth and ninth innings. Might Durbin have succeeded? Perhaps. But Manuel looked at the dangerous Todd Helton waiting on deck, and at the equally dangerous Troy Tulowitzki waiting behind him, and decided he needed the reliever with the biggest arm and the best chance to strand runners. Escape the seventh and perhaps Madson could pitch the eighth. Or, if worse came to worse, Durbin could take the mound with a clean inning. Madson struck out Helton, allowed a sacrifice fly to Tulowitzki that tied the game, then retired Yorvit Torrealba to make the best out of a bad situation. Durbin, meanwhile, shut down the Rockies in order in the eighth.

Ah, yes. And Lidge. Manuel's decision to call on the embattled closer in the ninth inning might be portrayed as yet another indication of his legendary stubborness, of his unfailing belief in his star players. But in reality, it was simply his best available option. In a perfect world, Madson would have been out there on the mound trying to protect a one-run lead. But on a night where starting pitcher J.A. Happ lasted just three innings and an already-thin bullpen was stretched tissue-thin, Lidge was the only option. And then you think back over the past couple of months, and Manuel's daily proclamations of faith in his closer, and how even when it became obvious that Madson was his guy in the ninth inning of a tight game, he continued to pump up Lidge, and profess a willingness to throw him back into the fire, all the while opening himself up to the ridicule of a fan base and media assembly who wanted nothing more than to hear him stand behind a microphone and lay his team's late-game failings at the feet of a closer who finished the regular season with 11 blown saves and a 7.21 ERA.

But Manuel is more than willing to play the part of the down-home dummy if it takes the emphasis off of his players and gives his team a better chance to win in the future. Because even in Lidge's darkest moments during an abysmal season, Manuel realized that there was a good chance he would reach a point in the postseason where he needed the veteran righthander to believe in himself, and believe that his manager and teammates believed in him. And last night was that moment.

There is no getting around the fact that Charlie Manuel's biggest strength as a manager is his ability to manage the his subordinates. But never doubt that he is also a tactician. And while you may disagree with his plan -- Might J.A. Happ have lasted longer than three innings if he had remained on a starter's routine throughout the postseason rather than pitching in relief? Might he have hit Stairs against Matt Belisle with runners on first and third in the fourth rather than Greg Dobbs? -- you have to admit one thing: For the second straight year, the Phillies are one win away from the National League Championship Series, despite the shortcomings of the closer and ace lefthander who got them there in 2008, despite the fact that two of their top relievers are injured and off the NLDS roster, despite the fact that his notoriously fickle line-up played Game 3 in record cold.

Last night, Manuel did it.

^

I'm curious: Where did all of you watch the game last night? If you watched it in a public place, what was the atmosphere like? There were so many tense moments in last night's game, I can't imagine what it was like. . .

By DAVID MURPHY
dmurphy@phillynews.com
DENVER, Col. - Their eyes were drooping and half-glazed over, their bodies slouched, their words delivered in a tired monotone. As Charlie Manuel and Brad Lidge sat inside an interview tent just outside Coors Field and tried to make some sense out of the previous four-plus hours, they looked like many of us might had we spent an October evening outside in sub-freezing temperature waging what felt like a do-or-die fight for the right to keep playing baseball.

But after it was over, after they climbed into a golf cart that whisked them back to the warm confines of the visitor's clubhouse, both men cracked smiles: Lidge riding shot-gun, Manuel seated on a bench attached to the back, his legs dangling over the edge as he he grinned at the various passersby walking behind him.

"I like it," said Manuel, who a half hour before had watched Lidge coax Troy Tulowitzki into a pop-out that sealed a dramatic 6-5 victory over the Rockies in Game 3 of the NLDS. "Even when i hate it, I like it. But it tests you. But you know what, that's the good part about it. That's what the game's all about."

It will go in the record books as a simple "W," same as the one the Phillies recorded four days earlier in Game 1. It was not do-or-die. It clinched nothing but the potential to clinch today. But on a night when a valiant bullpen and an opportunistic offense and an embattled closer somehow willed the Phillies to victory in record-cold, their sudden 2-1 series lead felt like so much more.

It was a game that they were supposed to lose. Their starting pitcher lasted just three innings, allowing three runs while struggling with both his fastball command and a home plate umpire who wasn't about to cut him a break. Their lone experienced left-handed reliever left the game in the seventh after facing just two batters, spraining his ankle while trying to field a soft groundball that put runners on first and third with no out in a game they led 5-4. And all of it happened in freezing weather, in a game where the 35-degree temperature at opening pitch tied it with Game 4 of the 1997 World Series for the coldest postseason contenst on record.

