Rays-Phillies Matchups
A Position-by-Position Preview of the 2008 World Series
Starting PitchingGiven the luxury of winning in five with only one off day, the Phillies implicitly announced this past weekend that they'd stick with their rotation of Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, and Jamie Moyer, with Joe Blanton the presumptive -- given the long history of managers going on short rest -- No. 4 man. The Rays, on the other hand, went the distance against the Red Sox and have made no formal announcement.
The speculation is that lefty Scott Kazmir, who has not pitched since Thursday in Boston, will go for Game 1, followed by James Shields for Game 2, Matt Garza for Game 3, and Andy Sonnanstine for Game 4. Joe Maddon, however, is anything but predictable and could easily flip-flop Sonnanstine for Shields. It'd be a surprise, however, if Garza were not positioned to pitch another Game 7 after his League Championship Series MVP-winning performance on Sunday. The Phillies have the better No. 1 guy, and perhaps the No. 2 guy, but the Rays are demonstrably better in the No. 3 and No. 4 slots.
Edge: RaysRelief PitchingIf the Rays have an obvious Achilles heel, it's their bullpen, a.k.a. the folks who blew a 7-0 lead in less than three innings last week. The Phillies, on the other hand, have been automatic from the 8th inning on: 86-0 in 2008, including the playoffs.
Edge: PhiladelphiaCatcher
Phillies - Carlos Ruiz (.219-4-31)
Rays - Dioner Navarro (.295-7-54)
Ruiz is hot right now, hitting .313 in the playoffs, while Navarro is not (.192) but he's the All-Star and all things being equal, you go with the guy that has the longer track record.
Edge: RaysFirst BasePhillies - Ryan Howard (.251-48-146)
Rays - Carlos Pena (.247-31-102)
Like most sluggers in 2008, Pena fell back to earth from his 2007 numbers, but Ryan Howard did not, easily leading the majors in HRs, RBIs, and, of course SOs (199 both in '07 and '08) and is favored to regain his status as the league's MVP.
Edge: Phillies
Second BasePhillies - Chase Utley (.292-33-104)
Rays - Akinori Iwamura (.274-6-48)
While Iwamura is more your prototypical second baseman -- and the better fielder -- Utley adds corner offense numbers up the middle not seen since Jeff Kent in the 1990s.
Edge: PhilliesShortstopPhillies - Jimmy Rollins (.277-11-59)
Rays - Jason Bartlett (.286-1-37)
No contest here, but Rollins is the reigning National League MVP, so it's tough to compare that to an otherwise solid SS.
Edge: PhilliesThird BasePhillies - Pedro Feliz (.249-14-58)
Rays - Evan Longoria (.272-27-85)
Speaking of Philly third-basemen, the comparison that's starting to be made for Evan Longoria is Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt. Feliz is solid, but Longoria is both an All-Star and a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate.
Edge: RaysLeft Field
Phillies - Pat Burrell (.250-33-86)
Rays - Carl Crawford (.273-8-57)
Ordinarily, you'd give the nod to Burrell for the better regular season, but it's the postseason and Carl Crawford is on fire, batting .345 with six stolen bases.
Edge: RaysCenter FieldPhillies - Shane Victorino (.294-14-58)
Rays - B.J. Upton (.273-9-67)
Like Crawford, Upton is on a tear, and will tie Carlos Beltran and Barry Bonds for the most HRs in a postseason with his next longball. Victorino is down, batting just .222 in the playoffs.
Edge: RaysRight FieldPhillies - Jayson Werth (.273-24-67)
Rays - Rocco Baldelli (.263-4-13); Gabe Gross (.242-13-38)
Baldelli has come on this postseason, but Maddon's tendency to platoon him, along with Gross's inferior glove, gives the more reliable Jayson Werth the nod.
Edge: Phillies
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