The site is called Food Porn Daily.

Warning: You might never leave the house and yes, you might go blind.

Well, I did not see that coming.

So it appears that Cliff Lee is indeed going to Philly — and apparently for tens of millions less than the Yankees (and presumably, Rangers) offered.

I can’t say I’ve seen an athlete do that too often, so not that he’ll be going hungry or anything, but I have a lot of respect for his decision. Well, in a sense. Anyone who takes millions of dollars less than they could make in New York, to live in Philadelphia, is not someone I feel I understand very well. Really? (“…Her?”). They’ve got one hell of a rotation there now, and I suppose that was part of the appeal for him. Maybe the guy just really loves cheese steak? Ah well, to each their own.

Particularly if Andy Pettitte doesn’t come back (… COME BACK ANDY! How does $25 million sound?!), next year’s Yankee pitching staff is looking a little Mitrish. As much as many of us thought a seven-year deal would likely be a drag on the team by the fifth or sixth year, it sure would’ve looked pretty in 2011. Now Brian Cashman is going to have to scramble faster than he scrambled down the side of that Connecticut office building in an elf costume. But hey, as Jon DeRosa put it last night, “On the bright side, we are now primed for 2015. Do not mess with us in 2015.”

Feel free to panic, rationalize, or remain in denial, as you prefer, below.

Shockingly, the Phillies big problem has been scoring runs. Over an 11 game span from May 22 to June 2, they scored just 14 runs while going 2-9 over that span. Since then they’ve perked up a bit, but only a bit. Take out their one ten-run outburst against the Marlins a week ago and the Phillies have scored just three runs per game in eight of their last nine contests while going 3-5 in those games.

How did the team that led the NL in runs in each of the last four seasons suddenly lost the ability to score? Start with a calf injury that has limited 2007 MVP and leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins to 12 games. Chase Utley missed two games with the flu in mid-May, has hit just .175/.295/.263 in 95 plate appearances since, and hasn’t homered since May 20. Ryan Howard, always a slow starter (.260/.342/.525 career in the first half vs. .303/.407/.633 in the second half) is sticking to that pattern with a .286/.342/.461 line thus far. That’s the core of the Phillies’ offense right there, and the team’s inability to replace Rollins with even a replacement level bat (per VORP, Wilson Valdez and Juan Castro have combined to cost the Phillies a half a win relative to replacement level already this season) has made his absence hurt even more than it should.

But that’s not all. Raul Ibañez, who was a stud last year before a groin injury interrupted his flow, is looking every one of his 38 years this year, putting up his worst performance since he became a full-timer a decade ago, hitting .247/.335/.394. There’s so much slumping going on in the Phillies’ lineup that it seems to have become contagious. Jayson Werth, who should be one of the top free agents to hit the market this winter, was hitting .327/.403/.641 on May 25, but has hit just .137/.241/.235 in 58 PAs since.

I bet Roy Halladay thought he had left his complete-game losses behind him in Toronto, but he suffered a complete game loss on May 18 to the Pirates of all teams, losing 2-1, and in his last start, he allowed just one run in eight innings but took another loss as the Phillies failed to score against Josh Johnson and lost 2-0 (though I suppose that latter was fair play as Johnson was the losing pitcher in Halladay’s perfect game despite not allowing an earned run in that start).

Halladay has a 1.96 ERA on the season and has complied this line in his last three starts: 24 IP, 16 H, 3 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 26 K. He faces CC Sabathia tonight, who according to Yahoo! Sports, “is 6-3 this season, but four of those wins have come against the Orioles, who began play Monday with by far the worst record in baseball (17-46). Sabathia’s ERA in his other nine starts this season is 4.69.” Indeed, Sabathia has been sharp in his last two starts, but both came against the O’s, and in the two before that he gave up 11 runs (ten earned) in just 11 innings in losses to the Mets and the lowly Indians.

Facing a slumping Phillies team that typically relies on big lefty bats Howard and Utley could help CC continue his recent success, but even if he pitches well, one will still have to wonder if it was CC or his slumping opposition that was the key factor. Either way, he’ll have his work cut out for him facing Halladay.

The next two pitching matchups are far more favorable to the Yankees. On Wednesday, A.J. Burnett takes on Kyle Kendrick, who is filling in for injured lefty J.A. Happ, and on Thursday the seniors tour comes to town as 47-year-old Jamie Moyer takes on the red-hot Andy Pettitte, who, at 38, is still nine years Moyer’s junior.

Alex Rodriguez remains out of the lineup tonight due to his hip flexor tendonitis, but said the swelling has gone down and that he could start at third base tomorrow. Rodriguez was supposed to DH tonight and is available to pinch-hit. Ramiro Peña bats ninth and plays third base and with the DH spot opened back up, Jorge Posada, who was originally in the lineup at catcher, will DH and hit sixth behind Nick Swisher with Robinson Cano cleaning up. The bottom three in the lineup are Brett Gardner (LF), Francisco Cervelli (C), and Peña.

In other injury news, Sergio Mitre, who hadn’t pitched since the first day of the Toronto series, was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique injury that occurred during batting practice on Sunday (the Yankees play six games in NL parks next week, though I can’t imagine Mitre would have gotten an at-bat or been expected to deliver had he had one). He is being replaced by lousy lefty Boone Logan. If the Yankees retroactively date Mitre’s DL stay, he would be eligible to be activated on Saturday, though I’m sure he wouldn’t be ready to return that quickly.

Philadelphia Phillies

2010 Record: 32-29 (.525)
2010 Pythagorean Record: 33-28 (.541)

2009 Record: 93-69 (.574)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 93-69 (.574)

Manager: Charlie Manuel
General Manager: Ruben Amaro Jr.

