Phils Face Little-Known Righthander

I know what some of you are thinking. The Brewers are sending out Yovani Gallardo, a kid with 24 big league starts on his resume, for the opener of the NLDS against the Phils. One of those starts was a 2-1 victory over the Phightin's in August of 2007. Since then the youngster has had his share of injuries, but he's apparently healthy now.

So, the faithful are probably thinking this kid has the advantage. The Phils don't know much about him other than the fact that they only managed four hits off of him in 6.1 innings in that one appearance.

Well, forget about it. He's a righthander and he's going to face a lineup filled with lefthanders who are on a roll. Look for Greg Dobbs to get the start at third base. Otherwise, the Phils lineup should be the same one that clinched the division title. I'd say the advantage lies with the home team.

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Gavin Floyd bested Freddy Garcia yesterday in a battle of delicious ironies and ex-Phillies. Garcia, making his third start for the Tigers in a game in which the White Sox had everything to lose, pitched well until leaving with shoulder stiffness in his surgically repaired arm. It remains to be seen whether or not Freddy will come back from this latest setback. Before the game he was quoted as saying he felt better than he had in a few years, one of which included his brief, unlamented stint in Philadelphia. It's too bad the statute of limitations ran out long ago on the Phils if they had ever considered filing a grievance against the Sox and GM Kenny Williams for peddling damaged goods. On the other hand, the Phillies medical staff never did their home work. Floyd, meanwhile, led the White Sox in wins this season. The Sox now play Minnesota in a single game that will decide the AL Central Division championship. Half of the Windy City is pulling for their home town boys to face the darlings of the other half of the local populace while most of the country, or at least that portion that cares or can tear itself away from the stock ticker, is probably rooting for the underdog Twins, who lost many of their stars in the off-season and still played 163 games for a chance to go to the post-season. Me? I'm rooting for the Twins because a post-season of Ozzie Guillen is more than the country can handle right now.