Update: The crowd is chanting Eva.

Update: Evan strikes out swinging. He's now 0 for 9 in the series with five strikeouts.

The tarp is off the field in Philadelphia, but it's still raining. Looks like they are shooting for a 10 PM EDT start, but we'll see.

The Marlins are raising payroll for 2009:

The Marlins have decided to raise their payroll to the $30-$35 million range and have been in serious talks to trade Mike Jacobs, officials in contact with the team's front office said. They're also expected to deal Scott Olsen (to make room for Andrew Miller in the rotation) and Kevin Gregg. But there is internal support for keeping Dan Uggla.

The Marlins, who had a $22 million payroll in 2008, wanted to deal Jacobs to Kansas City, but the deal died last week because of a medical issue involving the minor-league pitcher that Florida would have received. The Marlins also spoke to Toronto and San Francisco about Jacobs.

So there's a chance the team will earn more than Alex Rodriguez next season. Maybe Loria was visited by the ghosts of Baseball Past, Present and Future.

According to the Bats Blog, tonight's game will be delayed. We just don't know how long.

The Newark Bears of the Atlantic League folded. I hope my home town team, the Bridgeport Bluefish aren't next.

The World Series moves to Philadelphia as Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays faces Jamie Moyer of the Phillies. The age difference between the pitchers almost exactly 20 years. Both were born in November, Moyer in 1962, Garza in 1982. The two nearly matched regular season ERAs as well, Garza posting a 3.70 mark, Moyer 3.71. They also earned those ERAs in very similar ways:

Garza's walks are up this post season, as he issued 10 in 19 innings, but so are his strikeouts, taking down 18 batters without the help of this defense. He was especially tough in the ALCs, striking out 14 Red Sox batters in 13 innings, helping him earn the series MVP.

Moyer's strikeouts are up on a per inning basis, as he's struck out five in 5 1/3 innings. The problem is that he's faced 29 batters in that time, meaning he's getting too many opportunities in that short amount of time. The opposition is 10 for 20 against Moyer when they put the ball in play, leading to his early exits in both this starts.

Garza presents the Phillies with another challenge. The Phillies are hitting very poorly with runners in scoring position in this series. Garza allowed a .245 batting average overall this season, but just .218 with runners in scoring position. He does allow long hits with men on base. His slugging percentage allowed jumps from .360 with the bases empty to .406 with men on. His overall OBA is low enough, however, that Matt doesn't get into the men on base situations too often.

Enjoy!

Sean McAdam writes about Joe Maddon successfully using his relievers without a closer. Joe is avoiding the closer by committee tag:

On other occasions, Maddon has gone to his two best relievers early. In Game 2 of the ALCS, after starter Scott Kazmir faltered, Maddon opted for right-hander Grant Balfour and lefty J.P. Howell in the fifth inning when more traditional thinking would have resulted in long man Edwin Jackson getting the call.

"We're willing to utilize either one of those two guys in the middle of the game," Maddon said recently, "so that you actually have a chance to win it in the eighth and the ninth inning. We've done that not only in the postseason, we've done that during the season."

Maddon has sold the concept to the relievers, who aren't worried about ego or job description.

"I like the fact that we have all those options out there," lefty Trever Miller said.

Getting a player to accept an undefined role is tough these days. It's a feather in Maddon's cap that he was able to get his pitchers to buy into this concept.

I guess people don't want to see Cinderella all that much.

Get a good team.

I much preferred the "Wade guy" in the bleachers at Fenway Park. Every time Wade Boggs would come to the plate, he would bellow, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaade," holding it as long as possible. On a good day he'd last a good 30 seconds. A few years later I found out he was an aerodynamics professor at MIT.

A reader sends along this page, raising money for the Major Larry Bauguess Memorial Field. Major Bauguess was killed recently in Pakistan, and his home of Wilkes County, NC is trying to endow a baseball field and two scholarships in his name.

He was a big time baseball junkie, so the fund is baseball-centric. His high school recently named their baseball field after him. All of the funds will go towards field maintenance, a memorial at the field, sponsoring youth league baseball in Wilkes County, NC, and providing two college scholarships annually.

Sounds like a worthy cause.

The Biz of Baseball looks at the cost of a marginal win per team. Only the two Florida teams paid less than $1 million per marginal win.

Kerwin Danley's performance last night landed him a new job offer.

The Village Voice is live blogging the Kucinich hearings on issues involved with the bonds floated to build Yankee Stadium. Hat tip, Bronx Banter.

Derek Zumsteg expresses his concern over the Mariners' new general manager.

Via Athletics Nation, Billy Beane helps Newt Gingrich and John Kerry make a pitch for healthcare reform.

I'd like to see more of this from sabermetricians. Nate Silver is looking at polling this year. It's a nice problem to solve but adds little value to anything. It will teach future candidates how to better game elections, but I'm not sure that works to the betterment of society. I'd love to see people like Nate turn their expertise to assigning value to government programs to see which are actually helping. Maybe a VODN index, Value Over Doing Nothing.

A dinner in Harvard Square inspired Joe Maddon's choice for the Rays' travel dress this weekend.

Randy Newsom blogs from Venezuela as he plays winter ball. Today he lists things you'll never see at a big league park:

Beers being sold for under a dollar (using the exchange rate).

Those same beers being thrown high into the air by fans when the wave comes around to their section.

Those same beers being thrown at the opposing team after they hit a three-run homer to break the game open in the eighth inning.

According to my father, he was at a game at Yankee Stadium in the early 1940s when the fans threw their beer bottles onto the field after a bad call by an umpire. It was after that incident that teams started selling beer in paper cups. (I can't confirm this story, but my dad has a very good memory.)

Newsom was also not watching the ALCS:

Four pitching changes in one half of an inning. (I actually saw this in Mexico last year, and I am sure it has happened at least once some where in the extended history of the Major Leagues.) I would love to know what the record for that is.

Joe Maddon did that in the eighth inning of game seven against the Red Sox.

Talk about playing hurt!

Here's a suggestion that Ichiro Suzuki serve as player-manager for the Japanese World Baseball Classic team. I wonder what Seattle fans think of this idea, and more generally, Ichiro as a baseball manager when he retires from game? Would he try to bring Japanese discipline to the North American game, and would that grate against MLB players? I think it would be a fascinating experiment.

It appears that some are questioning if Jamie Moyer should start in the World Series. Charlie Manuel doesn't agree:

"I think Jamie Moyer, after all these years, I think he's earned the right to start a game in the World Series," Manuel said. "I think he's one of the big reasons why we're here today. He won 16 games this year and at one time this guy was our most consistent pitcher, whether you believe it or not.

"He's done a tremendous job for us," the manager said.

Moyer pitched poorly in the LDS and LCS, but that's not a good reason for holding hime back. Anyone can pitch two bad games in a row.

Really, the only other alternative would have been rookie J.A. Happ. There is no reasonable calculation that would make that sensible. If Moyer gets clobbered, the second-guessing will commence immediately -- a fact and a tradition that is older than Moyer, as old as the game itself. But this is what should happen.

I disagree. Happ is a high-strikeout lefty, and they give the Rays a tougher time. I would have started Blanton in game three and Moyer in game four, but Happ is a perfectly good option for either game. In fact, if the Rays hit Moyer hard in game three, I'd think about starting Happ in game seven if the series goes that far.

The Rays win game two 4-2, and the story of the series so far belongs to the missed opportunities by the Phillies. They put the leadoff man on in six of the nine innings, but only one of those came around to score. That's even more impressive when you consider that three of the leadoff men reached on doubles. The Phillies did pick up a hit with runners in scoring position tonight, but it was of the infield variety and did not plate a runner. The only runs to come across for the Phillies in that situation in this series were on a ground out and an error.

