The Rockies destroy right-handed pitching in Colorado and I am convinced that Martinez’s 130-pitch effort on September 19th against the New York Mets did permanent damage to Martinez.

He made one start since then and he had nothing in that start against the Houston Astros. Allowing Martinez to throw 130 pitches in that game was so inexcusably irresponsible by Manuel and his staff, that I really can’t believe it happened.

If anyone can regroup and give a solid effort with less than his best stuff—it would be Martinez. But I think he is going to have a rough go of it in Colorado.

Also, keep an eye on the weather for this game. If this game gets frozen, snowed, or rained out it would be a massive, series changing break for the Phillies.

If this game gets moved to Sunday, then the Phillies can start Game One winner, Cliff Lee in Game Four on normal rest. I would think that would be a no brainer for Manuel.

I’ll take Lee over Joe Blanton or J.A. Happ any day of the week, twice on Sunday.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

This is exactly what the Phillies envisioned when they acquired Lee from the Cleveland Indians in July.

The Rockies had some chances early against Lee. They had runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings. The Rockies failed to score, and you got the sense that if the Rockies didn’t get to Lee early, it might be a long day.

And it was a very long day for the boys from Denver.

What made it a long day for the Rockies was that Lee threw first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 32 batters he faced. He was ahead in the count all day.

As I have mentioned time and time again, if you throw first-pitch strikes and get ahead in the count, you will be successful as a pitcher at any level. It’s just a fact of life.

As for the Rockies, their starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez looked for a while like he would match Lee pitch for pitch. For the first four innings, Jimenez was nasty. But then Jimenez fell apart in the fifth and sixth.

How did the Phillies start their rally? With a walk. As John Smoltz says, “Walks lead to rallies.” Jimenez walked Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez doubled him home to make it 1-0.

Carlos Ruiz then singled home Ibanez to make it 2-0. What was puzzling about Jimenez was that as soon as he got in trouble he went away from his fastball and threw mostly offspeed pitches.

If you throw 97 mph like Jimenez does, you need to pump that fastball in there as much as possible. Terrible game calling by Yorvit Torrealba.

The Phillies added three more runs in the sixth, and Lee took care of the rest.

The Phillies lead the best-of-five series 1-0. Is Game Two a “must win” for the Rockies? No, I don’t think so. It will make things difficult, but it is not a must win.

Even if the Rockies lose tomorrow, they can still win both games in Colorado, and then in Game Five anything can happen.

Game Two is tomorrow at 2:37 ET.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg.

Last year, I went 4-for-4 in predicting the American League and National League Division Series. I thought they were some of the easiest matchups to predict in quite some time.

This year? Not so much.

This year’s matchups are pretty tough. But after playing out some scenarios in my mind for the last week, I am pretty confident in my Division Series picks.

Here are my predictions for the NLDS. I will give my ALDS predictions once the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers decide their fate tonight.

* means if necessary.

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 7 2:37 ET. Ubaldo Jimenez vs Cole Hamels

Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 8 2:37 ET. Aaron Cook vs Cliff Lee

Game 3: Saturday, Oct. 10 9:37 ET. Joe Blanton vs TBD

Game 4*: Sunday, Oct. 11 TBD. TBD vs TBD

Game 5*: Tuesday, Oct. 13 TBD. TBD vs TBD

Prediction: This is a rematch of the 2007 NLDS where the Rockies wiped the floor with the Phillies. Do I think the Rockies are going to wipe the floor with the Phillies again? No, I don’t.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t think they won’t win the series.

I think the Rockies are the most complete team in the NL. If you can find a weakness on this team, I would love to hear it, because right now I can’t find one.

Their starting rotation goes five deep (depending on the health of Jorge De La Rosa), they have a solid bullpen, one of the best lineups in the NL, and they are one of the better defensive teams in baseball.

The best thing about Rockies however, might be their bench. They have the best bench of any team in the playoffs, far and away.

Look at the possible bench against righty Joe Blanton in Game Three: Seth Smith, Jason Giambi, Ryan Spilborghs, Chris Iannetta, and Garrett Atkins.

That is one sick bench.

