World Series
Rays, Phils World Series Game 3 Tonight – Weather Permitting
Saturday, October 25th, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
Game 3 of the World Series is scheduled for Saturday, October 25th at 8:07PM EST, weather permitting. Rain is expected in the Philadelphia area for much of the day on Saturday. The rain should taper off towards the evening and night hours, but it is unclear what shape the field will be in after the steady rain. If the game is played, the Rays will send Matt Garza to the mound, hoping to continue to build off his ALCS success and his ALCS MVP honors. During the ALCS against the Red Sox, Garza won Game 3 and Game 7 limiting the Red Sox to only 1 earned run in each of his starts. He allowed only a combined 8 hits in both games and struck out 14. The Phillies will counter with 45-year old Jamie Moyer. Mayer is a tenured-verteran, but has never pitched on the World Series stage. Moyer has not had a good 2008 post-season run. He lasted only 4 innings in a 4-1 loss to the Brewers in Game 3 of the NLDS and he lasted only 1 1/3 innings in a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLCS. Manuel once again has faith in his trusted veteran to make a good appearance in Game 3 of the World Series, but I’m not so sure of the decision. With the Series tied at 1-1, I would start Joe Blanton in Game 3 to try to get that lead back.
If Game 3 does get rained out, the teams will play the last 5 games of the World Series on consecutive days – Games 3-5 on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia and Games 6 and 7 on Wednesday and Thursday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. If that happens, I would go with Cole Hamels to Start Game 3 on Sunday night in Philly. If you wait to start Hamels on Monday with his full 4-days rest, then if the World Series does go to a 7th game, Hamels would have to pitch on only 2 days’s rest or come out of the bullpen in relief if needed. If he pitches on Sunday on 3 days’ rest, then he could also come back on 3 days’ rest in a Game 7 on Thursday, if necessary. Hamels only needed 104 pitches in his 7-inning win in Game 1 of the World Series and with the Phillies reliable bullpen, even if Hamels only gives you 6 or 7 solid innings on Sunday, Manuel could turn the ball over to Romero, Madsen and Lidge to finish off the job. It will be interesting to see what the managers’ choose to do if World Series Game 3 is rained out tonight.
Rays Beats Phils 4-2, World Series Even at 1 Game Apiece
Friday, October 24th, 2008 | General, MLB, NFL, Sports | No Comments
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in Game 2 of the World Series. The World Series is now tied at 1 game a piece, and Games 3, 4 and 5 will be played at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia. The Rays struck early taking advantage of a Jayson Werth error on B.J. Upton’s single in the 1st inning, to set the Rays up with 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria each delivered RBI ground outs to Jimmy Rollins and the Rays opened up a 2-0 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. The Rays increased the lead to 3-0 on an RBI-single by B.J. Upton in the 2nd inning, but the damage could have been worse. Jayson Werth gunned down Rocco Baldelli at the plate on the Upton single to end any further threat. The Rays scored their 4th and final run on a safety squeeze in the 4th inning. The Phillies added a run in the 8th on a solo home run by Eric Bruntlett and a run in the 9th on a fielding error by Evan Longoria which allowed Carlos Ruiz to score, but the late innings were not all that tense. The Phillies had their chances earlier in the game against Rays starter James Shields, but they never came through in the clutch. The Phillies had 9 hits in all, and had at least 2 runners on each of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th innings – but the team didn’t score in any of those innings. Shields allowed 9 batters to reach base against him in only 5 2/3 innings, but he was always able to avoid that big inning. Dan Wheeler pitched one inning of scoreless relief and rookie David Price closed out the final 2 1/3 innings. Although Price did give up 2 runs during that span, he was never really in any serious trouble. Despite taking the loss, Bret Myers pitched better than expected. He needed only 85 pitches through his 7 innings and only gave up 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. He didn’t have his best stuff, but he was able to minimize the damage in certain situations.
