After the Cubs took the ball from him, it was all over.

So, what is there to do this time of year in Philadelphia? How about in Chicago? Anything good? How about some football?

Okay, that is not really going that well, either. The Eagles were happy to see the Phillies in the playoffs because it meant fewer batteries to chuck at their underperforming heads. Well, those fans will be back in the stands, and even more bitter and angry. Why? Because their beloved Phillies blew it.

No, they did not blow it yesterday, although they did lose. No, they blew it back in the offseason. The Phillies’ front office had to know that the pitching staff they had assembled was simply not good, and if they did not know that they truly are stupid. Of course, their signing of Adam Eaton does not show any glimmer of intelligence, so maybe we are overestimating their intelligence. The pitching almost kept their mighty bats out of the playoffs, and they have the Mets’ collapse to thank for having made it this far. Yes, Jamie Moyer did pitch well enough yesterday to win, but the series was already over by that point – no one reasonable (John Kruk does not count as reasonable) thought that the Phillies could come back in this series with their lack of arms.

Kyle Kendrick might be a serviceable starter at some point, but he is not No. 2 material, and yet that is what he became for the Phillies. Kyle Lohse has been cast out by two other organizations, including a pitching-desperate Reds, yet was thrust into a role of importance with the Phillies. J.D. Durbin failed when given a chance by the Twins, and he has languished in the minors with no clear path to the bigs. He found it with the Phillies, and posted an ERA over 5.00 with them. The bullpen was no better, with Tom Gordon banged up and out as much on the DL as he was available, forcing Brett Myers to move in to the closer’s role. Antonio Alfonseca and Jose Mesa are both well past their primes, yet both held crucial roles in the Phillies’ bullpen.

This series was lost before the Phillies ever got to it, and it was solely because the front office ignored the issues of the pitching staff, and their one move to improve it – signing Eaton – was only more fuel to the fire. The Phillies will need to fix this during the postseason or their 2008 season will be over before it has started.

The team will also have to address the outfield hole that will be opened up by the loss of Aaron Rowand, who will walk and find a lucrative free agent contract awaiting him wherever he signs, and there are plenty of teams courting him, including in their own division. The Nationals have made no qualms about their interest in him, and he would look nice patrolling center field in their new park, and show that the ownership will put some of the revenue from the new park into the team. Michael Bourn is the best in-house option for the Phillies, and while he might have Rowand’s speed he very much lacks his power. Considering the more pressing needs in the offseason, Bourn might just have to suffice.

The Cubs’ problems in their system begin and end with Lou Piniella’s moronic decision in Game One to pull Carlos Zambrano despite being far short of the pitch count the Cubs had said they would hold him too. Yes, Carlos Marmol has pitched well this season, but he is not Zambrano. Piniella’s logic after the game was that he needed Zambrano back on short rest for Sunday. Sunday would have been Game Four. There is no Game Four. By automatically conceding one game, he told the team he has no faith in them. Now, they get to sit at home and blame curses and goats and cats and not look in at themselves.

We have two more series that could be ending in sweep today. The Red Sox got past the game that should give them the most trouble in Game Two, and they take to the field today with Curt Schilling getting the ball for them. Schilling did not have the best of years, with a record of 9-8 and a 3.87 ERA, making just 24 starts due to injuries, but Schilling has always been a stud when it comes to the playoffs. Schilling is 3-0 with a 1.14 ERA in four divisional round starts and 8-2 with a 2.06 ERA in fifteen career postseason appearances. If you wanted any one pitcher to take the mound in a game to close out the series, it would be Schilling. For the Angels, they look to Jered Weaver to keep them alive for another day. Weaver was 13-7 this season with a 3.91 ERA, and today’s start will be his first postseason start. He does have experience against the Red Sox, though, having faced them twice this year. The one in the Fens was less than pleasant, as he was rocked, but he was much better in the O.C., holding the Sox to six hits, two walks, and two earned runs, and he struck out four in the no-decision. Can he step up today and pitch a similar performance, if not better? The Jets sure hope so.

The Yankees head home to the Bronx in a position similar to the one the Angels are in. Rather than throwing a young pitcher out their though, they counter with one whose career is almost as old as Weaver – Roger Clemens. Clemens struggled this year in his return to the pinstripes, going 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 18 appearances, 17 as a starter, and he has made just one start since September 3, none since September 16. Clemens has made 12 career appearances in the divisional round, 11 as a starter, and he is 4-4 with a 4.36 ERA in those appearances. Overall in the playoffs, Clemens has 34 appearances, 33 as a starter, and he is 12-8 with a 3.66 ERA. The Indians counter with their weakest pitching option, Jake Westbrook, who was 6-9 with a 4.32 ERA in 25 starts. Much of his struggles came in the first half though, where he was 1-4 with a 6.27 ERA in nine starts, compared to 5-5 with a 3.44 ERA after the break in 16 starts. Westbrook, like Weaver, has yet to start a postseason game, so this will be a new experience for him.

Tomorrow, we will break down these two games, and either analyze Game Fours or fill some space with some offseason news. We are betting on the latter…

Questions and comments may be sent to markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com