Third Best Team in Baseball.

The way the Philadelphia Phillies started off this year everyone knew they were going to be the best team in baseball, but along that way they hit a lot of speed bumps and at one point this Phillies team looked dead in the water. On July 21st they were 6 or 7 games out of first place in their division and it seemed as if this season might have been a loss for words. With that being said the Phillies had over 17 players put on the disable list and for the most part the Phillies didn't even play with infield they had opening day. During the trade dead-line the Phillies traded for Roy Oswalt, the Astors number one pitcher, adding another great pitcher to this already great pitching staff between Halladay and Hamels. Even with this big trade happening things were still not going the Phillies way. It had seemed every time the Braves would lose the Phillies would lose and the Phils couldn't gene any ground on the division. After being swept by the Astors at home it seemed the Phillies would have a rough September. Everyone knows that this Phillies team is a September team and every player on this Phillies team knows what it’s like to play under the gun. The Phillies finally caught the Braves and took over first place in the NL East and have become the third best team in baseball and the first team to reach 90 wins. It’s amazing how at one point your picked to not even finish in first and make the playoffs and then be the best team in baseball.

The 3 headed monsters have had a lot to do with the Phillies success in September with Halladay leading the way with an ERA of 2.46, 19 going for his 20th win tonight against the Braves, 10 losses, and 210 strikeouts. Halladay is on the vote for NL CY Young winner. Then you have a very good and better Cole Hamels this year who everyone said need to have a bounce back year and that is what he has done this year. Hamels could easily have 17 to 18 wins this year but he had 4 no decisions and lost back to back starts by a score of 1-0 against the New York Mets. Other than that Hamels is 5-0 in his last 5 starts with an ERA of 0.49, 37 strikeouts, and 7 walks. He has been very good, and overall he has an ERA of 2.93, 12 wins, 10 losses, and 207 strikeouts a career high for Hamels. Now you have the other "ROY" in Roy Oswalt who came over from Houston who the Phillies got in a trade and Oawalt is a guy who has pitched in the postseason and has been the best pitcher in the month of September and he has had some bad luck with the team he was with before that didn't score him a lot of runs and for some of Oswalt's starts with the Phillies it seemed like that was the case too but Oswalt overcame that and is 6-1 with the Phillies this year. Overall Oswalt's ERA is a 2.90, 13 wins, 13 losses, 181 strikeouts. So the 3 headed monsters has worked out great for the Phillies and I think they have the best one, two, three punch in baseball and watch out for them in the playoffs.

Now the Phillies line-up has been their strong part of their success having Howard, Utley, Werth, and Rollins. This year it has been a different story a lot of their key players being on the DL other players have stepped up and I'm talking about guys like Carlos Ruiz who in 2008 batted .218 and is now batting .299, with 8 HR, and 50 RBIs and has been the guy who has carried this team a lot this year. As of right now he has to be the Phillies MVP. Then there’s Placido Polanco who has spent some time on the DL but has come back and has hit very well for the Phillies. A guy who doesn't strikeout a lot and plays great over at the hot corner, Polly is batting .296, with 6 HR, and 51 RBIs and that's with being on the DL. He is also playing hurt. Then there's the big man Ryan Howard who has carried this team every year in the month of September and after being on the DL, for the 5th straight year he has hit 30 or more home runs and has gone over the 100 RBI mark with 104. Yes he does strikeout a lot but face it without this guy the Phillies would have no shot to make the playoffs. Howard is batting .281 this year and will get some votes for MVP. Chances say he gets it, I don't know. On top of those 3 players you have to add Rollins who spent time on the DL, Utley who has spent time on the DL, Werth, Raul, and Victorino who has spent time on the DL and still are the best team in baseball. They have all at one point have carried this team.

The bull pen might be the only thing I worry about on this team. The bull pen in 2008 was one of the best in baseball but in the last 2 years it hasn't been that good. Last year Brad Lidge was playing through injuries and Ryan Madson's focus just wasn't there. This year the Phillies added Danys Baez, who has been on the DL but really hasn’t filled that role and has been off in his game, they also added Jose Contreras who done pretty well for the Phillies when he is need. The big issues is they dont have a good lefty in the pen. J.C. Romero has had a really bad year and the Phillies just don't know what he bring to the table. Between Lidge and Madson this year they have been pretty good. Lidge's ERA is a 3.32 with 24 saves, a lot better number then last years and Madson has been pretty good after coming off the DL with an ERA of 2.42 and 13 HLD. So the bull pen is weak but I think they still have enough weapons to get the job done.

So the Phillies in postseason look like they may have home field avenged throughout the whole 2010 postseason and after the NL won their first All-Star game since 1993 they will have games 1,2,6, and 7 at home if they make the World Series which could be huge since the Phillies play really good at home. The Phillies have really turned it on and are playing like a team that wants to win the 2nd World Series title in 3 years. Also they would be the first NL team to go back to the World Series 3 straight years since the St. Louis Cardinals did so back in 1942, 1943, and 1944. The Phillies right now are the best team in baseball even though the record doesn't show it but their pitching, hitting, and coaching has showed it.