First K

Pedro Martinez showed up today and threw a tremendous game. He went seven innings and allowed only 2 hits. Unfortunately things unraveled after he was removed and the Dodgers capitalized on another Chase Utley throwing error on a botched double play attempt. The bats, which were silent for most of the day aside from a Howard bomb, failed to bail them out on this day. Back to Philly...

Pedro Martinez wasn't someone many baseball fans would've guessed as a starter in the league championship series before the year started, but here we are and Pedro is going to the hill for Game Two today at 4:07 p.m. ET. How did Pedro go from washed up and finished to pitching a pivotal game for the Phils? Rehab you wouldn't really wish on your worst enemy. “Both of my calves...

Video source: ESPNPedro Martinez makes first playoff start since 2004The Phillies used just about every resource they had in the bullpen in game one to steal home field advantage from the Los Angeles Dodgers and the question is how much relief will they need in game two? A win in game two would set the Phillies up nicely for the upcoming home portion of the NLCS. The big story line...

Today's upcoming game against the Dodgers will be a game of battles: Pedro Martinez's against the team where he got his start, Vicente Padilla's against the team for whom he made his first All-Star appearance, and Phillies fans' against rush hour traffic. Who will emerge victorious? Join us in the LiveBlog as we delve into the fray, and hope for a return to Philadelphia as 2-0 conquering...

Nobody had much of an idea what to expect from Pedro Martinez in game two of the NLCS. Pedro has always seemed like a bit of an outsider on this squad, a guy focused on proving to the baseball world he’s still got it on a team full of players with a history of [...]

The Dodgers rallied off the Phils' bullpen to ruin Pedro Martinez's gem and earn a 2-1 win that squared the NLCS at 1-1. It was yet another case of Dodger resilience, says Ted Keith.

The Philadelphia Phillies are 8-2 in games that pitcher Pedro Martinez has started. And they could be 9-1.

It is no secret among these parts my love affair with Pedro Martinez. I can qualify that statement by the countless number of articles I have devoted to him in the past year on these very pages...Read the full article on Bleacher Report...

When appropriate, Big League Stew reviews a key decision during the playoffs to see if the right one was made.The Turning Point: Exactly six years after Grady Little refused to give Pedro Martinez(notes) the hook in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, Charlie Manuel did the opposite and showed the same pitcher the comforts of the dugout in the Phillies' 2-1 loss in Friday's Game 2 of the 2009...

What a day for pitching. Vicente Padilla goes seven and a third for the Dodgers, surrendering one run; the Phillies’ Pedro Martinez throws seven shutout innings on two hits; CC Sabathia wows his fans at Yankee Stadium in a marvelous eight-inning performance; Angels starter John Lackey is…not good. Sadly, Lackey couldn’t treat baseball fans to [...]

The Dodgers, with a little help from the Phillies, carved out their 43rd come-from-behind win, scoring twice in the eighth inning to win 2-1 and take the National League Championship Series to Philadelphia in a 1-1 tie. Starters Vincente Padilla and Pedro Martinez were brilliant but neither of them had a decision.

LOS ANGELES There's a common philosophy shared by most every manager in baseball that states you don't change anything once you get to the postseason. If it worked for you over the course of 162 games, it'll work for you come October. It's on display all the time in the playoffs, especially when it comes time to decide whether to leave a starting pitcher in the game...