BBWAA to name top managers on Wednesday

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Scioscia, Tracy honored as top managers

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim skipper Mike Scioscia was selected as the American League Manager of the Year on Wednesday, as chosen by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy was adorned with a similar honor in the National League after guiding his team to 74 wins and a playoff appearance, having taken over for the fired Clint Hurdle at the end of May when the team was 10 games under .500.

Tracy's win marked only the second time a manager hired in mid-season was honored. He joins Jack McKeon, the 2003 winner with the Florida Marlins.

NLDS Preview - Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies

"This one was a little harder than people think," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We're a good team, but we had pitching problems all year. We had some holes. We were short in the bullpen all year."

Speaking of the bullpen, the Phillies enter the postseason with perhaps the biggest question mark of any team in the playoffs with regards to its closer situation. Brad Lidge was the driving force behind last year's championship, but has been abysmal in the closer's role this season.

Colorado, meanwhile, stumbled out of the gates this year and fired Clint Hurdle after a 18-29 start, replacing him with Jim Tracy. Not exactly the recipe for success, but something clicked with this team after Hurdle was relieved on May 29.

Keys to winning the 2009 NLCS

For the second straight year, and the fifth time overall, the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers will battle for the right to represent the National League at the World Series.

Philadelphia needed five games to get past the Dodgers a year ago en route to its first World Series title since 1980, and has beaten Los Angeles the last two times the teams have met in the postseason (1983, 2008).

Los Angeles, though, got the better of the matchup the first two times the teams squared off in the playoffs (1977-78).

2009 World Series position-by-position breakdown

The Phillies, meanwhile, will be trying try to do something that no National League team has done since 1976, as they try to become the first repeat champion from the Senior Circuit since the Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine teams in 1975-76.

After capturing their third straight NL East title, the Phillies started their title defense with a four-game victory over the Colorado Rockies in the NLDS, before disposing of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second straight year in five games of the NLCS.

Unlike last year, though, when they ran roughshod over a Tampa Bay Rays team that was in the midst of their first-ever postseason run, the Phillies will be facing a franchise that is synonymous with baseball in October in the Yankees, who will be appearing in their 40th Fall Classic.

Tigers/Twins set for one-game playoff; NLDS opens Wednesday

Major League Baseball released the starting times for the first two National League Division Series games, but the New York Yankees have the choice which day they will start their first-round playoff set.

The NLDS games will begin Wednesday with East champion Philadelphia, the defending World Series winners, hosting wild card participant Colorado at 2:37 p.m. (et). It'll be a rematch of the 2007 NLDS, which the Rockies won in a three-game sweep.

Later, the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers will be at home against the Central Division winning St. Louis Cardinals at 9:37 p.m. (et).