(Best E Casino) - A lot of people felt that the Tampa Bay Rays were ready to take the next step this season. But, taking the next step was believed to be finishing at or near .500, not what eventually transpired.
One year removed from losing 101 games, Tampa managed to win 97 games en route to its first AL East title in team history. The Rays' first postseason run now gets underway on Thursday against the AL Central champion Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the best-of-five American League Division Series at Tropicana Field.
The Rays, who were 57-24 at home this year, joined the 1991 Atlanta Braves as the only teams to make the playoffs a year after finishing with the worst record in the majors. They are also the second AL team - 11th overall - to earn a postseason berth a year after finishing in last place. The 1991 Minnesota Twins were the other AL team.
Chicago, meanwhile, is back in the postseason for the first time since 2005 when it won its first World Series championship since 1917. But, it needed more than the 162-game schedule to get there, as the White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 1-0, in a one-game playoff to win the AL Central on Tuesday.
At times down the stretch it looked as if Ozzie Guillen's crew was going to fall short in its bid for a postseason spot, as it lost five in row before becoming the first team in major league history to close the regular season with three straight wins against three different teams.
Tampa won six of its 10 matchups with the White Sox this season, but was just 4-3 against them at the Trop.
LINEUP
AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner Evan Longoria injected life into the Tampa lineup immediately upon being called up from Triple-A Durham in mid-April. The 22-year-old slick-fielding third baseman batted .272 in is first year with 27 home runs and 85 RBI. He probably would have reached 30 homers and 100 RBI, but missed a little over a month with a wrist injury.
Longoria, though, struggled against the White Sox this season, hitting just .120 with no home runs and an RBI in seven games.
First baseman Carlos Pena's power numbers were down from his surprising 2007 campaign, but still hit .247 with 31 homers and 102 RBI. Seventeen of his homers, though, came after the All-Star break and his nine walks with the bases loaded this season were the most in the majors since 1957.
The Tampa lineup will get a boost with the return of speedy outfielder Carl Crawford, who missed most of the final two months of the season because of a finger injury, hit .273 with eight home runs, 57 RBI and 69 runs scored, while stealing 25 bases.
Outside of Longoria and Pena, there is not a lot of power in the Rays lineup, but they excel in situational hitting and do all the little things right, not only at the plate, but on the base paths, as well. Six players had on-base- percentages of .346 or higher, while three players had 20 or more stolen bases.
Chicago, meanwhile, is the exact opposite of the Rays at the plate, relying more on the long ball to get the job done. The White Sox hit a major league- high 235 longballs this season, 12 of which came against the Rays. They also led the majors with four or more homers in 11 games this season.
By contrast Tampa tied for ninth in the league with 180 home runs.
Carlos Quentin was having an MVP-type season for the White Sox with 36 home runs, but was lost for the year in early September following surgery on his right wrist.
So with Quentin gone, Chicago's offense primarily comes from the triumvirate of Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome and Paul Konerko. Those three combined four 80 home runs this season, while knocking in 248 runs.
Ken Griffey Jr. could be an X-factor in this series, as he plays in the postseason for the first time since 1997. At age 38, Griffey's best days are behind him, but he had a big part in the White Sox reaching the postseason, as he threw Michael Cuddyer out at the plate in Tuesday's tie-breaker game against the Twins.
If the White Sox find a way to win this series, it is not going to be their big boppers that get them through. Sure, they will have to contribute, but the player to watch will be often-overlooked second baseman Alexei Ramirez, who plays as if he should be in the Rays lineup. The 27-year-old rookie hit .290 with 21 homers , 77 RBI, 65 runs scored, with 13 stolen bases.
EDGE: RAYS
STARTING PITCHING
James Shields is expected to get the call for the Rays in Game One. "Big Game" James gets a chance to live up to his moniker with the first real big start of his career. Shields was 14-8 this season with a 3.56 ERA. However, he is 0-1 in three starts against the White Sox, while pitching to a 4.50 ERA.
Getting the call in the second game is expected to 24-year-old left-hander Scott Kazmir, who was 12-8 with a 3.49 ERA. Kazmir, who led the AL in strikeouts a year ago, won four of his last six starts and was 8-2 at the Trop this season with a 2.90 ERA in 14 starts.
Kazmir is also 3-1 lifetime against the White Sox with a 3.34 ERA in five starts.
One of Tampa's key offseason acquisitions gets the call in Game Three, as right-hander Matt Garza takes the hill. Garza, who was acquired with underrated shortstop Jason Bartlett for outfielder Delmon Young, was 11-9 this season, but was winless in his last five starts.
