NLDS Schedule 2011: Why Philadelphia Phillies Should Fear St. Louis Cardinals

We all know the Philadelphia Phillies are the favorite to reach the World Series out of the National League, but they better be on their toes in the National League Divisional Series.

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball right now, and will certainly put their best foot forward against the Phillies in this five-game series.

The Phillies knew they would be in this position after acquiring Cliff Lee last offseason, but they can’t get too comfortable. Sure, they boast Lee, Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels. Of course it is the best rotation in baseball, of course they have a terrific lineup, so why should they worry?

Well, the Cardinals aren’t exactly putting scrubs on the field. Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Lance Berkman all give the Cardinals plenty of pop in the middle of the lineup. Holliday might miss some time due to a finger issue, but the Cardinals will be fine with Allen Craig in that spot, who hit .315 on the season.

The Cardinals appear to be making one extremely smart move by throwing Chris Carpenter in Game 2. LaRussa is going to be hoping that Carpenter can steal a victory in Game 2, and head back to St. Louis with a chance to close out the series at home.

The first game of the series really isn’t essential, and the team just needs to steal one of three games in Philadelphia, so bringing in a fresh Carpenter for the second game makes sense. If they save him until the third game it could be too late, and wouldn’t give the team an option of pitching him on short rest for the fifth and final game.

The rest of the pitching staff has been effective as well for St. Louis, so if the Phillies think they just have to show up and their pitchers are going to win the series for them, they are mistaken.

The Phillies better be on their toes, and they better show up to play, or they could find themselves in trouble against the Cardinals.

Full NLDS Schedule:

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