UPDATED: 5:01 p.m.

Charlie Manuel confirmed that lefthander Cliff Lee will start Game 4 on Monday, most likely against Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez. Manuel said he told J.A. Happ yesterday that he planned on starting him Sunday. Both Happ and Manuel labelled his bruised left leg - suffered in Game 2 on a comebacker by Seth Smith - a "non-issue."

Pedro Martinez will be available to pitch out of the bullpen the next couple of days.

"I told J.A. yesterday that he was going to pitch Sunday, and when the game got called today, I think, if I'm not mistaken, it's been about 10 or 11 days since Pedro Martinez pitched in a game," Manuel said.  "And also the weather had something to do with it.  And another thing that comes into play is the fact that Cliff Lee is on his regular rest.  And we like left hand pitchers against Colorado.  And I think that gives us the strongest way to go about it.
 And also from here on out, the next couple of days Pedro will work out of the bullpen."

Cole Hamels would be able to pitch Game 5 if necessary.

"That's on Hamels' regular day, and also it depends on how much Blanton would get in the game and also Pedro," Manuel said.  "But I like left hand pitchers against this team.  And I think that we definitely match up good that way."

^

What do baseball players do with a snow day? Most of them went to the Cherry Creek Mall, about five miles outside of Denver. Jayson Werth was headed there, as were Brett Myers and Chad Durbin. Lefthander Scott Eyre and his wife and two sons were headed to Bass Pro Shop to pick up some cold-weather clothing and some fishing gear for when they return to their home in Bradenton, Fla.

I'm not sure about Pedro Martinez's snow day plans, but we know for sure he won't be starting Game 3 anymore. The Phillies announced that distinction belongs to lefthander J.A. Happ, who was not slotted to start today in order to give him more time to heal from a bruised shin. Martinez said he agreed with the move. In fact, he labelled it "the reasonable thing to do." But the veteran righthander said he will be ready to pitch out of the bullpen over the next three days, and that he would like to get at least a couple innings of relief in before he makes his first postseason start.

If the Phillies defeat the Rockies in two out of the next three games -- Game 3 tomorrow, Game 4 Monday in Colorado, Game 5 Tuesday in Philly if necessary -- Martinez could very well get his first postseason start in Game 1 or 2 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium, where he began his storied career 17 years ago.

Here is a quick breakdown of the likely rotation for the next week:

1. NLDS Game Three (Oct. 11): J.A. Happ. The rookie lefthander pitched a complete game shut-out against the Rockies back in August. He matches up better against the Rockies line-up than Martinez, who hasn't faced batters since Sept. 30.
2. NLDS Game Four (Mon, Oct. 12): Cliff Lee. Thanks to the postponement, Lee will likely face a re-match against Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez. Lee allowed one run in a complete game performance in Game 1. The Phillies scored four runs off of Jimenez, in five innings en route to a 5-1 win.
3. NLDS Game Five (Tues, Oct. 13): If necessary, Cole Hamels will be available to pitch on four days rest. Hamels allowed four runs in five innings in Game 2, but was hurt by some bad luck in the first inning and a hanging curve ball later. His wife gave birth that day as well. This would obviously be an all-hands-on-deck game. Joe Blanton and Martinez will likely be available to pitch out of relief in each of these three games, and Happ would likely be available in Game 5 for an inning.
4. OFF DAY (Wed., Oct. 14)
5. NLCS Game One (Thu., Oct 15): If there is no Game 5, Hamels will likely get the start. He loves the mound at Dodger Stadium, where earlier this season he pitched a complete game shut-out. If Hamels pitches Game 5, I'd expect Martinez to get the start. He has good career numbers in L.A. and is very familiar with Dodger Stadium, as he pitched the first two years of his career there.
6. NLCS Game Two (Fri., Oct. 16): If Hamels starts Game 1, I'd expect Martinez to start Game 2. If Martinez starts Game 1, Manuel will have an interesting decision to make between Blanton and Happ. The Dodgers have a ton of dangerous right-handed hitters, including Matt Kemp and Manny Ramirez. And switch-hitting Rafael Furcal is much better against lefties than righties. But the Phillies also had a lot of success pitching the Dodgers inside last postseason, and Happ is very good at that. He also allowed one run in three innings of relief at Dodger Stadium last year in the NLCS. In the end, I think Manuel would end up going with Happ - provided he pitches well tomorrow - since Blanton could provide a valuable right arm out of the bullpen. Chan Ho Park's availability could also affect this decision. But right now I think he goes with Happ if the right-handed Martinez pitches Game 1.
7. OFF DAY (Sat., Oct. 17)
8. NLCS Game Three (Sun., Oct. 17): Cliff Lee. This one's a no-brainer. Lee will be on five days rest, when he is at his best. And he'll be at home, where he is at his best.
9. NLCS Game Four (Mon., Oct. 18): Hamels, if he pitches Game 5 in the NLDS. If he pitches Game 1, then it will either be Blanton or Happ. Again, I predict he goes with Happ.
10. OFF DAY (Tue., Oct. 19)
11. NLCS Game Five (Wed., Oct. 20): Martinez, although everything from here on out depends on if this is an elimination game.
12. OFF DAY (Thu., Oct. 21)
13. NLCS Game Six (Fri., Oct. 22): Hamels or Lee
14. NLCS Game Seven (Sat., Oct. 23): Hamels or Lee