Home Ballpark: Citizens Bank Park

Bill James Park Indexes (2007-2009):
LH Avg-104, LH HR-111
RH Avg-101, RH HR-117

Who’s Replacing Whom:

• Wilson Valdez is filling in for Jimmy Rollins (DL)
• Placido Polanco replaces Pedro Feliz
• Ross Gload replaces Matt Stairs
• Juan Castro replaces Eric Bruntlett
• Brian Schneider replaces Paul Bako and Chris Coste
• Roy Halladay replaces Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez and Brett Myers’ starts
• Kyle Kendrick is filling in for J.A. Happ (DL)
• Jose Contreras replaces Chan Ho Park
• J.C Romero reclaims the innings of Scott Eyre and Jack Taschner
• Danys Baez replaces Clay Condrey and Tyler Walker
• David Herndon is filling in for Ryan Madson (DL)

25-man roster:

1B – Ryan Howard (L)
2B – Chase Utley (L)
SS – Wilson Valdez (R)
3B – Placido Polanco (R)
C – Carlos Ruiz (R)
RF – Jayson Werth (R)
CF – Shane Victorino (S)
LF – Raul Ibanez (L)

Bench:

R – Ben Francisco (OF)
L – Ross Gload (1B)
L – Greg Dobbs (IF)
R – Juan Castro (IF)
L – Brian Schneider (C)

Rotation:

R – Roy Halladay
L – Jamie Moyer
R- Joe Blanton
L – Cole Hamels
R – Kyle Kendrick

Bullpen:

R – Brad Lidge
R – Jose Contreras
L – J.C. Romero
R – Danys Baez
R – Chad Durbin
R – David Herndon

15-day DL:

SS – Jimmy Rollins (right calf strain)
LHP – J.A. Happ (left forearm discomfort)

60-day DL:

RHP – Ryan Madson (broken right big toe)

Typical Lineup:

S – Shane Victorino (CF)
R – Placido Polanco (3B)
L – Chase Utley (2B)
L – Ryan Howard (1B)
R – Jayson Werth (RF)
L – Raul Ibanez (LF)
R – Wilson Valdez (SS)
R – Carlos Ruiz (C)

The Yankees return to the World Series after a five-year break (which, amazingly, is their third longest pennant drought since the acquisition of Babe Ruth) as the favorites, but that seems disrespectful to the defending World Champions. The Phillies are the first team to win back-to-back pennants since the 2000 and 2001 Yankees, and the first championship team to defend their title in the World Series since that ’01 Yankee squad. When the Yankees last went to the World Series in 2003, many were of the mind that their knock-down, drag-out ALCS against the Red Sox was the real championship and that the ensuing World Series, which saw a battered Yankee team stumble to a six-game defeat, was an afterthought. That is not at all the case this year. While the ALCS was tightly contested six-game series against a hated rival, the Yankees were clearly a better team than the Angels going in. They are likely still a better team than the Phillies on paper, but the margin has closed to such a degree that the difference between the two teams is almost negligible.

Lineup:

Derek Jeter (.334/.406/.465, 18 HR, 30 SB @ 86%)
Jimmy Rollins (.250/.296/.423, 21 HR, 31 SB @ 79%)

Providing a nice set of bookends for the 2009 season, Jeter and Rollins began the year sharing the shortstop job for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and will now conclude it as opposing shortstops in the Fall Classic. Back in March, I thought Rollins was the obvious choice to start over Jeter in the WBC as the two had been comparable at the plate in 2008, and Rollins was clearly superior in the field. Then the regular season started and Rollins fell into an awful slump that lasted three months (.205/.250/.319 though July 1), while Jeter rebounded from what had been one of his worst offensive seasons in 2008 to have a near-MVP-quality season. What’s more, Jeter, working with new first base and infield coach Mick Kelleher, had perhaps his finest defensive season, while Rollins brought his struggles out to the field. As a result, Jeter trumped the 2007 NL MVP in every phase of the game in 2009.

Rollins made a nice comeback over the last three months, hitting .288/.334/.510 with 20 steals in 23 tries after July 1, but he’s looked more like the first-half Rollins thus far this postseason, hitting .244/.279/.317 with no walks or steals to Jeter’s .297/.435/.595.

Johnny Damon (.282/.365/.489, 24 HR, 12 SB @ 100%)
Shane Victorino (.292/.358/.445, 13 3B, 25 SB @ 76%)

Damon’s road numbers (.284/.349/.446) look a lot like Victorino’s overall line this year, while switch-hitter Victorino get’s a nice spike against lefties (.314/.385/.459). If this Series goes seven games, Damon will get four games at friendly Yankee Stadium (.279/.382/.533, 17 HR), while Victorino could make four starts against lefty pitching. Damon shook off his Division Series slump with a .300/.323/.533 line against the Angels in the ALCS, but Victorio, is a career .299/.370/.577 hitter in 26 postseason games and has been red-hot this October, hitting .361/.439/.722 with a trio of homers. Folding in the larger regular season sample, I’m going to call this one even.

Mark Teixeira (.292/.383/.565, 39 HR, 122 RBI)
Chase Utley (.282/.397/.508, 31 HR, 93 RBI, 23 SB @ 100%)

Add those 23 stolen bases in 23 attempts to Utley’s total bases and his slugging jumps to .548. And, yes, Teixeira can switch-hit with similar results from both sides, but lefty-hitting Utley hit .288/.417/.545 against lefty pitching this season. Teixeira has been slumping this postseason, but he does have three big hits (the bloop before Alex Rodriguez’s game-tying blast in Game Two of the ALDS, the game-winning home run in that contest, and his bases-loaded double in Game Five against the Angels), and was 4 for his last 9 in the ALCS, which means a big World Series breakout could be around the corner. Utley, meanwhile, has just one extra-base hit this postseason. Tex has the edge here, but it’s small enough to be meaningless in a short series.

