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Phillies hope return home improves offense

Oct 25, 2008 - 10:30 AM World Series Game Three Series tied 1-1

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia 8:35 p.m. EDT

The Philadelphia Phillies hope some home cooking will stir their sleeping bats.

The Phillies try to seize the advantage against the Tampa Bay Rays when the World Series switches to Citizens Bank Park for Game Three on Saturday.

There is the possibility of heavy rain striking the Philadelphia area and delaying -- or postponing -- Game Three. However, weather reports on Friday night appear to have the storms moving out of the area by 7 p.m. EDT Saturday. If the game is called, the teams would lose the off-day between Games Five and Six, meaning they would play on five consecutive days.

Philadelphia, which finished second in the majors with 214 homers and ninth with 799 runs during the regular season, has two blasts and five runs over the first two games of the best-of-seven series.

The Phillies managed only two runs during Game Two, stranding 11 runners on base while going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position en route to a 4-2 loss that evened the series at one game apiece. The dismal performance dropped Philadelphia to 1-for-28 in the series with runners in scoring position.

"I think it's a matter of the guys relaxing, and definitely we've got to cut down on our swing some," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "We're swinging hard. That's a sign of trying too hard and trying to do too much.

"And especially when we've got a guy on third base and less than two out, we've got to get him in. Situational hitting and stuff like that, you've got to execute. And we definitely want to score our easy runs or the runs that we can manufacture, when we get them in scoring position, we've got to knock them in."

A return home may be the key to getting the offense back on track. Philadelphia went 48-33 at Citizens Bank Park during the 2008 season and has won all four games there in the playoffs. In order to duplicate that success, the Phillies need National League MVP candidate Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins to come to life.

Howard, who led the majors with 48 homers and 146 RBI this campaign, is 2-for-9 with four strikeouts in the Series while Burrell is hitless in six at-bats. Rollins has been even worse, going 0-for-10 in the first two games.

"Right now we take big long swings with two strikes, we're caught up in it and we're trying to swing and we're trying to hit the ball - looks to me like we're trying to hit the ball out of the yard," Manuel said. "And that's not only one, that's kind of a team thing."

If Rays starter Matt Garza duplicates his last performance, a different approach by the Phillies may not matter.

Garza was dominant in his Game Seven start against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. The 24-year-old righthander allowed two hits and one run - a solo homer by Dustin Pedroia in the first inning - while walking three and striking out nine en route to a 3-1 victory.

Manuel has taken notice of Garza's ability.

"He's got a good fastball, a breaking ball," Manuel said. "He's more of a power (pitcher). ... He's inexperienced but at the same time he's had a big year. And evidently he's been improving as the season goes along. I followed him, when he was in Minnesota. I liked him when he was first coming up. This kid is aggressive and his velocity is going to be better."

Jamie Moyer, who has been completely ineffective during the playoffs, counters for the Phillies. Moyer has lost both of his postseason starts, surrendering eight runs in 5 1/3 innings. The 45-year-old lefthander may beginning to show his age as he was pounded for six runs and six hits in 1 1/3 frames in his lone start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a 7-2 drubbing in Game Three of the National League Championship Series.

But Moyer isn't thinking about his previous performances and would not address them during Friday's press conference.

"They're behind me," he said. "I have no idea (why I struggled). I'm moving forward."

Rays manager Joe Maddon is still debating on who to start in right field against Moyer, who, despite his age, won each of his last six decisions in the regular season and four of five starts in September.

"With Jamie you might want to start a lefty possibly (in right field). If it's a righty, you're going to have to be aware of the soft pitches," Maddon said. "He does pitch inside with two strikes, I know that. I'm still mulling it over a bit."