^

All the Phillies I talked to are glad the game isn't being played today. Just walking down the street was enough to make your hands numb here, where the morning temperature was 18 degrees and the night time temp is predicted to be in the high 20's.

"Who knows what would happen," Werth said.

^

The forecast for tomorrow night isn't exactly balmy. The temperature at the 8:07 p.m. MST opening pitch is forecast to be 41 degrees, with a win chill in the upper 20's, according to AccuWeather. It is expected to hold steady throughout the duration of the game.

So it will still be cold.

Poll: Is Happ the right choice to start? (930 votes)

UPDATED 2: Lefthander J.A. Happ will start a rescheduled Game 3 on Sunday night, the Phillies announced. Happ and manager Charlie Manuel will be available to the media later this afternoon.

Happ was hit below the left knee by a line drive from the bat of the only hitter he faced in a relief appearance in Game 2. Afterward, he said he did not think the injury would be an issue.

Had Game 3 been played tonight, as scheduled, Pedro Martinez was expected to start.

Colorado is expected to send out Jason Hammel, as scheduled.

More on the pitching below ...

UPDATED: The Phillies, their fans and baseball commisioner Bud Selig all learned a little bit about playing in adverse weather conditions last fall, with the circumstances surrounding Game 5 of the World Series.

Now, weather is again a factor as snow forced the postponement of tonight's Game 3 of the National League Division Series in Denver. Game time was scheduled for 9:37 p.m. Eastern but the call was made at around noon.

"I made the only (decision) that I could," Selig told Foxsports.com's Tracy Ringolsby this morning. "You know, I did this for over 40 years with the Brewers, when I had to take weather into consideration.

"[Game 5 of the World Series] last year only increased my resolve that we want to take no chance with our game. This is a no-brainer with the weather forecast."

*

Apparently, Mother Nature believes in karma.

With a temperature of 18 degrees and snow falling here in Denver, Major League Baseball has pushed Game 3 of the National League Division Series to tomorrow. While the postponement sets the stage for a tricky schedule -- more on that below -- it also will allow lefthander Cliff Lee to start Game 4 on Monday on normal rest. It will also likely allow both lefthander J.A. Happ and righthander Joe Blanton to pitch tomorrow in Game 3, allowing the Phillies to push Pedro Martinez back for a potential long relief appearance of Cole Hamels in Game  5 on Tuesday, or for a potential NLCS Game 1 start on Thursday.

Here is how it sets up:

1. Game 3 (Sun., Oct. 11) LHP J.A. Happ w/ Joe Blanton available at RHP Jason Hammel 
2. Game 4 (Mon., Oct. 12) RHP Cliff Lee at RHP Ubaldo Jimenez
3. Game 5 (Tue., Oct. 13) LHP Cole Hamels w/ RHP Pedro Martinez avail. at RHP Aaron Cook
4. OFF (Wed., Oct. 14)
5. NLCS Game 1 (Thu., Oct. 15): Hamels/Martinez/Blanton
6. NLCS Game 2 (Fri., Oct. 16): Happ/Martinez/Blanton
7. OFF (Sat., Oct. 17)
8. NLCS Game 3 (Sun., Oct. 18): Lee
9. NLCS Game 4 (Mon., Oct. 19): Hamels/Happ/Martinez/Blanton
10. OFF (Tue., Oct. 20)
11. NLCS Game 5 (Wed., Oct. 21)
12. OFF (Thu., Oct. 22)
13. NLCS Game 6 (Fri., Oct. 23)
14. NLCS Game 7 (Sat., Oct. 24)

As for the next few days:

Game 3 will be tomorrow at 10:07 p.m. The start time for Game 4 on Monday will not be announced until tomorrow.

This sets up the possibility of either a day game after a night game on Monday, or late-night travel back to Philly on Monday night for a potential Game 5 on Tuesday.