As for my predictions – I was definitely wrong about the high-scoring affair. If the teams had come through in the clutch when they had opportunities, I think I would have been spot on, but neither team has responded when it matters (the Phillies 0-for-19 stretch with runners in scoring position was the 2nd longest drought to start a World Series).
Rays in 7 – still a strong possibility.
B.J. Upton – MVP – Upton helped me out in a big way with his 2-for-4 performance. He scored the 2nd run of the game, drove in the 3rd run of the game with 2 outs in the inning, and played solid defense. He’ll need to step it up with some home runs in order to solidify the MVP award, however.
It looks like the Rays have found a “temporary” closer for the rest of the World Series. David Price has one of the fastest fastballs in the game and a nasty slider, and because he was just called up in September, there’s not a lot of scouting information out there on the young kid. Look for Price to play a key role in late inning wins as the series progresses.
World Series Game 2 – Expect High Scoring Affair Tonight
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
Just when you think we’re going to see more pitching duels in the 2008 World Series, I am feeling a high-scoring, home-run crushing, offensive explosion contest tonight in Game 2 of the World Series. That means bad news for Phillies starter Bret Myers and Rays starter James Shields.
Myers was effective in his start against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, but that came against a team that had run out of steam having pulled out all the stops to even qualify for post-season play. In Game 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, Myers lasted only 5 inning, giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits, but also walking 4 batters. That is the Myers I expect to see at Tropicana Field in World Series Game 2 tonight.
Shields has allowed at least 8 batters to reach base in all 3 of his 2008 post-season starts, but was able to limit the damage done by the White Sox in the ALDS and the Red Sox in the ALCS thereby keeping his ERA below 4.00. Shields is not a strikeout pitcher and the Phillies won’t be so kind, as they usually take advantage of scoring opportunities.
Sharpen your pencils and get ready to add some columns to your scorecard as one team will bat around the order with a big run-scoring inning. Rays and Phils will be tied 1-1 heading up to Philadelphia, where Games 4, 5 and 6 will be played outdoors in Citizens Bank Ballpark on some cool fall nights.
Rays Need More Cowbell!
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
Rays Cowbell
The Rays will definitely need more cowbell if they expect to win the franchise’s first ever World Series Championship. The Phillies defeated the Rays 3-2 in Game 1 of the World Series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Phillies got off to a quick start with a first inning walk to Jayson Werth and a 2-run home run by Chase Utley off Rays starter Scott Kazmir to give the Phils an early 2-0 lead. After an RBI-groundout by Carlos Ruiz in the 4th inning, the Phils rode the arm of ace Cole Hamels en route to the Game 1 victory. Hamels pitched 7 innings of 2-run, 5-hit ball and then turned the ball over to his trusty bullpen to do the rest. 8th inning specialist Ryan Madson and Closer Brad Lidge didn’t disappoint – 2 scoreless innings of no-hit relief, striking out 3 batters. They did not allow a single player to reach base in protecting a delicate 1 run lead late in the ball game in the opposing team’s park.
The Rays hot bats didn’t faze the Phils pitchers at all. B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria combined for no hits in 12 at-bats, including 5 strikeouts (3 by Longoria). Carl Crawford hit a solo home run in the 4th inning. Akinori Iwamura had 3 of the Rays 5 hits, including an RBI-double in the 5th inning that cut the lead to 3-2. But the Rays wouldn’t get any closer than that. Even the Rays fans and their annoying cowbells couldn’t bring life to the Rays bats. Rays management should consider inviting Christopher Walken to throw out the 1st pitch with a giant cowbell attached around his neck. Maybe America’s favorite cowbell critic will be able to light a fire in the bats of the Rays hitters for World Series Game 2 on Thursday, October 23rd.
So far my prediction is right on track:
Rays in 7 – still a posibility – the Rays went down to the Red Sox 1-0 in the ALCS and ended up winning in 7 games to advance to the World Series.
Cole Hamels winning both of his starts – so far so good.
