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Soft-spoken, deferential, he listened attentively and nodded as teammate Ryan Braun handled the role as team spokesman. When it was time for Gallardo to address the sudden responsibility of starting the Brewers' first playoff game since 1982 - Gallardo was born in 1986 - he used the word "opportunity" repeatedly.
"The only thing I'm going to go out and do is give my team the opportunity to win," said the Mexican-born righthander.
The Phillies know all about the precious nature of playoff opportunities. Whether they are able to take advantage of this year's offering will depend in large part on their ability to handle a pair of starting pitchers who were on the sidelines when they won five of their six regular-season games over the Brewers.
While the bulk of the publicity will likely center around lefthander CC Sabathia - who was pitching for the Indians when the Phillies faced the Brewers in April and did not appear in their four-game sweep in September - Gallardo's start tonight could set the tone for the series. At 22 years old with 21 career starts to his credit, he is one of the more improbable Game 1 starters in recent memory.
But the Phillies are aware that he could present a bigger challenge than most of the general public realizes. He has pitched in just four games this season, thanks to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in is right knee suffered in a 6-3 win over the Cubs on May 1. On Sept. 25, Gallardo made his first start since his knee surgery, allowing one run and striking out seven in four innings against the Pirates.
Last year, however, Gallardo established himself as a potential star, going 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 20 appearances, including 17 starts. In his seventh big-league start, he shut down the Phillies for 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits and striking out seven. Pat Burrell hit a solo home run off him with two outs in the seventh inning, but the rest of the lineup struggled. First baseman Ryan Howard went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts. Second baseman Chase Utley, recovering from a broken hand, did not play.
Manager Charlie Manuel said Gallardo has a curveball, changeup and slider in addition to a fastball that goes anywhere from 91 to 95 mph.
"He can throw the ball pretty hard," Manuel said. "He has an overhand curveball. I was just down there in the video room watching him today and it looks like he has pretty good command of his curveball . . . He's young and he has a good arm."
Geoff Jenkins, who spent 10 years in Milwaukee before signing with the Phillies this year, watched Gallardo pitch throughout last season.
"I think you can compare him a lot to how Brett pitched this year," Jenkins said, referring to Phillies starter Brett Myers. "In his starts where he gave up a lot of runs, he didn't do too well, but in his starts where he was dialed in, he was tough to hit. Almost unhittable."
Naturally, the Phillies are hoping for the first situation, particularly with a Game 2 matchup against Sabathia looming. *
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