If the Phillies win the next two games, Hamels would be able to start NLCS Game 1, but Lee would likely be pushed back until Game 3.

More as we get it throughout the day

Poll: Is Happ the right choice to start? (930 votes)

Major League Baseball announced the starting times for the remaining games of the Phillies-Rockies series.

The Phillies already know that first pitch tomorrow will be 9:37 p.m. EDT. Sunday’s Game 4 will be even later: 10:07 p.m.

If Game 5 is necessary back at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, it will start at 6:07 p.m. or, if it’s the only game, 8:07 p.m.

After the Phillies' 5-4 loss in Game 2 of the NLDS to the Rockies today, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was asked primarily about his pitching strategy, which included using two starting pitchers in relief roles.

Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ pitched in relief after 2008 hero Cole Hamels was removed in the fifth inning. Hamels soon left Citizens Bank Park with his wife, who had gone into labor.

Manuel said Blanton or Pedro Martinez might start the next game in Denver on Saturday.

Blanton pitched in relief today (19 pitches) and Manuel asked if the righthander could be ready for Game 3.

"Blanton could pitch Saturday," Manuel said. "We’ll definitely talk about that on the plane ride and we’ll announce that tomorrow. Blanton is ready to pitch. He’ll definitely be ready to pitch on Saturday if that’s what we choose to do."

Manuel said Pedro Martinez, who has not pitched in the series, also could start on Saturday. "Pedro is definitely in the mix to pitch Saturday," Manuel said. "I’d say right now it is between Blanton and Pedro."

Happ, another possible Game 3 starter, was hit by a line drive off the bat of Seth Smith. "He was hit below his knee and he got hit pretty good," Manuel said. "When he was landing [in the pitching motion], he was having a hard time staying on his feet. I think he’ll be OK, though. He’ll get treatment and he’ll be OK."

X-rays were negative and it was diagnosed as a bruise.

"I don’t anticipate it being much of an issue," Happ said. "We have the rest of today and tomorrow, trying to work on it. You have pitch through stuff. This is not a big deal." He said he felt alright but his leg was tight.

Lost in all of the discussion was Hamels. Manuel was asked whether Heidi Hamels' impending delivery might have affected her husband's performance. "It could have," Manuel said. "I was taking him out of the game, we had a guy on and I wanted to hit for him. Frank Coppenbarger [director of team travel and clubhouse services] came into the dugout and said his wife went into labor.

"I didn't think Hamels pitched too bad. In the first inning, they took advantage of a break, especially of the ball that [Todd] Helton chopped down the first-base line. His stuff was good. He threw some close pitches, around the plate. I thought his command could have been better."

Well, Game 2 of the National League Division Series has officially devolved into a circus.

Three-fifths of the Phillies starting rotation has appeared in the first seven innings of a game they enter the bottom of the seventh trailing 5-3.

The first to appear, Cole Hamels, allowed three runs in five innings and then left the ballpark to be with his wife Heidi, who went into labor at some point this afternoon. It isn't clear when Hamels knew about his wife going into labor - he knew yesterday that she could deliver at any moment - or if Manuel's decision to remove him from the game was impacted by the development. Hamels had already thrown 83 pitches and was due up in the batting order when Manuel replaced him with Joe Blanton.

Blanton pitched a scoreless sixth inning, then allowed the first two batters he faced in the seventh to reach base, prompting Manuel to call on J.A. Happ to face lefty Seth Smith. But Smith drilled a comebacker that struck Happ in the right leg, knocking him from the game.

Happ threw several warm-up pitches but was obviously hurting. Scott Eyre entered the game with the bases loaded and no out and allowed just one run - on a sacrifice fly - to salvage a 5-3 deficit.

How this impacts things going further is unclear.

How hurt is Happ? Can Blanton start Game 3 on Saturday despite throwing 19 pitches today? Does this mean Pedro Martinez will be the man instead of Blanton or Happ?

Oh, and there is a winter weather system blowing through Colorado that could start scattering snow showers across the region tomorrow.

Given how this season has gone for the Phillies, none of this should come as a surprise. Still, Manuel has certainly left himself open for criticism if the starting rotation unravels from this point forward.

We'll have a meatier blog post up here in a little while, but I wanted to pass on a few quick items.

