PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Welcome back to the World Series. Leading off for the Philadelphia Phillies, a pinch hitter for October ace Cole Hamels.
Here comes Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon out of the dugout. Yup, he’s going to make a pitching change before play even begins. Is that David Price coming in from the bullpen?
Hang on, we’ll find out after this commercial break. Please stay with us.
Huh?
Grab a tasty snack, folks, because that’s the bizarre scenario that could easily unfold whenever Game 5 finally resumes in Philadelphia.
With the score tied 2-all in the bottom of the sixth, the Phillies might be three innings from a championship. Or, the Rays could start a three-game winning streak that carries them to the title.
Sooner or later, though, someone is going to win this thing.
“It’s just another little twist to the story of an unbelievable season,” Tampa Bay slugger Carlos Pena said.
ting baseball’s showcase event on hold.
“You’re not going to win against Mother Nature,” Hamels said.
Play will pick up with Philadelphia coming to bat in the sixth and Hamels due to lead off. Tampa Bay must take the field and put a pitcher on the mound – right-handed reliever Grant Balfour is in the game for now.
But if the Phillies send up a left-handed pinch-hitter such as Greg Dobbs, Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs, look for Maddon to make an immediate move for a lefty.
That could mean Price, the hard-throwing rookie who got the final seven outs of Tampa Bay’s victory in Game 2. After the No. 9 spot, Philadelphia’s lineup turns over to bring up switch-hitter Jimmy Rollins and right-handed Jayson Werth before lefty sluggers Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.
Balfour could warm up on the mound only to be relieved without throwing a pitch.
“We’ve got to look at it as a 0-0 game and come out and win it,” Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett said.
Hamels will be out of the game once he’s pulled for a pinch hitter.
He threw 75 pitches over six effective innings in wet, blustery conditions Monday night. If the Phillies score in the sixth and protect the lead for three innings, he would be credited with a win.
That would make him 5-0 in five starts this postseason, an unprecedented accomplishment.
anager Pat Gillick said. “But one of the strengths of our ballclub is the bullpen.”
Tampa Bay starter Scott Kazmir is already done, but every other player is available. Kazmir was chased after walking six batters in four-plus innings.
Balfour relieved for the Rays and escaped a fifth-inning jam. Maddon said he’ll probably keep the game in the hands of his relievers the rest of the way.
“We have a pretty rested bullpen, based on today’s events,” he said.
Maddon wants to save “Big Game” James Shields to start a potential Game 6 at Tampa Bay and Matt Garza for Game 7 – even though Shields would be fully rested by Tuesday.
“He’s not going to pitch,” Maddon said. “I’m going to tell you right now, I don’t want to do that. We still have two games after that. We have a rested bullpen. I have a lot of confidence in our bullpen. We’re talking the bottom of the sixth right now. There’s different things we can do to finish this game off. So we have to win this game to get to James and to get to Garza.”
The rain gives Hamels a chance to come back later in the series, if it lasts long enough.
In the meantime, fans holding Game 5 tickets can use them again whenever the contest resumes.
“They may say it’s cheap. But anyway you can get one, you get one,” Rays reliever J.P. Howell said. “We’re glad to be able to play another day.”
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