Phillies Win Game One

PHILLIES 3

RAYS 2

PHI leads 1-0

The Philadelphia Phillies are showing their potential in 2008. A team loaded with young talent the likes of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels, has finally hit its stride. The Phillies held off the stubborn upstart Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in game one of the 2008 World Series to take a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series.

The Phillies did it as they have all year with good hitting, good defense, and great pitching.

Cole Hamels, who was brilliant against the Dodgers in the NLCS, was solid against a tricky Rays lineup. Hamels worked seven strong innings and overcame two runs to get the victory. Hamels is now 4-0 in the postseason. He has pitched 29 innings, surrendered only 18 hits and four runs. In addition, he has walked eight and struck out 27 this fall. Clearly, Hamels is the MVP of October baseball in 2008.

The Phillies got off to a fast start. In the first, with Jayson Werth on first on a walk, Chase Utley blasted a two-run homerun to right to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. Former Mets prospect Scott Kazmir was shaky in the big moment yet again for Tampa Bay. Kazmir struggled with his control, walking four batters while throwing 110 pitches in just six innings.

Tampa made it interesting in the fourth when Carl Crawford homered to cut the Phillies lead to 3-1. Later, in the fifth, Akinori Iwamura doubled into the left center gap to drive home Jason Bartlett to cut the deficit to 3-2.

But, the Phillies bullpen shut down the Tampa Bay lineup. Brad Lidge notched his 50th consecutive save with a easy 1 - 2 - 3 ninth to nail down the game. Lidge has yet to blow a save in 2008! Game two is tomorrow night before the two teams jet to Philadelphia for games 3, 4, and 5 over the weekend.