It was a good night to be a number nine hitter. Carlos Ruiz hit two doubles and walked twice, while Jason Bartlett went two for two with a sacrifice on a squeeze play.

The teams get Friday off before Moyer and Garza meet in game three. The Phillies offense is poised to explode. We'll see if that happens at home.

It's Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth facing David Price in the ninth.

Update: Ruiz smashes a double past Longoria for another leadoff double. He's two for two with two walks and two doubles as duces are wild for the catcher.

Update: A Price pitch catches the front of Rollins shirt, but Danley doesn't call the hit by pitch. That's the second bad call by the home plate ump tonight.

Update: Rollins pops out to Barlett in short leftfield. The tying run remains on deck.

Update: Werth hits a ball hard that kicks off Longoria's leg into leftfield. Ruiz scores from second and Werth is on first after the error by Longoria with Utley the tying run at the plate.

Update: Utley strikes out on three pitches. It's up to Ryan Howard.

Update: Howard grounds out to Iwamura, shifted into rightfield. The Rays win 4-2 and even the series at one game apiece. No sweep in the series this season.

Eric Bruntlett pinch hits for Dobbs and hits a home run off David Price into the leftfield stands. It's the only hit of the eighth for the Phillies, but makes the score 4-1 in favor of the Rays. Three of the four runs scored by the Phillies in the first two games came on homers.

Update: J.C. Romero starts the bottom of the eighth for the Phillies. Myers lasts seven innings, allowing four runs, three earned. He walked three but only struck out two.

Update: Romero retires the side in order. The Phillies have three outs to get three runs as the Rays lead 4-1.

B.J. Upton grounds into his third double play of the World Series, although I thought the play at second base was close enough to call the runner safe. The Rays continue to lead 4-0, needing to get six outs to even the series at one game apiece.

Update: I just looked at the play using the frame by frame on my DVR, and Bartlett sure looked safe.

The game 1 ratings for the World Series were high in Milwaukee and Minnesota.

Carlos Ruiz leads off the seventh with a walk, then steals second as Jimmy Rollins strikes out. Ruiz is at second with one out, giving the Phillies two more chances to deliver with a runner in scoring position.

Update: Werth strikes out. The futility continues.

Update: Dan Wheeler yields to David Price as lefties Utley and Howard are due up next.

Update: Price walks Utley on four pitches. Howard is up with a chance to drive in some runs.

Update: Ryan Howard strikes out looking. Two more strikeouts with runners in scoring position for the Phillies in the inning. Price now has 5 strikeouts in 2 2/3 post-season innings.

Ryan Howard grounds out into the shift leading off the sixth. It's the first time since the first inning that the Phillies failed to put the leadoff batter on base.

Update: Victorino and Dobbs single with two out to put runners on first and third. Upton just missed catching that ball by Dobbs, trapping it instead. Shields is over 100 pitches, and Maddon removes him in favor of Wheeler. A fine performance by Shields, although like Kazmir, high pitch counts early means he can't go deep in the game.

Update: Feliz grounds into a force to end the inning, another failure with runners in scoring position. Joe Buck wondered why Manuel didn't go to Matt Stairs there. It's a good question.

Update: The Rays go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth. They still lead 4-0.

Carlos Pena walks with one out in the bottom of the fifth. He gets to second on an errant pickoff throw by the catcher Ruiz.

Longoria strikes out, and still doesn't have a hit in the series.

Update: Crawford grounds out, and the fifth ends with Tampa Bay in the lead 4-0.

Ruiz walks to leadoff the fifth, the fourth straight inning the Rays allow the leadoff runner to reach. Rollins grounds into a force play for the first out. Jimmy still has not earned his way on.

Update: Werth falls behind in the count but hits a hard grounder through the middle for a single. That puts runners on first and second with one out for Chase Utley.

Update: Utley flies to Baldelli in shallow right, and he makes a nice catch and a better throw. Werth wandered too far off first, and he's doubled off to end the inning. The Phillies are 1 for 23 with runners in scoring position in the series.

Cliff Floyd and Dioner Navarro single to start the bottom of the fourth. Men on first and second for Baldelli.

Update: Rocco beats out what looks like a double play grounder to third to put runners at first and third with one out.

Update: The saftey squeeze by Jason Barlett works, and the Rays lead 4-0. This despite the fact that the Rays are Men with Hats!

Update: Iwamura grounds out to end the fourth, but the Rays continue to average one run per inning in the game. Myers has only thrown 50 pitches, and he's yet to strike out a batter All those balls in play are leading to hits.

Ryan Howard singles between the shifted second baseman and shortstop. It's the third inning in a row the Phillies put the leadoff runner on.

Update: A grounder by Burrell puts another runner in scoring position. Victorino grounds one just by Pena that Iwamura stops. He can't throw out Shane, however (Shields was covering) and the Phillies get their first hit with runners in scoring position. It does not score a run, however, as Howard can only go to third.

Update: Dobbs strikes out. Two down in the fourth.

Update: Feliz grounds out to short, and the Phillies inability to drive in runners continues. The Rays lead 3-0 in the middle of the fourth.

The Mets hire Razor Shines to coach third base for 2009. How cool is that? "Razor sends the the runner, and he's cut down at the plate! Not a shining moment for the third base coach!"

Carlos Ruiz leads off the third inning with a double, the second inning in a row the Phillies put the leadoff man at second.

Update: Rollins remains 0 for the series with a groundout to second. That moves Ruiz to third with one out.

Update: Werth strikes out swinging for the second out.

Update: Utley grounds out to end the inning. The Phillies are now 0-19 with runners in scoring position. During the season they hit .263 in that situation, eight points better than their overall average. They'll need seven hits in a row with runners in scoring position to get their BA up to that level. The Rays still lead 3-0.

With Navarro at first after a single, Baldelli appears to strike out on a 3-2 pitch. He tried to check his swing, but the pitch looked to me like it caught the outside corner. The home plate ump's (Danley) right hand goes up as if calling a strike, but then points to first for help. The first base ump says no swing, and Baldelli goes to first. Even if it was a check swing, it looked like a strike. A bad and confusing call there.

Bartlett picks up an infield single to load the bases for Iwamura.

Update: Iwamura pops out, but Upton singles to plate Navarro. Baldelli tries to score but Werth cuts him down at the plate with a strong throw. A good block by Ruiz kept Rocco from ever making contact with home. The Rays lead 3-0 after two innings.

James Shields gets ahead of Ryan Howard in the count, then Ryan uppercuts a pitch at the knees deep into centerfield, over the head of Upton. He leads off the second inning with a double. It was a nice example of how left-handed hitters generate power on low pitches.

Update: Pat Burrell follows the double with a walk, and the Phillies have a threat going in the second. Victorino pops out to Longoria in foul territory, however, for the first out. Shields isn't throwing a high percentage of his pitches for strikes.

Update: A wild pitch with Dobbs batting puts both runners in scoring position with one out.

Update: Dobbs strikes out. Two down for Feliz.

Update: Feliz lines out to Upton in center. At first, it looked like there was enough top spin on the ball to bring it down for a hit, but it stayed up long enough for Upton to reach it. That may be an example of Upton playing shallow taking away two RBI.

The Phillies are now 0-16 for the series with runners in scoring position. At some point they are going to regress to the mean with a vengeance.

Akinori Iwamura leads off the bottom of the first with a walk on five pitches.

Update: A single and an error puts Upton and Iwamura on second and third. Werth took his eye off the ball as he was reaching for it with his glove.

Update: Pena grounds out to second, plating Iwamura. The Rays take their first lead of the series, 1-0. Upton is at third for Longoria with one out. Evan grounds to short and the Rays lead 2-0.

Update: Crawford grounds out to end the inning, but Tampa Bay scores two runs in the first, just like the Phillies did in game one. We'll see if they can make those hold up.