B.J. Upton MVP – well, the 0 for 4 start Game 1 showing doesn’t help, but 2 home runs in Game 2 against Bret Myers will turn the tide in my favor…
Phillies, Rays Set To Square Off in 2008 World Series
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays will meet in Game 1 of the 2008 World Series on Wednesday, October 22nd at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Two 24-year old left-handers will face off in Game 1 – 14-game winner Cole Hamels for the Phillies and -game winner Scott Kazmir for the Rays. Hamels has been spectacular in the 2008 post-season. He has won all 3 games that he has started, going at least 7 innings in each start. He has only let up a total of 13 hits and 3 earned runs during that stretch, striking out 22 batters. Kazmir, on the other hand, has been a little inconsistent, winning only once in 3 starts and getting through 6 full innings only once. Each pitcher will have to have his “A” game, as both offenses have what it takes to score runs in bunches and in a hurry. Phillies stars Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell present one of the most formidable top of the lineups in all of baseball. At the same time, the young stars from the Rays seem unfazed by going from last to first to advance to the World Series for the 1st time in franchise history. Rays Center Fielder B.J. Upton has hit 7 home runs and driven in 15 runs during the 2008 post-season, while American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria has 4 home runs and 8 RBI’s over his last 4 playoff games alone. With both Tropicana Field and Citizen’s Bank Ballpark catering to the home run ball, we should see a lot of excitement from the 2 teams.
My prediction – Rays in 7, at home in front of those crazy, cowbell-ringing fans, desperated for that 1st World Championship. Cole Hamels will win both of his starts for the Phillies, but the rest of the Phillies will struggle against the deep, talented Rays offense. B.J. Upton will be named the World Series Most Valuable Player. And for those of you who say this isn’t a great series to watch, I beg to differ. While the ratings might not be great, the Rays story-line alone is a masterpiece. The Rays have had the least number of wins in all of baseball for each of the last 2 seasons. Event his year when the team was in 1st place, the Rays would still only draw around 25,000 fans for each game. With the young talent in place, and a savvy Manager in Joe Maddon, the Rays will be a force to be reckoned with in the AL East for several years to come. As for the Phillies, the club has only won one World Series Championship in i ts 125-year history in 1980. Since the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA Championship in 1983, the city of Philadelphia has seen 7 teams lose in its respective sports Championship Series – including the Phillies in 1983 and 1993. Manager Charlie Manuel, always seems to be on the hot seat, yet he has had his Phillies advance to the playoffs in 2 consecutive seasons. Both teams have compelling stories to tell, but only one will have the dream ending with the World Series Championship Trophy in its grasps…
Rays Top Red Sox 3-1, Advance to 1st Ever World Series
Monday, October 20th, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-1 to win Game 7 of the ALCS. With the win, the Rays will advance to the World Series for the 1st time in the club’s franchise. Rays pitcher Matt Garza stymied the Red Sox all night long, giving up only 1 earned run, 2 hits and 3 walks in 7 solid innings of work. Garza struck out 9 Red Sox batters, picked up his 2nd win of the ALCS and was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player. Young fireballer David Price worked out of a 2-out bases loaded jam in the 8th inning by striking out J.D. Drew and then worked a scoreless 9th inning to pick up his 1st career save. Price struck out 3 of the 4 batters he faced. Red Sox starter took his 2nd loss of the ALCS – the first time in his career that he has lost 2 consecutive games. Lester pitched 7 strong innings of 6-hit ball, striking out 8, but gave up costly hits to put the Red Sox behind. The Rays scored single runs in the 4th inning on an RBI-double by Evan Longoria, in the 5th inning on an RBI-single by Rocco Baldelli, and in the 7th inning on a solo home run by Willie Aybar. The Red Sox scored their lone run on a 1st inning home run by Dustin Pedroia and only managed 3 total hits against Garza and 4 Rays relievers.
The Rays will host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, October 22nd at 8:00PM EST. The Phillies will start ace Cole Hamels, while the Rays have yet to name their World Series Game 1 starter.
