Kuzul

I have semi-randomly chosen to start with the Reds, and will write a piece about each of the thirty teams, talking about what they’ve done in the offseason up to this point and how that projects for the upcoming season. I know there are moves yet to be made, but with most of the impact moves in the books, I think enough has happened to be able to gauge expectations for the upcoming season. If they make any major moves in the coming days, I’ll amend this article.

I thought it might be fun to begin with the playoff teams from last year, then go on to the teams that finished in the basements of their division before finishing with the most exciting bunch—the teams who were/are/should be on the cusp of contention. So, we begin with Cincinnati.

A lot of people liked the Reds this time last year, myself included, but I think most of us were expecting them to contend for the wild card. The fact that they went on and won the NL Central was exciting for Cincinnatians and for baseball fans looking to witness some new blood in the playoffs. Their speedy defeat in October indicated two things: primarily, they couldn’t hang with the Phillies, as everyone except Kevin Millar seemed to think, and that perhaps the Reds have some work to do if they want to make a run at another playoff appearance.

Rotation: Improved

Their rotation is the part of the team that I thought was most overrated last year. Bronson Arroyo’s value comes mostly from his durability, but also partly from the fact that he can occasionally spin an ERA in the threes. If you look at his FIPs, he’s probably a 4.40 guy, but give him a good offense (and a little luck) and he becomes a 17-game winner. Edinson Volquez is a wildcard. He could strike out more than a batter per inning and will walk a guy about once every two innings. I like Johnny Cueto the best out of the Reds’ top three. He’s cut down on the walks and developed an effective cutter, but it remains to be seen whether he can put it all together for a solid 200+ IP campaign.

The team’s ace-in-waiting will start the season in the bullpen, and we have not seen how well Aroldis Chapman’s excellent stuff will translate to the rotation. I hesitate to crown him his generation’s Randy Johnson just yet. The other two spots in the rotation should go to some combination of Homer Bailey, Mike Leake, and Travis Wood. Homer Bailey seems to have been around forever, but his 2010 gives reason for optimism as he cut the walks, raised the strikeouts, increased the first-pitch strikes. He’s a hard-throwing groundball pitcher and has the natural ability to be successful in the big leagues. Leake struggled after a phenomenal start to his rookie season. He’s a soft-tosser who needs to keep the ball on the ground. Wood seems to have the best control of the three, and I think he gets a shot at starting unless he falls apart this Spring, if only because the Reds already have two or three lefties in their pen and none in their rotation.

I have to say the Reds rotation will be better in 2011 than it was in 2010, if nothing else, because Aaron Harang’s starts will go to one of three guys who each have the potential to be productive major league pitchers. Cueto, Arroyo, and Volquez combined for an ERA of 3.84 last season, and I would expect the trio to be around there again, maybe closer to 4.00. They will need to combine for more than 464 innings this time around though, otherwise undue strain will be placed on the other three, none of whom will probably be allowed anywhere near 200 IP. I expect a few starts for Chapman somewhere down the line, and I expect him to be good, but his value will primarily come from what he does in relief this season. The Reds will field a competitive rotation but they lack any real ace-caliber pitcher (Chapman excluded for now) and only have one guy I consider a lock for 200 IP.

Bullpen: Declined (slightly)

The Reds’ bullpen ranked in the middle out of all MLB teams in most categories (ERA, strikeouts, walks, HR), but shouldered a heavier workload than 21 of the teams. Their closer is a classic seventh-inning guy. Francisco Cordero (don’t ignore his lucky HR rate in 2009) had the second-lowest K/BB rate of any closer in baseball, and the K’s are falling by the year. Yes, he was decent, but the Reds have better pitchers for their toughest situations.

They have arguably lost their best reliever with Arthur Rhodes jumping ship for Texas, but they expect to be competent against lefty hitters with Chapman and Bill Bray. Matt Maloney is another lefty who will get a chance though he lacks the strikeout ability of Chapman and Bray. Maloney made two solid starts for the Reds in 2010 and it will be useful for them to have as many guys who can start a game on hand as possible. Nick Masset was their most-used reliever and he’s an essential component of their late-inning game plan. He gets tons of grounders and can strike guys out. Jose Arredondo will try to come back from Tommy John surgery and Logan Ondrusek was decent, but the latter benefited from a favorable BABIP-against and the it’s hard to know what to expect from the former. Jordan Smith and Sam LeCure were both solid for the team in 2010.

