2008 World Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies vs Tampa Bay Rays

With 20 minutes until Game 1, I think its appropriate for a World Series preview.

First off, wow. Who would have thought the Rays would have made it to the World Series? I figured they would improve off of last season and have a solid shot at a .500 season, but they far surpassed those expectations obviously. Now, as a diehard Red Sox fan, I am shocked. I honestly thought we had it all along. Even when down 7-0 in Game 5, I had a sense it wasn't over; I thought it was still our series, we were the defending champs. When the Sox came back and won Game 5, I was certain it was ours. I still felt we were the better team, that the Rays couldn't beat us, not this year at least. I also kept thinking back to 2004 and 2007 with the historic come back against the Yankees when down 3-0 and last year coming back in an identical situation we got ours into this year, down 3-1. Once we won Game 6, it only emphasized my arrogance, I figured Game 7 would be the easiest; I figured the Rays would be demoralized. But no, the Rays defied the odds again and beat the defending champs and are now playing for the World Series. Incredible.

But the Rays' job is far from over as they face a formidable foe in the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies were also underdogs this season, with the majority of the attention on the Chicago Cubs as well as the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers after those two teams acquired C.C. Sabathia and Manny Ramirez. However, this deflection of attention may have been a blessing in disguise as they are the last team standing in the National League.

Anyway, to the preview:

Hitting:

Philadelphia Phillies:
C - Carlos Ruiz
1B - Ryan Howard
2B - Chase Utley
3B - Pedro Feliz
SS - Jimmy Rollins
LF - Pat Burrell
CF - Shane Victorino
RF - Jayson Werth
DH - Matt Stairs, Geoff Jenkins, Greg Dobbs

Tampa Bay Rays
C - Dioner Navarro
1B - Carlos Pena
2B - Akinori Iwamura
3B - Evan Longoria
SS - Jason Bartlett
LF - Carl Crawford
CF - BJ Upton
RF/DH - Rocco Baldelli, Gabe Gross, Cliff Floyd, Willy Aybar

I have to give the advantage to the Phillies here. The Rays just cannot match the trio of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, along with Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth. The Rays have a nice nucleus of Longoria, Crawford, Upton and Pena, but they don't match up with the Phillies in my opinion.

Advantage: Phillies

Defense:
The Rays have the advantage here. All the Rays can play great defense. Crawford and Upton are some of the fastest guys in the majors in the outfield, while Longoria and Bartlett perhaps form the best left side of the infield defensively in the majors. Carlos Pena is also an underrated fielder at first base. The Phillies, on the other hand, aren't as good. Ryan Howard is a defensive liability at first base, but he's sure to play DH when playing in Tampa (or really St. Petersburg). The Rays are also used to the artificial turf and the dome in terms of fielding fly balls at Tropicana Field.

Advantage: Rays

Starting Pitching:

Phillies
1. Cole Hamels
2. Brett Myers
3. Jamie Moyer
4. Joe Blanton

Rays
1. James Shields
2. Scott Kazmir
3. Matt Garza
4. Andy Sonnanstine

I think the Rays have a solid advantage here, though it may be closer than people realize. I see Hamels actually having an advantage over Shields in Game 1, but I think the rest of the Rays pitchers are better than the Phillies' in the other matchups.

Advantage: Rays

Bullpens:

Phillies
CL - Brad Lidge (R)
SU - Ryan Madsen (R)
SU - JC Romero (L)
RP - Chad Durbin (R)
RP - Rudy Seanez (R)
RP - Scott Eyre (L)
RP - Clay Condrey (L)
LR - Kyle Kendrick (R)

Rays
RP (CL?) - David Price (L)
RP (CL?) - Dan Wheeler (R)
RP - Grant Balfour (R)
RP - JP Howell (L)
RP - Chad Bradford (R)
RP - Jason Hammel (R)
RP - Trevor Miller (R)
LR - Edwin Jackson (R)
CL - Troy Percival (R) - Will he be healthy to go?

I think the bullpens are pretty close. While the Rays probably have better depth in the pen, they don't have a "sure thing" at the end of the game that the Phillies have with closer Brad Lidge. Lidge went perfect this season, without blowing a single save opportunity. However, the big question mark in the bullpens is whether David Price can step in and be "the man" for the Rays. I wonder whether he can handle the pressure, but if he can, watch out. Price may be the difference maker this series. However, I like the Phillies here simply because of Lidge.

Advantage: Phillies

Verdict:

I see this as a series that could go either way, but I just can't take the Rays. I see the Phillies winning in seven. I feel the Rays may already feel like they've won and there could be a letdown, but then again, it is the World Series. I think the difference maker of the series is Jimmy Rollins; I think he's primed for a big series.

Regardless, its sure to be a very exciting series and either side could wind up on top.

Winner of the 2008 World Series: Philadelphia Phillies