Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Joe Maddon says the Phillies are like an American League team, because they have a deep lineup.

Maddon's Tampa Bay players may not agree.

"I'll tell you what," ALCS MVP Matt Garza said today. "Facing that Phillies lineup, compared to facing the Red Sox lineup, the Tigers lineup or the Yankees lineup, you get a little bit of a break with the Phillies lineup, especially pitching in Philly. There's that nine-hole guy (pitcher) I get to throw against. I'm pretty pumped. I get to be that nine-hole guy, too. I'm excited about that."

While Maddon won't announce his World Series rotation until Tuesday, Garza pitched Game 7 against the Red Sox on Sunday night, so he won't be available until Game 3, on Saturday in Philadelphia. Maddon could go with Scott Kazmir and James Shields in the first two games, on normal rest.

Garza did have nice things to say about Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.

"(Rollins) and Victorino are their sparkplugs, man," Garza said. "Just like Boston had Coco (Crisp) and (Jacoby) Ellsbury, and Chicago had (Orlando) Cabrera and (Alexei) Ramirez. Those guys are what make it go. (Chase) Utley and (Ryan) Howard, you've got to watch out, because those are the ones who drop the big bombs. But if you keep Rollins and Victorino off the bases, you can control the running game, shut down their offense a little bit and let them rely on their big swings."

doublesteal Since: Oct 21, 2008	Posted on: October 21, 2008 1:49 am Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break Whether you like the DH or not, it demands that AL teams have better pitching than NL. Not only does it add a "real" stick to the lineup, the DH is usually a power hitter. And that forces AL pitchers and managers to be more careful and more talented when it comes to pitching. Sure, NL managers need to be more savvy when it comes to the pitcher's spot on offense, but this is about pitching. While the Phillies can counter with Dobbs or Stairs, and while Floyd or Aybar do not carry the the best of stats among DHs, two points are clear: (a) As cited in this thread, the Rays have deeper (read: better) pitching than the Phils, and (b) AL lineups ARE basically tougher than NL's. Knobler's article is very brief, and BOTH teams will have that "hole" in their lineups in Philly, but Matt Garza is saying that the Rays have faced tougher lineups than the Phillies in the Sox, Yanks, and Tigers, and I agree. Here is the proof - RAYS went 12-6 vs NL teams this year. Red Sox went 11-7, Spankees 10-8, Angels 10-8, Tigers 13-5 (in a season they finisned 14 g under 500) AND the Rays survived ALL of these teams. What about NL playoff teams vs AL teams this year? Dodgers 5-10, Cubs 6-9, Brewers 7-8, and the PHILS 4-11. So I think Garza's point is valid. All that said, I like this Phillies team, and even as a west-coast fan, I'm looking forward to an exciting World Series. [ Reply to Comment ]
smittyaecs Since: Oct 5, 2006	Posted on: October 21, 2008 1:35 am Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break Well here we go Garza already fantasizing about pitching in Philly........ I can remember some long fly balls that would have left CBP in game 7 when Garza was on the mound...... Lets hope he doesn't get a duracell shower...... Go Phillies [ Reply to Comment ]
CODYPRKR Since: Oct 7, 2006	Posted on: October 21, 2008 1:20 am Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break Was Garza sucking on a slurpee and having a brainfreeze during this interview? Catching a break with the Phillies line up? BoSox bottom three, Kotsay, Varitek and Cora, could not buy a hit. And Pappy played the entire series with this wrist hanging off which was painfully obvious at the plate. I certainly hope these guys continue to read the press clippings about how inferior the NL is to AL and carry that deadly kind of overconfidence into the series. [ Reply to Comment ]
KS963107 Since: Oct 11, 2008	Posted on: October 20, 2008 10:51 pm Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break Garza's comments don't get this Phillies fan mad (I would not dare speak for other fans). I am sure the Philly media will have a field day with the comment and stir the pot to get everyone in a frenzy. The bottom line is that there were periods in both playoff runs where the teams (TB and Phila) gave up big numbers and put some big numbers on the board. I think it will be a close and interesting series ... on the other hand, the Phillies have the capacity to free fall. Pitching will be the key to this series. Whichever team can hold the other's offense in check will come out victorious. (OK, I know. That is like saying the team the scores more runs will win.) To me it is a pretty even matchup. Both teams have starting pitching that could be lights out and offenses that can litter the outfield seats with the long ball. It will come down to who is clutch and does the little things right. This should prove to be a very interesting series. Go Phillies! [ Reply to Comment ]
scorpioxyz Since: Oct 12, 2006	Posted on: October 20, 2008 8:50 pm Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break ernie, agree with you. Phillies offensively can play with the best in either league. The pitching is a concern I have, and defense. As TB was nearly wasting a 3 games to 1 lead, they committed several errors vs Boston. Phillies can be just as sloppy too. Both teams are ptretty solid for the most part, maybe saw each other in Grapefruit league spring training. I think these teams match closer to each other than say Boston vs Philly. I think if Ramirez is still in Boston and bats in the 8th inning instead of Drew, maybe that game goes extra innings ? Anyway, outside of spring training, the Phillies and Rays haven't really gone head to head. Rays ar e3-1 vs Phillies for spring training for what that's worth ? But it does tend to suggest Boston beat Philly 2-1 regular season. The NL is going to be the underdog anyway vs an AL team. But as I recall, the Florida Marlins weren't supposed to beat the Yankees either ? [ Reply to Comment ]
geeseweasel Since: Oct 20, 2008	Posted on: October 20, 2008 8:03 pm Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break Ok, I can see where this comment might get Philly fans mad, but i don't think Garza really meant any big dis here. The phills line up is good, but it is less experienced and a tad weaker then the Red sox line up. Garza gave respect to 4 hitters by name, so I think we can all forgive him for maybe giving out excited comments that a young guy like him and the rest of the TB team might do with out thinking it all the way through. My thoughts...TB in 6. Hamels wins game 1 and 5. TB wins the rest [ Reply to Comment ]
stevieg0420 Since: Oct 16, 2008	Posted on: October 20, 2008 7:27 pm Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break Wow.. i was originally picking the phillies in 6, but i might move to 5 just becuase of this comment by garza. Overconfident much, are ya, Garza? Im glad to see the young inexperienced players of Tampa Bay get overconfident because when they go into this series with that attitude, theyre in for a reality check... I thought garza was a PROFESSIONAL baseball player... I guess I'm wrong... [ Reply to Comment ]
erniebroglio Since: May 28, 2008	Posted on: October 20, 2008 7:16 pm Garza: Phils' lineup gives Rays a break The Red Sox had an automatic out with Varitek in the lineup. Dobbs and Stairs are 2 DH's as good as Cliff Floyd or Aybar. I don't think the Phillies have enough starting pitching to win but their lineup can hit with anybody. [ Reply to Comment ]

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