Pat Burrell felt some discomfort in his lower back on a swing during batting practice today at Citizens Bank Park. He immediately left the batting  cage and walked into the clubhouse.

He will be evaluated tomorrow.

No other information is availabile.

Lefthander J.A. Happ said today he is on the Phillies' postseason roster as a long man.

Assuming the Phillies carry 11 pitchers, it seems Rudy Seanez could be the odd man out. Seanez said today he hadn't heard, but he was OK with any decision. He seems to have an idea he might be out, or knows but didn't want to tip his hand until an official announcement has been made.

If Happ is in and Seanez is out the postseason roster should look like this:

Pitchers (11): Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton, Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin, Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre and Happ.
Catchers (2): Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste.
Infielders (6): Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz, Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett.
Outfielders (6): Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Matt Stairs, Geoff Jenkins and So Taguchi.

"When you expect a team to win, believe me, that goes a long way," Jimmy Rollins said.

Phil Sheridan has a crazy idea for Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park this week for the National League division series:

When the Phillies begin their playoff series here tomorrow, let's pack up all the built-up anxiety and unhappy history and put it on ice somewhere. Everything from 1964 to Black Friday to Joe Carter to Kaz Matsui gets tied in a sack, weighted down and thrown into the Schuylkill.

On Saturday evening, over the din of the clinching celebration, oracle and shortstop Jimmy Rollins said something that stuck.

"The fans here, they were expecting us to win," Rollins said, gesturing toward the still-giddy faithful cheering and smiling in the stands. "When you expect a team to win, believe me, that goes a long way."

Rollins has said something like that before. It just sounded better this time because the word "front runners" didn't precede it. Yep, Rollins talked about how the energy at Citizens Bank Park affects the players on the field, whether fans want to admit that or not.

"Negative energy doesn't produce anything positive," Rollins said in front of his locker at Dodger Stadium in August. "That's just the truth. ... Take the team that you have and push them to do better. Don't take Black Friday and put that on these new guys. Some of them don't even know (about it)."

Like I've said before, players sense restlessness in the stands. They sense anger and frustration. They've said it doesn't help. I had a former Phillies player tell me a little more than a year ago that he wonders if negative energy breeds negative results in Philadelphia. He was serious. He believes the negative energy in Philadelphia plays a big role in its 25-year championship drought. Is he crazy? Maybe. Or maybe he's totally sane.

That might be why Sheridan wondered:

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. Imagine a parade down Broad Street. It's easy if you try.

We can do this. We have nothing to lose except losing.

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Larry Bowa has kept an eye on Rollins and Chase Utley from Los Angeles and beyond. He calls them the best double play combo in baseball. The Phillies and Dodgers could play each other in the NL championship series, if things break right.

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Ryan Howard had a helluva September. The Phillies are hoping he carries that into October.

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It looked like the Brewers needed a miracle to turn around their season after the Phillies swept them earlier this month. They didn't.

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In the Phillies Notebook: a look at how Cole Hamels, Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer have fared against the Brewers.

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The Fightins speaks to yours truly.

The Brewers have announced that righthander Yovani Gallardo will start Game 1 of the NLDS on Wednesday against Phillies lefthander Cole Hamels. Lefthander/machine CC Sabathia will pitch Game 2 on Thursday against righthander Brett Myers, which means Sabathia can pitch Game 5, if necessary.

This is an interesting move for the Brewers, but one that makes good sense. Jeff Suppan has been terrible in September (0-3 with an 8.44 ERA), so why not go with Gallardo? He is 0-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four starts this season. Don't know Gallardo? He went 9-4 with a 3.74 ERA in 17 starts last season. He looked very, very good in his first three starts this year before he tore the ACL in his right knee May 1. He started for the first time Thursday against Pittsburgh, allowing three hits and one run and striking out seven.

He is expected to be the Brewers' ace next season.

But how long can Gallardo go? He will be well rested, but is he capable of pitching deep into a game? If the Phillies can work a high pitch count on Gallardo, it would send the Phillies into that shaky Brewers bullpen earlier than Milwaukee wants. And that would be a good thing.

Just heard that the Phillies have set up their rotation for the first three games of the National League division series against the Milwaukee Brewers: Cole Hamels will pitch Game 1 on Wednesday, Brett Myers will pitch Game 2 on Thursday and Jamie Moyer will pitch Game 3 on Saturday.

This isn't a surprise.

Hamels is their best pitcher, so they will pitch him Game 1. Myers dominated the Brewers earlier this month. And because the Brewers struggle against righthanded pitching, they probably didn't want the Brewers to face back-to-back lefthanders. The Phillies think they have a handle on Myers' recent pitching woes, but we'll know for sure Thursday. And Moyer goes Saturday in Game 3 in Milwaukee.

So what happens after that?

I think it depends on the situation. If the Phillies lead the best-of-five series, 2-1, you might see Joe Blanton on Sunday. If the Brewers lead, 2-1, the Phillies have to decide if they want to pitch Hamels on short rest or stick wtih Blanton and bring back Hamels at full strength for Game 5.

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Don't know much about Milwaukee? Here's a taste.

The Phillies are the better team.