Assuming Ondrusek’s luck neutralizes, Cordero doesn’t turn in another 2009, and Chapman doesn’t post an ERA of 1.00, I don’t think this bullpen will improve on what it did last year. That said, I don’t see them being that much worse. There is some depth, some talent that will need to prove itself, and at least one guy who will start games someday will be working from the pen.

Catcher: Declined

The same catching team from last year returns in 2011. Ramon Hernandez’s 2010 BABIP was a good 35 points above his previous career-high, so he won’t hit .297 again. If he can stay healthy for more than 100 games for the first time as a Red, he could contribute 12 home runs and a league-average OBP. Considering where he’ll hit in their lineup, however, his batting average is more important than his OBP, and I’m projecting it to be around .260.

Ryan Hannigan does have more walks than strikeouts in his career (even if you get rid of the intentional ones) and he actually saw more pitches in the zone (47.7%) than the average major leaguer. Over a full season, he’d probably produce about what Hernandez could be expected to, but as long as he’s the team’s backup, I cant expect him to influence games as much as their starter does and I think Hernandez declines from his 2010 form. If pressed, I do think Hanigan is the better offensive player.

Corner Infielders: Neutral

Joey Votto and Scott Rolen make for one of the best corner infields in the game and both are coming back in 2011. Rolen is nearing his 36^th birthday and showed he can still hit (.285) and hit for power (20 HR), both of which are about what we should expect this season. Joey Votto deserved his MVP award but his HR/FB rate was 25%, which is insane. I would expect no more than, say, 32 home runs from him. He hit more home runs on the road last year, so I wouldn’t say his power came entirely from Great American Ballpark but there was some luck there. His BABIP was high too, at .361, but it always tends to be around there for him so I am not expecting it to fall precipitously as he plays his age-27 season. Clearly, he is still a tremendous hitter and will be great. In addition his defense is solid and he can steal bases (16 in 2010). Scott Rolen was outstanding in the field last year as usual.

Middle Infielders: Improved

I like Paul Janish better than Orlando Cabrera for several reasons. Firstly, the two showed very similar batting averages (.260 for Janish, .263 for Cabrera) but Janish did a much better job getting on base despite seeing more pitches in the zone. Secondly, Janish has more power, and though neither has much, Janish could potentially hit 10 HR or so if he lasts the whole season. Janish hits the ball in the air while Cabrera is a groundball machine. The Reds will replace a guy who got on base at a clip of just over .300 with a guy who will probably do an average job of it. Janish also comes much cheaper than Cabrera. Edgar Renteria could step in if Janish struggles but I wouldn’t necessarily call him an improvement. Brandon Phillips has more power than most middle infielders, which makes up for his iffy walk rate and steal success rate. If he had better plate discipline, he could be a star, but as it is he should contribute another .270/.330/.440 line or something like that. Because of his OBPs, he looks more like a number six hitter than a leadoff guy to me, so hopefully Drew Stubbs or someone else steps up and takes that role.

The Reds’ middle infield is not outstanding, but should be serviceable. They will probably struggle to hit .280 as a pair, but with the team’s corner infielders hitting for average, that shouldn’t matter. The entire infield is good with the glove.

Outfield: Slightly improved

Jay Bruce’s extension got a lot of press earlier this offseason and he should continue to develop over the coming years. His is the best bat in this outfield and he could make a run at 30 HR but his BABIP might have been a bit on the lucky side last year when he hit .281. Drew Stubbs strikes out too much, but he’s very fast and has good power and would make a good leadoff man if he improved his contact rate. Another 20 HR is very possible from him. Jonny Gomes has tons of power but wont hit above .270 either. He doesn’t know how to hit groundballs, so he is a perfect fit for that ballpark, even if his defense is awful. The same three guys make up the 2011 Reds outfield, and I could see Stubbs getting a little better while Gomes and Bruce do more or less what they did last year. I think the Reds did the right thing bringing these guys back, letting the youth develop, and if it goes as planned, they will build on their success in 2010.