But thanks to several tales of redemption, along with catcher Carlos Ruiz's two RBI, they not only prevailed, but left themselves with two chances to secure their second straight trip to the National League Championship Series.
After lefthander J.A. Happ left the game after just three innings, the Phillies bullpen allowed two runs in six innings of work, capped off when Lidge converted his first save opportunity since blowing his 11th of the regular season on Sept. 23. Righthander Joe Blanton, moved from starter to reliever to fortify an injury-riddled relief staff, allowed one run - a solo shot by Carlos Gonzalez in the fourth - in 2 2/3 innings. After lefthander Scott Eyre left the game with a sprained ankle, Manuel called on set-up man/closer Ryan Madson to work out of the jam. He allowed a sacrifice fly to Tulowitzki that evened the score, but limited the damage and preserved a 5-5 tie. Righthander Chad Durbin, whose spot on the playoff roster was in question as recently as the middle of September, pitched a perfect eighth inning.

"(Brett) Myers said, ‘Madson, you’re in.’ And I said, ‘Ah. Good one.’ I thought he was joking," Madson said. "Really. . .I was happy to get the ball in that moment. I was, like, ‘This is going to be fun.’

But it was the performance of two beleaguered Phillies hitters who finally set the stage for Lidge. Short stop Jimmy Rollins, who entered the ninth inning with just two hits in the first three games of the series, laced a single up the middle of Rockies closer Huston Street. After Shane Victorino bunted him over to second, Chase Utley hit a questionable grounder that he legged out for an infield single, moving Rollins to third. Replays showed that Utley's batted ball hit him in the leg, suggesting that it should have been ruled foul. But home plate umpire Jerry Meals - and Colorado manager Jim Tracy - did not see it, leaving Utley safe at first and Rollins representing the go-ahead run at third.
Utley, who entered the game 2-for-8 in the series, had already homered and scored two runs on the night. Ryan Howard then drove the winning run home with a sacrifice fly.

"The ball might have hit me," Utley said. "It's cold out there. My body was numb. I've been in a situation before where I didn't run and it was an easy out."

Meals acknowledged later that he missed the call.

"I never heard it, never saw it," Meals said. "If anybody would've seen it, had an idea that it hit him ... chase utley took off like it was nothing. He gave no indication to us that it hit him. Whatever percent of the time, you're going to get a guy that's going to stop if it hits him."

Regardless, the game was in the hands of Lidge, a man who early last week expressed optimism about the upcoming postseason. His 11 blown saves and 7.21 ERA, which left Manuel turning to Madson in save situations, were wiped away. Last night, he started the postseason 1-for-1. He retired Brad Hawpe, then walked Carlos Gonzalez, who stole second. He got Jason Giambi to pop out on a cut fastball, a pitch he only recently began throwing in games. Then he walked Todd Helton, putting the winning run on first with the tying run already on second and the always-dangerous Tulowitzki at the plate.

And then it happened: Tulowitzki sent a lazy fly ball to left field. Defensive replacement Ben Francisco hovered under it. Ball met glove. Lidge pumped his fist.

And just like that, Cliff Lee was pitching today in Game 4 with a chance to clinch.

"When the postseason starts, it's a completely new slate," said Lidge, who saved seven games last postseason during the Phillies' run to the title. "I feel real good in the postseason and in general right now. So hopefully we'll keep doing the job as a whole that we did with the bullpen tonight."

^

Scott Eyre was diagnosed with a mild sprained left ankle. He will be re-evaluated today. Eyre said he is determined to remain on the NLDS roster. If he is replaced, he would have to miss the NLCS.

"I'll be fine," he said.

Greetings from Coors Field, where an hour before first pitch the temperature is a balmy 35.1 degrees, according to WeatherBug.com's tracking station at the stadium. Provided a heat wave does not wrap its arms around the Denver area in the next 60 minutes, Game 3 of the NLDS will likely go down as the coldest game in postseason history. The previous record at first pitch was 38 degrees in Game 4 of the 1997 World Series, which featured Charlie Manuel's Cleveland Indians.

Prior to the game, most players were wrapped up in several layers of clothing, although one notable exception was Shane Victorino, who took batting practice in a short-sleeve jersey and no undershirt. Those long, hard Hawaiian winters must have toughened him up. . .

There will be heaters in both dugouts. Prior to the game, ice could be seen crystalizing on some of the padding behind home plate. But I'm glad to report the temperature inside the press box is in the 60's.

^

Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba will move up to fifth in tonight's lineup, the first time all season he will hit the fifth spot, as manager Jim Tracy adjusted the lineup.

Third baseman Garrett Atkins will hit sixth with outfielder Brad Hawpe out of the lineup. Ryan Spilborghs will play in place of Hawp, who went 0-for-3 against Cliff Lee in Game 1. Spilborghs was in the lineup for Game 2.

Tracy will keep Carlos Gonzalez in the top spot followed by Dexter Fowler after he flipped them for Game 2. Fowler led off Game 1, followed by Gonzalez.

