World Series Game Three: Pre-game Chat

by dajafi on Oct 25, 2008 5:28 PM EDT

Three hours and change before game time, my guess is they're getting this one in--but it might be delayed, or interrupted. Here's the latest from mlb.com:

Forecasts vary regarding the rest of the evening, but the picture is surely less optimistic than it was on Saturday morning. The first pitch for Game 3 is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. ET at the stadium, located south of downtown Philadelphia.

The National Weather Service's official forecast as of 2:32 p.m. ET calls for "rain and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 9 p.m." Weather.com lists a 100 percent chance of precipitation at 8 p.m., dropping to 90 percent at 9 p.m., 70 percent at 10 p.m. and 50 percent at 11 p.m.

I read somewhere that FOX likely would love a rainout, which effectively would swap a smaller Saturday night audience for a larger viewership Tuesday night. And it's Bud Selig's call, which would lead me to believe it'll get screwed up one way or another. But my guess is they play.

The pitching matchup is of a sort we've seen again and again this year: Jamie Moyer's assortment of slow, slower and stop against a fireballing opponent young enough to be his kid, in this case ALCS MVP Matt Garza. Given Garza's excellence against the Red Sox and Moyer's struggles in his first two playoff starts, Tampa has the edge on paper. But Garza's home/road splits offer some reason for optimism: he's 4-6 with a 4.53 ERA away from the thunderous folly of Tropicana Field. Actually, an even more dramatic split is grass vs. turf: Garza is 3-4, 5.77 on naturally occurring surfaces in 2008. Moyer's flyball tendencies have hurt him somewhat at Citzens Bank Park this year, as he's pitched to a 4.61 ERA in 16 starts with a 6-4 record compared to 10-3, 2.92 on the road. But it's at least arguable that the numbers go out the window with the 45 year-old Philly-area native readying to make his World Series debut more than 22 years after he first reached the majors.

The Phils lineup tonight, as reported elsewhere online, is Rollins/Werth/Utley/Howard/Burrell/Victorino/Feliz/Ruiz/Moyer. Chat about it all here until game time.

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gummint weather:

http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=dix&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no

I live about 10 miles from the ballpark. Weather is not all that bad; it’s been drippy and windy since noon; a warmish breeze which do get amplified down at CBP and will create a jetstream to LF. From the look of the radar there may well be no delay at all. Worst case is a delay and we’ll play until midnight or 1 a.m.

Anybody out there know how the Rays have fared against Wakefield? I keep thinking this is the most Moyer-like pitcher in the AL East.

Again I say: his ability to get 15 outs of sub-2 run ball is the canary in the coal mine of this WS.

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 25, 2008 5:39 PM EDT reply actions

Well, they destroyed Wake in Game 4 of the ALCS. Lifetime during the regular season, however, they’d only done so-so against him. Some good, some bad.

by taco pal on Oct 25, 2008 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel like you could look at this pitching matchup one of two ways.

A) A Wakefield-type pitcher vs. the Rays. Tampa has fared very well against Wakefield later in the season, which culminated in the ALCS, when they lit him up like a Christmas tree.

B) Jamie Moyer vs. A young, aggressive lineup. If you think of the Rays to be in the same vein of the Marlins, then this would be a favorable matchup. Moyer fared well against those aggressive swingers, and the same could happen in Game 3.

by Walcott on Oct 25, 2008 5:52 PM EDT reply actions

Are the Rays that aggressive? Seems to me that they take their fair share of walks. The first three hitters in their lineup had 70 (Iwamura), 97 (Upton), and 96 (Pena). The rest of their guys walk less, but except for Jason Bartlett no one was really terrible at it.

by taco pal on Oct 25, 2008 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Their most aggressive hitter is Carl Crawford.

He seems to dominate Moyer. I hope that changes tonight.

Cuba Si! Yanqi No!
Mariner fan in Exile.
Proudly offending Ma'am since 10-18

by Patrick517 on Oct 25, 2008 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions

tonight's strike zone

I believe Fieldin Culbreth will be tonight’s plate umpire. His performance will, of course, be crucial with Moyer on the mound.

According to this site, he does not call many strikes on pitches that are inside to RH hitters and away to LH hitters, but is not extreme either way on pitches that are outside to RH hitter and inside to LH hitters.

In 2001, Sandy Alderson wrote a letter to Culbreth complaining that his strike zone was too small, but who knows if that’s still current.

The Baseball Toaster called Culbreth’s strike zone “ever shifting.”

by taco pal on Oct 25, 2008 5:54 PM EDT reply actions

Moyer vs. the Rays, lifetime

Iwamura: 0 for 0
Upton: 3 for 5
Pena: 10 for 20, 2 HR (yikes!)
Longoria: 0 for 0
Crawford: 9 for 19, 1 2B, 1 3B (yikes again!)
Baldelli: 1 for 10
Navarro: 0 for 2
Bartlett: 1 for 3

I guess it’s not so surprising that Pena owns Moyer. So do most big-swinging lefties (Carlos Delgado, Mike Jacobs, etc.)

by taco pal on Oct 25, 2008 6:08 PM EDT reply actions

rainy nights in Philadelphia baseball history

Game 4, NLCS, 1977. (hence my moniker)
Game 4 WS, 1993.

so the vibe is ominous. The flipside is that a win tonight will be excellent baseball juju to chase the evil spirits away.

For some reason while looking at the Harry and Whitey bobblehead, I kept hearing His Whiteness saying, “He looks hitterish.”

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 25, 2008 6:15 PM EDT reply actions

Matt Garza sure has a mediocre strikeout rate for someone whose stuff gets so much hype.

by taco pal on Oct 25, 2008 6:19 PM EDT reply actions

for whatever reasons, the Phils do tend to devil the overhyped pitcher. the kids just up from the farm, not so much.

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 25, 2008 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions

interesting that we’re still keeping shane-o in the six spot. I would have liked to see him moved up a bit.

by char6587 on Oct 25, 2008 6:42 PM EDT reply actions

Old Man Moyer

He Just Keeps Pitching Along

Cuba Si! Yanqi No!
Mariner fan in Exile.
Proudly offending Ma'am since 10-18

by Patrick517 on Oct 25, 2008 6:49 PM EDT reply actions

Hopefully that long rest helped his piss poor performance in the playoffs so far.

by jemagee on Oct 25, 2008 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions

OK! Raining like hell here now at 655p

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 25, 2008 6:52 PM EDT reply actions

Re: better ratings Tuesday

On the other hand, they might not want to lose a night of House.

I hate FOX and cannot wait until a network that cares about baseball gets the World Series back.

http://www.thegoodphight.com
WHY CAN'T US?

by WholeCamels on Oct 25, 2008 6:53 PM EDT reply actions

I would love to see it on NBC.

Get Olbermann in the booth with somebody. That man is a walking baseball encyclopedia.

Cuba Si! Yanqi No!
Mariner fan in Exile.
Proudly offending Ma'am since 10-18

by Patrick517 on Oct 25, 2008 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Um, Bob Costas?

by jemagee on Oct 25, 2008 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions

I guess he'd be Okay.

I don’t really mind who’s doing the play-by-play.

Cuba Si! Yanqi No!
Mariner fan in Exile.
Proudly offending Ma'am since 10-18

by Patrick517 on Oct 25, 2008 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, I expect Costas would be ok as he’s pretty much better than anyone covering baseball today, knows more than most of the idiots and is open to the ‘new ways’ of thinking.

by jemagee on Oct 25, 2008 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions