A look at the best-of-seven World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays:
Schedule: (Approximate times EDT) Game 1, Wednesday, at Tampa Bay (8 p.m., FOX); Game 2, Thursday, at Tampa Bay (8 p.m., FOX); Game 3, Saturday, at Philadelphia (8 p.m., FOX); Game 4, Sunday, at Philadelphia (8 p.m., FOX); x-Game 5, Monday, Oct. 27, at Philadelphia (8 p.m., FOX); x-Game 6, Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Tampa Bay (8:35 p.m, FOX); x-Game 7, Thursday, Oct. 30, at Tampa Bay (8 p.m., FOX).
x-if necessary.
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Season Series: Did not play.
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Projected Lineups
219, 4, 34).
Rays: 2B Akinori Iwamura (.274, 6, 48), CF B.J. Upton (.273, 9, 67), 1B Carlos Pena (.247, 31, 102), 3B Evan Longoria (.272, 27, 85), LF Carl Crawford (.273, 8, 57), DH Cliff Floyd (.268, 11, 39), C Dioner Navarro (.295, 7, 54), RF Gabe Gross (.242, 13, 38), SS Jason Bartlett (.286, 1, 37).
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Projected Rotations
Phillies: LH Cole Hamels (14-10, 3.09, 196 strikeouts), RH Brett Myers (10-13, 4.55), LH Jamie Moyer (16-7, 3.71), RH Joe Blanton (4-0, 4.20 with Phillies after July 17 trade from Oakland; 9-12, 4.69 overall).
Rays: LH Scott Kazmir (12-8, 3.49), RH James Shields (14-8, 3.56), RH Matt Garza (11-9, 3.70), RH Andy Sonnanstine (13-9, 4.38).
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Relievers
Phillies: RH Brad Lidge (2-0, 1.95, 41/41 saves), RH Ryan Madson (4-2, 3.05), LH J.C. Romero (4-4, 2.75), RH Chad Durbin (5-4, 2.87), RH Clay Condrey (3-4, 3.26), LH Scott Eyre (5-0, 4.21 with Phillies and Cubs; 3-0, 1.88 with Phillies), LH J.A. Happ (1-0, 3.69 in 8 games, 4 starts).
Rays: RH Grant Balfour (6-2, 1.54, 82 strikeouts in 58 1-3 innings), LH J.P. Howell (6-1, 2.22), RH Dan Wheeler (5-6, 3.12, 13/18 saves), LH Trever Miller (2-0, 4.15), RH Chad Bradford (4-3, 2.12), LH David Price (0-0, 1.93), RH Edwin Jackson (14-11, 4.42 in 32 games, 31 starts).
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Matchups
att Stairs won a pivotal Game 4 in the NLCS with a pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning. … Including the playoffs, the Phillies are 86-0 this year when leading after eight innings. … Philadelphia will have six days off before the World Series opener, Tampa Bay two. Will the Phillies look rusty or rested?
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Big Picture
with Rollins and Victorino.
r league-best 142 stolen bases this season, then added 6 more in the playoffs. … The Rays joined the 1991 Braves as the only teams to make the playoffs a year after finishing with the worst record in the majors. They are the second AL team, 11th overall, to earn a postseason berth a year after finishing in last place. The 1991 Twins were the other AL team. … While emerging stars such as Longoria, Crawford, Kazmir and Upton are playoff newcomers, the Rays had six players on their ALCS roster with postseason experience prior to this year: Floyd, Bartlett, Balfour, Miller, Wheeler and Bradford. A seventh, Iwamura, participated in the Japanese League playoffs. Floyd is in the postseason for the third straight year. He was with the Mets in 2006 and Cubs in 2007. … Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival (28/32 saves) was left off the roster for both playoff series because of a balky back. … The Rays won the AL East despite playing a significant number of games with Longoria, Crawford and Percival on the disabled list late in the season. Longoria missed five weeks after breaking his right wrist Aug. 7.
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Watch For
r ago, and he managed only a .300 on-base percentage in nine playoff games. But he stole three bases, scored six times and hit a leadoff homer in the clinching game of both rounds.
– The Flyin’ Hawaiian. The underrated Victorino gets overlooked in a lineup filled with big names. He’s a spark plug who can turn a game around with his bat, glove or speed. The switch-hitting center fielder is excellent defensively and has one of the strongest arms in the majors. He batted .281 with two homers during the playoffs and has already set a club record with 11 RBIs in the postseason.
– Tricks At The Trop. Tropicana Field, with its catwalks and artificial turf, is hosting postseason games for the first time this year. Tampa Bay has prospered in the wacky dome, compiling the best home record (57-24) in the majors during the regular season and then winning four of six home playoff games. A tricky bounce or two could turn the series.
chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
– Big Stick. Pena was the AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2007 with 46 homers and 121 RBIs. He got off to a slow start this season but raised his play after the All-Star break. In the playoffs, he batted .333 with 3 homers and 8 RBIs. Clutch and patient at the plate, Pena drew nine walks with the bases loaded this season, most in the majors since 1957. After scratching his cornea at home, slightly blurred vision in his left eye kept Pena out of the lineup early in the first round – but he’s been swinging well since.
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