World Series Preview

Who would have guessed that the World Series would come down to the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies?

The Rays have turned things around from the previous decade of losing and all of the young talent is finally starting to take over.

The Phillies were led into the playoffs by the very guy that they benched early in the year. I am, of course, talking about MVP candidate Ryan Howard.

So how does a matchup of the unlikely opponents breakdown?

When you look at the hitting for each team, the first thought is that the Phillies have the edge. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell provide all the power needed and Shane Victorino Jimmy Rollins can set the table.

The Rays counter with Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria and BJ Upton for power, while Carl Crawford provides the speed on the bases. Willy Aybar could be the deciding factor as he’s batting .367 this postseason.

Talent wise, the 2 teams look similar but give a slight edge to the Rays based on the lack of consistency from Ryan Howard and the week long layoff that may prevent the Phillies from getting off to a good start.

When you glance at the pitching staffs, Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge certainly jump off the page. I could argue that beyond that, the Phillies are pretty thin.

The Rays will line up Scott Kazmir in Game 1, who is the man responsible for their home field advantage courtesy of his victory in the All-Star Game. James Shields, Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine will follow Kazmir. Matt Garza will be a factor in the World Series after the offseason trade from the Minnesota Twins. David Price may have found his spot as the closer for the series.

Tampa gets the edge on pitching based on Kazmir, Garza and the wild card Price.

Defense is what Tampa Bay prided itself on all year and when someone was injured, the next guy stepped in and played just as well. That being said, they looked very shaky in the ALCS. Game 5 should have been headed to extra innings as Longoria made a great backhanded stop on Kevin Youkilis, but the throw was short and bounced into the stands. The next batter delivered a hit and the series headed back to the Trop.

The Phillies field a solid defensive unit and they have committed four errors during postseason play. Evan Longoria has 3. Rollins and Utley are solid up the middle, but it remains to be seen who gets the start at 3^rd base.

Based on the sloppy play of Tampa in the ALCS, the defensive edge goes to Philadelphia.

Other factors in this series are home field advantage and the incredible story that the Rays are writing. It’s hard to imagine that Tampa Bay will not be ready to go when the first pitch is thrown. They will have their wild fans banging on the cowbells and they can’t afford to disappoint. They are a young team, but showed a lot of heart against Boston.

The Tampa Bay Rays will be crowned World Series Champions after Game 6.