October 26, 2008
Playing with Fire, Rays get Burned
The Rays and Phillies came into game 4 even in runs, both teams scoring ten. The Phillies, however, put many more men on base. The out-hit the Rays 24-18 and out-walked them 15-7. That's a huge difference in base runners for the same number of runs. If the Rays pitchers kept allowing that many runners, it was only a matter of time before the Phillies broke through.
That happened tonight. With 12 hits and five walks, they put nine more men on base than the Rays. This time, however, Tampa Bay couldn't stop the hits with men on base, and couldn't keep the ball in the park. Philadelphia goes on to a four homer, ten run performance and win game four 10-2.
The Rays need to hope that their 3-4 hitters, Pena and Longoria, can break out of their slump like Ryan Howard did in his last two games (three home runs). The top of the Rays heart of the order is 0 for 27 with 15 strikeouts.
It's Cole Hamels against Scott Kazmir Monday night in a rematch of game one. It could turn out to be a great Monday in Philly.