Playoff Time!

Well, the Rockies are in the playoffs as the NL Wild Card. They face the Phillies in a best-of-five series. What are their chances?

The answer to that depends on two things: Phillies pitching and Rockies bats. I am not too worried about Rockies pitching against the Philly offense... even with the loss of De La Rosa, the Rockies staff has shown that they can keep just about any lineup quiet. The Phillies have one of the most potent lineups in the NL, but they are very streaky. If they streak hot, the Rockies will be in trouble no matter how well they pitch. But if they are average or if Colorado lucks out and catches them in a slump (they did not play particularly well down the stretch), the Rockies starters and relievers should be able to keep the scores low. Marquis and Morales are the wild cards here... these two have some people nervous with their performances over the last month or so. Either could make a big difference one way or the other.

The Rockies feast on right-handed pitching, but are .500ish against lefties. The Phillies have a lot of lefties in their rotation. Big advantage Philly. And against those lefties, Stewart is likely to sit in favor of Atkins, and Hawpe sits in favor of Spilborghs. When defense is factored in, Hawpe vs Spilborghs is probably a push, but Atkins for Stewart at the hot corner is a clear step down. Unfortunately, the right-handed bats Tracy will bring in against the Phillies' starters aren't hitting any better than the left-handed bats he'll be benching, but this does give the Rockies bench a ton of left-handed power against a Philly bullpen without a reliable left-hander... which is nice!

But there are questions surrounding those Philly left-handers: Cole Hamels was the World Series MVP in 2008, but hasn't been great in 2009. He could return to form and dominate, or he could be a bump in the road. Cliff Lee came in like gangbusters after being traded to the Phils, allowing three earned runs over his first five starts, all wins... but since then, he has been average at best in Phillies red, going 2-4 with one no decision. Which Hamels and Lee will show up to face the Rockies? And we can't overlook the mess that is the Phillies bullpen... even if their starters shut the Rockies down, with the way the Rockies have shown they can rally in late innings, you've got to believe that just about any lead handed to the Phillies 'pen will have Phillies fans reaching for their favorite stomach acid reducer.

Things working in the Rockies' favor: they are the only one of the four NL playoff teams to have a winning record over the final ten games of the season, and the only one which really had a fight on their hands to make the playoffs. Remember, about a week ago, the Braves were breathing right down their backs for the Wild Card, and the Rockies responded with some pretty good baseball. Teams that go into the playoffs hot usually tend to stay hot. Rockies fans hope that the Rockies September (their 2nd-best month of the season behind their sizzling June) is just them getting warmed back up.

Prediction: I hate predictions. They're as reliable as a weather forecast, but a lot less useful. I will predict one thing: Rockies and Phillies fans will still be happier next week than Tigers fans are today.

Go Rockies!!!