The 2008 World Series doesn’t have much of a sex appeal, if that term can be applied to baseball. We won’t see Manny Ramirez return to Boston on sports’ biggest stage, nor will we see former Yankees manager Joe Torre lead another team against his nemesis, the Red Sox. In fact, this series is a ratings disaster. However, there is no doubt that the Rays and Phillies are the best teams in their respective leagues. Both teams are where they are, they have come from there. It will be exciting to see new and young faces in completely new places. The series will showcase two powerhouse teams showcasing the innovative faces of the league that have propelled each organization to the top of the baseball world. Ring your cowbells and twirl your white towels, get ready to watch the boardwalks of Tropicana Field come into play, and get ready to see home runs off the short porches of Citizens Bank Park. It will be a fun series to watch, even though not many entrenched fans will watch it.
Here are five questions that are self-evident heading into this series:
Brad Lidge: How good is the Phillies’ bullpen? Many have asked me this question. Well, I have an answer: it’s absolutely, positively, undeniably sensational. They really are first class. I mean, after all, Philly is 79-0 in games they led going into the ninth inning. Who do you give credit for that? Brad Lidge. Lidge has yet to blow a save this season, even in the playoffs, and there’s nothing to tell me he’s going to blow one in the World Series. The hard, crushing slider from him is virtually unbeatable, and the bridge to Lidge is hard to burn with Ryan Madsen, Chad Durbin and JC Romero.
The constant of almost all the world champions in the last 20 years is a good bullpen. We look back at the most recent champions in 2004 and 2007, Boston teams featuring Jonathan Papelbon, who never allowed a run in his postseason career. The New York Yankees, champions in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000, featured the best closer of the current generation, Mariano Rivera. Plus, we can go back even further to mention the duo of Toronto’s Duane Ward and Tom Henke, the Cincinnati Reds’ “Nasty Boys” and even La Russa’s 1989 A’s, who were unbeatable when Dennis Eckersley was brought in. The Rays showed some weakness in the ALCS, but David Price’s two-inning save in Game 7 is an indication the Phillies could see more from him.
BJ Upton: Where in the world has all this Rays power come from? Prior to the ALCS, they had never hit 10 home runs in any three-game stretch in franchise history, then proceeded to do so against the Red Sox. The Rays finished tied for fourth in the American League in home runs in 2008, but became the first team to hit at least three home runs in three consecutive games in the postseason. They made four in a row in Game 5.
They did it with youth and health. BJ Upton hit just nine round trips in the regular season, in part because of his shoulder issue. He basically didn’t throw a ball with authority for two months, yet he tied Troy Glaus (2002) for the most home runs by an AL player in a postseason (7). Evan Longoria missed a month with a wrist injury, but now he’s healthy and throwing baseballs over walls. He is the youngest player to hit six home runs in a postseason. Carlos Peña missed a month due to injury. He is now healthy. With all three hitting hot bats, Tampa Bay set the record for most home runs in a single postseason series (16) with their performance in the ALCS. They will play the three interim games of the World Series in Philadelphia’s small box, Citizen’s Bank Park.
Carl Crawford: How fast are the Rays? I mean honestly, how fast? THEY ARE VERY FAST. They started defensive outfield in Game 4 of the ALCS with Carl Crawford at left, Upton at center, and Fernando Pérez at right.
“The fastest outfield I’ve ever seen,” said Rays coach Don Zimmer, who has been in baseball for more than 60 years.
Speed makes every player steal-threat at almost any time. The Rays stole 10 bases in 11 attempts during the ALCS. Pérez helped win Game 2 by scoring and scoring on a 180-foot fly ball just out of the box. Plus, his speed helps them on defense, which might be the best in baseball, especially in the infield. Jason Bartlett carries the ball as well as anyone in the league at shortstop and second baseman Akinori Iwamura, in his first year at the position, turns the double play as well as anyone in the league.
