1. Will Brett Myers be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? He was terrific in the second half of the season, going 7-4 with a 3.06 ERA -- after being so bad in the first half that he was sent to the minors. Myers started Game 2 of the NL Division Series against the Brewers and allowed just two hits and two runs in seven innings -- after allowing 16 runs in 8 1/3 innings in his last two starts of the regular season. "The key for him is that he has to trust his fastball," according to one longtime scout. "When he doesn't trust his fastball as much as he should, he starts throwing his curveball too much, and that gets him in trouble." If Myers is Dr. Jekyll, the Phillies can win this series; if he is Mr. Hyde, they cannot win this series. The Phillies will keep their rotation intact, writes Todd Zolecki.
2. How will the Phillies deal with Manny Ramirez? He's hitting .500 in the postseason, with two homers, three RBIs, four walks and a mind-boggling OPS of 1.743. He is totally locked in, in a way you see about once in a decade. And some scouts wonder if Phillies manager
Charlie Manuel, who knows Ramirez well from their days in Cleveland, will look to apply some Kryptonite: inside fastballs. As in, fastballs near his chin. "You have to rough him up, make him uncomfortable, and Charlie will know this," said one scout. "You have to pound him up and in. But I wonder if [Cole] Hamels will do it; I know Brett Myers will be willing to do it."
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Buster Olney