Alex Rodriguez (.286/.402/.532, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 14 SB @ 88%)
Ryan Howard (.279/.360/.571, 45 HR, 141 RBI, 8 SB @ 89%)

These are the mashers. Both men have had their share of postseason struggles in the past, but both have put those concerns to bed this postseason. Howard has hit .355/.462/.742 with a hit and an RBI in every game until the clincher against the Dodgers. Rodriguez has hit .438/.548/.969 with five home runs and has had a hit in every game and an RBI in all but one. In nine games, Rodriguez has 12 RBIs to Howard’s 14 (the record for a single postseason in 19 held by David Ortiz ’05, Scott Spiezio ’02, and Sandy Alomar Jr. ’97, while the homer record is 8 by Carlos Beltran in ’04).

Howard, who has hit 45 or more home runs in each of the last four seasons, has more pure power, if that’s possible, but Rodriguez is the better overall hitter and player (though Howard is underrated in the field and on the bases because of his bulk). Most significantly, Howard is the one starter on either team who is really defanged by lefty pitching. He hit just .207/.298/.356 against southpaws this year with a strikeout roughly every three plate appearances. That tips the balance in this matchup decidedly in the Yankees’ favor.

Jorge Posada (.285/.363/.522, 22 HR, 81 RBI)
Jayson Werth (.268/.373/.506, 36 HR, 99 RBI, 20 SB @ 87%)

The Yankee lefties had better get Howard out, because Jayson Werth, who was a platoon player as recently as last year, eats left-handed pitching for breakfast. He hit .302/.436/.644 against lefties this year, and his line in the postseason against all opponents dating back to the beginning of last year’s World Series is .340/.468/.800 with six home runs. Over those 14 postseason games, Werth has hit a home run roughly once every ten plate appearances. He’s a monster and an all-around talent and trumps Posada in the fifth spot. [Note: I've skipped Hideki Matsui for the moment due to the lack of a DH in the NL parks.]

Robinson Cano (.320/.352/.520, 25 HR, 85 RBI)
Raul Ibañez (.272/.347/.552, 34 HR, 93 RBI)

Ibañez was hitting .312/.371/.656 with 22 homers and 59 RBIs when he hit the DL in mid-June with a groin injury and small muscular tear near his abdomen. After returning, he hit .232/.323/.448 over his final 72 games. His aggregate line this postseason (.226/.333/.387) looks more like the latter. Cano’s overall postseason line is no better, but whereas Ibañez did most of his hitting in the Division Series, Cano enters the World Series on a five-game hitting streak. Both lefty batters hit left-handed pitching well. Given that Ibañez’s adbominal tear has yet to heal and could require off-season surgery, I’ll favor Cano here.

Nick Swisher (.249/.371/.498, 29 HR, 82 RBI)
Carlos Ruiz (.255/.355/.425, 322 AB)

This is the matchup that keeps the Phillies lineup in the picture. Going over the top six spots in the order, which is really as deep as the Phillies’ National League lineup gets, the Yankees get the edge with Jeter, Rodriguez, and Cano. The Phillies have the edge with Werth, and the two and three holes are essentially even. That the Yankees have an American League lineup that is strong down to the eighth spot would seem to give them a decided edge given that advantage up top, but they give away some of that edge in the NL park, where designated hitter Hideki Matsui (.274/.367/.509, 28 HR, 90 RBI) has to ride pine, and the inverted postseason fortunes of Swisher and Ruiz erode it even further.

Swisher’s struggles this postseason have been the subject of much debate and consternation in New York, but they’re nothing new. Swisher is now a .161/.319/.214 hitter in 70 career postseason plate appearances over five series with three teams. Ruiz, meanwhile, is a career .296/.406/.432 hitter in 96 postseason plate appearances over six series and has hit .367/.500/.571 over his last three series dating back to last year’s World Series. During the regular season, this spot would go to Swisher without a thought, but given their postseason track records, I have to favor Chooch here.

Melky Cabrera (.274/.336/.416, 10 SB @ 83%)
Pedro Feliz (.266/.308/.386, 12 HR, 82 RBI)

Melky’s the runt of the Yankee lineup, but he had a strong series against the Angels, and it doesn’t take much to beat out a hitter with a career on-base percentage below .300. Feliz might be the best defensive third baseman in the NL, but he’s easily the worst hitter in either lineup, the Phillies’ designated hitters included.

Speaking of which . . .

Hideki Matsui (.274/.367/.509, 28 HR, 90 RBI)
Matt Stairs (vs. RHP .200/.360/.390)/Ben Francisco (vs. LHP .247/.351/.392)

This is is a mismatch. Stairs and Francisco can both run into one, and Stairs will take his walks, but they’re both bench players for a reason. The 41-year-old Stairs hit .194 on the season and slugged below .400 for the first time since 1995. Francisco was closer to league average, but most of his power actually comes against his fellow righties. Neither has a hit this postseason, and Francisco has made five outs in four trips due to grounding into a double play in one of them. Matsui, meanwhile, slugged .618 against lefties this year with a home run every 11.4 plate appearances.

