A strong April is crucial for Phillies

<p>Charlie Manuel preached a fast start to his pitchers and catchers 6 1/2 weeks ago, emphasized the point when the rest of the team arrived and reiterated it often throughout spring training.</p><p>The Philadelphia Phillies _ of all teams _ know every game matters in the regular season, whether it's the first one or No. 162.</p><p>In 2005, the Phillies walked off the field after winning their final game in Washington with a chance to make the playoffs. Their hopes were ruined soon after when Houston won to secure the NL wild-card berth.</p><p>Just one more win over the course of the season would've meant the Phillies and Astros would've needed a one-game playoff to break a tie.</p><p>Last year, the Phillies led the wild-card race with seven games remaining. But they were eliminated on the next-to-last day of the season to waste another opportunity.</p><p>The common theme for Philadelphia in each of Manuel's two seasons as the manager has been a bad start. The Phillies went 10-14 in April both years and spent the rest of the summer trying to recover only to fall just short at the end.</p><p>That's why it isn't an ordinary season opener when the Phillies host the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on Monday. Philadelphia wants to set a tone early, especially since it plays 22 of its first 28 games against NL East opponents. And, especially because All-Star shortstop Jimmy Rollins already proclaimed the Phillies the team to beat in the division, a statement that irritated some players on the defending East champion New York Mets.</p><p>"This April's probably the most important that it's been the last couple of years," said Brett Myers, who will make his first opening-day start against veteran John Smoltz.</p><p>"We need to come out swinging the bats and playing hard every day and beat those guys because ultimately those will be the guys we'll be chasing or they'll be chasing us. It's not like you can go out there and take it easy for the first month. We've got to go out there and play hard every single day. If we can get out to a decent lead in our division, I think we can hold our own."</p><p>The Phillies haven't had a winning April since going 15-12 in 2003. They can't afford to start off with another losing month if they plan to live up to the city's and their own high expectations.</p><p>After two near-misses, everyone within the organization from the players to the front office desperately wants to end a 14-year playoff drought.</p><p>Armed with a strong starting rotation that was bolstered by the additions of Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton, the Phillies finally have the pitching to supplement a potent offense led by NL MVP Ryan Howard, All-Star Chase Utley and Rollins.</p><p>"We want to win. Losing is not an option," Manuel said.</p><p>On the other side, the Braves aren't accustomed to failure. They missed the playoffs last season for the first time after winning an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles. But, Atlanta still has a solid team that should stay in contention.</p><p>"Any time you start in your division, it can be beneficial to whoever starts out playing well," said pitcher Tim Hudson, who follows Smoltz in the rotation. "It can put you in the hole early if you aren't ready to play, if you don't have your mind right.</p><p>"If you can go out there and play some really good baseball and do what we need to do, we can get a little head start on guys. It's a whole new year. You aren't going to win or lose your seasons in the first couple series of the year. But at the same time, you do want to get off on the right step."</p><p>Notes:@ The Phillies left one spot open on their 25-man roster. It'll likely be filled by a pitcher on Monday. Right-handers Freddy Garcia (biceps) and Jon Lieber (oblique) and catcher Chris Coste (hamstring) will start the season on the disabled list. Rookie Michael Bourn's impressive spring earned him a job as the fifth outfielder and rookie pitcher Zack Segovia also made the cut.</p>

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