Jimmy Rollins flies out to start game two of the World Series. Longoria turns a bad play into a good one as he blocks a grounder from Werth with his body, recovers and bounces one to first to get Jayson. Two down.

Update: Utley flies to Upton in straight away center and Shields pitches a one-two-three inning.

Chad Durbin is blogging from the Phillies clubhouse.

Jim Storer sends these pictures from game 2.

Fred McGriff mural, Tropicana Field. According to Jim, "It's like being in a giant Lichtenstein painting."
Photo: Jim Storer

Pedro Feliz takes batting practice. "Fans are even booing Philly during DP!"
Photo: Jim Storer

Jim knows about Lichtenstein because he took art history at Harvard. :-)

Game two of the World Series is scheduled for 8:29 PM EDT, just to force you to miss the last minute of My Name is Earl. James Shields tries to get the Rays back on track as he host Brett Myers. Myers is enjoying a successful post season so far, winning both starts. He pitched very well against the Brewers, allowing two hits and three walks over seven innings. He pitched less well against the Dodgers, as they scored five runs off him, but the Phillies offense built an 8-2 lead, allowing Myers lots of breathing room. That game was also an example of why the Phillies are so strong with a lead, as the bullpen allowed just two hits and three walks in their four innings of work, shuttting out the Dodgers the rest of the way.

Shields hasn't quite been an ace so far in the post season. His 3.72 ERA is good, but only good enough for a 1-2 record. He's getting hit, having allowed 21 in 19 1/3 innings. His walks are low enough, issuing six so far, but his home runs are high as the opposition hit three off him. He needs his defense performing well behind him to keep the Phillies off the board.

Enjoy!

Major League Baseball appears to be taking a non-refundable cut of post-season tickets.

I thought that Victorino's attempt to score on B.J. Upton was the poorest play of game one of the World Series. Here's why it happened:

Oh, and on my trying to score on that shallow fly ball. That was a miscommunication between [third base coach] Steve Smith and myself. I heard, 'go.' He said, 'No.'

I'm sorry, aren't players supposed to read scouting reports so they now which outfielders can throw and which ones can't? Secondly, confusing an N and a G is not a common speech recognition error. Ns are confused with Fs and Vs, which is why you'll hear niner in radio communications so the listener doesn't think it was five. If the word that meant "start running now" was "fo", Shane would have a case. Given the depth of the fly, and the scouting report on Upton, Shane should have expected "no", instead of having go fever.

It looks like the Blue Jays made a poor bet concerning the strength of the US Dollar:

"The nightmare is starting all over again," said Godfrey, who took over as team president when it cost $1.49 Canadian to buy one U.S. buck.

He said the formula is pretty simple: On a $100 million (U.S.) payroll, each dime of difference between a lower Canadian dollar and the higher U.S. greenback costs the Jays about $8 million. So based on a 2008 payroll of $97.8 million and an 80-cent Canadian dollar, down 20 cents from the almost-at-par buck of a couple of months ago, the Jays need to make up about $16 million to maintain both payroll and the same place on the balance sheet.

The team typically purchases vast amounts of U.S. dollars, out of which to pay the players, when rates are favourable, but did not buy enough to cover the entire payroll this time. (Godfrey would not say exactly how much they didn't buy; other sources indicate less than half.) All minor-league, travel and spring training expenses are in U.S. dollars, while local revenues arrive in Canadian.

Of course, this means a trip to watch your favorite team play at the Rogers Center will be really cheap.

Game one of the World Series was healthier than game seven of the ALCS:

The St. Anthony's Hospital Fan Car Clinic saw 75 ill fans last night, compared to 97 fans during the 7th playoff game.

The clinic is open to all fans. Workers there said they have helped everyone from a woman having a miscarriage to drunk fans to cardiac arrest patients.

SportingNews.com names Joe Maddon and Fredi Gonzalez managers of the year. I can't argue with Maddon, but I'm not sure about Gonzalez. The Marlins certainly exceeded expectations, but I love the way Lou Piniella changed the way the Cubs approach their offense. Plus, the Cubs actually won something. Tony La Russa also deserves some credit from getting a lot of mileage out of a Cardinals team made from spare parts.

Congratulations to Maddon and Gonzalez on the honor!

CBS Sportsline notes that Cole Hamels became the third pitcher to win all three game ones during a single post season. John Smoltz and Josh Beckett also accomplished the feat. Three times in fourteen tries, however, doesn't seem like very long odds.

Update: Teddy Kaplan in the comments notes that the story is incorrect. David Wells also won three game ones in 1998 for the Yankees.

The Phillies dominated game one much more than the 3-2 score indicates. Hamels and the bullpen shut down the Rays offense, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out eight. The Phillies picked up plenty of hits, but the Rays pitching was in bend, don't break mode. They allowed no hits with runners in scoring position, but one of those ground outs scored a run. That was the difference maker. One or two big hits and the Phillies win this game in a blow out.

Philadelphia won a game they needed to win. Hamels holds the greatest advantage over the Rays of any of the Phillies starters. He went deep into the game, so the bullpen should be in fine shape for game two. The Rays came back from a similar loss to Boston in game one, and with the pitching matchups favoring them over the next three games, I can see where that might happen again.

Carlos Pena leads off against Brad Lidge.

Update: Pena strikes out. One down.

Update: He strikes out Longoria, and Crawford is down 1-2.

Update: Crawford works the count to 3-2, then pops out to end the game. The Phillies take game one 3-2.

Jayson Werth picks up his second double of the game with one out in the ninth. He also has a walk for a very nice first World Series game. The Rays walk Utley intentionally to face Howard. Trever Miller comes in to pitch.

Update: Miller catches Howard looking at strike three on a pitch high in the strike zone. Two down. Wheeler comes in and Bruntlett is due. This is where they could use Burrell.

Update: The Phillies execute a double steal on an 0-2 count.

Update: Bruntlett pops out to second to end the inning. Lidge comes on to see if he can stay perfect in save situations. This is a tough one, just a one-run lead as the Phillies lead 3-2 going to the bottom of the ninth.

Ryan Madson relieves Hamels to start the eighth. Cole pitches his fourth fine game of the post season, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out five. He gives up his second home run of the post season, but both have been solo shots. He leaves with a 3-2 lead.

Update: Madson retires the side in order in the eighth, preserving the one-run lead. We'll likely see Lidge in the ninth.

Correction: Fixed the context of Hamels' home runs.

J.P. Howell replace Kazmir to start the seventh inning. Scott gives up six hits and four walks, but the Phillies lead seven men on against him.

Utley singles with one out, steals second and goes to third on a wild pitch. Howard has a runner on third with one out in the seventh.

Update: Howard strikes out. A great pitch by Howell, sinking under Howard's bat.

Update: Burrell gets two strikes at him but won't bite at the low pitches like Howard. He walks, and Balfour comes in to face Victorino.

Update: Bruntlett runs for Burrell. That surprises me. In a close game, I'd want Pat's bat in there.

Update: Balfour comes with nothing but heat, all between 94 and 96 miles per hour. Victorino gets a piece of one, but swings and misses three times for a strikeout. The Phillies still have no hits with runners in scoring position tonight despite tons of opportunities. They still lead 3-2 at the stretch, however.

Update: Hamels pitches a 1-2-3 seventh. He's at 100 pitches, and he's still strong. We'll see if Charlie Manuel goes to his bullpen in the eighth.

The Phillies put two more men on base in the fifth, one thanks to a Carlos Pena error. They don't score, and are now 0-9 with runners in scoring position. The Rays, on the other hand, have just two at bats with runners in scoring position.

Kazmir is at 96 pitches after five innings. Once again, he fails to be efficient. The Phillies lead 3-1 going to the bottom of the fifth.