First, we still do not know the identity of the starter for Game 3 on Saturday in Colorado. J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton will both be available to pitch out of the bullpen again today. Righthander Pedro Martinez likely won't. Manager Charlie Manuel said Martinez is staying sharp, throwing on the side, and that if he does start a game this series, he thinks he will be capable of throwing up to 100 pitches. But Manuel said it is not safe to assume that J.A. Happ will start Game 3 if he does not appear as a reliever today. With high temperatures forecasted to be in the mid-30's and a chance of snow, Manuel said the weather could affect his decision on who to pitch. This is my own speculation, but I think Manuel would go with Blanton in poor conditions, since he seems to be the most low-maintenance starter. Happ and Martinez, both of whom have battled muscle strains over the past month, would not be ideal cold-weather starters.

Second, here are the line-ups for today:

Phillies

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

Rockies

1. Carlos Gonzalez LF
2. Dexter Fowler CF
3. Todd Helton 1B
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Garrett Atkins 3B
6. Yorvit Torrealba C
7. Ryan Spillborghs RF
8. Clint Barmes 2B
9. Aaron Cook RHP

Join Daily News writer Marcus Hayes for a live chat at 1:30 p.m. as the Phillies prepare to face the Rockies in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

Here is what Phillies lefthander Cliff Lee had to say after his complete-game, 5-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies in Game 1 of the NLDS today at Citizens Bank Park:

“I knew it would be more adrenaline," he said. "But it’s still 60-feet, 6-inches to home plate and it’s still the same strike zone. You gotta throw strikes. You gotta make them swing the bat.

“Today was the biggest game we played so far. Tomorrow’s game is equally important. Every game is equally important. This is what our goal was and what we’re trying to do: win games.

“My past four or five outings I missed and fell behind and got into 3-0 and 3-1 counts. Today I stayed ahead of the count. If you do that consistently, good things are going to happen. I didn’t feel as if I was all over the place the last four or five outings. Instead of four or five pitches to make an adjustment, it took one or two pitches [today].”

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was impressed with both starting pitchers. “[Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez] has a lot of talent, he has a big-time arm,” Manuel said. “We created some chances. I felt that we hit the ball very good. It was good to see [Raul] Ibanez and [Jayson] Werth and [Ryan] Howard, too, hitting the ball in the middle of the lineup.
 

“The biggest difference today in [Lee] was that he had a fastball and curve today and he was good with both of them.”

---

A lot has been made over the past few days about the defending World Champions getting saddled with a couple of day starts. I was at the Pour House in East Falls last night where owner and all-around good guy George Flacco estimated the day starts would cost him several thousand dollars in business. In this economy, how many people can afford to call out of work to watch or attend a baseball game?

Well, Cole Hamels feels your pain.

"From the game perspective, you can't let it affect you, because you can't use it as a an excuse," Hamels said. "We have to go out there, we have to play the game, and we have to try to win. But in being the defending world champs, I think it's kind of a little weird that we kind of get both games at 2 o'clock. I don't think it's fair. I defenitely don't think it's fair for the fans, because this is all about the home-field advantage or just baseball in general.

"I understand TV ratings, but I think at the end of the day, most players would rather play when they're most comfortable, and that's kind of what we've trained at, either 1 o'clock or 7 o'clock, and I think that's more fair for us than really the TV ratings, because truly, I don't think we mind as much for TV ratings."

Hamels, who will start tomorrow against Aaron Cook in Game 2, has a particular reason to be perturbed: In his career, he is 10-13 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.395 WHIP in 37 day games compared to 38-21 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.089 WHIP in 79 night games.

^

No surprises in today's line-up:

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

^

A quick break-down of today's opposing starter, righthander Ubaldo Jimenez:

This season, righties are hitting .206 against him, while lefties are hitting .251.

Jimenez is 7-7 with a 3.58 ERA on the road, compared with 8-5 and a 3.34 ERA at home.

In September and October, Jimenez was 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA in six starts.

Batters are hitting just .200 against Jimenez with runners in scoring position.

The Phillies last faced Jimenez on May 27, 2008, scoring seven runs against him in four innings. They also faced him in the NLDS in 2007, when he allowed one run on three hits in 6 1./3 innings.

Pedro Feliz is 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI off Jimenez.

Ryan Howard is 2-for-5 with a home run.

Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Shane Victorino are a combined 7-for-16 off Jimenez.

