David Swanson | Philadelphia Inquirer | MCT

Philadelphia Phillies’ Chase Utley throws to first with Jeff Larish out at second in a spring training game in Clearwater, Fla., Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Oftentimes, the year after losing in a championship, a team can suffer a post-defeat hangover of sorts. This idea has been on display over the last few years in baseball, as the 2007 Houston Astros, 2008 St. Louis Cardinals (sorry, folks) and the 2009 Tampa Bay Rays all missed the playoffs a year after falling in the World Series.

So here are three reasons why the reigning MLB runners-up, the Philadelphia Phillies, will not only buck that trend but also have as good a chance as anyone to take home the World Series title.

1. The adjustments
While some teams stand pat after obtaining high levels of success, the Phillies were active throughout the offseason. Upgrading from Cliff Lee at #1 starter is no small task, but they managed to do that by bringing in Roy Halladay, who is arguably one of baseball’s most consistent pitchers. He will be motivated since he is pitching on a strong team and will feast on NL hitting. Meanwhile, Placido Polanco was brought in to replace Pedro Felix at third base, and Polanco has a more consistent bat at the top of the order along with some very strong defense.

2. The lineup
Save possibly the defending champion New York Yankees, the Phillies have the best hitting infield and arguably the best all-around lineup in the majors. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard pack quite a punch at the 3-4 spots in the order, and if Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez can keep up the levels of production from their breakout seasons last year, this lineup will be a headache for anyone who has the misfortune of trotting up to the mound against it.

3. The competition
Who in the National League is going to stop them? Within their division, the Mets could be a threat, but they’re still behind and who knows how healthy they’ll be again. I know there’s a piece here about the Cardinals, but after Pujols and Holliday, their lineup drops off significantly. And Jonathan Broxton is still having nightmares about the past two NLCSs, so good luck to the Dodgers. And then what happens if the Phillies reach the Series and the big bad Yankees are there again waiting for them? They’ll be ready. Halladay will be as energized as ever to finally be in the postseason (against a team he’s had success against historically) and with the sting of defeat still fresh on their minds from November, these Phillies won’t go down easily to anyone.

So here’s the catch: I was born 15 minutes outside of the city of Brotherly Love and have no problem admitting there’s probably some bias in here. So am I wrong? Do you disagree? Are you a Mets fan? We want your opinion. Contact us at sports@studlife.com.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xf5qfVlxM8

Sports reporters Kurt Rohrbeck and Daniel Kurzner talk about who will win the 2009 World Series in a discussion moderated by Steven Simon.

Regarding pitching, both teams are pretty even; each team gave up about 1.2 home runs per nine innings, each hit about 73 batters, and each posted a team WHIP, walks plus hits over innings pitched, of 1.352. The only differences were the Phillies team ERA, 4.16, was a bit lower than the Yankees, 4.28, and the Yankees struck out 100 more posing batters.

We all know the big names: A-Rod, Jeter, Howard and Utley but there are two other players poised to do great things this series.

The first is Andy Pettitte, starting pitcher for the Yankees. Pettitte has been around the playoffs a lot, posting over 230 innings pitched in the post-season. Over the course of his career he has handled the first four Phillies’ batters, Rollins, Victorino, Utley, and Howard, very well. In 79 at-bats, combined, they have gotten only nine hits, a home run and have only two RBIs against Pettitte.  That’s a combined .184 batting average against Pettitte; talk about ownership.

On the Phillies side, keep an eye on Raul Ibanez, the starting leftfielder. Against the three Yankee starters, Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte, Ibanez has combined in his career to go 21 for 76 (.276 batting average), with three home runs and 15 RBIs. This means Ibanez drives in a run every five at-bats; not bad since those pitchers combined to make over 35 million dollars this season.

In the playoffs, defense and walks always have game-changing effects. In 2009, the Phillies committed ten less errors than the Yankees, but the Yankees walked about 100 less batters.

Ultimately, it should be a good series, with a ton of souvenirs hit over the outfield fences. But I see the Yankees winning it in six games.  The power and patience of the Yankees line-up should continue into the World Series and with Mariano Rivera, pitching the ninth inning, the Yankees will secure their 27^th franchise championship.

Brad Lidge had a rocky 2009 season, going 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA and 11 blown saves. However, he has returned to form in the postseason and will need to continue his perfect pitching against the Yankees, a team that contributed to two of his blown saves. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

The Lineup

The Phillies have arguably the best lineup, top to bottom, in Major League Baseball. But just as important as how good they are is how clutch they are:  they can never be ruled out of any game. They took the lead in the ninth inning in three out of their seven wins this postseason and have clutch hitters up and down the lineup.

The Rotation

The Phillies’ rotation may not be quite as strong throughout as the Yankees’, but most of the pitchers in it have been showing up big time so far in the postseason. Cliff Lee has been remarkable ever since he stepped into a Phillies uniform, and Pedro Martinez has shown that even at 37 he’s still got the stuff to be a quality major league starter. If 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels can come close to replicating what he was able to do last postseason, this could even turn into an edge for the Phillies.

The Coaching

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has admittedly done an impressive job in guiding the Yankees to the World Series in only his second year managing. Yet the way he has managed his bullpen in the team’s losses has raised some eyebrows among many Yankees fans. Charlie Manuel knows what his team needs to do to win and has shown that he knows how to lead a team to victory in the playoffs.

The Doubters

Out of the 24 experts on ESPN.com who made predictions before the playoffs started, exactly none of them picked the Phillies to repeat. Only six of them even had the Phillies making the Fall Classic. The team has heard all year about how they faced a weak Rays team last year and they won’t be able to deal with the best that the American League has to offer this time around—and it’s ready to respond.

The Postseason Experience

The Phillies have won 16 of their last 20 postseason games dating back to last season. No National League team has ever done this. This is a team that thrives off of the pressure of October (and November). It knows what it takes to win in the postseason and it has at least one more strong series in them.

The X Factor: Brad Lidge

While he may not be quite the force that he was in 2008, the Phillies’ closer has put together quite a solid effort so far in the 2009 postseason, allowing only one hit in his five appearances while making three saves. If he can act like his 2008 self for one more series, the Phillies will be near impossible to take down late in a game.

Why You Should Care

Take a look at the players on this team. They’re class acts. Not a prima donna among the group, and not a single player who’s ever been accused of taking steroids. Compared to the Yankees, run by maniac owner George Steinbrenner and functioning on a $201 million payroll—and really, now, who do you want to see take this matchup? Cardinals fans here at Wash. U. can gain a bit of legitimacy for their team, as a Phillies win gives a bit more respect to the top teams of the much-beleaguered NL.

Kurt Rohrbeck is a Phillies fan and wrote an intentionally slanted article. For an opposing argument from a Yankee fan, see Daniel Kurzner’s article “Prediction: Yankees in 6 games” on studlife.com. For a neutral perspective on the World Series, see Steven Simon’s article “2009 World Series Showdown” on studlife.com.