They should beat the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League division series, and advance to the NLCS. They have a better lineup. They finished second in the league with 799 runs scored, while the Brewers finished seventh with 750. The Brewers have a 3.87 ERA, while the Phillies have a 3.89 ERA. But while statistically speaking the Brewers have a better starter's ERA than the Phillies (3.86 ERA to 4.23 ERA), the Phillies have a better reliever's ERA than the Brewers (3.19 ERA to 3.83 ERA). And the Brewers right now have one solid starter: CC Sabathia. The Brewers certainly will try to squeeze a couple starts from Sabathia in the NLDS, but they also will have to pitch Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush at some point. Of course, the Brewers could have a wild card in righthander Yovani Gallardo, who pitched against the Cubs on Friday. He missed most of the season with a knee injury, but the Brewers rotation is in such shambles with Ben Sheets finished for the season that they probably will roll the dice and use him. And if the Phillies can knock out those guys early, they certainly would love to get into the Brewers bullpen (i.e. Eric Gagne and Co.).

The Brewers aren't sure how their rotation will set up, but the Phillies know Cole Hamels is pitching Game 1 at 3 p.m. Wednesday. (How come I get the feeling a lot of people who read this blog will be getting a cold on Wednesday and calling in sick?)

I'm guessing Brett Myers will pitch Game 2 because the Brewers struggle against righthanders and because it would allow the Phillies to split Hamels and Jamie Moyer. If the Phillies are up 2-1 going into Game 4, they might start Joe Blanton. If they're down 2-1, they could consider bringing back Hamels on short rest, although that's purely speculation on my part.

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The Phillies think they match up pretty well against the Brewers.

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The Brewers partied. And partied. And partied.

And now that they're in, they hope they have some of that '07 Rockies magic.

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In the Phillies Notebook: a look at the potential postseason roster. Greg Golson is headed to the Florida Instructional League today, which means he isn't expected to make the NLDS roster. Surprised? Maybe. He obviously would be an awesome pinch-runner, but I'm not sure Charlie Manuel wants to handcuff himself to a one-option player. Golson has struck out four times in six at-bats this month, so if the Phillies needed him in a pinch-hitting situation he probably wouldn't be able to provide a quality at-bat in a big situation. He also hasn't looked sharp in the outfield. So while Golson could win the Phillies a game with his legs, the same can't be said for his bat and glove. And I'm guessing that is why the Phillies likely are going with So Taguchi. Of course, I might sound crazy saying that because Manuel doesn't use Taguchi in the outfield and Taguchi has hit just .220 this season, including .091 (3 for 33) as a pinch-hitter. But that's my best guess on the Phillies' thinking there.

We also have word on Shane Victorino's leg injury and more.

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John Gonzalez likes the fact the Mets collapsed again.

Major League Baseball has announced the start times for Games 1, 2 and 3 of the National League division series between the Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers. In a shocker, they are the early games because the Cubs/Dodgers and Red Sox/Angels get prime time.

Hope you have a sick day available Wednesday:

Game 1 on Wednesday in Philadelphia: 3 p.m.

Game 2 on Thursday in Philadelphia: 6 p.m.

Game 3 on Saturday in Milwaukee: 6:30 p.m.

Game times for Games 4 and 5 will be announced later.

Games will be broadcast on TBS.

Poll: How far will the Phils go? (6455 votes)

The Milwaukee Brewers and their five sausages (from left to right: Chorizo, Hot Dog, Italian, Polish and German) will be playing the Phillies in the National League division series. Game 1 is Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park. Cole Hamels is starting Game 1 for the Phillies. Starting for the Brewers? They aren't sure yet. It could be righthander Jeff Suppan, who would be throwing on full rest. It could be righthander Dave Bush, who would be pitching on short rest It also could be lefthander Manny Parra, who had been bumped from the rotation, but threw well in a recent relief appearance. The Brewers know the heart of the Phillies lineup is Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, and wouldn't mind throwing back-to-back lefthanders (CC Sabathia could pitch Game 2 on short rest, but he would be making his fourth consecutive start on short rest) against the Phillies.

Stay tuned.

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In case you're interested on postseason roster rules:

Each participating club must submit its 25-man roster by no later than 10 a.m. (site time) on the day of the club’s first scheduled game for each respective series. Each player on the roster must be from the club’s Aug. 31 roster of eligible players or be a permitted substitute under the Major League rules.

In order to be a permitted substitute for an injured eligible player, a player must have been an eligible player or have been on a specified Minor League list in the same Major League organization and remained in that organization through the point of the substitution. In the Phillies situation, only Tadahito Iguchi isn’t eligible.

A club may re-submit its roster in the event that Game 1 is postponed before lineup cards are exchanged at home plate. In that event, a new roster, if any, must be submitted by 10 a.m. (site time) on the day for which Game 1 is re-scheduled.

Pitcher-for-pitcher and player-for-player roster replacements during a series are now allowed if approved by the Commissioner’s Office. An injured player who is replaced during a series must miss the remainder of that series and the entire next series.

The Phillies are National League East champions.

You've seen the double play.

You've seen the celebration.

You've certainly heard players talk about unfinished business. The Colorado Rockies swept the Phillies in the NLDS last season, which had Charlie Manuel wondering yesterday what in fact the Phillies really, truly had won last year? A pennant to fly in left-center field? Gee, that's nice, but Manuel and his players kept repeating over and over again that they expect more this time.

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Phil Sheridan puts it best: Rollins to Utley to October.

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All Jamie Moyer does is clinch NL East championships.

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In the Phillies Notebook: Cole Hamels gets to rest today. He will start Game 1 of the NLDS on Wednesday against  the Dodgers or Brewers. David Montgomery says it's too early to talk about the next GM. And Geoff Jenkins finally makes the playoffs.

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In The Inquirer's Sunday baseball column, Jim Salisbury takes a look at baseball's postseason award winners. Also check out Extra Bases.

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John Gonzalez wonders if this year finally is Philly's turn.

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The Brewers spit the bit and lost to the Cubs, while the Mets rallied behind Johan Santana to pull even in the NL wild card race.