^

Here is a look at how Phillies hitters have stacked up against Colorado's reliever. Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs and Raul Ibanez have all had considerable success against the Rockies' bullpen:

LHP Joe Beimel
Jimmy Rollins: 3/14, 2 XBH
Shane Victorino: 3/8, 1 XBH, 1 SO
Chase Utley: 2/12, 1 XBH, 3 SO
Ryan Howard: 3/10, 3 XBH, HR, 2 SO, 3 BB
Jayson Werth: 0/5, SO
Raul Ibanez: 1/2, BB, SO
Pedro Feliz: 5/19, 2 HR, 4 XBH, 2 BB, 2 SO
Carlos Ruiz: DNF
Greg Dobbs: DNF
Matt Stairs: 1/4
Ben Francisco: 0/2, SO
Miguel Cairo: 1/4
Paul Bako: 1/4, SO

RHP Jason Marquis
Rollins: 4/34, 4 BB, 5 SO
Victorino: 0/2, BB
Utley: 8/18, XBH, 1 SO
Howard: 2/10, 5 BB, 1 SO
Werth: 6/9, 2 HR, 4 XBH
Ibanez: 1/6, 1 XBH
Feliz: 2/15, 1 XBH, 1 SO
Ruiz: 0/2
Dobbs: 1/5
Stairs: 3/5, 2 BB
Francisco: DNF
Cairo: DNF
Bako: 2/11, XBH, 1 BB, 3 SO

RHP Huston Street
Rollins: 0/2
Victorino: 0/1
Utley: DNF
Howard: DNF
Werth: 0/1, SO
Ibanez: 4/16, 3 SO, 1 XBH, 1 BB
Feliz: 2/4, 1 XBH
Ruiz: DNF
Dobbs: 2/3, 1 XBH, 4 RBI
Stairs: 4/8, 2 HR, 2 HR
Francisco: DNF
Cairo: 0/1

RHP Rafael Betancourt
Rollins: 0/1
Victorino: 0/1, SO
Utley: DNF
Howard: DNF
Werth: 0/1
Ibanez: 4/10, XBH, 2 SO
Feliz: DNF
Ruiz: DNF
Dobbs: 0/1
Stairs: 3/9, 2 SO
Francisco: DNF
Cairo: 2/3

RHP Jose Contreras
Rollins: 1/3, 1 XBH
Utley: 2/2, HR, BB
Howard: 0/2, SO
Werth: 1/2, BB
Ibanez: 8/14, HR, 2 BB, 1 SO
Feliz: DNF
Ruiz: DNF
Dobbs: 3/5, 4 RBI
Stairs: 5/18, 2 XBH, 4 SO, 4 BB
Francisco: 2/11, 4 SO
Cairo: 1/6
Bako: 1/11, 4 SO

RHP Matt Daley
Rollins: DNF
Victorino: DNF
Utley: DNF
Howard: DNF
Werth: 0/1, SO
Ibanez: 0/1, SO
Feliz: 0/1
Ruiz: DNF
Dobbs: DNF
Stairs: DNF
Francisco: DNF
Cairo: 1/6

LHP Franklin Morales
Rollins: DNF
Victorino: 0/1
Utley: 0/3
Howard: 0-3, 2 SO
Werth: 1/2
Ibanez: DNF
Feliz: 0/2, SO, BB
Ruiz: 0/2
Dobbs: DNF
Stairs: DNF
Francisco: DNF
Cairo: DNF
Bako: 0/1

RHP Matt Belisle
Rollins: 3/6, XBH
Victorino: 2/6
Utley: 4/6, 2 HR, 4 XBH, 1 SO, 5 RBI
Howard: 0/3, 3 SO, 2 BB
Werth: 1/1, HR
Ibanez: 0/1
Feliz: 0/5, SO
Ruiz: 2/4, XBH
Dobbs: 1/6, XBH, 3 RBI
Stairs: 0/1
Francisco: DNF
Cairo: 0/1
Bako: 0/1

^

A scene from my walk into the ballpark this morning that should tell you all you need to know about how hard the wind is blowing here: In the distance, a gentleman has a baseball cap pulled low over his face when suddenly a gust not only blows it off of his head, but sends it airborne skimming across the ground where, 50 yards away, a good samaritan fields it like a ground ball. The wind isn't just blowing hard - there is some Wizard of Oz stuff going on at the ballpark today. The flags in centerfield are blowing straight toward the right field foul pole. Charlie Manuel realized it when he walked out of his house this morning and saw a big tree limb down on his street.

"It got my attention right when I walked out of my house this morning," Manuel said. "I've been down in the dugout. I walked around the field. When the wind blows as hard as it was this morning, it definitely can affect the ball, of course."

The Phillies and Rockies both have some heavy-duty left-handed hitters, so it will be interesting to see how the wind affects the way the ball carries to right field.

The 2008 Championship Pennant is wrapped around the flag pole right now.

^

Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ will both be in the bullpen today. Pedro Martinez, however, won't. I asked Manuel what Martinez's role is right now.

"He's available to pitch, and definitely he's in the mix to be one of our starters in this series," Manuel said.

^