World Series Rematch: Breaking down the Phillies-Rays series

Even if you don’t bet on MLB odds, you have to be excited to watch the Phillies and Rays duke it out this week.

Each team has endured a bumpy road since they met in the 2008 World Series and, while the Rays are climbing toward the top of the AL East, the Phillies’ grasp on the NL East is tenuous. What will happen this week at Tropicana field?

Let’s make some MLB predictions.

Tuesday, June 23, 7:08 p.m. ET
Jamie Moyer (4-6, 6.35) vs David Price (1-1, 3.46)
MLB betting lines: Phillies +155, Rays -175

Is it swan song time for Jamie Moyer? It’s been an amazing run, but he may finally be out of gas, as his 6.35 ERA suggests. However, I have a feeling he helps bust the Phillies out of their six-game skid tonight. He has a somewhat useful 5.40 ERA on the road – good enough with the Phillies bats behind you – and he handled the Rays in the deciding game of the World Series. In fact, he held Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena hitless.

David Price is a special pitcher, so it’s understandable that sportsbooks favor the Rays. However, while many fans love his 30 strikeouts in 26 innings, it’s easy to forget his 18 walks during that time span. That’s simply too high for a major league pitcher, and the Phillies will punish him if he doesn’t hit the plate.

Pick: Phillies

Wednesday, June 24, 7:08 p.m. ET
Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.28) vs Matt Garza (4-5, 3.83)
MLB betting lines: Phillies +145, Rays -165

Time for Tampa to strike back. The Rays have to feel confident sending promising youngster Matt Garza to the hill against the Phillies. He’s quickly establishing himself as a big-game pitcher, having allowed just seven earned runs in 33.2 innings in five starts against the Yankees and Red Sox. Joe Blanton must have nightmares about Tropicana field, as he has a 7.64 ERA there. Carlos Pena has sweet dreams about facing Blanton, hitting .571 off the portly hurler. You have to give the edge to the Rays here.

Pick: Rays

Thursday June 25, 7:08 p.m. ET
Antonio Bastardo (2-2, 5.21) vs Andy Sonnanstine (5-7, 6.60)
MLB betting lines: Not posted yet

Oh, boy. Looks like the home run derby starts early this year. Andy Sonnanstine has been a special kind of bad in 2009 – the kind that usually earns you a ticket to Class-AAA. He’s allowed at least one homer in eight straight starts and 14 in total over that span. Is there any way he can handle a prolific power-hitting team like Philly?

Antonio Bastardo has taken his lumps (though I assume his jersey sales remain strong – what’s the price per head on those at Citizens Bank Park?), but only at home. He’s 2-0 with a 2.45 road ERA in his young career and is a good bet to survive on Thursday.

Pick: Phillies

World Series Game 5 Postponed | Rays-Phillies to Resume Wednesday Night

(Stay up to date with latest news on the World Series schedule at http://www.worldseries.com.)

Game 5 of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies was suspended due to rain in Philadelphia before the bottom half of the 6th inning began.

The game is currently scheduled to resume Tuesday night at 8:00 and according to Commissioner Bud Selig will not be moved to Tampa Bay under any circumstances. Furthermore, regardless of what day the game is ultimately played, it will begin at 8:00 ET.

Tomorrow’s scheduled start time is obviously contingent on the weather. Click here to stay up to date on the latest Philadelphia area weather forecast. As of right now, according to the hour-by-hour forecast, it looks like rain is expected for tomorrow night as well. The 10-day forecast shows sunshine on Thursday. … Continue Reading

Phillies-Rays World Series Game 4 Preview | Philadelphia Weather Update

Click here for the latest updates on the suspended Game 5

Last night, after an hour and a half rain delay, the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of the Tampa Bay Rays’ late-inning pitching mistakes to claim victory in Game 3 that ended at 1:47 am. The Phillies took a 2-1 advantage in the World Series. According to the SI.com account of the game, the Rays were also treated to the typically brotherly warm chilly reception given to visitors from the notorious Philadelphia fans.

Game 4 is scheduled for tonight, and the NFL does not have a Sunday Night Football game scheduled to accommodate the World Series. According to Weather.com, the projected forecast around Citizens Bank Park is clear for the entire evening. So the game should start on time, giving more people a chance to watch the finish, which many fans (including me), were not able to stay up and do last night.

