NLDS Burning Questions

share

Unfortunately for him, Halladay was bested by San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum in Game 1 of the NLCS and the Giants went on to win the series in six games. Don’t think that still doesn’t weigh on Halladay’s mind. Knowing how Halladay is wired, that is still the driving force behind his burning intensity.

Saturday's MLB Playoff schedule

-- Game 1: Arizona vs. Milwaukee, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet)

-- Game 1: St. Louis vs. Philadelphia, 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario)

-- Game 2: Tampa Bay vs. Texas, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (Sportsnet West, Pacific)

-- Game 1: Detroit vs. NY Yankees, 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario)

2 . Do the Cardinals have enough left in their tank to challenge the Phillies?

Like the Rays in the A.L., St. Louis had to come from a long way back to snatch the wild card on the final day of the regular season. Unlike the Rays however, many of their key performers are on the bad side of 30 and you have to wonder how much the playoff chase has taken out of them.

They won 16 of their final 21 games to catch the Braves, and aging stars such as Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman and Rafael Furcal weren’t able to take much time off, if any. Against the Phillies’ four aces rotation that might prove to be too much.

The Phillies’ four starters are on regular rest having clinched with over a dozen games left on their schedule. If the Cardinals put up much of a fight, it will be miraculous.

It might also spell the end of Pujols’ career in St. Louis.

3. Can the Cardinals win a game against the Phillies and their monster rotation?

I’ll be shocked.

Having to keep their regular rotation through game 162 has left the Cardinals out of sorts heading into the playoffs. Ace Chris Carpenter will not be available until Game 3 and by then they will likely be barely hanging onto their post-season lives.

The only way that the Cardinals have a shot is if the Phillies defence, which had shaky moments at times this season, goes south, something that hurt them in the 2010 post-season, or if the Phillies’ bullpen springs a leak, again a problem in the past.

The Game 1 mound mismatch: Halladay vs. Lohse, should get the ball rolling towards a Phillies sweep.

4. How did the Cards beat the Phillies six times during the regular season?

First, it should be noted that St. Louis hung an ‘L’ besdies names of Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels this season, the only team to make that claim.

In fact, Game 2 starter Lohse bested Halladay in Philadelphia just over a week ago, so that should give the Cards a measure of confidence heading into the series opener on Saturday.

The extra day off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs will certainly help the Cardinals as they try and catch their breath after reeling in the Braves in the wild card race.

It will also be interesting to watch Albert Pujols as he plays in what could be his final games with St. Louis.

He hit .385 this season versus Philadelphia and has hit 13 career home runs against the Phillies.

5. Is this Tony LaRussa’s last ride in St. Louis?

Though no one will come out and say it on the record, there have been whispers all season long that if Ozzie Guillen left the White Sox and landed in Miami (check mark), LaRussa would return to Chicago, where he began his managerial career on the South Side from 1979-1986.

The fact that there’s really not much more that he can accomplish in St. Louis, a return to his first team makes sense, especially with the money that the White Sox have been known to waste.

Whether LaRussa would be willing to take over a team that has vastly under-achieved remains to be seen, but he’s never been one to shy away from a challenge.

And if the Cardinals get swept away by the talented Phillies, LaRussa’ decision may be all the more easier to make.

PREDICTION: PHILLIES IN THREE.

The Phillies are rested and ready and have too much for the Cardinals to handle.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (96-66) vs ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (94-68)

(DIAMONDBACKS WON SEASON SERIES 4-3)

1. What is more important to Prince Fielder, money or a championship?

For Brewers fans, they have to hope it’s the latter.

Fielder, looking free agency square in the eye, put up a monster season and is line for an obscene contract this off-season, either in Milwaukee or elsewhere. Watch Game 1 live on Sportsnet, Saturdayat 4:30 p.m. ET.

Combined with Ryan Braun, they are the National League’s top 1-2 power duo and make it very tough for the opposition to navigate thru the middle of the Brewers powerful lineup, that led the league in home runs this season.

The Diamondbacks were able to keep Fielder in check this season, holding him to a .222 average and just one home run and 11 strikeouts in seven games. That must continue for Arizona to have a chance.

2. Will these playoffs be Justin Upton’s coming out party?

Based upon his regular season, that’s a strong possibility.

Upton finally put it all together in his fifth Major League season, setting new career-highs in most important offensive categories.

The former first overall pick and two-time all-star is finally playing up to his vast promise.

Now, can he perform in the bright lights of the playoffs? Under similar circumstances in 2008, his brother B.J. helped Tampa Bay go all the way to the World Series, slamming seven home runs and 16 RBI in 16 games. If Justin can put up numbers even close to those, the Diamiondbacks will have a solid shot at upsetting the Brewers.

3. Can Greinke and Marcum handle the post-season pressure?

There’s no reason to think that they can’t.

Despite missing time this season with a broken rib, Greinke went on to win 16 of his 28 starts, including going 11-0 at Miller Park. Unfortunately, his first playoff start won’t be until Game 3 in Phoenix.

Shaun Marcum’s first season with Milwaukee was eerily similar to his last season with Toronto when he won 13 games. Marcum pitched through hip and neck problems in 2011, but gutted it out. A similar effort will be expected when he makes his first post-season start in Game 2.

Seventeen-game winner Yovani Gallardo will take the ball to open the series.

4. Can Aaron Hill continue his rebound in the desert?

By the time that his run in Toronto sputtered to an end, Hill looked like a lost player.

No longer hitting for average, he was showing none of the power that made him a Silver Slugger in 2009, and he was dropping below the average as a fielder. But if there is a player that apparently just needed a change of scenery, it is Hill. Although he still hasn’t rediscovered his power stroke, he did hit 90 points higher with the Diamondbacks and his OPS jumped from .584 to .878.

And after exiting Toronto, Hill has found a place in the two-hole, hitting .327 and driving in key runs as the desert snakes ran away with the N.L. West.

And now he finally gets a taste of post-season baseball after never getting a sniff in his seven seasons with the Blue Jays.

5. Is Diamondbacks ace Ian Kennedy for real?

I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Entering his second season with Arizona, he boasted a career 10-14 record and an uninspiring 4.33 ERA in 46 games.

This season: 21 wins in 33 starts, a .840 win percentage, .288 opponents’ batting average, and a strikeouts to walk ratio of 3.6:1.

He’ll start on the road where he went 10-2 this season, but his ERA was a half run higher away from Chase Field. Kennedy threw seven shutout innings against the Brewers in late July, defeating Zach Greinke.

Acquired in the three-team trade between the Tigers and Yankees that saw Curtis Granderson land in New York and Max Scherzer and Austin Jackson go to Detroit, Kennedy is a former first round pick of the Yankees and shouldn’t be overwhelmed by his first playoff start having performed in front of a full house at Yankee Stadium during his formative years.

PREDICTION: BREWERS IN FIVE.

The Brewers offence is just too powerful and will be the difference in an extremely tight series.

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 19th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts.