Phillies to return to the World Series?

March 14, 2010

Phillies to return to the World Series?

The fact of the matter is, it’ll be awfully hard for the Philadelphia Phillies to recapture the form they had when they won the National League coming to the 2010 MLB baseball season.

STILL, with the Philadelphia Phillies adding Roy Halladay, you can’t help but accept the fact that these guys are still the team to beat in the NL. They are still serious contenders to go all the way in 2010. Not only does the addition of arguably the best pitcher in baseball enhance their chances, but have you seen their line-up lately?

Aside from the addition of Roy Halladay, the Phillies’ roster this season consists of Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorimo, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth, Placido Polanco, and their only real hole besides the pitcher hitting, Carlos Ruiz.

It’s a modern day ”Murderer’s Row.” Halladay and the rest of the Phillies staff will have a lot of run support. If Cole Hamels can get back to his 2008 self, he and Halladay will be one of the best pitching tandems in all of baseball. Switching to the National League should be more advantageous for Halladay since there won’t be a DH. Plus, his experience pitching to teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox should make pitching against any NL team easy.

But if there’s one team who can challenge Philly in the National League, it would have to be the St. Louis Cardinals.

This team flat out knows how to get things done, consistently plugging holes with guys pulled off the scrap heap, given a tune up, and unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Matt Holliday’s big deal meant there was no money for the suddenly revitalized Joel Pineiro, but life goes on in the Lou.

Also, shortstop Brendan Ryan said that he ”absolutely” would be ready for opening day on April 5 after having had surgery on Feb. 9 to alleviate chronic inflammation in his right wrist, a condition that had afflicted Ryan since he was a California high schooler.

For the most part, cortisone shots had alleviated the pain for Ryan, but in late January, Ryan found the discomfort intolerable, and he underwent surgery performed by a California hand specialist, Steven Shin. The organization was not entirely happy with the timing of Ryan’s surgery, and Ryan agreed, to a point.

As for Tony La Russa, he is returning for his 15th season as Cardinals manager, having won 1,232 games in St. Louis and 2,552 games overall, which is third on the all-time list. The 65-year-old La Russa however, has only a year left on his contract, fueling speculation that this might be his last season on the field.

The coaching staff returns intact with the notable exception of former Cardinals star Mark McGwire replacing Hal McRae as the hitting coach.

Which team will win the 2010 MLB World Series? SPORTSBETTING.COM has the odds.

New York Yankees 3/1

Philadelphia Phillies 6/1

Boston Red Sox 6/1

Los Angeles Dodgers 10/1

Want more odds? Visit SPORTSBETTING.COM for more baseball betting odds. Want to watch baseball live? Get MLB tickets online now.

Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals

Posted by sports rumors under MLB.