Column:

World Series preview

The Rays and the Phillies will start the Series Wednesday.

By JJ Stankevitz

Published Oct. 20, 2008

Now that the champagne has dried from the Rays' and Phillies' celebrations, it's time to look ahead to the World Series, which begins Wednesday at Tropicana Field. And yes, the Tampa Bay Rays are really in a World Series.

 Starting pitching

Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Andy Sonnanstine and American League Championship Series MVP Matt Garza have combined to form the deepest starting rotation in baseball. Among those four pitchers, there isn't one whom manager Joe Maddon should not expect to pitch well - even Kazmir, who alleviated some late-season fears by pitching six shutout innings in game five of the ALCS.

The Phillies, for all intents and purposes, have National League Championship Series MVP Cole Hamels and three other pitchers. Hamels has the best left-handed changeup of anybody not named Johan Santana and should give the Phillies a very good chance to win the two games he is slated to pitch in. However, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton do not favorably compare to anybody the Rays will pitch.

Advantage: Rays

Bullpen

Before game seven of the ALCS, this category would have easily swung toward the Phillies. However, after watching David Price pepper the lower half strike zone with 95-mile-per-hour fastballs and devastating sliders, I'm convinced that this category is closer to a push than people think. The Rays still need to get their middle relief in order, but a few days off for JP Howell, Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler could be just what they need to get back on track.

On the other hand, the Phillies have a bullpen that has pitched very well as of late. Ryan Madson and JC Romero have been very good in late-game situations, and rookie JA Happ has looked comfortable eating up innings in the playoffs. Oh, and did I mention the Phillies have Brad Lidge, who has not blown a single save in 2008? The memories of Albert Pujols and Scott Podsednik seem to be long gone for Lidge, who again has not blown a save this year.

Advantage: Phillies

Offense

Despite hitting the most home runs of any team in a league championship series, the Rays don't rely on the longball to get runs home. They have more than enough speed to spare between BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Akinori Iwamura and the ridiculously fast Fernando Perez. They're the perfect turf offense, as they utilize their speed and ability to put the ball in play to their advantage.

The Phillies play to their ballpark, too. Citizens Bank Ballpark is a bandbox and, as a result, the Phillies hit a lot of home runs. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell all are longball threats. Keep in mind though, the Phillies do have a pair of players in Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino who do a good job putting the ball in play. That should help them on the turf of Tropicana Field.

Advantage: Narrowly to the Phillies

Intangibles

Both manager Charlie Manuel and Maddon are excellent managers for the teams they run. Manuel is a good manager of a largely veteran team, letting his team do most of the work. Maddon, on the other hand, has handled managing an extremely young team perfectly, letting them know how the game is supposed to be played and motivating them when needed. Overall, Maddon has his team believing in "9=8" and ultimately will lead his team to a championship.

Advantage: Rays

Series prediction: Rays in six