Bench:

Stairs, Francisco, and lefty Greg Dobbs should give the Phillies a strong pinch-hitting trio, but Dobbs also had a poor regular season and the Philly bench has gone 0-for-15 (with two walks to Stairs) thus far this postseason. The Yankees lack a good right-handed bench bat, but with Eric Hinske back in place of Freddy Guzman, they have lefty power (adding Matsui as well in the middle three games), and Brett Gardner‘s game-changing speed.

Rotation:

LHP CC Sabathia (3.37 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.94 K/BB, 34 GS, 21 QS)
LHP Cliff Lee (3.22 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 4.21 K/BB, 34 GS, 24 QS)

Both pitchers are left-handers who won the Cy Young award for the Cleveland Indians (in consecutive years). Both were traded mid-season the year after their Cy Young and helped pitch their new team into the playoffs. Both have been dominant thus far this postseason, with their team winning all three of their starts. Both have struck out 20 and walked 3 this postseason. Both have a first name that starts with a C and ends with “ton.” Cliff Lee is a scrawny white guy from Arkansas . . . I guess the similarities end there. Still, the prospect of Sabathia and Lee facing off three times in this series is thrilling. The last man to make three starts in a World Series was Curt Schilling in 2001 (he only won one thanks to Byung-Hyun Kim and Alfonso Soriano), and the last time two pitchers faced off three times in the World Series was in 1973 when lefies Ken Holtzman of the A’s and John Matlack of the Mets did so with Matlack winning Game Four and Holtzman winning Games One and Seven.

Sabathia is clearly the better pitcher, but Lee has been just a smidge better in his three starts this postseason. Dig:

Lee: 3 GS, 0.79 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 0 HR, 8 IP/GS, 1 CG
CC: 3 GS, 1.19 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 1 HR, 7 2/3 IP/GS, 0 CG

Of course, CC could have finished that Game Four start in Anaheim had it not been such a blowout, and CC has three wins to Lee’s two wins and one no-decision, that ND coming as a result of two unearned runs in Colorado in an eventual Phillies win.

Sabathia, a first-round pick by the Indians in 1998, has been on a steady course toward his current superstardom since he broke into the league at age 20 in 2001. Lee’s path has been a bit more convoluted. Drafted by the Expos and traded to the Indians organization in the now infamous Bartolo Colon deal that also sent Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips to Cleveland, Lee’s first full season in the majors came at age-25 in 2004. Lee sandwiched an 18-win sophomore campaign between two disappointing ones, and while Sabathia was winning the Cy Young in 2007, Lee was struggling with injury, poor performance, and a demotion to the minor leagues. In 2008, Lee emerged with improved control and a reduced fly-ball rate, halving his walk rate and nearly cutting his home run rate by a third. His first seven starts were mesmerizing (6-0, 0.68 ERA, 11 K/BB), since then he’s been merely one of the game’s best starters, posting a 3.18 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 4.21 K/BB with a 30-16 record, nine complete games, and three shutouts in 58 starts. Over the same span, Sabathia has posted a 2.71 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 3.76 K/BB, 33-13 record, 11 complete games, and five shutouts in 60 starts. This has Gibson-Lolich potential.

RHP A.J. Burnett (4.04 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 2.01 K/BB, 33 GS, 21 QS)
RHP Pedro Martinez (3.63 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 4.63 K/BB, 9 GS, 3 QS)

Burnett turned in six strong innings in his first two postseason starts, got a no decision in both, and ended both nights by pieing a teammate after a walkoff win. In his last start, he gave up four runs in the first before getting an out, then threw five scoreless frames. The two runs he was charged with in the seventh inning of that game were allowed to score by the bullpen (and some would argue by Joe Girardi giving Burnett too long a leash). Pedro Martinez didn’t pitch in the first round, but shut down the Dodgers in Game Two of the NLCS, holding them scoreless on two hits and no walks for seven innings. Pedro’s start was a real roll of the dice by Charlie Manuel. Pedro had just three quality starts in nine tries during the regular season and finished up by allowing six runs on 13 hits in seven innings over his last two starts. Pedro seems to be in that El Duque stage of his career, in which he can still find that black magic with a little extra motivation, but isn’t a pitcher that can be relied upon over a longer span. Burnett should be happy to be back at Yankee Stadium, where his ERA was a run lower than on the road this year. Pedro hasn’t pitched in the Bronx since June 2005 during his first and only healthy season as a Met. Anything can happen here.

LHP Andy Pettitte (4.16 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 1.95 K/BB, 32 GS, 17 QS)
LHP Cole Hamels (4.32 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3.91 K/BB, 32 GS, 15 QS)

The first two pitching matchups could go either way, but this is one that clearly favors the Yankees. Hamels has struggled significantly over his last six starts, posting a 6.89 ERA with a 1.5 WHIP and allowing eight home runs. In his three starts this postesason, he has allowed six home runs, posted a 6.75 ERA, and didn’t get further than the first out of the sixth inning in any of them. Amazingly, the Phillies won two of those games, doing so by scoring a combined 18 runs in the two contests. Andy Pettitte, meanwhile, finished the regular season strong and has been excellent in the postseason, turning in three quality starts and posting a 2.37 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 5.0 K/BB.