Update: The Rays are now 2 for 3 with runners in scoring position as Iwamura drives in Bartlett from second with a double. That's their first RBI with a runner in scoring position. Upton is up again, and can't hit into a double play. It's 3-2 Phillies in the bottom of the fifth.

Update: Hamels gets Upton to foul out to Howard reaching in the stands and the Phillies remain in the lead 3-2 after five innings.

Hamels hangs a curve ball and Carl Crawford bangs it into the rightfield seats. It's back to a two run game, 3-1 Phillies. Interesting that with two left-handers on the mound this evening, both home runs came off the bats of left-handed hitters.

That's all the Rays get in the fourth.

Victorino and Feliz both single to start the fourth inning. They are on first and second with none out, just like in the second inning. That's eight base runners for the Phillies so far.

Coste grounds to first, advancing both runners a base with one out.

Update: Ruiz grounds to shortstop and the Phillies lead 3-0. Rollins is up for the third time in four innings, this time with a man on second. He strikes out, and the Phillies are 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

With one out, a single, walk and single loads the bases for B.J. Upton in the bottom of the third. The Phillies failing to score in the last two inning may come back to bite them here.

Update: Wow. Upton hits into another double play. He only hit into 13, or about two a month, during the regular season. The Phillies lead remains intact at 2-0 after three innings.

Jayson Werth doubles leading off the third, but a groundout and two strike outs gets Kazmir out of another jam. The Phillies lead 2-0 going to the bottom of the third.

Shane Victorino reaches on an infield hit and Pedro Feliz walks to put two on with none out in the top of the second for the Phillies. Kazmir comes very close to picking off Shane at second. Feliz doesn't walk much, showing how wild Kazmir was throwing.

Update: After a fly out, Kazmir walks Ruiz. The Phillies have the bases loaded with one out and Kazmir continues to be wild. He's thrown 17 balls and 21 strikes so far.

Update: Rollins swings at the first pitch and hits a fly ball to shallow center. Victorino tries to score but B.J. Upton makes a perfect throw to the plate to nail him. That ends the inning. Rollins should have let Kazmir be wild, and Shane should have known better to run on someone with 16 base runner kills. What could have been a big inning turns into nothing. The score remains 2-0 Phillies going to the bottom of the second.

Update: Hamels has no trouble in the bottom of the inning, striking out two as he retires the side in order. He's thrown 25 pitches, 17 for strikes.

Iwamura grounds deep to Howard behind the bag at first, but Akinori beats both Hamels and Howard to the bag. Unfortunately, Upton follows by grounding into a 4-6-3 double play. Pena grounds to the shifted shortstop and the inning ends with no runs for the Rays. The Phillies lead 2-0 after one inning.

If you missed tonight's show, you can hear the recorded version here. It's also available at TPSRadio.net.

Scott Kazmir gets Jimmy Rollins to fly out to right for the first out of the 2008 World Series.

Update: Kazmir walks Werth on six pitches. Typical of Kazmir using a lot of pitchers to walk a batter.

Update: Scott gets ahead of Chase Utley 0-2, but misses low and inside on what Kazmir thought was a strike. He then brings a pitch further in over the plate, and Chase deposits it in the rightfield stands for a 2-0 Phillies lead. It's Utley's second home run of the post season.

Update: Kazmir finishes strong, getting Ryan Howard to hit into the shift and Pat Burrell to strike out. The damage is done however, and Cole Hamels comes to the mound with a 2-0 lead. The way he pitched so far in the post season, that might be enough.

The Baseball Musings Radio Show is coming up tonight at 8 PM EDT on TPS Radio. You can watch, listen and chat here. If you want to leave a question, feel free to do so in the comments to this post.

TPS Radio is on channel 100. At the bottom of the player you'll see a control with an up and down arrow. Click on that and select channel 100 from the list.

Jim Storer just sent me the lineups, and Coste will DH for the Phillies and bat ninth. There was some speculation Howard would DH and Coste would play first, but not tonight.

Roving reporter Jim Storer sends this view of Ferg's bar:

Ferg's Sports Bar
Photo: Jim Storer

Jim writes:

This town as gone wild!

He also says the crowd is arriving early.

The World Series kicks off tonight with game one scheduled for 8:35 PM EDT. The series starts with a great pitching matchup as Cole Hamels faces Scott Kazmir. The two were picked on either side of Nick Swisher in the 2002 draft. Both are left-handed power pitchers who rose to staff ace.

In three seasons in the majors, Hamels showed steady improvement. He's increased his innings pitched by about 50 each of the last two seasons, while posting significant decreases in his ERA. His rookie season Cole's ERA came in at 4.08; this year's mark was 3.09.

Hamels multiplied his regular season success in the post season so far. In three starts he's allowed just 13 hits in 22 innings while striking out 22. With a 1.23 ERA he won all three starts. He's even controlled his home runs allowed, his big weakness during the regular season. Only Manny Ramirez took him deep, and the ball was to the opposite field. Hamels, as a high strikeout lefty, should give the Rays a bit of trouble.

His draft twin, Scott Kazmir, made it to the majors two seasons earlier. Traded from the Mets, and with the Rays desperate for pitching, Kazmir debuted in 2002 with lots of strikeouts but less than impressive results. He brought his ERA down from 5.67 to 3.77 the next season, and it hasn't been above 3.49 since. He became very tough to hit this season, but more susceptible to the long ball. Facing a great home run hitting team like the Phillies, keeping the ball in the park will be his biggest challenge.

Scott's pitching has been up and down in his three starts. His game against the White Sox and his second start against the Red Sox were fine. The middle game wasn't. It all depends on the homers. He's given up three this post season, all in that second start.

I love power lefties, Jerry Koosman being one of my early favorites in post-season play. I'm looking forward to a great game from each.

Enjoy!

The Mariners named a new general manager just before the start of the World Series moritorium:

Seattle Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln and President Chuck Armstrong announced today that Jack Zduriencik (zur-EN-sik) has been named the Mariners new Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations.

USS Mariner has more:

Apparently the key was his record with young talent. Not just identifying it - Engle and Fontaine have done fine with that, though depending on whether they stick around, his ability would be crucial there as well. But more importantly, developing it, which has been an area of frustration with the organizational philosophy.

Here's Brewers Blog's point of view:

Zduriencik was very instrumental in helping to build the Brewers into a playoff team in 2008. Since 2000, he has been running the Brewers' drafts, producing the likes of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy, Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra.

Sounds like the Mariners made a good decision here. He won't make a splash in the media like Kim Ng would, but long term he may be just what the Mariners need.

Larry Stone echoes my views from yesterday that this series doesn't have to be a ratings disaster.

Let's give it a chance, please. As someone not concerned with Nielsen families or overnight numbers, here's what I see: A great matchup filled with appealing players and compelling story lines.

So there are no large-market titans (although Philadelphia was a pretty large market -- No. 5 in the U.S. -- the last time I checked). So there are no of lovable "nation" teams, as in Cubs Nation and Sox Nation (although the Rays looked awfully lovable, last time I checked -- which was one frenzied celebration ago).

So what? Are those the only teams allowed to make for a colorful, riveting World Series?

Cardboard Gods remembers Reggie Jackson's 1977 World Series.

The Big Lead notes the Phillies lost the World Series four times, each time to one of the four other AL East teams. A Rays victory gives the AL East a Phillies sweep.

Chone Smith points out that the two pitchers picked around Nick Swisher were World Series game 1 starters Scott Kazmir and Cole Hamels. Those picks were panned as wasted in the book Moneyball. As Tom Tango points out:

Intentionally never drafting a high school pitcher in the first round is as foolish as intentionally never sac bunting. If you have 1000 American 18 year olds on one hand, and 1000 Canadian 18 year olds on the other hand, you are naturally NOT going to select 15 Americans and 15 Canadians in the first round. But, is it possible that the correct balance is 29 and 1?

