Paul Hagen: Phillies' hitters get Rockies' Jimenez 'out of whack'

Former Phillies manager Larry Bowa used to preach that teams can't flip a switch. He meant that once players let down, it's difficult to get them back to playing at a high level.

The current Phillies seem intent on proving him wrong.

They went a mediocre 17-16 after Sept. 1. The offense was often listless, the starting pitching spotty. So, naturally, in Game 1 of the NLDS yesterday they had a middle-of-the-game uprising to chase Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez and Cliff Lee pitched a complete game.

"I'm not saying we were able to turn the switch on, but it's turning our focus to where it needed to be," Shane Victorino said. "After clinching [the division], the next couple games you just try to find your swing.

"Everyone was second-guessing us. It's not about turning on a switch, but I think some guys were working on things. I know I was. And it showed."

Jimmy Rollins had a similar observation. "It was timely hitting. It was needed. But we seem to have a knack for that when it's most needed, a lot of time to break a game open," he said. "You know you're going to get something going. You're just looking for a crack, a chink in the armor."

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