"He says he's ready and he's up for it," Manual said during a press conference at Coors Field on Friday.

Martinez will be the first right-handed pitcher starting for the Phillies this postseason. Lefty Cliff Lee got Philadelphia a win in Game 1, with five strikeouts and no walks in a complete-game outing. However, fellow southpaw Cole Hamels had a rough go Thursday in Game 2, getting saddled for four earned runs in a 5-4 Rockies win to even the series.

Martinez was 5-1 with the Phillies during the regular season, with a 3.63 earned-run average. His best start came on September 3 against San Francisco, when he struck out nine and allowed no walks in a 2-1 win in Philadelphia.

Against the Rockies, Martinez is 2-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 10 games - eight of them complete outings. Martinez is no stranger to the playoffs. He has a 6-2 career record in four postseason outings - all while with the Boston Red Sox.

Manual's decision of a Game 3 starter had been kept secret. However, he said the choice of Martinez over fellow starters Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ - both 12-game winners this season for the Phillies - gives his club more options later in the series.

"We figured it definitely gives us a strong back end of our bullpen," he said. "If we had to get into it and use it the way we might, we feel like Blanton is a horse.

"Basically, we'll try to stay away from one of those guys. But, at the same time, it depends on a situation in a game."

Manual also said pitching in adverse weather conditions will not bother him. 9NEWS meteorologist Aston Alteri said game-time temperatures Saturday will be well in the 20s.

"He pitched a playoff game against us, when I was in Cleveland," Manual said, referring to when he was the Indians' pitching coach. "He had a bad arm and went five or six innings in a playoff game that was cold that night."

Colorado counters with Jason Hamel, who went 10-8 in the regular season with a 4.22 ERA. Should the Rockies win Game 3, it sets the Rockies up with 15-game winner Jason Marquis for the potential series-clinching Game 4 on Sunday.

Manual has not announced a starting pitcher for Sunday's Game 4, but said he will announce it sometime Saturday.

Saturday's Game 3 in the best-of-five series is set to start at 7:37 p.m. MST, with the first pitch of Sunday's Game 4 at 8:07 p.m. Both games will be televised on TBS (Comcast cable ch. 49/DirecTV ch. 247/Dish Network ch. 139). The games will also be broadcasted locally on 850-AM KOA with Jeff Kingery and Jack Corrigan.