October baseball is coming down to the wire. Now that the Rays have settled the score with Boston we can get on with the big show.
The keys to victory are going to lie with the turf, the pitching and the mindset. The Phils aren’t used to playing on the hard turf at Tropicana Field. If it was a more veteran team this might pose a problem but I think this still young team will adapt quite quickly to the faster surface. The Rays get enough play on grass fields throughout the season, so they may have a slight advantage here.
Hamels has been outstanding! After having lost the first game of the NLCS in ’07 he came back to dominate both payoff games he pitched this year. Throw in the rest of the bullpen and add to that the closers backing them up and I think on balance they’ve got it over the Rays in this department. Kazmir and Garza are good but they both looked a little shakey at times. In addition, the Rays are a fast ball bullpen and the Phils love a fast ball. (Look for Ryan Howard to turn on…) I do see Lidge giving up one of his nail-biters though.
This is where the manager comes into play and this may be the tipping point. For my money Charlie Manuel is the better manager and strategist. His ‘working’ of the game in at least two of the playoff games gave the Phils the pennant. His players are very comfortable with him & his decisions.
Otherwise the similarities in the two teams are interesting. This may end up being one of the best match-ups we’ve seen in many years. Both teams get contributions across the lineup and both are young teams. I see more leadership from Rollins, Howard and Burrell however than with the Rays and without any overbearing nature. The added hustle with players like Victorino and Werth is the spark that’ll help get it done.
The Phils need to win one in Rays territory. I see them winning game 1 and taking the series in 5.