Bench: Neutral

Fred Lewis is the new fourth-outfielder and he should easily out-hit the duo of Chris Dickerson and Jim Edmonds who struggled in 2010. His defensive range is limited but the small outfield in Cincinnati will suit him well. Chris Heisey will also see time in the outfield. As a 25-year-old rookie last year, he hit 8 home runs in about half a season while striking out too much. He’s a much better fielder than Lewis though and should get some playing time for that reason. Laynce Nix wasn’t going to repeat his .291 average from last year, and I probably would have chosen Lewis over him as well. Miguel Cairo brings defensive versatility back to the Reds’ infield for two more seasons, and Edgar Renteria is always capable of a good week at the plate.

I like the Reds’ bench mainly because they have a few guys who have played that role in the past and done it well enough. It’s hard to evaluate benches as they shouldn’t be expected to have enough playing time to really make a huge difference. I wouldn’t want any of their bench players starting for me on a regular basis, but that’s ok. What their bench lacks is pop, but they have every one of their starters spotted in case of injury. The interesting thing here is, if anyone (except their shortstop) gets hurt, the replacement is a pretty big step below talentwise. Therefore, if the Reds lose a regular player for the season, they’re going to be hard-pressed to replace him. Fortunately, theirs is a fairly deep lineup.

Lineup: The Reds’ lineup is arguably the most complete in their division. It lacks major holes, but could stand to improve in some ways. Its heart (Votto, Bruce, Rolen) is especially strong and is supplemented with talent preceding and following it. Like last season, they probably could stand for more production from the first and second spots. These guys sacrifice some genuine on-base skills for better-than-average power, playing to the ballpark they call home. The 2010 Reds hit more home runs than any non-AL East team, and they continue to be a group that lives and dies with the longball. The also strike out a lot and don’t draw walks with the best of them. Playing to their ballpark is not an unwise strategy, but these guys would be so much better with a couple of really good contact hitters in front of Votto, Rolen, and Bruce. Drew Stubbs remains the best candidate for leading off, and someone should work with him on drawing walks.

Expected win total: 84–89

I know that may seem kind of low. Last year’s 91-win club should have won 92 according to Bill James’ Pythagorean winning percentage. James’ formula doesn’t take over- or under-achieving players into account though. While I think the pitching is better as a whole, I am counting on it being less productive for them and thus the entire team being slightly worse off. In most cases, I’m expecting the Reds offense to be about as good or better than they were in 2010. The pitching is where I think they slightly overachieved, and I’m not ready to label Bailey or Wood the ace of the future just yet.

Their offense will need to score runs since all of their starters either can be beat or are relatively unproven. There is a lot of talent in that rotation, and the bullpen is competent, but there is no one that a good offense should fear having to face. I remain open to the possibility that a couple of these guys emerge and start winning games for them, and that will make the team that much stronger.

I see no way The Reds possibly regress to their pre-2010 form. They didn’t catch lightning in a bottle in 2010, they developed home-grown talent and it all came together for them. It wont fall apart that easily. The Reds should have no trouble posting a winning record again, but it remains to be seen whether the young guys develop further and how much they do so.

If you agree or disagree with what I’ve said, please let me know and say why. What do you think of the 2011 Cincinnati club?

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Earlier this week, the Cincinnati Reds signed veteran shortstop Edgar Renteria to a one-year, $2.1 million contract.

Renteria was signed to fill the hole left by Orlando Cabrera after the Reds announced that they would not re-sign him.

However, Renteria will not be the everyday shortstop. He will back up Paul Janish, who in his rookie season last year batted .260 with five home runs.

After having his option declined by the San Francisco Giants, Renteria signed with the Reds for much less. After sending the Giants to their first World Series title since 1954 and earning World Series Most Valuable Player, Renteria felt that he had been disrespected by their offer.

Edgar Renteria brings another veteran presence to this young Cincinnati clubhouse. Renteria, who played in St. Louis for five years, had connections with the Reds through general manager Walt Jocketty, formerly with St. Louis, and Scott Rolen, also a former Cardinals player.

“Edgar addresses the need for veteran leadership,” Jocketty said. “He’s a veteran middle infielder that can play shortstop and help Paul Janish. It’s a good move. He still has a lot left in him.”

Renteria, who turns 35 this year, was injured throughout most of last season. In 72 games, he batted .276. He has a .287 lifetime batting average and .344 on-base percentage. He is also a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time Gold Glove winner.

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The Reds have agreed to sign Edgar Renteria, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. The deal could be worth as much as $3 million with an incentive package, according to Levine.

Here are five reasons not to like the move.

