Op-Ed: Do the Philadelphia Phillies have another one in them?

Do the Philadelphia Phillies have it in them to win another World Series? Or are there too many obstacles in the way this year?

As of August 17, the Philadelphia Phillies are sitting atop of the National League East division with a 4.5 game lead over the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves. It seems the Phillies have locked the division title. At the present time, the defending champions are not experiencing any major problems that could affect their team’s performance. The ballclub’s injuries are very minimal and will not affect their play. They have one player who holds a batting average of at least .300 (Shane Victorino) and four hitters who have at least 24 homeruns (Raul Ibanez, Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard). Possibly, only two minor setbacks could occur for the Phillies in the postseason is their pitching staff and the Los Angeles Dodgers. One starting pitcher has double-digit wins and only one player has an ERA below 3.00. The best team in baseball right now are the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 70-48 record. Manny Ramirez is back, their defense has been upgraded and Chad Billingsley is pitching consistently well. Another obstacle that the Phillies must overcome, if they make it to the World Series, is an American League team such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers or even the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox have all the pieces in the place, and money, to win another World Series Championship. Offense of the New York Yankees is astronomical with hot bats like Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano. Starting Pitching and Relief Pitching of the Boston Red Sox are hot with repeating men such as Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez. The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot to overcome in both leagues. Who knows, maybe adding Cliff Lee, who is 3-0 in three starts, is what the doctor ordered.