Posted on
10/3/2007 5:56:07 PM
MLB Betting - Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies Postseason Preview
By Eric Williams
The Philadelphia Phillies (+200 to win NL Pennant, +800 to win World Series) and Colorado Rockies (+325 to win NL Pennant, +950 to win World Series) are undeniably the hottest two teams in the entire postseason and hook up for this NL division series which has all the subplots of a successful prime time drama.
These two clubs met seven times during the regular season with Colorado winning four games and out-scoring the Phillies 46-37. Two of the contests went into extra innings.
Here is a look at each team's strengths and weaknesses heading into what could turn out to be the most exciting opening round series in the majors, followed by my Free Baseball Betting Picks.
Strengths
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies put together a fantastic 17-11 finish down the stretch and enter this series with some serious momentum on their side. The Phillies biggest strength is their powerful offense which led the NL is scoring, averaging 5.51 runs per game this season. The Phillies also have a nice combination of speed and power with Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard on the roster.
Philadelphia has a future CY Young winner and perennial all-star in left-hander Cole Hamels and have also found another solid young starter that should be on the team for the next decade in Kyle Kendrick.
Philadelphia closer Brett Myers also has the best curveball in all of baseball, surpassing the New York Yankees' Mike Mussina.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are even hotter than the Phillies coming into this series, having won 14 of their last 15 games, including a thrilling one-game playoff against the San Diego Padres. The Rockies went 20-8 in September and got solid performances all the way around.
Colorado's lineup is almost the equal of Philadelphia's and was second to Philadelphia in the National League in runs scored per contest.Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins and Matt Holliday all hit over .350 in September and Brad Hawpe is also red-hot at the plate, hitting .316 and driving in 26 runs.
The Rockies have also found out that Jeff Francis is a legitimate No. 1 or 2 and that Josh Fogg isn't far behind.
Weaknesses
Philadelphia Phillies
Once the Phillies get past Hamels, Kendrick and 44-year-old Jamie Moyer, the team's starting pitching is mediocre at best as the team's 6.40 ERA against Colorado this season suggests. If the Phillies don't get solid performances from Hamels and Kendrick, they could be in trouble.
Colorado Rockies
Colorado is almost a mirror-image of Philadelphia, with all of their counterpart's strengths – and weaknesses. Once the Rockies get past Francis and Fogg, like the Phillies, their starting rotation thins out significantly.
Another problematic area for Colorado is the fact that they are undoubtedly a better team at home as their 39-42 road record and team, .261 batting average indicates. Colorado's road batting average is more than 30 points lower than at home.
The Rockies haven't had many nail-biters this season while the Phillies have led the majors in comeback victories this season.
Analysis: While the Colorado Rockies probably stand almost as good a chance of winning this series as the Philadelphia Phillies, I think Philadelphia will come out on top simply because they have the home field advantage. Expect a ton of runs in what should turn out to be a classic series.
MLB Free Pick: Philadelphia Phillies in five
03:05 PM EST MLB Odds
Colorado Rockies +115
Philadelphia Phillies -145
MLB Series Prices
DIVISION SERIES PRICE - Best of Five 2 - 2 - 1
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