Garza has never thrown more than 100 innings in his career and with 184 and change under his belt now, he could be running out of steam.
Limited, thanks to two games already this week, the White Sox will send right- hander Javier Vazquez to the hill in Game One. Criticized for not being a big- game pitcher by Guillen, Vazquez proved his skipper right by losing his final three and six of his last eight starts, dropping him to 12-16 on the season with a 4.67 ERA.
In his only other postseason appearance in 2004 with the New York Yankees Vazquez was 1-0, but surrendered 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings.
Mark Buehrle gets the call for Chicago in Game Two. Buehrle was inconsistent for most of the season, but was there when the White Sox needed him most, winning four of his last five decisions, surrendering three runs or less in his last six starts.
Buehrle, who is 15-12 with a 3.79 ERA, is also no stranger to the postseason, having pitched in five games (three starts). He was 2-0 with a save during the White Sox' run to the 2005 championship.
The White Sox will ride the right arm of 17-game winner Gavin Floyd in Game Three. Floyd was brilliant for Chicago in Monday's makeup game with the Tigers, surrendering two runs (one earned) and five hits in six innings.
Should the teams need a fourth starter, the Rays will send Andy Sonnanstine to the hill, while Chicago will pin its hopes on Danks.
EDGE: RAYS
BULLPEN
There aren't many teams that enter the postseason with a better bullpen than the Rays.
Closer Troy Percival was 28-for-32 in save opportunities, but was hampered in the second half by injuries and comes into the postseason bothered with a hamstring injury. There is a good chance he won't even be on the roster for this series.
The bridge to get to the ninth, though, was sensational, as right-handers Grant Balfour, Chad Bradford and Dan Wheeler, combined with lefties Trever Miller and J.P. Howell to lower the Rays' bullpen ERA nearly three full runs from a year ago.
Should Percival not be active for this series, then Wheeler would likely get the save opportunities.
What was already a great bullpen could be even better with the addition of 23- year-old left-hander David Price. The top overall pick in the 2007 draft, Price pitched to a 1.93 ERA in his five games and could be an option late in games if Troy Percival is unable to contribute.
Chicago's bullpen was its strongpoint early on, but became a bit of an Achilles' heel as the year dragged on. Bobby Jenks is as good as it gets and was 30-for-34 in save chances.
He is set up by lefties Matt Thornton and Boone Logan, while Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink are called upon to get right-handers out. Thornton is usually Guillen's first and most reliable choice.
EDGE: RAYS
MANAGERS
There are few, if any, managers more volatile than Guillen. You would think his act would grow tired, but he has now led the White Sox to the playoffs for the second time in the last four years. Of course, he was at the helm in 2005 when Chicago captured its first World Series title since 1917. Say what you want about him, Guillen gets results.
In his third season with the Rays, Joe Maddon pressed all the right buttons, from his insistence on the team wearing hip Ed Hardy T-shirts, to him joining his club in getting a mohawk. Maddon, who will likely pick up the AL Manager of the Year, has been the perfect leader for this young Rays team and it has showed on the field, where the team won a franchise-high 97 games.
EDGE: EVEN
BENCH
With Crawford's return Eric Hinske will be relegated to bench duty. Hinske belted 20 home runs and drove in 60 RBI, while filling in in the outfield and at the corners in the infield.
Ben Zobrist and Willy Aybar will also contribute off the bench for Maddon's crew.
Chicago's bench has been depleted by injuries to not only Quentin, but to Joe Crede as well. Outfielder Brian Anderson will be called on as a late-inning defensive replacement, while Nick Swisher will be the big bat off the bench for Guillen. Other than that, though, the cupboard is pretty bare.
EDGE: RAYS
PROGNOSIS
If the Rays had drawn the Twins here I probably would have went with Minnesota. Chicago, though, is the perfect first round opponent for Joe Maddon's upstarts. First of all, the White Sox are gassed. Secondly, teams that rely that much on the home run rarely get the job done in the postseason. The young Rays may be overwhelmed by everything, but playoff-tested veterans like Troy Percival, Cliff Floyd and Eric Hinske will keep the B.J. Uptons, Evan Longorias, and Scott Kazmirs in check. It will be interesting to see how Maddon uses phenom David Price, who some say could have a Francisco Rodriguez- in-2002 impact. Either way, despite probably not having any sort of a home field advantage, the Rays will not have a problem here. Hope they enjoy it, because they will get steamrolled in the ALCS.
Prediction: RAYS in THREE