So, the lineup looks like this:

Gonzalez-LF

Fowler-CF

Helton-1B

Tulowitzki-SS

Torrealba-C

Atkins-3B

Spilborghs-RF

Barmes-2B

Hammel-P

Also, the Rockies will do what the Phillies are doing and bring back Game 1 starter Ubaldo Jiminez for Game 4. He will again oppose Cliff Lee.

^

The Phillies are using the same line-up they've used all series: SS Jimmy Rollins, CF Shane Victorino, 2B Chase Utley, 1B Ryan Howard, RF Jayson Werth, LF Raul Ibanez, 3B Pedro Feliz, C Carlos Ruiz, and LHP J.A. Happ. I asked Charlie Manuel before the game if he would consider moving Ibanez up to fifth, given his success both this playoff series and against RHP Jason Hammel. But Manuel said he wouldn't, thanks to tough lefty Franklin Morales lurking in the bullpen. 

With Ibanez hitting sixth, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are two players to watch. Howard has hit well this series. Utley has not. Rollins and Victorino both have had success in their limited dealings with Hammel, so Utley and Howard could face some crucial RBI situations. 

UPDATED: After the Angels' come-from-behind win today, Major League Baseball announced games times for the remainder of the Phillies-Rockies series.

Thanks to the Yankees' 4-1 victory over Minnesota that clinched their series sweep, Game 4 of Phillies-Rockies will be at 6:07 p.m. Eastern on Monday.

If Game 5 is necessary for Tuesday, Phillies-Rockies will be at 8:07 at Citizens Bank Park.

From earlier:

Pivotal. I can't think of a better word to describe tonight's Game 3 match-up between Jason Hammel and J.A. Happ. Whichever team loses will have to win two straight games against the opposition's two best pitchers. While the Rockies certainly don't want to face Cliff Lee in an elimination game, the Phillies can't feel much better about the possibility of facing Ubaldo Jimenez in a similar situation.

Here's a look at tonight's game:

Rockies Game 3 starter: Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.33 ERA)

Hammel, a 6-foot-6, 26-year-old righthander, has improved steadily since breaking into the big leagues in 2006 with the Rays. He started 30 games this season and appeared as a reliever in four others, allowing 1.387 walks/hits per inning pitched. He has allowed 17 home runs.

Hammel picked up a win over the Phillies on Aug. 4, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out six in 6 2/3 innings of an 8-3 Rockies victory at Citizens Bank Park. He also pitched two innings of relief at Coors Field on April 11, allowing two runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings.

The numbers show that Hammel is a much better pitcher on the road than at home. But in his last five home starts, he has allowed 13 earned runs in 31 2/3 innings for a 3.70 ERA. One of those starts came against the Dodgers on Aug. 25, when he allowed two runs on eight hits in seven innings.


Hammel's 2009 Splits
vs. right: .290/.322/.441, 9 HR
vs. left: .289/.344/.441, 8 HR

Home: 3-3, 5.73 ERA, .330/.366/.530, 16 games, 12 HR
Away: 7-5, 3.13ERA, .250/.303/.354, 18 games, 5 HR

Sept/Oct.: 2-1, 4.08, .228 BAA, 7 games, 5 HR

vs. Phillies

Jimmy Rollins: 2/5, HR, 2 RBI
Shane Victorino: 3/5, 2B, BB
Chase Utley: 1/4, SO, RBI
Ryan Howard: 0/4, SO
Jayson Werth: 1/4, SO
Raul Ibanez: 4/8, 2B, HR, 2 SO
Pedro Feliz: 2/4, RBI, SO
Carlos Ruiz: 1/3, 2B
Matt Stairs: 5/8, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Ben Francisco: 0/3, 2 SO
Paul Bako 1/2, RBI, SO
Greg Dobbs: 0/2

Keys to the game

The Phillies need the middle of their order to step up today, starting with second baseman Chase Utley, who is 2-for-8 with three strikeouts in the first two games of the series. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are no good on base if Utley can't either drive them in or move them over.

Charlie Manuel might consider flip-flopping Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth in the batting order. The last thing he wants is a key late-game situation where Franklin Morales can face three straight lefties. But the key to tonight's game will be jumping on Hammel early. Ibanez is 4-for-8 this postseason and 4-for-8 off Hammel in his career. With Utley struggling, Manuel might decide he needs to give Ibanez a chance to hit with two out and Victorino and/or Rollins on base. But in addition to three straight lefties in the middle of the order, it would give the Phillies three straight righties at the bottom. If Manuel keeps the order as is, Utley and Howard will need to come up huge.

It won't be as cold as yesterday, but the game-time temperature is forecast to be around 35 degrees, which would still be one of the coldest postseason games ever played.