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Move over Cliff Lee, because this move will make more of an impact than Lee going back to Philadelphia. Zack Greinke was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday morning and this shifts the entire outlook of the National League.

The Brewers finished third in the National League Central last year, 14 games back of the Cincinnati Reds. Milwaukee was not light in hitting, but struggled mightily on the mound. They finished 12th in runs scored, but were 26th in ERA.

The ERA number should change drastically.

This move was made with the plan of revamping the starting rotation. Going into next season, the Brewers had Yovanni Gallardo (3.84 ERA, 200 Ks in 2010), Randy Wolf (4.17 ERA in 215 innings) and recently acquired Shaun Marcum (3.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP in Toronto).

This makes them an immediate player in the NL Central and the National League as a whole. If you take a look at the divisions and really break down the rosters, there were only a few teams who could have competed.

In the West, it is San Francisco’s division to lose.

The Dodgers are picking up scraps from other teams and are in total dysfunction. Colorado cannot stay healthy and have to hope for another stellar season from Carlos Gonzalez to stay close.

The Diamondbacks and Padres have already mailed it in for 2011.

There is no legitimate contender for Philadelphia in the East.

The Mets are still trying to figure out their offense and have no stand out pitcher except for Johan Santana. Jason Bay needs to stay healthy.

Florida has a solid core of young players, but without Dan Uggla in the middle of the lineup, they are no match for anybody.

I wonder how much Bobby Cox retiring will affect the Braves. The more pressing issue is what they do for a closer.

Billy Wagner is retired and they may need a bullpen by committee at the beginning to figure that part out.

Atlanta’s offense is questionable as well. Sure, they have Brian McCann and Jason Heyward but after that, who?

Chipper Jones is a shell of himself. Matt Diaz is gone. Alex Gonzalez and Troy Glaus are another year older.

The Washington Nationals are not at this stage yet. They have a great deal of young talent, but they are not ready to make the leap yet, especially without Steven Strasburg.

This leaves the Central, which is now wide open.

It looks to be a three team race between the Brewers, Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The young Reds team received their first taste of postseason baseball, only to be swept away by the Phillies. The Cardinals did not have enough gas in the tank to make a September run.

For the Reds, youth is on their side. Their young pitchers, Johnny Cueto and Edison Volquez, have another year of experience under their belts and for Volquez, hopefully a healthy season.

Joey Votto is one of the premier players in baseball.

The Cardinals have the best player on the planet in Albert Pujols and one of the best one-two punches in baseball (Carpenter and Wainwright) when healthy.

The Brewers now have front of the line pitchers to be able to matchup with the others in the division.

This is also a more complete team than the one with CC Sabathia in 2008. The rotation is deeper, the lineup is more mature and they have a solid guy at the end of the bullpen with John Axford (24 saves in 27 chances).

They will make a run at the playoffs and, if they get in, could be very dangerous.

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The winter meetings have come and gone, and as predicted, the Reds didn’t make any major moves, outside of the Bronson Arroyo, Jay Bruce and Miguel Cairo contracts.

All signs point to the Reds sticking to the current plan—developing players from within and banking on their success.

That formula worked in 2010, as a division title was the end result.

With the crazy money being thrown around last week in Orlando, the Reds will never be that team to go out and pay $100-plus million for a Carl Crawford.

All is okay, though. We can still be fine, but the margin for error is razor-thin.

I think we know what to expect out of certain components of this team, as it’s safe to say that Joey Votto will continue to rake, Brandon Phillips will bat his usual .280 and provide Gold Glove defense and Scott Rolen will put it together for stretches.

In terms of pitching, Bronson Arroyo will be Bronson Arroyo, I think Johnny Cueto has cleared some hurdles and I’d imagine that Nick Masset, Arthur Rhodes (if he remains with the team) and Francisco Cordero will turn in performances similar to this past season.

Outside of that, the direction of this team depends on what the young guys do, and if they fail, the Reds fail.

They cannot go out and sign pricey veterans, so their improvements had better come from these guys.

Reds fans are all happy that Jay Bruce will spend his prime years with the Reds, and obviously he had his great late season finish, but he needs to show day in, day out consistency.

Fellow outfielder Drew Stubbs needs to cut down on his strikeouts, and though he made great strides, he will need to continue to get better.

As for the young arms, what they did in 2010 will have to be repeated. Will Edinson Volquez become the pitcher we think he can become, will Mike Leake bounce back and will an offseason of teams scouting Travis Wood have a detrimental effect on him?

