The 2009 World Series odds are almost upon and while the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels duke it out in the American League matchup, the Philadelphia Phillies are ready to defend their crown since the Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t prove to be much of a challenge.

The Phillies have been outstanding from top to bottom in these playoffs and it’s really tough to see them losing at this point.

In their starting rotation, they have lefties Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, both of whom have been fantastic. Lee especially has been a great addition and a lot of fans were wondering if the Phillies had made a mistake when they left a deal for Roy Halladay on the table and opted for Lee. The answer to that question has been an emphatic no. Beyond the top two, Pedro Martinez and Joe Blanton have pitched well and the J.A. Happ has been steady in the bullpen.

Speaking of the bullpen, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge, who were question marks heading into the playoffs, have been confident and effective.

Beyond that, the Phillies batting order has been fantastic. Their big guns have been exactly that as players like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Jason Werth have been fantastic.

When you mix in the Phillies deep bench with good power hits, speedy base runners and solid defensive substitutions and you have a very complete team. The Philllies will have a very good chance to repeat this year.