"Clutch Phillies"

The Phillies believe they can always comeback. The Mets don't.

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As important as Philadelphia's confidence is, its comebacks would not happen without talented hitters and a stellar bullpen. Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard have won Most Valuable Player awards and, for a while, Chase Utley was a strong candidate to win it last season. Victorino, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez, the 2009 free-agent pickup who fits the lineup snugly, are difficult outs. Brad Lidge did not blow a save in 2008, a security blanket for comebacks.

One statistical measure of clutch hitting is how players do in close and late situations, which is defined as at-bats in the seventh inning or later when the score is tied, one team is ahead by a run or the tying run is on base, at the plate or on deck. Utley (.714, 2 homers), Ibanez (.583, 3 homers) and Matt Stairs (.500, 1 homer) currently have three of the top six averages in the N.L. in those situations. The Mets do not have anyone in the top 25.