Preview of the Tampa Bay Rays' Bullpen in the World Series

The Rays' bullpen looks like a fairly even matchup with the Phillies’s bullpen. The Rays have more depth, but the Phillies have a great, established closer in Brad Lidge, who has not blown a save this year.

The obvious differences in their bullpens is that the Phillies have an established closer in Brad Lidge, and the Rays have the best pitching prospect in baseball in David Price, but he barely has any Major League Baseball experience. In fact, he got his first save in Game Seven of the ALCS before he had a win or save in the regular season.

The Rays will stay with David Price because they do not have that much trust in Wheeler or Balfour to be their closers, although Wheeler can get a save chance or two. If they have to use a righty besides Price to get a righty out, they would probably still use Wheeler, but they would probably not want do this.

The Rays fare well against the Phillies because they have the lefties in Howell, Miller, and Price to get the integral left handed hitting of the Phillies lineup. They can be used against the bats of Utley, Howard, and Victorino.

Also, they are more useful because Utley and Howard bat back to back, and sometimes Victorino bats second, although he will probably be batted sixth, so that the Rays can’t utilize their left-handed pitchers so much.

Bradford also seems like an important pitcher because he does not allow the long ball, which is a big part of the Phillies lineup. Let's take a look at the roles of the Rays in their bullpen.

Jackson- Jackson’s a pretty good long-relief man, and that is his only duty, unless there is an extra-inning game. Remember, he tied James Shields for most victories on the team. In the playoffs, he can touch 98-99 MPH.

Balfour- Balfour cannot be used in critical situations right now because he looked very bad against the Red Sox in the ALCS. Right now, he is only a sixth, maybe seventh-inning guy, but if he can prove himself, he can have a more important role.

If the Rays are losing, Balfour is more likely to be brought in, because he gives the team energy, and he can’t be used in overcritical situations yet.

Miller- A left-handed specialist that will be specifically used for Utley and Howard between the sixth and eighth innings. Trustworthy for one or two batters.

Bradford- Usually paired with Miller to be effective against righties, Bradford will probably take batters like Werth and Burrell. He utilizes the amazing infield defense of the Rays, especially for Evan Longoria and Jason Bartlett when righties are up.

Wheeler- Wheeler is looking like the seventh-inning guy. He does not look incredibly relaxed on the mound right now, and the possibility of a home run hurts. He will probably get fairly important bullpen work, but he may face the lower part of the order to eliminate some of the threats of the home runs.

Howell- The most important middle reliever on the Rays and the MVP of the bullpen (barely over Balfour for the regular season). Howell is extremely underrated and will be used in the eighth inning. He will preferably face lefties, but he is good for both batters and can pitch from one or two batters to two innings. He may pitch two innings if the game is not incredibly close. He will pitch in any close game, if the Rays are winning or losing.

Price- Because of Price’s Game Seven ALCS performance, he looks like the unofficial closer right now. He may not close games completely, if there is a righty up. His slider is looking unhittable to lefties, and his fastball delivery is very nice and effortless.

Manager Joe Maddon knows how to use his bullpen, and in close games, he may bring in four to six relievers. When he does this, the Rays have great matchups with the hitters. The Rays' bullpen can make a valuable difference in who wins the World Series.