The pitching matchup for tonight’s World Series Game 4, scheduled to begin at 8:00 on Fox, is as follows:

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World Series | Tampa Bay Rays – Philadelphia Phillies | TV Schedule – Pitching

Click here for the latest updates on the suspended Game 5

No, neither of the Chicago teams that we were rooting for here at Midwest Sports Fans made the World Series. But still, as baseball fans, most of us will be taking an interest in the World Series.

I think that Boston-LA would have made for, at least on paper, better storylines and drama; but a Tampa Bay-Philadelphia World Series definitely features two exciting teams with great young players, and it features the best and most positive story in Major League Baseball since all the steroids madness started: the improbable run of the young, perennially down-trodden Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series.

The World Series follows the 2-3-2 format at all of the games are, of course, televised on Fox (Joe Buck! Tim McCarver!) and while MLB.com currently lists the Rays’ pitching rotation as TBD (as of this posting), ESPN.com at least made an educated guess. You may want to check these on a daily basis though, as the Rays getting stretched to 7 games by the Red Sox may necessitate Joe Maddon switching things up a bit.

Here is the schedule:

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Red Sox Come Back to Beat Tampa Bay in Game 5 | Josh Beckett to Pitch Game 6

Click here for the latest updates on the suspended World Series Game 5

The Boston Red Sox proved that the ALCS is still very much alive with a thrilling 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays tonight. Tampa Bay led 7-0 heading into the bottom of the 7th inning, but the Red Sox rallied to score 7 runs over the next two innings and then won the game on a JD Drew RBI in the bottom of the 9th inning.

The Red Sox victory tonight forces the series back to Tampa Bay for Game 6 on Saturday, when Captain Clutch Josh Becket, a consistent playoff stalwart before this season, takes on James Shields. I love James Shields and I love this Tampa Bay team. Once my beloved White Sox were eliminated by the Rays, they became my surrogate team to root for in this year’s playoffs. And I know that Josh Beckett struggled mightily in his last outing. However, if you had a gun to your head and had to pick a winner of this game could you possibly pick against Josh Beckett?

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MLB Playoffs: Rays Beat White Sox and I Have to Come Clean

I guess I may as well come out and say it. I don’t want to sound like a traitor but I have to be honest here. I grew up in the Trop. I own a Rays hat, a Carl Crawford jersey and my family was at game 2. Now that the Sox have been eliminated I feel like I had to come clean. This, was a tough series to watch. Having not lived in Southwest Florida for almost six years now, my frequency at the Trop fell. I wasn’t getting Bucs coverage and my relationship faded. I moved here to S. 45^th St. and Wells two years ago and as I have mentioned listened to raining fireworks for two summers and grew fond of the Sox.

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Live Blog | ALDS Game Four – Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox

We had so much fun with today’s live blog of the White Sox-Rays game that we’ve decided to do another one tomorrow. I probably will only be able to be there for a part of it, but KVB and possibly Rizdac, Kaner, and ChiSox40 should be there to provide all kinds of insightful, humorous, and Sox-centric commentary. We’re still learning how to use the program so I apologize in advance for any hiccups, but we will be making this a regular event here at Midwest Sports Fans and we hope you will join us tomorrow.

Just bookmark this link and enter your email address below to be sent a reminder before the game starts. Then plop down on the couch with your laptop and enjoy the game with us, sending in comments whenever you feel like adding to the conversation.
[tags]chicago white sox, tampa bay rays, mlb, mlb playoffs, baseball, live blog[/tags]

ALDS Game Four Preview and Schedule | White Sox – Tampa Bay Rays

Once again, the Chicago White Sox have come through in a game in which they faced the end of their season with a loss. This backs-against-the-wall brilliance is becoming a common occurrence for a team that seems to take on the personality of its manager Ozzie Guillen more and more with each passing season. Can the White Sox come through in Game Four of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays like they did in Game Three? We’ll see tomorrow. Here are the particulars:

ALDS Game 4: Chicago White Sox v Tampa Bay Rays at U.S. Cellular Field

Time: 4:07 CT

TV: TBS

Radio: ESPN Radio

Pitchers: Gavin Floyd (17-8) v Andy Sonnanstine (13-9)

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John Danks – Dewayne Wise Lead White Sox to Game 3 Win

John Danks on the mound, at home, facing elimination. Only this time there was room for error.