Red Sox Magical Run Continues, Beat Rays 4-2 to Force Game 7
Sunday, October 19th, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
The Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 in Game 6 of the ALCS. The teams traded home runs by the Rays B.J. Upton and the Red Sox Kevin Youkilis. Kevin Youkilis added an RBI groundout in the 3rd inning to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. Rays shortstop and 9th man in the order, Jason Bartlett, tied the game in the 5th inning with a solo home run. In the top of the 6th inning, Red Sox Catcher and Captain picked up his 1st hit of the 2008 ALCS – a solo home run to right field which put the Sox ahead for good. Following a Bartlett error that would have gotten the Rays out of the inning, the Red Sox scored an all-important insurance run on an RBI single by David Ortiz to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead. Josh Beckett picked up the win for the Red Sox in an efficient 78-pitch, 5 inning gutty performance. He gave up only 2 earned runs and 4 hits and stayed out of any serious jams. The Red Sox relievers did the rest – Hideki Okajima pitched 2 innings, John Masterson pitched 1 inning and Jonathan Papelbon pitched the 9th inning for the save – only allowing 1 Rays batter to reach base with a walk in the final 4 innings of the game. Rays starter James Shields pitched well despite not having good stuff all night long. He lasted into the 6th inning with over 100 pitches, and gave up 4 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks.
The Red Sox and Rays will determine the AL Pennant-winner in Game 7 of the ALCS on Sunday, October 19th. The Red Sox will throw ace Jon Lester, while the Rays will counter with Matt Garza.
Red Sox Overcome 7-run Deficit, Top Rays 8-7 To Force Game 6
Friday, October 17th, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
The Boston Red Sox overcame the largest deficit in an elimination game in MLB playoffs history with an 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bays Rays on Thursday, October 16th. When Red Sox relievers Manny Delcarmen and Jonathan Papelbon gave up 2 runs in the 7th inning, the Rays increased their lead over the Red Sox to 7-0 after 6 1/2 innings of play. In the bottom of the 7th inning, the Red Sox used a 2-out RBI single from Dustin Pedroia and then a mammoth 3-run home run from David Ortiz (his first home run of the 2008 post-season and his 1st post-season home run in over 80 at-bats) to cut the lead to 7-4. After Papelbon pitched a perfect top of the 8th inning with 2 strikeouts, the Red Sox cut the lead to 7-6 with a leadoff walk to Jason Bay and a monster home run to deep right field by J.D. Drew. Rays reliever Dan Wheeler was able to retire the next 2 batters, but eventually gave up the tying 7th run on a double by Mark Kotsay and an RBI-single by Coco Crips. Just like that, the Red Sox scored 7 runs in 2 innings and shifted the momentum back in their favor. Red Sox reliever Jon Masterson worked a stressful 9th inning where he allowed the go-ahead run to reach 2nd base with less than 2 outs. But Masterson induced a Carlos Pena double-play ball to quell the threat. In the bottom of the 9th inning, Rays reliever J.P. Howell retired Pedroia and Ortiz without incident, but an infield single by Kevin Youkilis on which Rays third baseman Evan Longoria made a costly throwing error set the stage for the miraculous comeback. With Youkilis at 2nd base, the Rays decided to walk Jason Bay to face J.D. Drew. And once again, Drew delivered the crushing blow with a game-winning line drive single over the head of Gabe Gross to drive in the winning run. Howell took the loss for the Rays and Masterson earned the win for the Red Sox. The Rays wasted a solid outing from Scott Kazmir – 6 shutout innings in which he walked 3, gave up 2 hits and struck out 7. Only his high 111 pitch-count took him out of a game they desperately needed him to finish. Once Kazmir left the game, the Red Sox tagged the Rays bullpen for 8 earbed runs on 9 hits. Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzakadid not have his best performance – he lasted only 4 innings giving up 5 earned runs on 5 hits – including 3 home runs by B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria.
