All or nothing for Phillies in postseason

PHILADELPHIA -- No team enters this postseason under more pressure than the Phillies.

Expectations are so high in the City of Brotherly Love that anything less than a World Series title will be considered a failure by fans, players and management.

Yes, it's boom or bust for these Phillies, who are a long way removed from being known for losing more games than any other franchise in professional sports.

"Our main goal is to get to the World Series and win it," pitcher Roy Oswalt said.

Their road begins Saturday against the wild-card Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park.

Led by their Four Aces, the Phillies cruised to their fifth straight NL East title and led the majors in wins -- 102 -- for the second straight season. They set a franchise record for victories in a season and had several other accomplishments along the way.

Now none of that matters.

All the Phillies care about is having a victory parade down Broad Street for the second time in four years.

"Our ultimate goal is to win the World Series," starter Cliff Lee said. "We still have a lot of business to take care of."

Lee's arrival in Philadelphia raised expectations to all-or-nothing proportions. The All-Star lefty stunned the baseball world last winter when he spurned the Yankees and Texas Rangers and took less money to return to the Phillies, who traded him in December 2009.

Lee joined reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Oswalt to form one of the best starting rotations in recent history. And they didn't disappoint.

Lee was 17-8 with a 2.40 ERA and a major league-leading six shutouts. Halladay went 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA and a majors-best eight complete games.

"That's the beauty of being here," Halladay said. "We expect to win."

And if they don't, they'll be crying in their cheesesteaks in Philly.-- AP