Rays Must Guard Against Complacency

On more than one occasion this season, most notably after the Collapse at Fenway, manager Joe Maddon revived the Rays when they looked ready to crumble.

Now, as the Rays head to their first World Series, Maddon must employ a different a form of psychology.

Rather than nurture, Maddon must nudge. Rather than build the Rays up, he must bring them down.

The danger for the Rays, after their exhausting, exhilarating seven- game triumph over the Red Sox, is that they will be happy just to be in the Series.

What a waste if they fall into that trap.

The Rays are good enough to beat the Phillies. In fact, they should beat the Phillies. More than anyone, Maddon knows they cannot turn back now.

Perhaps the Rays are young enough to shake off any hangover — literal or figurative — from the American League Championship Series.

Granted, they did not grow complacent after winning the AL East or after beating the White Sox in the Division Series.

But the World Series is the biggest stage of all.

The Rays players no doubt celebrated deep into Monday morning; their Game 7 triumph amounted to a catharsis, seeing as how they nearly blew the ALCS after leading the Red Sox, three games to one.

Alas, the World Series begins Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. And while the Phillies will be coming off a six-day layoff, they are defined, in part, by their hunger. Tired of hearing about the Phillies' past Series teams, they yearn to create their own signature moment.

The Rays have proven they can handle adversity, surviving a seven-game losing streak entering the All-Star break, injuries to left fielder Carl Crawford, third baseman Evan Longoria and closer Troy Percival in the second half, two pivotal series against the Red Sox in September and then the ALCS.

Their challenge now is to handle success.

Big, emotional, we-shocked-the-world success.

Seriously, how many people expected the Rays to hold off the Red Sox after blowing a 7-0 lead with seven outs to go in Game 5, then quietly dropping Game 6?

Looking back, it's remarkable the Sox nearly stole the series with third baseman Mike Lowell out, right-hander Josh Beckett injured and designated hitter David Ortiz a much lesser threat than in previous years.

Still, the Rays had to slay the dragon.

An emotional letdown probably is inevitable; the Red Sox are the Rays' blood rivals, while the Phillies are merely the guys from the National League.

Physically, too, the Rays will not get much of a break, though their youth and home-field advantage should mitigate against any fatigue. The Phillies' layoff, meanwhile, could disrupt their hitters' timing.

The down time between the LCS and World Series often draws criticism when one or both of the league championship series ends quickly. Yet, the cushion enables teams to align their rotations in more or less the proper order when an LCS goes seven games.

The Rays likely will start lefty Scott Kazmir in Game 1, followed by right-handers James Shields, Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine. Maybe they would have preferred Shields in Game 1, but the difference is insignificant. Kazmir might even be a better choice against the Phillies' big left-handed hitters.

The Rays' bullpen continues to evolve; rookie lefty David Price, making the same type of impact that Francisco Rodriguez did for the Angels in 2002, pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the save in Game 7. The Phillies rate a clear edge at closer with Brad Lidge, but then, so did the Red Sox with Jonathan Papelbon.

Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels, 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in the postseason, will be the best starting pitcher in the Series, but the Rays are much more threatening offensively than the Brewers and Dodgers. A friend of mine in Philadelphia, a fellow sports writer, put it best after monitoring the first round of the AL playoffs: "It's like watching a different sport."

The Rays are the best team in the better league, well-positioned to become the eighth World Series champion from the American League in the past 11 years

One more step, and their journey is complete.

Maddon surely will remind them: That final step is the most important step of all.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

Read more of Ken's columns here.