As hard as it is for a Mets fan such as myself to say, the Philadelphia Phillies will win the 2010 World Series.
Not the defending champion New York Yankees, not the talented Tampa Bay Rays. But the Phillies starting rotation will dominate and propel them to their second Championship in three years.
Roy Halladay pitched Major League Baseball's second postseason no-hitter in his first career postseason start on Wednesday night. The only other was a perfect game by Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series.
The no-hitter was Hallday's second this season - he threw a perfect game in May - and the sixth overall this year. It's safe to call 2010 the year of the pitcher.
And in the year of the pitcher, the Phillies have the best rotation in baseball, making them World Series favorites in my book.
The Phillies will follow up the Halladay gem with a start from Roy Oswalt in game two and Cole Hamels in game three. All three pitchers have combined to go 13-1 in the month of September.
Since acquiring Oswalt at the trade deadline, the Phillies have gone 42-19. The second half surge pushed them past the Braves for the division, and past the Yankees and Rays for the best record in baseball.
Philly's big three have stepped up when needed, and don't seem to be slowing down any time soon.
A team has a better chance of winning a title if they have elite pitching. Even through the steroid era, the Yankees won four World Series titles mainly because of a nasty rotation and Mariano Rivera finishing games.
In October baseball, you're not going up against slouch lineups like the Pirates or the Orioles. It's the best against the best, making pitching in October necessary to succeed.
Halladay, in Game One of the NLDS, faced a Reds team that won the National League triple crown during the regular season, leading the league in batting average, homeruns, and RBIs.
I'd say that's a step up from pitching against the New York Mets.
If a team can get one guy going on the hill, he can carry a team. But imagine if the Phillies get all three going.
Oswalt has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the NL for the past decade.
The third guy in line, Cole Hamels, won the 2008 World Series MVP with the Phillies, compiling a record of 4-0 with a sub-two era in the entire playoffs. Not too bad for your third starter.
Halladay is the likely Cy Young winner this year, and is the best pitcher in baseball right now.
So which guy is going to lose?
With these three guys headlining their rotation, I don't see anyone beating the Phillies over the course of a series in 2010.
That's all painfully coming from a Mets fan.
E-mail: chris.rahn@ubspectrum.com
