Greensboro, NC -- Unlike the past couple of National League clubs to come out of the World Series gate, following a "long" layover, I thought that the Phillies would be ready to play. They have an American League style lineup that forces pitchers to grind through it. The Phils also had their ace, Cole Hamels, in full postseason lockdown mode.
The 3-2 score is a farce of how close the game really was. Philadelphia missed ample opportunities in the early innings to build a formidable lead. I am convinced that Scott Kazmir is not 100%. He has not pitched like his 2006 and 2007 form all year, and I think that dates back to his start on the DL earlier this year. But give Kazmir credit, the score could have been 8-0 after three innings if the Phillies could have produced some timely hitting.
The Series has just begun -- the Rays lost Game 1 of the ALCS at home, and then rattled off three straight victories. Also, Tampa Bay has the major advantage until Game 5 -- starting pitching. Myers vs. Shields tonight. Moyer and Blanton will square up against Garza and the underrated Sonnastine in Games 3 and 4, respectively. The starting pitching match-ups are the reason why I picked Tampa Bay to win.
Other Notes:
- Kevin Millar, just take a paycut, and become a bench player on the Red Sox already. The O's first baseman is obsessed with them -- see ESPN's World Series preview this year, and Millar's introductions of the Red Sox lineup in last year's Series.
- A spicy college football matchup tonight: Auburn at West Virginia. WVU has had a quiet season to this point. In fact, other than their Bowl victory over the Sooners last January, we haven't heard a peep from Morgantown. I'll take the Tigers tonight on the road.
- City of Greensboro Kickball Playoffs continue tonight with the quarterfinal rounds. The Ball Bustaz will be squaring up with SynerG 2 in the early game at 6:30 p.m.
1 comment:
I agree that the Rays will win, not sure about the 5 though. If Hamels is Hamels, then its two wins for the Phils easily.
Don't know if you read Chris Cooley's blog or not, but you should check out the latest entry from the other tight end, Todd Yoder. The entry is about football players getting beat up each week. Its got a couple of pics of a truly nasty bruise from playing special teams. It reminded me of the torment you went through last year with your hammy issues and how long that took to recoup from. Imagine having to play a professional football game with this thing kind of pain. You can see it here...http://chriscooley47.blogspot.com/2008/10/bumps-and-bruises.html
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