Ryan Howard: What about the Phillies’ 1-9 production? It sure is hard to believe that Philly has won seven playoff games without a home run and only 3 RBIs by first baseman Ryan Howard. He is undoubtedly the hottest hitter in the game today, but he can go crazy in the World Series. However, going this far without great production numbers from Howard shows just how great the Philadelphia team really is. In the NLCS, the Phillies had a different offensive hero every night.
Imagine what will happen if they get Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Pat Burrell to go at the same time.
Matt Garza: Really, how good is the back of the Rays’ rotation? Well, plain and simple, he’s one of the best in baseball, which is crucial in a seven-game playoff series. Matt Garza, the Rays’ No. 3 starter, was absolutely dominant and unbeatable in Game 7 of the ALCS (he was good through seven innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine). Garza tops out at 98 MPH I don’t care who you are, he’s insanely fast and virtually impossible to hit when he places the pitch correctly. Garza also boasts a fantastic slider in his repertoire. Andy Sonnanstine shutout the Red Sox through the first six innings of Game 4; he shoots 87-89, but he has an incredible sense for the art of shooting.
Scott Kazmir could easily be the fourth-best starter, but he looked great pitching six scoreless innings in Game 5. Winner of 14 games in 2008, Edwin Jackson is the No. 5 starter. That’s an incredibly deep rotation, and it certainly is. deeper than the Phillies, given that Jaime Moyer has been hit hard this postseason (first by the Brewers, then by the Dodgers). However, Philadelphia has the best starter for both teams in the World Series, ace Cole Hamels.
I originally predicted the Rays at 4, but after a much deeper look at the pitching matchups and incredible lineups both teams field, I changed my mind on that prediction, at least on the number of games that will be played.
Not ruling out the Rays, but the Phillies seem to have the best lineup from 1-9. That’s only if they can all be consistent with each other, though. Sure, his bullpen is great, but his downfall lies in his starting rotation in the days after Cole Hamels started. I don’t expect Moyer, Joe Blanton or Brett Myers to calm the Rays down. But can the Rays’ lineup continue to produce like it has this postseason? The answer to that question lies in how they tore down the excellent Red Sox starting five. I have news for you pitchers who take the mound for Philadelphia, with the exception of Cole Hamels, are nothing compared to the monster arms of the Red Sox. If the Rays could do what they did against guys like Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, there’s no telling how hard they’re going to hit the Phillies guys they have in their rotation. The key for Tampa Bay will be scoring runs early and often. I expect the Phillies to put on an offensive display at some point in the series, but, for the most part, the Rays’ deep rotation shouldn’t allow too many hits or runs too often. The pitch, as it often is in the postseason, is the biggest key to both teams heading into the series.
Here are the expected pitching matchups for the first four games of this World Series:
Game 1: Phillies (Cole Hamels) @ Rays (Scott Kazmir)
Game 2: Phillies (Brett Myers) @ Rays (James Shields)
Game 3: Rays (Matt Garza) @ Phillies (Jaime Moyer)
Game 4: Rays (Andy Sonnanstine) @ Phillies (Joe Blanton)
To me, the Rays seemed like the stronger team in October, which is why I had them at an easy 4 over Philadelphia. But after the Red Sox came back from down 3 games to 1 to square off the ALCS, I, like everyone else, began to wonder how good the Rays really are.
Was it pure Red Sox magic that led the Rays to blow that seven-run lead and overall series lead, or was it a showcase of the only way the Rays can be beaten? It seems I’m leaning towards the fact that it was Red Sox magic once again, especially after witnessing Boston miraculously and heroically come back countless times in the postseason over the last decade. However, one fact is certain: to beat the Rays, you have to score a lot of runs in a row. I don’t think the Phillies can do such a thing against Tampa Bay’s deep rotation. However, I think we are going to see a much better World Series than many people, myself included, had originally thought.
My NEW prediction: Lightning in 6.
