Found October 05, 2011 on MyTeamRivals.com: Yardbarker Blogger Network
The Phillies entered this years playoffs as the strong favorite to represent the National League in the World Series. But as good as the Phillies are, most everyone acknowledged their opening round opponent, the red-hot St Louis Cardinals, would be a very tough out.  The Cardinals played incredible baseball down the stretch to even reach the playoffs. They were 10 1/2 games out of the wildcard spot on August 25th, but secured a place in the postseason with a win on the last day. St Louis had essentially been in playoff mode for a month, and had been winning most of their games. (A 10-20 collapse by the Braves helped also, but nevertheless ....) In Game 1 of the series, the Phillies cruised behind their ace Roy Halladay, and were powered by a 3-run, go ahead home run from slugger Ryan Howard, en route to an 11-6 win. In Game 2, the Phils held a 4-0 lead into the 7th, with their 1A ace on the mound Cliff Lee. Lee had been an astounding 94-1 when staked to a 4 run lead in a game....
THE BACKYARD
BEST OF MAXIM
AROUND THE WEB
RELATED ARTICLES

Francisco’s Blast Sends Phillies to 2-1 Series Lead

Ben Francisco did what?Francisco, pinch-hitting in the seventh inning for pitcher Cole Hamels, smashed a line-drive, three-run home run to give the Phillies 3-0 lead. They would hold on to take Game 3 of the NLDS over the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2.For Francisco, it was just his second career hit in 19 postseason at-bats.It wasn’t the cleanest of outings for Hamels. In each inning...

Holliday ready to return to Cardinals' lineup

Matt Holliday expected to return to the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup for their must-win Game 4 of the NL division series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Manager Tony La Russa made out two lineup cards prior to Wednesday's game, one with Holliday in it and one without him. The star outfielder has been out because of an injured right middle finger. Holliday told reporters...

Charlie Manuel Gets Owned By Busch Squirrel After Death Threat!

I think Charlie Manuel just got pwned by a squirrel. From the video above you can see the “BuschSquirrel” having a ball running around the field. In the postgame interview, Charlie Manuel referenced his southern roots and his history of hunting and killing squirrels. The BuschSquirrel wasn’t feeling Charlie…..

Big Ben Unlikely Hero In Game 3 Win

With the NLDS series tied 1-1 between the Phillies and the Cardinals, Game 3 was going to be big for the winner.  The Phillies had not been able to hit Cards starter Jaime Garcia in previous meetings, so for the Phillies, this was not an easy task. Equally intimidating, Cole Hamels pitched for the Phillies.  Over 6 innings, he did not allow a single run.  But multiple base runners...

Was losing Cliff Lee a blessing in disguise?

The Rangers couldn't re-sign lefty Cliff Lee last offseason, but they may be better off without him.

Photo Gallery — Game 3: Phillies 3, Cardinals 2

Thanks to a three-run home run by Ben Francisco in the seventh inning, the Phillies take a 2-1 series lead after a 3-2 win in Game 3 in St. Louis. Read more at Philly Sports Daily

Ranking Ben Francisco’s 3-Run Home Run By WPA

Ben Francisco slugged a pinch-hit 3-run home run for the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLDS Tuesday night. The home run was decisive as the Phillies beat the Cardinals 3-2 to take a two games to one lead in the best-of-five series. The specter of huge pinch-hits is ever present this postseason with the Diamondbacks in the playoffs for the first time under manager Kirk Gibson. Gibson...

Pathetic

Half the lineup is utterly useless and half the starting rotation has crapped the bed. Series tied at 2-2, but damn it's been ugly.AVG/OPSHoward .133/.509Victorino .250/.500Polanco .125/.250Ruiz .071/.204Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt each with a 7.50 ERA.

Did You Know? Cards-Phillies NLDS Game 3

There were many "Did You Know" facts from Game 3 of the NLDS between the Cardinals and Phillies.

Cardinals 5, Phillies 3

David Freese homered, doubled and drove in four runs as the St. Louis Cardinals tagged playoff nemesis Roy Oswalt and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Wednesday night, forcing a deciding fifth game in their NL division series. Edwin Jackson recovered from a rocky beginning to win his first playoff start with six solid innings. Jason Motte worked a perfect ninth for his second...

Francisco comes up big in a pinch for Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies reserve outfielder Ben Francisco didn't have good statistics against Cardinals lefthander Jaime Garcia. But he did have a good memory.

Manuel, Phils overcome late-day shadows

The St. Louis Cardinals voiced their displeasure about the shadows covering the pitcher's mound and home plate in the early innings of Game 3 on Tuesday. The Phillies had the same problems, but won the game and weren't as vocal about it.

J-Roll vs. the Fans, Part 2?

In 2008, he sparked controversy by calling the fans front runners. In 2011, Jimmy Rollins comments on how quiet the crowd was at Game 2 of the NLDS and Twitter is in an uproar. After Sunday night’s 5-4 Game 2 loss, Rollins tweeted, “Not the result we wanted but that's the way it is!! Now we just gotta handle biz on the road! Also fans were waaay to quiet tonight (sic)....
THE MLB HOT 40
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers

Join the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money.

Company Info
Help
What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.