Wednesday is opening day of the 2008 Major League Baseball Playoffs, and we kick it all off with Milwaukee Brewers at the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Brewers come into Philly for their first playoff appearance since 1982, after just making it into the postseason on the final day of the season, narrowly edging out the New York Mets for the National League Wild Card.

The Phillies, after winning their second straight National League East division title, are looking to improve upon their playoff experience from last season, in which they were swept by the 2007 Wild Card Colorado Rockies.

This time around the Phillies are in a different position then they were last year. They were in first place for the better part of the final week, and did not wait until the last day of the season to sure up their playoff birth. Instead of facing a Wild Card team that was the hottest team in baseball for the final month and a half of the season, the Brewers barely scrapped by to get in despite leading the Wild Card race for much of the season. The Phillies understand this time around what it takes to be successful in the playoffs. They understand that it is not simply good enough to have gotten into the postseason; they need to make a strong showing and go deep into the playoffs.

This is what they’ve battled for all year; this is October Baseball folks.

Game 1

The series kicks off with Yovani Gallardo against Phillies’ ace Cole Hamels. Gallardo is a 22-year old righty just five months removed from major knee surgery. He had surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee and has just one start on the season, which came on September 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gallardo threw 67 pitches in just four innings, allowing one run on three hits. To say that this is a gamble for Brewers’ manager Dale Sveum is an understatement. Sveum has gone with the prospect of raw talent over experience, opting to not go with playoff veteran Jeff Suppan (5-2 with a 3.00 ERA in nine career postseason starts).

Hamels takes the mound as the Phillies’ leader in innings and ERA (3.09) among starters. Wednesday’s start will be his second straight Game 1 appearance, as he faced the Rockies last year in a tough 4-2 loss. Since getting knocked around July 26 against the Atlanta Braves, Hamels, has gone 5-4, but with a 2.71 ERA with nine quality starts in 11 outings. He allowed no more than two runs in each of those nine outings. Hamels has allowed four earned runs just three times in 33 starts this season. In six career starts against the Brewers, the left has a 4.41 ERA.

After it was reported on Tuesday that slugger Pat Burrell had tweaked his back during batting practice, there was rampant speculation that the left fielder would be scratched from Wednesday’s lineup. That is not to be the case, however, as manager Charlie Manuel has put Burrell into this Game 1 starting rotation.

MVP contender Ryan Howard’s September play (11 HR, 32 RBI, .365 AVG) has overshadowed the hot play of fellow former MVP shortstop Jimmy Rollins. According to Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News, in his previous 31 games, J-Roll is hitting .352, with 17 RBIs and 15 extra base hits. Add to that 19 walks, an on base percentage of .439, and 16 steals. If the Phillies hope to win this series, guys like Burrell, Howard, Rollins, and Chase Utley need to step up to the plate and continue their hot play.

Game 2

Thursday’s game pits the best pitcher in the major leagues, CC Sabathia, against the Phillies’ best pitcher in the second half, Brett Myers. Since coming over from the Cleveland Indians right before the trade deadline, Sabathia has cemented himself as the greatest midseason pickup in Major League history. He has gone four straight starts on three days rest, getting the Brewers into the playoffs for the first time in 16 years with a complete game victory on Sunday, allowing just one unearned run on four hits. Despite his deceiving appearance, Sabathia has an endurance not seen in major league pitchers in decades and is undoubtedly the Brewers most dangerous weapon. Knowing they have to face Sabathia on Thursday, it has made Wednesday’s series opener an almost must win and puts a sense of urgency on closing this series out in four games so as to not face him again in Game 5.

While Myers has not been Sabathia this season, he has made a strong run at being a close second. He posted a 1.80 ERA in 11 dominating starts. That being said, Myers did allow 14 earned runs and 19 hits in 8 1/3 innings in his final two starts. It begs the question, which Myers will show up in this pressure situation. He has pitched in pressure packed games this season and has pitched beautifully, but has looked terrible at times as well. The outcome of the series could hinge on his Game 2 performance.

Game 3

Saturday’s game moves to Milwaukee as veteran Jamie Moyer faces off with Dave Bush. Moyer is coming off his second straight playoff clinching performance, getting the win on Saturday against the Washington Nationals. Moyer won 16 games, tying Phil Niekro for the most wins by a pitcher beyond his 45th birthday, and led the team in wins. He has a 2.43 ERA in five career postseason starts.

Bush went 7-3 over his final 18 regular-season appearances with a 3.23 ERA. He was charged with three or fewer earned runs in 13 of those starts. That being said, he was winless in five September starts with a 4.97 ERA. This is a recurring theme for just about every Brewer outside of Sabathia, as they just barely made the playoffs. His last outing against the Phillies came in Game 1 of a September 14 doubleheader in which he game up three runs on five hits in a 7-3 loss.

The starters for Game 4, if needed, are yet to be confirmed. If necessary, and once they are reported, we will be sure to bring them to you.

Let’s Go Phils!