10 Keys to The 2008 World Series

The 2008 World Series features the hungry and experienced Philadelphia Phillies against the young and talented Tampa Bay Rays. These two teams are very evenly matched and I expect a hard-fought series that goes down to the wire. That being said, seven of the past 10 World Series have been decided in five or fewer games.

I’ve decided to list 5 keys to victory for each team to win the World Series, followed by my final thoughts and World Series prediction.

TAMPA BAY RAYS

1. The Starting Rotation
Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, and Andy Sonnanstine will comprise the Rays starting rotation in the World Series. Combined, the foursome went 50-34 in the regular season with an impressive 3.79 ERA. Thus far in the postseason, the foursome has combined to go 6-3 with a 3.62 ERA (27 earned runs in 67 innings pitched). Compare that to the Phillies projected starters (Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, and Joe Blanton) who’ve posted an impressive 6-2 record with a slightly higher 3.93 ERA.

Here’s the kicker: If you take Hamels out, Myers, Moyer, and Blanton have gone 3-2 with a 6.03 ERA in six starts.

2. Speed
The Phillies only stole six less bases than the Rays in the regular season (142 to 136), and they did so at a much more efficient rate (84% to 73%). The Rays 142 SB total was tops in all of MLB.

Fast-forward to the postseason and we have a completely different story. The Rays have stolen 17 bases and have been caught only twice, an 89% success rate. In comparison, the Phillies have only stolen seven bags in 10 tries, a 70% success rate.

The Rays have speed up and down the lineup, while the Phillies main base stealing threats come in the form of only two players: Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino (and maybe deceptively fast Jayson Werth, who swiped 20 bags this season).

3. Opposition
All year long the Rays have played in the much tougher and stronger American League. They’ve gone up against the best teams in the Major Leagues and come away with winning records (10-8 against Boston, 6-4 against the White Sox, 6-3 against Anaheim). In addition, the Rays were an impressive 12-6 in interleague play this year. They’ve also disposed of two recent World Series winners in the White Sox and Red Sox this postseason.

In comparison, the Phillies played in the weaker National League, and in a division where their main competition was the Mets. In addition, Philadelphia posted a dismal 4-11 interleague record this year.

4. Home Field Advantage
The Rays owned Major League Baseball’s best home record with a 57-24 mark, and are 4-2 at home in the postseason.

Say what you want about the bandwagon Tampa Bay Rays fans, they’re loud and boisterous when it counts. Those cowbells can really leave a ringing sensation in your head if you’re not used to it.

Tropicana Field is a domed stadium with artificial turf, something the Phillies might take a bit of time adjusting to. And in the World Series you don’t have much time to make adjustments.

5. Momentum
Momentum can often be the most important and overlooked factor in winning a playoff series. The Rays are fresh off a seven-game thrill ride in which they defeated the defending World Champions. They’ve also only had two full days rest, compared to a week of rest for the Phillies. For red-hot Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, and Carl Crawford, that’s a good thing. Philly slugger Ryan Howard was quoted as saying, “A week of rest feels more like a month of rest at this stage…it’s something we’re not used to.”

Side note: The Rays are 25 games above .500 this season when Longoria has recorded at least one RBI (he’s had 11 RBI in 11 games this postseason).


PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

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