Or, in this case, 28 and 2. Just in case you forgot, it was the Mets who drafted Scott Kazmir and turned him into Victor Zambrano. At least Beane got something when he traded Swisher.

Update: Related item here. Hamels and Kazmir never faced each other in a game, but were well aware of each other before they were drafted.

The following table compares the 2008 pitching seasons of the Phillies and Rays, opponents in the World Series.

Relative to their leagues, the Phillies and Rays pitching staffs are fairly evenly matched. It's impressive that the Rays, in a DH League and playing 36 games against the Yankees and Red Sox managed a lower ERA than the Phillies. Despite not facing a pitcher in most of their games, the Rays struck out more batters per nine innings and walked fewer batters than the Phillies.

(On a side note, the ranks in walk I believe speak to the difference in pitching strength between the two leagues. The Rays walked fewer batters than the Phillies, but ranked much lower compared to their league. That shows how in control the pitchers throw in the AL.)

Cole Hamels and the bullpen represent the strength of the Phillies staff. The bullpen posted an ERA over a run lower than the starters, despite Cole Hamels finishing the year with a 3.09 ERA. The relievers almost equaled that, with a 3.19 ERA. Hamels and the pen combined for nearly half of the Phillies innings pitched this season. The rest of the starters posted a combined ERA in the mid fours. Given this dynamic, it will be important for the Phillies to get an early lead the so the bullpen can take over and finish the game.

Series MVP Matt Garza pitches during game seven of the ALCS.
Photo: Icon SMI

The Rays also get better with their bullpen in the game, but not nearly as dramatically as Philadelphia. Four tenths of a run separate the Tampa Bay starters from the relievers. The difference between the two parts of the staff comes from extra base hits allowed. Both allow home runs at the same rate, but the starters are much more likely to give up doubles and triples. The difference in triples is huge. Starters give up a triple every 143 at bats; for relievers it's one every 296 at bats. Part of that may be hitters are more conservative late in the game. You don't want to make an out at third in a close game.

The Rays starters strike me as more consistent than the Phillies staff. Kazmir, Shields and Garza were separated by 0.21 runs in ERA during the regular season. That's six games in which the Phillies face a starter with a sub 4.00 ERA. On the Phillis, it's over 0.6 runs from Hamels to Moyer, and 0.74 runs separate Moyer, Blanton and Myers.

Both teams look like they are doing their best to gain the platoon advantage against their opponent. The Phillies hitters are slightly better against left-handed pitchers, but the Rays start righties in five of the seven games. The Rays batters hit better against right-handed pitchers, but the Phillies scheduled four starts by left-handers. All left-handers, however, are not created equal.

Jamie Moyer recorded the only two Phillies post-season losses.
Photo: Icon SMI

Hamels and Moyer differ in the amount of batters they strike out. Hamels strikes out a good number of hitters, 7.8 per nine innings. Moyer comes in lower, 5.6. It turns out the low strikeout lefties don't give the Rays trouble:

The Rays should hit Moyer fairly well. Given the above data, the Phillies might be better off pitching Blanton in games 3 and 7 instead of Moyer. He may very well turn out to be the weak link in the Phillies rotation. Given his poor performance in the post season so far, the Phillies are not doing themselves any favors starting him twice, as they are playing into a strength of the Rays. What should be an advantage for the Phillies, for starts by lefties, is only half an advantage.

It's clear to me the Rays hold a good advantage in pitching. They own a deep rotation, and while the Phillies bullpen is top notch, the Rays should need to use theirs less. Hamels very well may beat Kazmir twice, but in the other five games the Rays hold the advantage. If Philadelphia fails to win both of Cole's starts, they are in real trouble.

Given the Phillies only hold a slight edge in offense, the difference in the pitching staffs should throw the series to the Rays. My estimate gives the Rays a 60% chance of winning the series. I'm looking forward to an exciting fall classic.

The Major League Players Association just sent me an e-mail announcing that Albert Pujols in the NL and Josh Hamilton in the AL won Outstanding Player of the Year. You can see interviews of the players here.

Maybe they can trade their old expensive teachers for college prospects.

Michael Axisa passes on this story about Jonathan Papelbon's shoulder:

If the Red Sox had taken a lead in Game 7 of the ALCS on Sunday night, All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon wasn't coming out of the bullpen.

According to Daisuke Matsuzaka, manager Terry Francona informed him that Matsuzaka was going to be the closer because Papelbon's right shoulder was barking.

So, is it just a short term injury or something more long term?

Terry Francona scheduled an operation:

Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona will be heading for surgery this offseason.

Francona said Tuesday that he's had a back problem and hasn't had full feeling in his arms since May. He hopes to get that fixed this winter so he can be ready for spring training.

I wish him the best.

Earlier this morning I was chatting with a friend about how Fox probably wanted a Boston-Los Angeles World Series for high ratings. I noted, however, that lots of people watch baseball in Florida on television. You can tell because Rays broadcasts often just get back in time for the first pitch of an inning. The Phillies should also have a pretty wide viewing area, encompassing eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, parts of Maryland and Delaware. I don't think this will be too bad for Fox. On top of that, FishStripes links to this note on highly rated series:

In the past 10 years, the highest-rated Fall Classic was the seven-game Florida Marlins-Cleveland Indians matchup, which averaged a 16.7 rating/29 share. There have only been three others since then to go over 15, most recently the 2004 Series in which Boston ended an 86-year drought to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in four straight.

Even the Red Sox, who are about as close to ratings money as you can get, averaged only a 10.6 rating last year in their four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies. The New York Yankees averaged a 12.8 in its six-game loss to the Marlins in 2003. The lowest World Series ratings ever came in 2006, when the five-game Cardinals-Tigers series averaged a 10.1/17.

The 1997 series also featured a Florida team not known for turning out crowds. Fans, however, do watch the Marlins on TV. The series featured a team roaring onto the scene after never winning before against a team that had not won a World title in decades. The series was also very tight, with the Marlins and Indians winning alternate games. If the series avoids looking like a sweep fairly early, I can see pretty good ratings for the week.

Mike Jaccarino reports from Nebraska on where Joba Chamberlain was drinking before his DUI arrest. Chamberlain was heckled at a strip club, and one of his friends got in a fight with a Red Sox fan:

Once order was restored, Chamberlain and his five friends stared at the gyrating dancers for nearly 90 minutes before leaving just after midnight. Chamberlain paid the $145 tab and left a $100 tip at the club, where the cover charge is $3, the manager said.

Kat, a regular dancer at the joint, said she didn't even know there was a Yankee in her midst and took no notice of the beef.

"I don't pay attention to altercations - unless I start them," said the blond, who took the stage last night in striped prison garb that she seductively shed.

I wonder if The Daily News picked up the cover charge for Mike?

The Phillies arrived early in Tampa Bay to get in an extra day of practice under the dome:

"One of the biggest challenges we will have is this facility," assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "With the synthetic grass, it's a different kind of a field. It's a very different type of situation in the outfield with popups and fly balls, with the catwalks and other things that will be a factor here. That's one of the reasons why we are here for 2 days instead of 1."

The Phillies imported their fly-ball machine from their spring-training complex in Clearwater to practice fielding popups beneath the unique domed roof, a concern because of the array of catwalks and scaffolding hanging from the top of the building.

It seems the team is not leaving much to chance.

Joe Maddon won't name David Price his closer for the World Series:

Maddon said he does not want to anoint Price the closer because he would be leery of bringing him back on consecutive days. And he wants to leave other options open.

"If a critical situation came up in the seventh and eighth inning when the Phillies had their lefties up, I would use him there," Maddon said.

Good. I liked the fact that Francona was willing to use Papelbon in a non-save situation in game five (even though he allowed two runs to score). Sometimes the game is on the line in the seventh, and using your best pitcher there is the right move.