LHP J.A. Happ (2.99 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 2.17 K/BB, 23 GS, 14 QS)/RHP Joe Blanton (4.05 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 2.76 K/BB, 31 GS, 21 QS)
RHP Chad Gaudin (4.76 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 1.79 K/BB, 25 GS, 11 QS)

We don’t know yet if any of these three will start a game. It seems likely that, even if Lee starts Games One, Four, and Seven, the Phillies will need a fourth starter for Game Five, and if Pedro struggles in Game Two, they could look elsewhere for a Game Six starter as well. The Yankees seem likely to stick with a straight three-man rotation given the past success each of their three starters has had on short rest and the drop-off to Gaudin. The big challenge for Happ or Blanton is to come in sharp and to maintain his endurance after bouncing between the rotation and the pen thus far this postseason. Happ lasted just three innings in his Game Three start in the NLDS and has faced just five batters since then. Blanton fared far better starting Game Four of the NLCS, missing a quality start by one unearned run. Blanton would thus seem like the first choice to start Game Five. If Pedro does get smacked around, Happ could be an appealing option for Game Six back in the Bronx given his 1.99 road ERA this season and his quality start in the new Yankee Stadium back on May 23. Still, the uncertainty here reveals Pedro Martinez’s importance in this series.

Closers:

Mariano Rivera (1.76 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 6.00 K/BB, 44 SV, 2 BS, 3-3, 6.032 WXRL)
Brad Lidge (7.21 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 1.79 K/BB, 31 SV, 11 BS, 0-8, -3.257 WXRL)

Lidge lost his job to Ryan Madson down the stretch, but Charlie Manuel reinstated him for the postseason and has been rewarded. Lidge has given up just one hit and no runs this posteason, though it’s worth noting that Manuel has used him sparingly, limiting him to five appearances in the Phillies’ nine games, only three of them lasting a full inning and none more than that. Rivera, meanwhile, has appeared in all but one of the Yankees’ nine games ( the exception was their 10-1 blowout in Game Four of the ALDS), going more than an inning four times and a full two innings or more twice. Rivera has allowed a run of his own as well as one of his eight inherited baserunners to score, but didn’t cause a lead change in either instance and has a 0.84 ERA in this postseason. To put it simply, Lidge is a contributor, but Rivera is a weapon. Advantage Yankees, of course.

Bullpen:

The set-up relievers of both teams have struggled. Ryan Madson blew two saves in the Division Series against the Rockies and allowed 9 of the 19 men he faced in the NLCS to reach base. Chan Ho Park missed the first round with a hamstring injury, then posted an 8.10 ERA in the NLCS, blowing a save in Game Two. Opponents have hit .391/.440/.478 against Phil Hughes this postseason as Hughes has allowed 11 of 25 batters to reach base and had what could have been a pivotal blown save in Game Five of the ALCS. Opponents are hitting .438/.412/.750 against Joba Chamberlain, though Joba hasn’t walked a man or allowed a home run, four of the seven hits he’s allowed have gone for extra bases, and he has yet to pitched a full inning this postseason. Look for increased opportunities for Chad Durbin, who has been perfect in four postseason innings, and David Robertson, who notably pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam against the Twins in the ALDS and led the majors in K/9 among pitchers with 40 or more innings this season. There are some concerns about the health of Robertson’s shoulder, however, which may be one reason the Yankees have added Brian Bruney to the roster. Each team is carrying two lefties, but outside of Howard, no starter on either team has much trouble with lefties. That just leaves the long men and question marks (Bruney, Brett Myers, who wasn’t on the NLCS roster, and a scuffling Alfredo Aceves), who will be used in case of emergency only.

Baserunning:

Both teams have speed throughout the lineup and steal at a high percentage. The Yankees swiped 111 bases at an 80 percent success rate. The Phillies took 119 at an 81 percent rate. Call it even.

Fielding:

All four of the Phillies infielders are above average and Feliz, Utley, and Rollins when he’s going well are all worthy of Gold Gloves. In the outfield they have two center fielders in Victorino and Werth and Raul Ibañez, whose primary talent in left field is not being Pat Burrell. Save for Mark Teixeira, the Yankee fielders are less impressive on a position-by-position basis, yet they’ve been more successful at turning balls in play into outs this year, ranking second in the AL with a .695 defensive efficiency to the Phillies .691, which ranks sixth in the NL. That could have something to do with the superior strikeout rate of the Yankee pitchers (7.8 K/9 to 7.1), but let’s just call this one even as well.

Philadelphia Phillies

2009 Record: 93-69 (.574)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 92-70 (.568)

Manager: Charlie Manuel
General Manager: Ruben Amaro Jr.

Home Ballpark: Citizens Bank Park (103/102)

25-man Roster:

1B – Ryan Howard (L)
2B – Chase Utley (L)
SS – Jimmy Rollins (S)
3B – Pedro Feliz (R)
C – Carlos Ruiz (R)
RF – Jayson Werth (R)
CF – Shane Victorino (S)
LF – Raul Ibañez (L)

Bench:

L – Matt Stairs (OF/1B)
R – Ben Francisco (OF)
L – Greg Dobbs (3B)
R – Eric Bruntlett (UT)
L – Paul Bako (C)

Rotation:

L – Cliff Lee
R – Pedro Martinez
L – Cole Hamels
R – Joe Blanton
L – J.A. Happ

Bullpen:

R – Brad Lidge
R – Ryan Madson
L – Scott Eyre
R – Chan Ho Park
R – Chad Durbin
R – Brett Myers
L – Antonio Bastardo

Key injuries:

LHP – Jamie Moyer (groin surgery)
LHP – J.C. Romero (elbow tendonitis)

Typical lineup:

S – Jimmy Rollins (SS)
S – Shane Victorino (CF)
L – Chase Utley (2B)
L – Ryan Howard (1B)
R – Jayson Werth (RF)
L – Raul Ibañez (LF)
R – Pedro Feliz (3B)
R – Carlos Ruiz (C)

*   *   *

New York Yankees

2009 Record: 103-59 (.636)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 95-67 (.586)

Manager: Joe Girardi
General Manager: Brian Cashman

Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Yankee Stadium 2.0 (103/103)

