If the baseball gods possess any sense of justice, the Rockies will be knocked out of the National League playoffs with the no-argument thwack of the bat with which Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard smacks a no-doubt home run.
The Phillies are the defending World Series champions for a reason. They are a better baseball team than Colorado. Period. And that reality is not changing, no matter how loud you shout “Tulo!”
If you believe winning in the playoffs is more about matchups than magic, your Rockies are in deep trouble, unless you’re counting on all those lefties from the Philly pitching rotation to disappear faster than you can say Penn and Teller.
Of course, the impossible has been known to happen in playoff baseball. In a game generally dictated by statistics, the numbers can get seriously bent in a short series. We know this is true, because who can forget the miracle of Rocktober 2007?
But, if you’re asking me, the only sorcery manager Jim Tracy and the Rockies can count on against Philadelphia can be found in the right arm of starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.
“This is a wonderful stage for him to be on in order to further enhance the recognition he is beginning to get as one of the better guys in either league as a front-of-the-rotation pitcher,” Tracy said. “I think he’s a big-game pitcher, and they haven’t seen him this year.”
Let’s be blunt:
The lone way the Rockies have a real shot at beating the Phillies is if the No. 1 pitcher on the Colorado staff wows America as Ubaldo the Great.
Jimenez must steal this series.
At age 25, Jimenez just might be ready to pull it off. He can be the most dominating pitcher in the National League.
As summer wore on and the playoff races heated up, Jimenez sizzled like a Cy Young candidate.
Want proof? Examine the statistical trends since the all-star break. The nine victories by Jimenez were nearly twice as many as recorded by Tim Lincecum of San Francisco in the same time frame. Those 97 strikeouts by Jimenez during this season’s back half have been more swing-and-a-miss intimidating than what St. Louis pitcher Chris Carpenter brought to the plate. And the stingy .209 batting average Jimenez allowed from the middle of July through October was even more frustrating than what hitters experienced with Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals on the bump.
Tracy richly deserves to be named the manager of the year in the National League.
But, during the next week, all Tracy’s wisdom doesn’t count for nearly as much as the 98-mph fastball of Jimenez.
Among those of us who believe any Little Leaguer capable of bringing home straight A’s on his report card can handle the strategy of baseball, the correct decisions from the dugout are not hard to see, unless the cold sweat of playoff tension blinds a manager with brain freeze.
For example: Rather than wring hands over the righty-lefty debate between Garrett Atkins or Ian Stewart in the Colorado batting order, it should be a no-brainer for Tracy to go with Stewart because of a glove that can save runs. And unless Phils manager Charlie Manuel really is as hayseed as he sounds, there is no way he’s letting messed-up reliever Brad Lidge within 60 feet, 6 inches of Rockies pinch-hitter Jason Giambi with the game on the line in the ninth inning.
The beauty of baseball is in its simplicity.
The best move Tracy can hope to make during a five-game series against Philadelphia is the simple pleasure of writing Jimenez on his lineup card as the starting pitcher.
It says here the Rockies must win both starts by Jimenez, or there’s no way, no how Colorado upsets Philadelphia.
Ubaldo the Great.
Sounds like a magician.
So here’s the trick.
While standing on his head, can Jimenez make the big bat of Howard disappear and cause the defending champion Phillies to mutter: How’d he do that?
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