Jim Bowden delayed skin cancer treatment. Doctors diagnosed the problem in June:

That's how Bowden learned he had squamous cell carcinoma -- a type of skin cancer for which doctors recommended surgery within a month. Unwilling to abandon his job, even for a week, Bowden ignored the advice. He spent the second half of the season working as usual, and worrying in private about the growth on his forehead -- and whether it was spreading.

Immediately after the season, Bowden had the cancer removed in a five-hour procedure conducted by Melbourne, Fla.-based surgeon Larry Bishop. Doctors removed the cancer-infected skin layer by layer, following its roots to the very bottom. Because he had delayed treatment, the cancer had spread to a second area of his forehead, but doctors were able to get it all.

"I'll live," Bowden said.

Yes, managing the Nationals to the worst record in the NL was really worth it. I'm sorry, there is no GM so important that they can't take a week off and hand the reigns over to someone else.

That said, I'm glad he's okay and I hope his cancer doesn't return.

The following table compares the 2008 offensive seasons of the Phillies and Rays, opponents in the World Series (league ranks are NL for the Phillies, AL for the Rays).

The Phillies and Rays offenses are similar in terms of batting average and getting on base. Neither team hit for a very high average in the regular season, but made up for it somewhat by drawing a good number of walks. Tampa Bay ranked second in the AL in walks drawn, Philadelphia fifth. Power differentiated the teams during the regular season. Philadelphia generated a very high percentage of their hits for extra bases, 38.5%. The Rays finished at 34.7%. The Phillies were slightly ahead in doubles, one behind the Rays in triples, but 34 ahead in home runs. Remember, Philadelphia batted a pitcher in most of their games.

18 OCT 2008: B. J. Upton of the Rays hits a home run in the first inning of game six of the 2008 ALCS.
Photo: Icon SMI

The Rays faced a slugging deficit against both the White Sox and the Red Sox. It didn't turn out that way. The Rays post-season slugging percentage stands at .508. Forty three of their 102 hits advanced the batter past first, 42.2%. Much of the credit for that burst of power goes to B.J. Upton. The Rays centerfield hit seven post season home runs so far after just knocking out nine during the regular season. B.J. reminds me of the hero who lost his power; Superman trapped by kryptonite, Underdog searching for his super energy pill, the Hulk in a good mood. Just when all seems lost, the power returns in time to vanquish the opponent. Upton's power returned at just the right time. With Longoria, Pena and Aybar all slugging over .600, the two through five slots in the Rays lineup knocked the ball out and the runs in.

The Phillies are the post season's second highest slugging team, coming in at .431 through their first nine games. Their surprise power hitter turned out to be a centerfielder as well, Shane Victorino. Of his nine hits, three went for doubles, one for a triple and two for home runs, good for a .625 slugging percentage. The team's 37.6% of hits for extra bases nearly equals their season average.

Shane Victorino
Photo: Icon SMI

The Phillies accomplished this with only one home run between Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Can those two power hitter stay down all post season? If they get hot, they can carry the Phillies the way Upton and Longoria carried the Rays.

Both teams support their offense with a good running game. The Phillies swiped 136 bases with just 25 caught stealings, an 84.5% mark. The Rays ran more, stealing 142 bases, but got caught 50 times, a solid 74%. As with their power, Tampa Bay turned up their base stealing in the post season, swiping 17 bases in 19 attempts while the Phillies were a solid seven for ten. The speed of these two teams also helps them avoid double plays. The Phillies, with 108, grounded into the fifth fewest double plays in the majors, with the Rays right behind them with 111, tied for sixth fewest.

Based on regular season stats, the Phillies appear to have the better offense. It's somewhat difficult to gauge American League hitters against National League hitters this season. The AL appears to be the better league as they dominated interleague play, and pitchers like CC Sabathia and Rich Harden mowed down NL hitters with ease compared to their performances in the AL. Interleague play does give us a clue, however. The Phillies and Rays played ten teams in common, Philadelphia meeting those opponents 62 times and the Rays playing half their games against those common foes. Without weighting the runs per game by number of games against the opponent, the Phillies come out ahead:

The Phillies deserve to be slight favorites in terms of offense. If the Rays can keep powering the ball as they did against Chicago and Boston, they'll be the Phillies equal. Philadelphia does have some pent up power in the likes of Howard and Utley. I expect this series to provide lots of double, triples and home runs, with enough base stealing to keep the pitchers and catchers on their toes.

I'll look at pitchers in the next installment.

Correction: Fixed the team names in the first line.

Tim Lincecum's peers honored him with an award:

The Players Association announced this morning that Tim Lincecum was voted by his peers as the National League's Outstanding Pitcher, beating out fellow finalists CC Sabathia of the Brewers and Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks.

I'm surprised Johan Santana wasn't in the top three. Will Webb's hot start weigh more with Cy Young voters than Santana's strong finish?

There's a suggestion here that the Rays will go with a rotation of Kazmir, Shields, Garza and Sonnanstine. Given the Phillies lack of a good designated hitter against left-handed pitching, it would be wise to pitch Kazmir twice in Tampa Bay, games two and six. That would mean, however, pitching Shields on short rest in game one.

Jon Weisman ruminates on the turnaround of Willy Aybar.

Mike Lowell underwent hip surgery today. Since it only required an arthroscope, his time to recover should be reasonable.

The Cubs signed general manager Jim Hendry to a four year extension. He did a great job putting together his team and deserved to be rewarded.

The New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys combined to form a company to control concessions at their ballparks:

"The old model of stadium concessions is broken," stated Hal Steinbrenner, Co-Chairman of the New York Yankees. "Fans want and deserve a better experience for their sports entertainment dollar. Working with Legends to leverage the talent and experience resident in the Yankees' and Cowboys' organizations will enable us to set a higher bar for sports franchises while delivering greater value to fans. When the new Yankee Stadium opens for the 2009 season, our fans will be able to experience first-hand the enhancements to our menus, concessions, retail operations and fan spaces that Legends has overseen."

The teams should also make more money:

The Yankees and Cowboys borrowed $100 million from Goldman Sachs and will form their own company to handle food, team stores, etc. at their new stadiums. Much of this will be to enhance the atmosphere in the suites. The company hopes to branch out to other teams, arenas and colleges.

By cutting out the middleman, the teams theoretically should make more money. This seems like a smart move by the Steinbrenners. Hal Steinbrenner spoke about a year ago about such ventures and Hank Steinbrenner, you may recall, once predicted the Yankees could work with the Red Sox. This is the kind of thing they were talking about.

Just another revenue stream to bring in or keep high quality ballplayers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates hired Joe Kerrigan to coach their pitchers:

"Joe Kerrigan brings to the Pirates, a long and successful track record of developing and maximizing the performance of the pitchers on his staff," said Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. "His teaching ability, work ethic and game planning will pay immediate dividends. Joe's passion, knowledge and experience will make a quality impact on our organization."

Joe was miscast as a manager but I always thought he did a good job as a pitching coach. I like this move by the Pirates.

Joba Chamberlain will appear in court on Dec. 17th.

His blood-alcohol content level was 0.134 at the time of his arrest; the legal limit in Nebraska is 0.08.

That doesn't sound good.

Phillies Nation explores the possibilities for a designated hitter against Scott Kazmir:

Game two will likely bring the Phils lefty Scott Kazmir. That takes Dobbs out of the equation. So who's the extra hitter? Wait, let me rephrase that:

Who's the extra hitter? So?

Yes, it's possible So Taguchi will get the extra spot in game two. The case can be made for Eric Bruntlett, however. Chris Coste would get the spot only if he plays first base and Ryan Howard gets the DH spot. That's not a bad idea, as it would allow Coste to stay on as the second catcher, if need be.