1B – Mark Teixeira (S)
2B – Robinson Cano (L)
SS – Derek Jeter (R)
3B – Alex Rodriguez (R)
C – Jorge Posada (S)
RF – Nick Swisher (S)
CF – Melky Cabrera (S)
LF – Johnny Damon (L)
DH – Hideki Matsui (L)

Bench:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Eric Hinske (4C)
S – Jerry Hairston Jr. (UT)
R – Jose Molina (C)

Rotation:

L – CC Sabathia
R – A.J. Burnett
L – Andy Pettitte

Bullpen:

R – Mariano Rivera
R – Phil Hughes
L – Phil Coke
R – Joba Chamberlain
R – Alfredo Aceves
L – Damaso Marte
R – David Robertson
R – Brian Bruney
R – Chad Gaudin

Key injuries:

RHP – Chien-Ming Wang (shoulder surgery)
OF – Xavier Nady (Tommy John surgery)

Typical Lineup:

R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Johnny Damon (LF)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Hideki Matsui (DH)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
L – Melky Cabrera (CF)

Of the 24 teams the Yankees have faced in the postseason, they’ve faced 22 of them since their lone meeting with the Phillies in the 1950 World Series (the exception being the Cubs, who they last faced in the 1938 Serious). To give you a sense of just how long it’s been since the Yankees swept Philadelphia’s Whiz Kids, the 1950 World Series was the last Fall Classic to feature two all-white teams.

That fact is not as trivial as it might sound. The Yankees’ struggles in the late 1960s and early 1970s had several sources, including the institution of the amateur draft and the corporate ownership of CBS, but their failure to properly exploit the African American talent pool was undeniably a contributing factor. When they finally emerged from that slumber, it was with black stars such as Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph, Chris Chambliss, Roy White, Oscar Gamble, and Gamble’s replacement, Reggie Jackson.

Similarly, the Phillies’ surprising pennant in 1950 fed the organization’s resistance to integration. The 1950 Whiz Kids got their name not only because they won the pennant, but because they were the youngest team in the National League on both sides of the ball. In fact, the 1950 Phillies were the youngest pennant winners ever. The Phillies’ oldest regular was first baseman Eddie Waitkus (the player whose shooting the previous year inspired The Natural). Just one of the six men to make more than ten starts for them was over the age of 26, and future Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts were both just 23.

Assuming that young squad would only get better with age, the Phillies didn’t even begin scouting black players until 1954, when Roy Hamey took over as general manager following four seasons in which the Phillies finished between third and fifth place. The Phillies didn’t field their first black player until 1957, didn’t have an African-American starter until 1961, and didn’t have an African-American star until the arrival of Richie Allen in 1964.

That was awful timing for Allen, who despite one of the best rookie campaigns in major league history, fell victim to the Phillies infamous Phlop, in which they blew a 6.5-game lead over the final dozen games of the season thanks to a ten-game losing streak (during which Allen hit .415/.442/.634). Allen’s ensuing battles with the Philadelphia faithful as well as the organization’s brutal treatment of Jackie Robinson back in 1947 were key factors in Curt Flood’s decision to refuse to report to the Phillies after being traded from the Cardinals, ironically for Dick Allen, after the 1969 season. The Phillies wouldn’t return to the postseason until 1976 (again ironically with Dick Allen back in the fold as their first baseman), and despite the Philadelphia fans’ affection for center fielder Gary Maddox and a late-career cameo by Hall of Famer Joe Morgan on the superannuated 1983 pennant winners, the Phillies didn’t have a black superstar who was embraced by the city until the arrivals of Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard in the new millennium.

As for the 1950 World Series itself, it was indeed a Yankee sweep, but it was paradoxically closely contested. The first three games were all decided by one run, with the Yankees winning 1-0 in Game One, in ten innings in Game Two at Shibe Park, and winning in a walk-off in Game Three.

Game One pit the Springfield Rifle, 21-game-winner Vic Raschi, against Jim Konstanty. The bespectacled Konstanty was a curious case. He had been a 27-year-old rookie with the Reds in 1944, then threw just 25 major league innings over the next four season before reemerging in the Philadelphia bullpen in 1949. Then, in 1950, at age 33, he claimed the NL MVP by winning 16 games in relief for the pennant-winning Whiz Kids. Game One of the 1950 World Series was his first major league start since 1946, and he was excellent, allowing just one run in eight innings despite not striking out a single batter. However, Raschi was better, holding the Phillies to a walk and two singles, retiring the first 13 men he faced as well as the last 11, and not allowing a runner past second base. It was the third year in a row that Game One of the World Series finished 1-0 with one team managing just two hits. The lone Yankee run scored following a leadoff double by third baseman Bobby Brown in the top of the fourth. Brown moved to third on a 400-foot drive by Hank Bauer that was flagged down by Phillies center fielder Richie Ashburn and scored on a sac fly to the left-field warning track by Jerry Coleman.

As good as that pitching matchup was, Game Two’s pairing was even better. Future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts and “Supercheif” Allie Reynolds, who would throw two no-hitters the following year, both went the distance in a ten-inning game that was knotted at 1-1 after nine. The Yankees got their run in the bottom of the second when Coleman drew a two-out walk, moved to third on a single by pitcher Reynolds, and scored on an infield single to deep shortstop by left fielder Gene Woodling. The Phils tied it up in the fifth when second baseman Mike Goliat led off with a single, moved to third on a single by Waitkus that took a wild bounce over Coleman’s head at second, and scored on a sac fly to left by Ashburn. Joe DiMaggio struck the decisive blow by leading off the tenth with a home run off Roberts and into the second deck in left center. Reynolds walked pinch-hitter Jackie Mayo to start the bottom of the tenth but, after a sac bunt, got Ashburn to foul out and struck out Dick Sisler on a check swing on a high fastball to put the Yankees up 2-0.