The Phillies are the defending champs, have one of the best lineups in baseball, and have a great one-two punch in Hamels and Lee. While this is all great, their bullpen is a clown show.

They won’t have JC Romero and Chan Ho Park in this series, and JA Happ may or may not start Game Four. Charlie Manuel is in a tough spot with Happ.

If he starts Happ in Game Four, then Manuel takes away from his bullpen. I think Happ should close for the Phillies in the playoffs.

If Manuel puts Happ in the pen, then he will have to start a fried Pedro Martinez in Game Four.

Tough call for Manuel.

Here is how I think the series goes. The Rockies and Phillies will split games one and two and then the Rockies will torch Blanton and Pedro in Games Three and Four.

The Phillies need to win the first two games at home, and I don’t think they will.

Rockies in Four

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 7 9:37 ET. Chris Carpenter vs Randy Wolf

Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 8 TBD. Adam Wainwright vs Clayton Kershaw

Game 3: Saturday, Oct. 10 6:07 ET. TBD vs Joel Pineiro

Game 4*: Sunday, Oct. 11 TBD. TBD vs TBD

Game 5* Tuesday, Oct. 13 TBD. TBD vs TBD

Prediction: I have the same feeling towards this series as I did for the Chicago Cubs and Dodgers series last year. The Cubs had the best record in the NL last year and started Ryan Dempster in Game One.

I kept thinking to myself the best team in the league is starting Ryan Dempster in Game One? No thanks. I thought the Dodgers would win the series and they did.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the shoe is on the other foot this year. Is the team with the best record in the NL really starting Randy Wolf in Game One?

Pitchers like Dempster and Wolf are like those silly Miller Lite commercials. You know the ones where they talk what greatness tastes like and what amazing hops are in Miller Lite.

I always think to myself watching those commercials: at the end of the day, it’s just Miller Lite. College kids drink it because it’s cheap. Who ever drank Miller Lite at a frat party and said “Wow, those hops are awesome!!!”

That’s Randy Wolf. You can give me all the stats in the world and tell me how great he is, but at the end of the day he is just Randy Wolf.

The biggest concern for the Cardinals in this series will be the bullpen. Ryan Franklin was awful in September and they don’t have a dominant eighth-inning guy, which is key in the post-season.

However, I think Tony La Russa will push Carpenter and Wainwright as far as he can to cover up for the lack of power arms in the pen.

Cardinals in Four.

The defending World Series champions are back to defend their crown.

With their 10-3 victory over the Houston Astros, the Philadelphia Phillies clinched a spot in the 2009 postseason and their third straight NL East division title.

The Phillies have become, from top to bottom, one of the best run organizations in baseball. If you are looking to build an organization, the Phillies have a great blueprint for success.

Here’s the blueprint…

• Draft a solid core like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard Cole Hamels, and Chase Utley.
• Surround that core with solid gamers like Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino.
• Add players when needed like Raul Ibanez and Joe Blanton.
• Build up your farm system so you can trade for players at the trading deadline like Cliff Lee.

That’s a pretty solid blueprint if you ask me. Despite their solid blueprint for success, the Phillies have a lot of questions going into the postseason. The questions mainly surround their bullpen.

Going into tonight, I was all prepared to suggest that Manager Charlie Manuel pitch Pedro Martinez in Game Four and use JA Happ as the closer. Brad Lidge is toast this year, and I think Ryan Madson is too good in the eighth to be removed from that role.

Happ could be to the Phillies this year what Adam Wainwright was for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. But after watching Martinez pitch last night, I am not so sure Martinez can start a playoff game for the Phillies.

Martinez had absolutely nothing against the Astros. His fastball was between 87-89 mph and it looked like Martinez was struggling to even get it to that speed. What on earth were the Phillies thinking letting Martinez throw 130 pitches against the New York Mets on Sept. 13?

That’s like not going to the gym for six months and the first time you go back you run a mile on the treadmill. Surprisingly, you feel great and when you go back the next time, instead of taking it easy again—you run five miles.

Chances are you won’t be the same and Martinez hasn’t been the same since.

I think at this point, the Phillies will have to go with Happ in Game Four and take their chances with Madson or Lidge closing out the ninth.