Coste only has 177 career at bats against left-handed pitchers, but the results are good. So is just so-so, and Brunlett hasn't shown Coste's power. It may come down to Manuel fearing having both catchers in the same game and one or both of them getting injured. Coste, at the moment, looks like the best choice from a hitting perspective.

The Mark Ellis signing seems to be generating a bit of controversy:

Or, was his surgery so risky that this is the best he could do? Why in the world would he not let the market dictate how much his surgery cost him? At the very least, he could have told the A's: "Whatever the market bears, I'll take 1 year off and 1MM per year off". To do what he did was simply irresponsible to the player market, and the MLBPA must be having a fit right now. As are all other middle infielders.

The only question is if the other 29 GMs are upset at not having a crack at Mark Ellis, or elated that Billy Beane could have managed to set the market so low for players of Ellis' high caliber.

We sometimes forget that to some people, there are things more important than money.

"I know it wasn't a very good year for anyone in the organization, myself included," Ellis said. "But I'm very proud to be a part of this organization and I'm excited about things here -- not to sound like a total cheeseball, but you see what the Rays have done this year and what the Rockies did last year, and it's not out of line to think we can compete and do well soon.

"We have a lot of young pitchers on our staff, but they've got the stuff to be pretty good. Look how quickly things snowballed for Tampa Bay."

Ellis likes it in Oakland, he likes playing for this team, and he's on the downside of his career coming off a shoulder injury. All of that was obviously worth a few million dollars to him.

Update: Beyond the Boxscore agrees with Tom Tango. I assume that Beane and Ellis must have some information we don't. Beane is in the habit of obtaining players when their value is down, not screwing them out of money.

Jim Salisbury writes about the Phillies efforts to prepare themselves for their post-season opponents:

In the first inning of that game, the Dodgers' Manny Ramirez drew a two-out walk. The next batter, Russell Martin, worked a 2-2 count against Cole Hamels. The Phillies' scouting report on Martin, a righthanded hitter, said that he became very aggressive with two strikes and often tried to hook the ball to the left. Aware of the report, Phillies coaches moved third baseman Pedro Feliz a half-step toward the line. Martin pounded a ground ball to third, and Feliz threw to second to force out Ramirez.

These are the little nuances that can help a team win a big ball game, the little observations provided by advance scouts.

I have to believe databases make this job easier. Observations the scouts make can now be confirmed by examining pitch selection and hit charts, allowing teams to filter out good impressions from bad ones.

The Red Sox returned to Fenway early this morning, no fans to greet them:

Most players quickly climbed into cars and drove away, preferring not to reflect any further on the disappointing finish.

Center fielder Coco Crisp did tell reporters that the team put up a good fight and almost pulled off a miracle finish, adding, "there's always next year."

They did put up a good fight. They pulled off an amazing comeback in game five, got a gutsy performance from Beckett and the bullpen in game six, and pitched well enough to win in game 7. They just ran into someone better in Matt Garza. Compared to the way the Cubs went out, the Red Sox played like champions. There's no shame in that.

Matt Garza picks up two of the Rays four wins and takes home the ALCS MVP award. That turned out to be a great trade for the Rays. It helped improve their defense, and Garza pitches them to the pennant. Congratulations to Matt on a great series.

Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Rays, 2008 American League Champions. There was no in between for them. The were awful for their first ten seasons in the majors, but found a way to turn everything around this year. Unlike the Yankees in 2004 and the Indians in 2007, the Rays didn't bend to the Red Sox, and found a way to win game seven.

Matt Garza pitched a great game, allowing just one run over seven innings for a 1.38 LCS ERA. He struck out and walked three. Maddon then managed the bullpen one batter at a time, working the lefty-righty matchups until he could get to David Price. They held the Red Sox to walks and singles, and a poor slide by Coco Crisp made up for Bartlett's error that started the inning.

Price struck out three of the five batters he faced, walking just one. He gets his first major league save after getting his first major league win in game two.

The Rays offense out hit the Red Sox 6-3, but also picked up three extra base hits to the Red Sox one. What a great story, what a great series. These last three games were a lot of fun to watch, and we can only hope the World Series between the Phillies and Rays will be as good.

Jason Bay leads off against David Price.

Update: I thought Bay swung at the 2-2 pitch. He swung as much as Drew did the previous inning. The count is now 3-2.

Update: Bay walks to bring up Kotsay. The tying run is now at the plate.

Update: Kotsay falls behind 0-2, then evens the count. Price catches him looking, however, at a pitch on the outside corner for Price's second K.

Update: Price is doing a good job getting ahead of hitters. He gets ahead of Varitek 1-2, then strikes him out swinging on a 2-2 pitch. One out to go!

Update: Lowrie pinch hits and grounds out to Iwamura unassisted as he goes for the force at second. The Rays win 3-1 and are going to the World Series!

Hideki Okajima comes out to pitch the eighth. He'll face Iwamura, Upton and Pena.

Update: The Rays go down 1-2-3. The Red Sox will face David Price in the top of the ninth, Boston's last chance to at least tie the game.

Matt Garza comes out for the eighth. I both surprised and happy the Rays are doing this. However, Maddon better have a short leash as Matt is facing the top of the Red Sox order.

Cora hits one right at Bartlett and it took a bad hop for an error. Leadoff man on here in the eighth.

Indeed, Maddon has a short leash as Garza comes out of the game. What a great performance in a must-win game. Nine strikeouts, two walks and two hits over seven innings of work, his only mistake a home run ball to Pedroia in the first.

Update: Dan Wheeler comes into the game, needing six outs for the save. Unless he can induce a double play, he'll face Crisp, Pedroia and Ortiz as the potential tying runs.

Update: Crisp singles to bring Pedroia to the plate with men on first and second.

Update: Pedroia flies out to left to bring up the legend, David Ortiz with a chance to grow that legend even more. That's all for Wheeler.

Update: Howell comes on to try to get Ortiz.

Update: Howell gets ahead of Ortiz 0-2. David takes a couple and fouls one off to even the count at 2-2. He fouls off another then grounds into a force, 4-6. That play was a little close for comfort. If they don't make it, the bases are loaded with one out.

Two down for Youkilis, and the tying run is at first instead of second. The Rays make another pitching change.

Update: The replay shows Crisp went to take out the shortstop instead of sliding for the bag. If he goes for the bag he's safe. Chad Bradford enters the game to pitch to Youkilis.

Update: Youkilis walks on a 3-2 count, bases loaded with two out. The Rays are not making this easy. Bradford leaves, and I believe David Price is coming in. Here's his chance to be the K-Rod of 2008. He'll face J.D. Drew.

Update: Price gets ahead of Drew 0-2. He wastes one outside. Drew checks his swing on pitch four, but gets called out anyway. Price's pitching in that at bat was worth the price of admission for Rays fans.

The good news for the Rays is that Boston will send up the bottom of the order in the ninth.

Willy Aybar goes deep leading off the bottom of the seventh, hitting a 3-2 pitch deep into the leftfield stands. The Rays lead 3-1.

The Rays are winning the extra-base hit contest 3-1 as well. Aybar has two of them, doubling and scoring earlier.

Update: That's it as the Rays take a 3-1 lead to the top of the eighth.

Garza comes out for the seventh. His high pitch total for the year is 116, set against the Red Sox in game 3 of the ALCS. Maddon does not make the Dusty Baker mistake. He has the bullpen in action.

Update: Youkilis pops out but Drew walks. That brings up Bay, who struck out twice so far.

Update: Bay lines a single into left to put men on first and second. Maddon goes out, and he may be making the Grady Little mistake. He talks to Garza and leaves him in the game to face Kotsay.

Update: Kotsay flies out fairly deep to right, allowing Drew to move up to third with two out.

Update: Varitek falls behind 1-2. He swings and misses at a ball in the dirt, and Navarro throws him out at first. The Rays are six outs away from the World Series.