Game Three brought the Series to New York without an off-day. The Yankees got an early lead on veteran lefty Ken Heintzelman when, with two outs in the third, Phil Rizzuto walked, stole second on the next pitch, and moved to third when catcher Andy Seminick’s throw skipped into center field. Coleman singled Scooter home, but was thrown out trying to take second when the throw home was cut off. Junkballing lefty Eddie Lopat took that 1-0 lead into the sixth, but with two outs in that frame, Del Ennis doubled and Dick Sisler singled him home on the very next pitch to tie it. Ennis was then picked off first by Berra on a missed bunt attempt to end the inning. The Phils took the lead in their next turn when shortstop Granny Hamner singled, moved to second on a bunt, and scored on a Golait single.

Heintzelman held the 2-1 lead, which would prove to be the Phillies’ only lead of the series, into the bottom of the eighth, but with two outs he lost the plate, walking Coleman, Yogi Berra, and, after a mound visit from Phillie manager Eddie Sawyer, DiMaggio to load the bases. Sawyer then turned to relief ace Konstanty, but Hamner booted a grounder from pinch-hitter Bobby Brown to allow Coleman to score with the tying run. Casey Stengel had hit for Lopat in the eighth, so Tom Ferrick got the ball in the ninth. Hamner, the Phillies’ top hitter in the Series, immediately tried to atone for his error with a drive toward the 457-foot sign in death valley, but DiMaggio chased down the ball before it reached the wall and held Hamner to a double. Seminick then bunted Hamner to third, putting the go-ahead run 90 feet from home with one out, after which Stengel had Ferrick intentionally walk Golait to get to the pitcher’s spot. That took Konstanty out of the game. Pinch-hitter Dick Whitman hit a grounder to first that defensive replacement Joe Collins (in for Johnny Mize) charged and fired to home to retire Hamner. Sawyer then sent the remarkably-named Putsy Caballero in to run for Golait, but Waitkus flew out to end the inning.

Caballero’s pinch-running attempt was not without its impact, however. Russ Meyer, who had been bumped from the rotation in favor of Konstanty due in part to his 5.30 regular-season ERA, came on to pitch the ninth and got two quick outs, but then Woodling hit a chopper to Jimmy Bloodworth, who had taken over for Golait/Caballero at second base. Bloodworth flubbed the ball allowing Woodling to reach on what was ruled an infield single. Rizzuto followed with a hard shot off Bloodworth for another infield single. That brought up that man Jerry Coleman, who split the left and center fielders with a game-winning single that gave the Yankees a 3-2 win and a 3-0 lead in the Series. There was no on-field celebration.

The concluding Game Four wasn’t nearly as interesting. The Yankees bounced rookie righty Bob Miller in the first inning after a Golait error, a Berra single, a wild pitch, and a DiMaggio double made it 2-0 with one out. Konstanty came on, stranded DiMaggio and shut the Yankees down for the next four innings, but he fell apart in the sixth, giving up a lead-off homer into the right-field corner by Berra, after which he hit DiMaggio in the small of his back. Joe D came around to score on a triple to the 407-foot sign in right center by Brown, who himself scored on a sac fly to the left-field warning track by Hank Bauer.

Those five runs were more than enough for the Yankees’ 21-year-old rookie starter. After the Yankee defense cut down a run at the plate in the first, Whitey Ford, wearing number 19, held the Phillies scoreless into the ninth. Philadelphia didn’t break through until they were down to their last out, when Gene Woodling lost what would have been the last out of the Series in the sun of Yankee Stadium’s left field, allowing two runs to score. After a mound visit by Stengel, Golait singled through the shortstop hole past the reach of Rizzuto to bring the tying run to the plate in pinch-hitter Stan Lopata. Much to Ford’s obvious disappointment, Stengel countered with Reynolds, and the big righty struck out Lopata swinging on four pitches to give the Yankees their second in their record five consecutive world championships.

The Phillies would have to wait thirty years for a return trip to the series and the first (and prior to 2008, only) world championship in franchise history.

The Yankees weren’t the first team to wear pinstripes, but they have worn them at home longer than any other team, doing so continuously since 1915. The team that comes the closest is the Phillies, who introduced the ancestor of their current home uniform in 1950, the same year their Whiz Kids met the Yankees in the World Series, and maintained their home pinstripes throughout their 1970-1991 redesign. The Phils’ current home duds differ in a number of ways from the flannels worn by the Whiz Kids (including blue buttons on the caps, blue stars dotting the i’s in “Phillies,” numbers on the left sleeve, names on the back, a new number font, and a purer shade of red), but the gist is the same. Their non-pinstriped alternates, a variation on their home duds from 1946 to 1949, are handsome and would represent a significant upgrade on their current road unis, but their home pinstripes are classics.

The Phillies have scored 5.74 runs per game this season, tops in the majors and comfortably ahead of the second-place Yankees (5.66 R/G). They’ve done that despite the fact that Rollins was hitting just .195/.231/.268 with one stolen base on May 11. Since then, Rollins has hit .341/396/.500 and stolen four bases, and the Phillies have gone 7-3 while scoring an even six runs per game.

