.036 One almost has a better chance to win the lottery than the Phillies have of getting a hit with runners in scoring position. They have one in 28 tries for a batting average of .036.
At one point, the Phillies were 0-for-19. That was second worst only to the Dodgers, who went 0-for-22 against Baltimore in 1966 — when they were swept.
Of course, that was the first question asked of manager Charlie Manuel at Friday’s workout.
“I think it’s a matter of the guys relaxing, and definitely we’ve got to cut down on our swing some,” Manuel said. “We’re swinging hard. That’s a sign of trying too hard and trying to do too much. Especially when we’ve got a guy on third base and less than two outs, we’ve got to get him in.”
5 Believe it or not, the Rays have been outhit by the Phillies 17-12, a difference of five in two games. They’ve also been outdoubled 5-1 and outhomered 2-1. But they lead 6-5 in runs scored.
10 While much has been made of Phillies cleanup man Ryan Howard’s inability to produce, at least he has two hits. That’s two more than leadoff man Jimmy Rollins, who is 0-for-10 in two Series games and 9-for-47 (.192) with 13 strikeouts in the postseason.
12, 1 There will be no DH in the National League city, meaning Cliff Floyd gets a front-row seat from the dugout. The numbers 12 and 1? Sacrifice bunts this season by starting pitchers Jamie Moyer and Matt Garza.
With low-scoring games the norm in the World Series, having a pitcher who can execute a sacrifice can be a key. Moyer has 46 for his career, Garza two.
“Garza is the one guy I’m really concerned about [offensively],” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “You never know what to expect from him. Primarily they have to be able to bunt. But believe me, if I feel our pitcher can hit their pitcher, I’m not afraid to let them swing.”
The Phillies DHs at Tampa Bay, Chris Coste and Greg Dobbs, were a combined 1-for-7 while Matt Stairs sat.
3 That’s how old Garza was when Moyer made his debut with the Cubs in 1986. Moyer is 45. He gets kidded that’s also the speed of his fastball.
“At 45 I want to be watching my son play,” Garza said. “[Moyer] is doing it with will and guts. Pitching at 45 is amazing, the way he does it successfully still, and competing at the highest level you can in baseball.”
Of course, at 24 Garza is an old man compared to Rays rookie Evan Longoria, who was 8 months old when Moyer was pitching at Wrigley Field.
“He may have been 8 months old, but he’s a professional hitter, and I have to respect that part of it,” Moyer said. “They’re a young ballclub; they’re a good ballclub. And I have the utmost respect for the Rays. It’s going to be a battle.”
12 Yes, it has been that many days since Moyer was knocked around by the Dodgers. In two postseason starts Moyer is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA.
“Actually, I think the rest might really help him,” Manuel said. “Can it hurt him as far as command? It might. But at the same time it also can go the other way. I think it’s how you look at it and what you want to make of it.”
100 That’s the percent chance of rain at 8 p.m. local time Saturday. But there’s good news for night owls: The chance drops to 10 percent two hours later.
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The White Sox played through heavy and cold rain in 2005, so chances of a rainout are small. Game 4 of 2006 was the first one washed away in a decade.
What would a rainout do to the rotation? Could Cole Hamels perhaps come back for a Game 4 on Monday?
“When it happens, we’ll sit down and we’ll talk about it,” Manuel said.
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