Dewayne Wise lead the powered-down offense with a double, two RBI and a stolen base as the White Sox scored five runs off of Matt Garza using something that hadn’t been present in the first two games – smallball.

Looking more like the Rays on the bases, the White Sox swiped three bases, usually their two week total, and scored all their runs without the aid of the home run. Danks, coming off his tiebreaker gem against the Minnesota Twins, pitched well enough to hand the ball over to three relievers who then sealed the deal.

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Chicago White Sox Win Game Three Over Tampa Bay Rays

The Chicago White Sox have played four games in the past week in which they faced the end of their season with a loss. They have won all four of those games. Two of these elimination games were started by young lefty John Danks, and he is 2-0. Paws up, indeed!

John Danks pitched 6-2/3 innings in today’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays in another blackout at U.S. Cellular Field. Danks was not as sharp as he was on Monday night against the Twins, getting into significant trouble in both of the first two innings. Yet, he battled and was consistently able to make the necessary pitches to get himself out of jams. Other than B.J. Upton’s 7th inning home run that cut a 5-1 lead to 5-3, none of the Rays hitters could really make solid contact off of Danks. For the game, Danks gave up three earned runs, seven hits, walked three, and struckout seven.

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Live Chat: ALDS Game Three – Chicago White Sox v Tampa Bay Rays

We’re trying out a live chat today. I haven’t used this software before, but ProFootballTalk.com uses it and it seems to work pretty well. The chat will be kicking off at 3:00 CT for the White Sox-Rays game three this afternoon. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. Enter your email address below to get a reminder when everything gets started. Hope to see you here.

[tags]live chat, chicago white sox, tampa bay rays, baseball, mlb, mlb playoffs[/tags]

White Sox – Tampa Bay Rays ALDS – Game Three Preview

(Read this article and then head on over to White Sox – Rays livecast)

The White Sox go into their Game Three matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays in U.S. Cellular Field this afternoon with their backs firmly against the wall. This Sunday, Chicago finds itself in the exact same position it was in last Sunday: win or go home. Assuming the White Sox can win today (and I am) they will be in the same position tomorrow: win or go home. The question is, can they take today’s game? Before we look at some reasons why they can, here are the particulars:

Date/Time/Venue: Today, October 5 – 3:07 Central Time at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago

TV: TBS

Radio: ESPN Radio

Next Game: Monday, October 6 – 4:07 Central Time

So, why am I so confident that White Sox will win today?

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White Sox Lose 6-2 to Tampa Bay in Game Two

Well, I’m just getting back from BJs Sports Bar where I watched tonight’s White Sox-Rays Game Two of the ALDS. And obviously, I’m not really all that pleased. Not only are my beloved White Sox now down 0-2 in the ALDS, but Mark Buehrle, Jermaine Dye, and Paul Konerko were not able to back up the faith that expressed in them with my Game Two preview post last night.

I’ve had a few beverages (BJ’s monthly microbrew this month is Octoberfest…it’s good. I have a lot of them, I should know.) so I am probably not in any state to provide any type of objective or coherent analysis on the game. No, I’ll leave that up to the experts. If you want a recap of tonight’s game, here are some links:

Chisox.com Game Two Recap

Chicago Tribune Game Two Recap

Sun-Times Game Two Recap

Here are my quick-hit thoughts from tonight’s game:

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Chicago White Sox – Tampa Bay Rays | Game Two Preview

Friday at 5:00 CT the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will begin Game Two of their American League Division Series. I have made my thoughts about this series known in previous posts, so you know that I thought the White Sox would lose Game One and then take the next three to win the series.

So why will the White Sox win Game Two? Here are two key reasons as we preview tomorrow’s game:

1 – The White Sox have the better lefty. Game Two features a tremendous pitching matchup between White Sox ace Mark Buehrle and Tampa Bay ace Scott Kazmir. Both pitchers have had up-and-down seasons, and can be erratic throughout a long, 162-game season, but they would be each team’s first choice to be on the bump if their teams absolutely had to have a win. It will be a great matchup. Who has the edge? Well, let’s look at some numbers.

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Tampa Bay Rays Beat Chicago White Sox in Game One – Longoria Hits Two HRs

Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays just ended. Unfortunately, at least for game 1, I was proven right with my prediction from earlier today as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 at Tropicana Field.

Hopefully the rest of my prediction comes through, because I thought that the White Sox would lose today and then take the next three to capture the series in four games.

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