With Rollins having returned to form, the top two-thirds of the Phillies lineup is indeed devastating. Behind Rollins lurks Chase Utley (.295/.432/.597), Raul Ibañez (free from pitcher-friendly Safeco, he’s leading the majors in homers, total bases and slugging, and the NL in RBIs and OPS), and Ryan Howard. Behind them is my preseason breakout pick Jayson Werth, who is living up to my expectations by hitting .272/.371/.500 and leading the team with eight stolen bases in nine attempts (including a recent successful steal of home). Only then do you get to switch-hitter Shane Victorino.

Yes the bottom third is weak, it is a National League lineup after all, but playing in an American League park, as the Phils will be doing this weekend in the Bronx, they can slot in ace lefty pinch-hitter Matt Stairs (.304/.515/.609) as the designated hitter behind Victorino.

No NL team can rival that firepower, which is why the league has to be thankful that the Phillies’ pitching has been so bad in the early going. Only four teams, the Yankees among them, have allowed more runs per game than the Phillies this year, and no team has a worse starters’ ERA than the Phillies 6.31. Forty-six-year-old Jamie Moyer has had just two quality starts in eight tries; last year’s deadline pickup, Joe Blanton, has just three in eight tries and has allowed ten runs in 13 innings over his last two starts; and fifth-starter Chan Ho Park just got booted from the rotation altogether.

Fortunately for the Phils, Cole Hamels is emerging from his early season struggles. After starting the season nursing an inflamed pitching elbow, which pushed back his first start, Hamels was rocked in his first two outings (12 runs in 9 2/3 innings), then took a comebacker off his pitching shoulder in his third, and rolled over his ankle trying to field a ball in his fourth. He had to leave both of those latter games following those injuries, but over his last five starts, including those two, he has posted a 2.70 ERA and struck out 33 men in 26 2/3 innings, and he’s lasted at least six full innings in each of his last three.

With Hamels and Rollins rounding into form, it’s no surprise that the Phillies are on a hot streak. They’re 6-1 on their current road trip, which has fare more to do with how they’re playing than where. It’s not outlandish to treat this weekend’s series between the Yankees and the defending World Champions as a potential World Series preview, but it’s enough for me that they’re two of the best and hottest teams in baseball.

The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to take on fellow lefty Hamels in a rematch of Game One of last year’s NDLS on Sunday. Tomorrow they’ll face another lefty in 26-year-old J.A. Happ, Park’s replacement  in the rotation. Tonight, they’ll face the pitcher who has been keeping the Phils afloat through Hamels struggles, Brett Myers.

Myers hasn’t been pitching like a proper ace, he isn’t one, but he’s been consistently solid for the Phils, turning in a quality start in five of his last six outings. His last two have been his best, as he’s allowed just three runs in his last 13 innings and struck out eight Nationals in seven innings his last time out. Myers one bugaboo has been his major league leading 12 home runs allowed. That’s a bad weakness to have coming into the Bronx as the Yankees lead the majors in home runs (the Phillies lead the NL), and the new Yankee Stadium has been host to more home runs than any other park this year.

The Yankees counter with A.J. Burnett, who will look to push the Yankees’ winning streak into double digits. Burnett held the Twins to two runs in 6 2/3 innings his last time out while striking out seven, but he also walked six men. The Yankees have won just two of Burnett’s last four starts over which he’s posted a 4.61 ERA and walked 4.28 per nine innings. Those are his four starts since giving up eight runs in Fenway. Burnett is giving the Yankees length, but he’s thus far looked like little more than the league-average innings eater he was when not facing the Yankees last year, which means it will be up to the Yankee offense to take advantage of Myers’ gopheritis tonight.

In other news, Brian Bruney’s elbow is hurting. He was unavailable last night and is unavailable again today. Given the hit the bullpen took last night after Joba Chamberlain’s first inning exit, the team has decided to activate Chien-Ming Wang to reinforce the pen. Jonathan Albaladejo, who gave up four runs in 2 1/3 innings last night, has been optioned to Scranton to make room for Wang.

Philadelphia Phillies

2009 Record: 22-17 (.564)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 21-18 (.538)

2008 Record: 92-70 (.568)
2008 Pythagorean Record: 93-69 (.574)

Manager: Charlie Manue
General Manager: Ruben Amaro Jr.

Home Ballpark: Citizens Bank Park (103/102)

Who’s Replaced Whom:

• J.A. Happ (bullpen) replaced Chan Ho Park in the rotation
• Sergio Escalona (minors) replaced Miguel Cairo (minors)

25-man Roster:

1B – Ryan Howard (L)
2B – Chase Utley (L)
SS – Jimmy Rollins (S)
3B – Pedro Feliz (R)
C – Carlos Ruiz (R)
RF – Jayson Werth (R)
CF – Shane Victorino (S)
LF – Raul Ibañez (L)

Bench:

L – Greg Dobbs (3B)
L – Matt Stairs (OF/1B)
R – Chris Coste (C/1B)
R – Eric Bruntlett (UT)

Rotation:

L – Cole Hamels
L – Jamie Moyer
R – Joe Blanton
R – Brett Myers
L – J.A. Happ

Bullpen:

R – Brad Lidge
R – Ryan Madson
L – Scott Eyre
R – Clay Condrey
R – Chad Durbin
L – Jack Taschner
R – Chan Ho Park
L – Sergio Escalona

Restricted List: LHP – J.C. Romero (PEDs)

Projected lineup:

S – Jimmy Rollins (SS)
L – Chase Utley (2B)
L – Raul Ibañez (LF)
L – Ryan Howard (1B)
R – Jayson Werth (RF)
S – Shane Victorino (CF)
L – Matt Stairs (DH)
R – Pedro Feliz (3B)
R – Carlos Ruiz (C)