If Tampa Bay ends up winning this game, do you give the series MVP to Garza or Upton?

With one out in the sixth, Pedroia sees about 12 pitches, drawing a walk. That's his third time on tonight. Ortiz is the only other batter to reach base against Garza.

Update: Ortiz works the count to 3-2, then strikes out swinging into a double play as Navarro catches Pedroia stealing. The Rays survive the sixth and still hold a 2-1 lead.

Update: Garza is at 100 pitches. Does he come out for the seventh?

Update: Lester retires the Rays in order in the bottom of the sixth.

The first third of the game belonged to the Red Sox. The second third belonged to the Rays. Who wins the final third likely wins the American League. Lester is at 88 pitches, so he should be good for at least another inning.

Willy Aybar doubles off the wall in the leftfield corner to start the Rays fifth.

Update: Navarro grounds one slowly into the shortstop hole. Aybar holds second, and Cora eats the ball for an infield hit. Two on and none out for Baldelli. It's rare illness vs. rare illness.

Update: Baldelli delivers a single through the shortstop hole, rolling slowly enough to give Aybar time to score from second. The Rays lead 2-1!

Update: Bartlett strikes out. Men on first and second, one down.

Update: Iwamura taps back to Lester, advancing both runners. The Red Sox are pitching to Upton, and he lines out softly to shortstop. The Rays lead 2-1 going to the sixth.

Matt Garza picks up another 1-2-3 inning, his third of the night. He strikes out Cora to end the inning, his seventh of the evening. The Red Sox and Rays remain tied at one halfway through the game.

Garza retires the Red Sox in order in the fourth, picking up his sixth K of the game. At this point I'm wondering if there will be another hit in the game. Both pitchers are throwing twice as many strikes as balls.

Update: There is as Iwamura leads off the bottom of the fourth with a single.

Update: Upton strikes out as he swings over a low pitch. One down.

Update: Pena grounds slowly to Pedroia. He takes a risk trying to get Iwamura at second, and throws to Youkilis for the out. Kevin was shifted over, and his time at first probably came in handy on that play. Two down, Pena at first for Longoria.

Update: Longoria lines a 2-2 pitch into the rightfield corner. Pena, with two outs, was running on contact and just scores as the throw was just up the third base line. The Rays tie the game at one and Longoria is at second for Crawford.

Update: Lester strikes out Crawford to end the fourth. Both pitcher own six strikeouts through four innings and the game is tied at one.

With two out in the top of the third, Garza hits Pedroia. Dustin steals second, but Ortiz strikes out. Garza has his strike out pitch working as he's down five via the K through three innings. Red Sox still lead 1-0.

Update: Lester strikes out two more as he stays perfect through three innings. In addition to his no hitter this year, Lester pitched an eight inning one hitter and a six inning two hitter.

Garza retires the Red Sox in order in the second, striking out two. Jason Varitek worked the count to 3-2 and fouled off a number of pitches before Garza got him looking with a nice curve ball. The Red Sox remain in the lead, 1-0 over the Rays.

Update: Lester remains perfect through two, picking up his second strikeout of the game. He also cuts down on his pitches throwing just 11 in the inning.

Jon Lester retired the Rays in order in the first, striking out Carlos Pena to end the inning. The Rays did make him work a bit as he threw 20 pitches, but 14 were strikes.

Game seven is about to get underway. With switch hitters, the Red Sox have six lefties in the lineup against Garza. Lefties have about the same BA and OBA against Matt, but they do hit for more power than righties. That may be somewhat balanced by Garza's ability to limit extra base hits in Tampa Bay.

Update: Crisp tries to bunt his way on, but Garza throws him out. Angel Hernandez takes over for the injured Derryl Cousins on the umpiring crew.

Pedroia hits a home run down the leftfield line for Boston's first run of the game. So much for Garza keeping the ball in the park and allowing less power to righties.

Update: Ortiz draws a walk but the Rays allow no more runs. They find themselves in a hole going to the bottom of the first, 1-0.

Looks like you can scalp tickets for face value in Tampa Bay for game 7.

The Milwaukee Brewers interviewed Ken Macha for the manager's job:

Don't forget, GM Doug Melvin originally offered Macha the job before the 2003 season but he turned it down and took the managerial job in Oakland instead. Melvin then went to his next choice, Ned Yost.

Charlie Manuel announced he will use the same rotation in the World Series he used in the first two rounds of the playoffs. He'll send Hamels, Myers, Moyer and Blanton in games 1,2,3 and 4.

David Appleman compares the chance of the 2007 Indians and the 2008 Rays winning the ALCS.

We finally get a winner-take-all game in the 2008 post season as the Red Sox and Rays battle in game seven of the ALCS. Jon Lester faces Matt Garza at 8:07 PM EDT, and with luck we'll see the whole game tonight. The bill is a rematch of game three won by Garza and the Rays 9-1. Lester allowed five runs, four earned in 5 2/3 inning in that game. Despite that performance, Jon holds a 1.83 ERA in this post season. He's struck out 18 while walking just five in 19 2/3 innings. Graza's had a problem with control in the playoffs, walking 7 in 12 innings. That's out of line with both his season and his career.

This game should favor the Rays. Garza pitched very well at the Trop this season, posting a 2.89 ERA in home games. Lester, on the other hand, earned a 4.09 ERA on the road this season. Those numbers were in the opposite direction in game three, yet Garza came out on top.

Lester's problems on the road come from right-handed batters pounding him. They're hitting .305. You would think with Lester as a lefty in Fenway, he'd have more trouble with righties there.

Garza does a better job of limiting opponents power at home. Only 18 of the 49 extra base hits against Garza came at the Trop. If he can hold the Red Sox to singles tonight, they will need many more hits to score.

The Rays lead the Red Sox in runs 40-27 in the series. If the Red Sox win, it's likely to be a reversal of the regular season in which the Red Sox had a much bigger run differential than the Rays, yet finished second in the AL East.

I'm expecting a fun game tonight. Enjoy!

How bad are things with the Nationals? Not even Al Pedrique wants to coach there.

The NY Times has Joba Chamberlain's apology:

"I want to apologize to the New York Yankees and the fans for an error in judgment and for putting myself in a difficult situation. I intend to properly resolve this situation, and do not intend to be in such a situation again. My goal is to focus on pitching for the Yankees in the 2009 season."

It's a good apology, given that he can't say much that might hurt him in a court case. At least there are no "if" qualifiers. Chamberlain appears to realize he screwed up.

Mark Ellis is on the verge of signing a long term contract that will keep him in Oakland. Frankly, this surprises me. His 2009 seasonal age is 32. While he's been a productive player, I'd have to believe his best years are behind him. His inconsistent batting records bother me, too.

Now, it could be his price for staying is pretty low, but I doubt it's going to be lower than some 22 year old rookie. I think it says something about Oakland that they haven't developed a replacement for Ellis by now.

Worries about traffic congestion caused by a stadium for the Athletics in Fremont may derail the plans to build there. Here's one concern that's quite legitimate:

Officials at Nummi, the city's automobile plant near the proposed ballpark site, have also expressed concerns about the potential for game-day gridlock.

"Nummi operates with just-in-time delivery, so we worry when there is a potential for increased traffic congestion in the area," said Kelley McKenzie, the company's chief counsel. "We have expressed our concerns to city officials as well as the Oakland A's."

In other words, the traffic problem would be more than just an inconvenience for commuters. Just-in-time delivery allows businesses to operate more efficiently, lowering costs.

It seems to me, for this to work, there would need to be a very high cost to people driving to the games and some kind of incentive for people to take alternate transportation to the games. Maybe $100 parking at the stadium but free parking and shuttle service at the rail stations?

Update: Added link.

Brian Heman explores Bernie Williams's new life as a music student, composer and performer.

George Vecse