Game 6 of the ALCS is set for 8:07PM on Saturday, October 18th. Josh Becket will take the bump for the Red Sox while the Rays will counter with James Shields. Beckett was ineffective in Game 2 of the ALCS – giving up 8 earned runs including 3 home runs in only 4/13 innings of work. Shields pitched well in Game 1 of the ALCS – 2 earned runs, 6 hits and 6 strikeouts in 7 1/13 innings of work – but took the loss as Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka out-dueled him. Will the Red Sox be able to continue their magical runs in recent post-season history? Only time will tell whether we have another magical story with a Tampa Bay Rays appearance in the World Series, or a 3rd World Series appearance by the Red Sox in only 5 years…
Red Sox Need Win Tonight To Force Series Back To Florida
Thursday, October 16th, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
The Boston Red Sox face the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series tonight, October 16th at Fenway Park in Boston. The Rays moved up ace Scott Kazmir to pitch tonight’s important game. Kazmir didn’t last 5 innings against the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALCS – he gave up 5 runs and 6 hits (including 3 home runs) in the no decision – but Manager Joe Madden still has faith in his ace. The Red Sox will counter with Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka has been the Red Sox most consistent pitcher throughout the 2008 post-season. Matsuzaka won Game 1 of the ALCS pitching 7 scoreless innings and giving up only 4 hits and 2 walks. The Red Sox have faced this situation before. In 2004, the Red Sox trailed the New York Yankees 3-0 in the ALCS before winning the next 8 games to win the ALCS and the 2004 World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2007, the Red Sox trailed the Cleveland Indians 3-1 in the ALCS before winning the next 7 games to win the ALCS and the 2007 World Series over the Colorado Rockies. The Red Sox seem to put it all together when their backs are against the wall. A Rays win tonight, on the other hand, puts the Rays into the World Series for the 1st time in the club’s franchise. Only time will tell whether the Rays head home to St. Petersburg to prepare for Game 6 against the Red Sox on Saturday, October 18th or to prepare for Game 1 of the World Series against the Philadlephia Phillies.
Phils Win Pennant – Advance to World Series With 5-1 Win Over Dodgers
Thursday, October 16th, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series to advance to the World Series with a 4-1 series win. Phillies starter Cole Hamels pitched 7 strong innings to win his 2nd game of the NLCS. He gave up only 5 hits and 1 run on a solo home run by Dodgers star Manny Ramirez. Hamels struck out 5 and walked 3 and was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player. Jimmy Rollins set the tone in the 1st inning with a feisty at-bat to lead off the game against Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley. After working the count and fouling off several pitches, he struck a solo home run to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead it would never relinquish. The Phils added 2 more runs in the 3rd inning on RBI singles by Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell. In the 5th inning, the Phils took advantage of 3 Rafael Furcal errors to tack on 2 more runs to extend the lead to 5-0. Ryan Madsen pitched a scoreless 8th inning and Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless 9th inning to seal the victory for the Phillies. For the Dodgers, Billingsley lasted only 2 2/3 innings giving up 3 earned runs. Billingsley never got into a groove allowing 4 hits and walking 4 while throwing 66 pitches. Manny Ramirez, James Loney and Matt Kemp each had 2 hits for the Dodgers, but they never managed any significant threats that Hamels couldn’t work out of. For the series, Manny Ramirez lived up to his post-season hype – he got 8 hits in 15 at-bats for a gaudy .533 batting average. He hit 2 more home runs, scored 4 runs, and had 7 RBI’s – in each game of the series he drove in a run. His on-base percentage was over .660 and his slugging percentage was over 1.050. Ramirez managed a 8-game hitting streak during the Dodgers’ 2008 post-season run.
The Philadelphia Phillies will represent the National League in the 2008 World Series. The Series will open up on Wednesday, October 22nd in either Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg or at Fenway Park in Boston. Currently, the Rays lead the Red Sox 3 games to 1 in the ALCS.
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