Oh yeah, and there is some other guy named Aroldis Chapman—perhaps you have heard of him. As excited as Reds fans are about his potential, though, there are lots of questions about how he will be used next year.

So there you have it: The team stood pat in Orlando, a clear sign that one winning season won’t raise payroll significantly.

Outside of a few proven commodities, this team will live and die by the individuals who are homegrown.

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Like many who grew up in Cincinnati during the Big Red Machine era, I am deeply saddened by the death of its pilot, Sparky Anderson.  He went from “Sparky Who” to one of the most beloved sports figures in Cincinnati history in nine short years, due not only to his success as a manager, but also to the fact that he was a genuinely nice guy.

On July 21, 1974, the Reds were returning from Chicago where they had defeated the Cubs 8-2 and cut the Dodgers’ lead to five and a half games in their final series before the All-Star break.  That afternoon, I went to the Cincinnati Airport with some friends and their parents to welcome the Reds back to town.

We arrived at the gate—back in the days that you could actually do that—to find that we weren’t the only people to have this great idea.  A crush of fans was waiting there as well.   Walking from the gate back to the baggage claim, I managed to get Reds broadcasters Joe Nuxhall and Waite Hoyt to sign the one piece of paper I brought.

At the baggage claim, I walked outside to see if I might find a player away from the crowds.  Finding none, I stood near the curb for a moment.  I must have looked pretty forlorn because I had only gotten autographs from a couple broadcasters and no players.

The back window of a limo rolled down and a white haired man popped his head out and said, “Come here, kid.”

It was Sparky.  He must have noticed the disappointed looking 13 year old standing by the curb. I handed him my piece of paper and he signed it.

He then looked at it closer and said, “Me, Hoyt and Nuxxy. Hang on to this, kid, it’ll be worth somethin’ someday.”  He was right.  Three Hall of Famers on one piece of paper. 

Thankfully, I did.

Tom Walsh is the Founder of The Ultimate Sports List at TUSL.com. This article was originally published on the blog at TUSL.com.

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It is almost time for the baseball awards to be announced. Many fans overlook the value of a good manager. You can look to teams like the Mets and the Marlins that have had turmoil with their managers and see why it is important to have someone who can take control of what is going on. There have been a few managers that have stood out this year.

The candidates include Padres manager Bud Black, Reds manager Dusty Baker, Giants manager Bruce Bochy and Braves manager Bobby Cox who will likely get some votes based on his lifetime achievements.

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George Lee Anderson, otherwise known as “Sparky,” passed away at a hospice near his California home on Wednesday.

Anderson was a manager in Major League Baseball for 26 years. He is best known as the manager of the “Big Red Machine” from 1970-1978, where he led the team to two World Series.

A native of South Dakota, Sparky was signed out of high school by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1953. Sparky labored for five years in the Dodgers’ minor league system before being traded to Philadelphia.

The Phillies immediately thrust Anderson in the starting lineup, where he played 152 games at second base but only batted .218. The next year, Sparky returned to the minor leagues. He never played another game in a big league uniform.

Sparky decided to become a manager and was given the job of managing the Triple-A Toronto Maple Leafs in 1964. He was a coach for the San Diego Padres during the 1969 season. After the season, Sparky accepted the job as manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Immediately, there was an outcry in the city of Cincinnati. No one had ever heard of Sparky Anderson. The headline in The Cincinnati Enquirer read: “Sparky Who?” Reds fans were outraged that the club had hired a no-name outsider.

But the outcry did not last for long, as Sparky led the Reds to 102 wins and a trip to the World Series in his first year. The Reds lost the series to the Orioles, but Sparky was now a Cincinnati legend. The Reds made the World Series again in 1972 but lost to Reggie Jackson and the Oakland Athletics.

In 1975, the Reds won a team-record 108 games and finally won the World Series by beating Boston in a famous seven-game series, which is considered by some to be the best World Series ever. Anderson and the Reds brought home another World Series in 1976 by sweeping the New York Yankees.

During his time with the Reds, Sparky was known as “Captain Hook” for his impatience with his starters.

The Reds fired Anderson (maybe the worst move in Reds history) in 1978 after missing the playoffs for two years in a row.