The Phillies have a very good chance to repeat as champions. Now it’s up to their bullpen to make it happen.

This is it, kids—the final week in the regular season and of course, the final week in fantasy baseball. For those of you playing for your league championship this week, good luck.

Here were the fantasy studs and the potential pickups from the fantasy week that was September 21-27.

Fantasy Studs

Ryan Howard: .375/2/14. It seems that the big man always heats up down the stretch. A hot Howard spells trouble for opposing teams in the playoffs.

Marlon Byrd: .320/3/11/.433. Byrd is having the best year of his career and is a free agent at the end of this season — convenient.

David Ortiz: .280/3/10/.419. Despite everything Ortiz has been through this season, he still has 27 home runs and 94 RBI on the season.

Alex Rodriguez: .350/3/8 with three SB’s. Rodriguez and Ortiz on the same list. It’s like a PED festival here at The Ghost of Moonlight Graham.

Joey Votto: .560/1/8. Votto had 11 runs scored and 10 doubles last week. In five years he will be on the ballot for entry into the Paul Molitor Hall of Fame for players who, if they played in New York, Boston, or Los Angeles, would be superstars.

Adrian Gonzalez: .321/2/8/.441. Six months into the season and still haven’t figured out why opposing teams pitch to him.

Zack Greinke: 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 13 K’s in 13 IP. Hasn’t Greinke been on this list every week? If you have a vote and don’t vote for him for the Cy Young, you should have your voting privileges revoked.

Joe Blanton: 2-0 with a 3.55 ERA and 13 K’s in 12.2 IP. Blanton has quietly been the Philadelphia Phillies most consistent pitcher this year.

Tom Gorzelanny: 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 16 K’s in 12 IP. Gorzelanny is going his best to win a spot in the Chicago Cubs’ rotation in 2010. Remember, he did win 14 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007.

Gorzelanny could be a nice sleeper in 2010.

Rafael Soriano: Three saves with a 0.00 ERA and six K’s in 3.1 IP. Soriano had 16 career saves coming into 2009. In 2009, Soriano has 27 saves and has the highest K/9 rate of his career (11.9/9).

Potential Pickups

Paul Bako: Need a catcher for the last week? Take a look at Paul Bako (something I never thought I would write). He hit .381/1/3 last week in 21 AB’s.

Ronnie Belliard: Belliard is getting regular playing time in Los Angeles. Last week, he hit .409/1/3 with seven runs scored.

Jay Bruce: For those of you who dropped Bruce after his injury—shame on you. Bruce has keeper potential and has turned it on as of late.

Bruce hit .500/2/7/.611 last week in 14 AB’s.

One last thing. If you are looking for a New York Yankees iPod protective case, or a Boston Red Sox cell phone holder, or even a Los Angeles Dodgers Blackberry case — check out Accessorygeeks.com.

Good site with a ton of inventory. They have cell phones, cell phone accessories, iPod accessories, headsets, and more.

As hard as it may be to believe, there’s still fantasy baseball to be played. With fantasy football now in full swing, many people are forgetting that the fantasy baseball playoffs are in full swing.

Not me.

As always, here are the fantasy studs and the players who could kill your fantasy baseball hopes for the week of September 7th-13th.

Fantasy Studs

Billy Butler – .419/2/12 with one SB. It seems like Butler has been around forever, but he is only 23 years old. He could be in-line for a massive breakout season in 2010.

Russell Martin – .286/2/9/.385. It’s good to see Martin make a celebrity guest appearance in the fantasy stud column.

Juan Uribe – .409/3/7. Uribe has been red hot for the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, the rest of the Giants’ offense hasn’t followed suit.

Raul Ibanez – .333/4/7. Ibanez hasn’t been the same since coming back from a groin injury a couple of months ago. Hopefully for the Philadelphia Phillies Ibanez is getting hot at the right time.

Javier Vazquez – 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 17 K’s in 16 IP. Has anyone noticed the year Vazquez is having? If the Atlanta Braves gave him any run support, he would be right up there in the Cy Young race.

