Postseason Notebook–October 22, 2008

More than anything, baseball needs a long and competitive World Series. Remarkably, we haven’t had anything other than four and five-game Series since 2003, when the Marlins and Yankees played a six-game Series. And we haven’t had a classic Series since 2002, when the Angels pulled off their late-inning miracle in Game Seven against the Giants. Let’s hope that the Phillies and the Rays, at the very least, can give us a six or seven-game event that isn’t a foregone conclusion by Game Three…

The Phillies face perhaps the most intriguing strategical dilemma as the Series approaches. Who will DH for them in Games One and Two, which will be played at Tropicana Field, the American League home site? Greg Dobbs, one of the game’s best pinch-hitters, is the obvious choice for Game Two, when the Rays will throw a right-hander at the Phillies. But what about Game One, which will feature Tampa Bay southpaw Scott Kazmir. In my mind, the best option would be to play supersub Chris Coste at first base and move Ryan Howard to DH. That way, if the Phillies need to pinch-hit for starting catcher Carlos Ruiz late in the game, they can move Coste behind the plate without losing their DH for the rest of the game. Coste is also a far better hitter than either So Taguchi or Eric Bruntlett, who represent the two other right-handed options for Charlie Manuel…

I keep reading that scouts feel the Rays have the better bench than the Phillies, but I don’t see it. Coste is a much better backup catcher than Michael Hernandez, and Dobbs is the best pinch-hitter on either team. Furthermore, the Phillies have an excellent power bat in Matt Stairs, who will be available to pinch-hit in the late innings of all seven games. As for the Rays, they have two good platoons going in right field and DH, which will give them two solid pinch-hitting options each night. After those two players (coming from a group of Rocco Baldelli, Gabe Gross, Willy Aybar, and Cliff Floyd), the Rays also have the versatile Ben Zobrist, which probably puts their bench on equal footing with the Phillies, but not better…

All in all, this is a tough Series to call. The Rays compiled the better record this season against tougher competition, but the Phillies have the best pitcher in Cole Hamels, and a bullpen that is better and deeper than the Rays, even with the David Price factor being included. So let’s go with the Phillies in seven, with most of the games being decided by three runs or fewer.