The Detroit Tigers jumped on the chance to hire Sparky, which they did halfway through the 1979 season. The Tigers won a franchise-record 104 games in 1984 and also beat the San Diego Padres in the World Series. Anderson was named American League manager of the year that year.

In 1986, Sparky became the first manager to win 600 games in both leagues. However, after finishing in second place in the division in 1987, the Tigers lost 103 games in 1989, a season in which Sparky left the team for one month due to stress.

Sparky retired from baseball following the 1995 season, a season in which the start was delayed due to the strike.

Sparky Anderson was elected, as a Cincinnati Red, to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. The Reds also elected him to their Hall of Fame and retired his No. 10 jersey.

Sparky holds a very unique legacy. He is the first of only two managers to win a World Series in both leagues.

Sparky will be missed by baseball fans around the world, not only for his winning teams, but also for his contributions to charity. In 1987, Anderson founded a charity geared toward children’s hospitals.

George Lee “Sparky” Anderson: 1934-2010

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On a few different fronts, it’s as easy as “1-2-3” for the Philadelphia Phillies this postseason. 

Last night, of course, the Phillies dispensed the upstart Cincinnati Reds 1-2-3 in the NLDS. The series sweep was of historic significance as it was the first ever in the postseason for the 127-year old organization— at least on the winning end. 

And the Phillies plan for the 2010 postseason revolves around the rock solid 1-2-3 foundation provided by “The Big Three” trio of ace starters. Cole Hamels fulfilled his part of the plan almost to perfection (a term that cannot be used gratuitously with Roy Halladay on the staff) by tossing a low-stress, high-gloss five-hit shutout in last evening’s clincher. 

Although Phillies players engaged in the customary series-clinching champagne celebration, they did so in a manner that suggested they had been there before, and still have places to go. 

Wrapping up the division series was but step one in their 1-2-3 postseason formula. Next on the agenda is achieving a similar outcome in the NLCS and then the World Series. 

From the outset of last night’s game until the final 95-mph heater that set Scott Rolen down swinging to end the game, Hamels displayed his unwavering determination to execute on those plans. 

In contrast to last season’s postseason, “Hollywood” brought a Halladay-like focus to wrap up the series last evening. When asked about his performance, Hamels made it abundantly clear that the NLDS victory was but one step towards the team’s goal of bringing another World Series Championship to Philly. 

That type of attitude and pitching performance has to be unnerving to the rest of the postseason field. 

After Shane Victorino made a terrific running catch of a Brandon Phillips liner in the first, Hamels never seemed to break a sweat as he suffocated the Reds’ high-powered offense. 

When Phillips started the home ninth with a base hit to awaken the Great American Ballpark crowd and provide a sense of hope, Hollywood coolly induced soon-to-be-MVP Joey Votto to ground into a tailor-made double play. 

Suddenly, it was as if a huge wet blanket had been dropped from the gaudy orange “Conan” blimp hovering above the stadium. 

Hamels’ mid-90’s fastball, low-90’s cutter, nose-diving change-up, and occasional hook had Reds hitters flailing and guessing all night. Never did he allow a free pass or more than one baserunner in an inning, while racking up nine strikeouts.

The Phillies offense remained somewhat in hibernation as it managed but two runs of support for their ace lefty. One run was again donated by the unexpectedly generous Reds defense, and the other came by virtue of a Chase Utley bomb into the right-center field bleachers. 

Besides the superior pitching of Halladay, Hamels, and the bullpen, the Phillies’ edge in postseason experience proved to be a large difference in this series. Not to take anything away from an excellent Phillies team, but the Reds were perhaps a little tight. 

Similar to the Phillies in 2007, Cincinnati got a taste of the postseason and appears to have a very bright future. They have a young core of talent that should provide strong offense, defense and pitching over the next few seasons—much like this now-seasoned Philly team. 

In this series, though, the Phillies took care of business 1-2-3 to accomplish step one of their postseason plan. 

With the champagne cobwebs mostly cleared from their heads today, it’s now time for the Phillies to focus on step two. 

They will take the wise course of one step at a time, but the big celebration will wait until the postseason plan becomes a matter of 1-2-3.  

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Hey everyone, baseball fanatic Evan Adrian here, live blogging game 3 of the NLDS between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds. Cole Hamels will attempt to close out a sweep of the Reds. Cincinnati turns to Johnny Cueto, hoping the right-handed fireballer can keep this series alive.

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