Pedro Martinez – 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA and 11 K’s in 14.2 IP. The good news—Pedro pitched eight shutout innings against the New York Mets. The bad news—it took him 130 pitches to do it.

Not sure how smart that was by Charlie Manuel leaving him in there for that long.

Jason Frasor – Four saves with a 0.00 ERA and three K’s in 3.1 IP. Frasor is making the case to be the Toronto Blue Jays closer in 2010.

Joakim Soria – Four saves with a 0.00 ERA and eight K’s in 3.2 IP. Soria has had a down year by his standards. A trip to the DL this year really hurt Soria.

Reasons for Concern

Alfonso Soriano – Soriano will miss the remainder of the season because of knee surgery. It’s been a pretty awful season for Soriano and for owners who depended on him.

I for one, have never been a fan of Soriano. Soriano will be 34 next year and I expect his production to be on a steady decline from here on out.

Brad Lidge – The Phillies officially removed Lidge from his closers duties. The plan is to have Lidge pitch in “low-stress” situations until he gets himself right.

Lidge has had six months to get himself right and if it hasn’t happened by now, I don’t think it will happen this year.

Tim Lincecum – Lincecum missed his last start because of back pain. His missed start caused a lot of fantasy owners first-round heartbreak.

The good news is that if you made it past the first round and have Lincecum on your team, he is expected to start tonight against the Colorado Rockies.

During the course of a 162-game season, every team faces a huge decision that could potentially shape the course of their season. These decisions can come from about 100 different areas.

For the New York Yankees, it was the decision to put Phil Hughes in the bullpen. For the Colorado Rockies, it was the decision to fire Clint Hurdle in May. Both decisions have come from opposite ends of the spectrum, but both changed the course of each of franchise for the better.

I think the Philadelphia Phillies are about to face a huge decision that might have a direct impact on whether or not they repeat as World Series champs.

Last night Brad Lidge blew his major-league-leading ninth save in a 6-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lidge came into the game trying to protect a 4-3 Phillies lead, and just three batters later, the lead was gone and the game was over.

Lidge now has a 7.33 ERA, which amongst relievers with at least 40 innings pitched, is dead last in baseball. Everyone knew Lidge would blow a couple saves this year after going perfect in save opportunities last year, but a 7.33 ERA?

That is inexcusable.

“He’s our closer,” Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel said. “I’ve said it all over the place. That’s the guy who we’ve got.”

I appreciate the loyalty Charlie, but at some point you have to realize there is a massive problem here.

I keep wondering how different Manuel would feel if the Phillies were in a dog fight to make the playoffs.

Perhaps Manuel is waiting for Lidge to turn it around, but in late August/early September, you are what you are.

Right now, Lidge is the worst closer in baseball.

If the Phillies decide to make a change, they have a couple of options. They could decide to use Ryan Madson, who filled in nicely for Lidge when Lidge went on the DL (four saves), or they could use the soon-to-be-returning Brett Myers, who closed for the Phillies in 2007 (21 saves).

The Phillies have the offense, and with the addition of Cliff Lee they have the starting rotation. Now they just need to get their Brad Lidge problem straightened out.

If they don’t, they might not make it back to the World Series.

I didn’t get to watch Martinez pitch live because I was at the Newark Bears game last night (more on that in a later post). But thanks to the MLB Network and the wonderful little invention known as DVR, I woke up early this morning and just watched Martinez’s five innings.

That’s called dedication baby!

What I saw was a very, very determined Pedro Martinez. More determined than I have seen him in the regular season in quite some time. He is no longer the guy who can blow you away whenever he feels like it. He is more of a thinking man’s pitcher these days.

He was mixing his pitches well and even got his fastball up to the low-90’s on some occasions. He is more of a nibbler now as his 99 pitches in five innings suggests, but one thing people always forget about Martinez is that even when he was throwing 98 mph—he was one of the smartest pitchers in the game.

Now, he just needs to be a little smarter than he was before.

The Phillies will take what Martinez gave them last night every time out for the rest of the season. I don’t think the Phillies were expecting much more. The key now will be to see how Martinez fares pitching after every five days.

The next two or three starts will tell us a lot about how much Pedro Martinez will help the Phillies, in their attempt to win another World Series.