Inside the Phillies: Phillies pin hopes on Hamels for Game 3 of NLDS

ST. LOUIS - The spring training news conference and photo shoots down in Clearwater, Fla., created unbridled anticipation over the Phillies' arsenal of aces before they threw a single pitch this season.

Sports Illustrated made the Four Aces (and Joe Blanton) the cover boys for its baseball preview issue, and the New York Times' Sunday magazine asked Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels to pose for their cover, too.

Everybody was sure that something special was about to happen in Philadelphia, and it did. The Phillies won a franchise-record 102 games and finished with the best record in baseball for the second straight season.

The inherent risk in receiving so much attention, however, is in being labeled a failure for doing anything less than winning a World Series. That's the Phillies' plight, and Tuesday night at Busch Stadium it will be up to Hamels, the only homegrown ace, to prevent the World Series favorites from being pushed to the brink of elimination in their best-of-five National League division series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

As much as the aces enjoyed the camaraderie during the photo shoots and the Phillies relished the free publicity during spring training, the primary reason general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. wanted a star-studded collection of pitchers with postseason experience is on display right now.

When most teams' No. 2 starter stumbles the way Cliff Lee did during the Phillies' fall-from-ahead loss to the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park Sunday night, it creates a sense of gloom and doom, especially during a best-of-five series.

Suddenly, the Cardinals have home-field advantage and momentum on their side.

The great neutralizer, of course, is pitching, and that's what the Phillies still have on their side with Hamels going in Game 3 and Roy Oswalt scheduled for Game 4.

"When we were dreaming about adding Cliff to this rotation, that was one of the things that you think about," Amaro said. "When you go four or five deep with quality arms that have had success in the postseason, it carries a lot of weight. It also gives confidence to guys on the field, and that's important, too."

Hamels, 27, is the youngest of the Phillies aces and also the only one with a World Series ring. Before Halladay, Lee, and Oswalt arrived, he was the only ace, yet the Phillies still managed to win it all. He pitched Game 1 of each Phillies playoff series during the World Series run, so he doesn't figure to be daunted by pitching Game 3 of an even series in a hostile environment.

In fact, the lefthander has thrived in road postseason games, posting a 4-1 record and a 2.36 ERA in five starts. That includes a complete-game shutout in Game 3 of last year's division series at Cincinnati. Hamels said that he feels serene waiting for the bottom of the first inning to pitch on the road.

"I get to kind of get a few more minutes to really calm down and focus before I have to go to the post," he said. "You also just want to go out there, and when you know the fans are not really on your side, you want to bear down a little bit more and be able to take the game from them."

Hamels' successful track-record in the postseason should create a confident feeling for the Phillies and their fans, but Cardinals lefthander Jaime Garcia has his own set of impressive numbers that have created a palpable uneasiness about Game 3. In four career starts against the Phillies, Garcia has a 0.96 ERA.

On the other hand, Garcia has no postseason experience. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa decided Garcia was not the right guy for Game 1 of this series after he surrendered four runs in four innings during a crucial stretch-run loss to the lowly Houston Astros. It should also be noted that Garcia pitched five innings or fewer 10 times in 32 starts and six or fewer 22 times. In short, he would not crack the Phillies' five-man rotation.

"I'll take our guy, because I know he has been there and done it," Amaro said. "No disrespect to Garcia. He has had success and he is a very, very good pitcher, but I feel confident with our guys."

Amaro is equally confident that Oswalt can get the job done in Game 4. The last time Oswalt pitched here, he left in pain and frustration after two innings because of a back injury that appeared as if it might end his season. It was a grim June night for the veteran righthander, but he rebounded and regained life on his fastball by the end of the season.

A healthy Oswalt against Edwin Jackson, the Cardinals' scheduled Game 4 starter, favors the Phillies, regardless of where the game is played.

"The best thing about Roy is not only his experience, but how he has been pitching lately," Amaro said. "He has been outstanding. He has Roy Oswalt stuff again. It took him a little while to get there, but I'm really looking forward to seeing him pitch."

The photo shoots and magazine covers were all nice perks for the Phillies aces, but that's not why they were assembled. They were brought here for situations exactly like the one the Phillies are in now. And it's up to the third and fourth aces in the pecking order to regain control of this suddenly tense division series.