ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - When the Angels won the 2002 World Series, a common observation was that manager Mike Scioscia played a National League style of baseball, emphasizing the details of small ball that seem to be overlooked in a league where teams have a designated hitter and often seem content to sit back and wait for a three-run homer.
Scioscia's bench coach then was Joe Maddon, who became manager of downtrodden Devil Rays before the 2006 season. And Maddon has brought the same approach to Tropicana Field.
The difference in Tampa Bay's 4-2 win in Game 2 of the World Series last night was pretty simple.
The Phillies still can't get a hit with runners in scoring position to save their lives.
The Rays, on the other hand, didn't even need to get a hit to score most of their runs.
"I can't tell you how happy I was with that," Maddon said. "This is just how I think. We were not a very good team to score runs with outs this year. We were horrid.
"I really want us to understand, it's being validated when you're playing at this time of year under these circumstances, to be able to have that in your arsenal is very important."
Tampa Bay put runners on second and third with nobody out in the bottom of the first. Just like that, Carlos Pena grounded out to second. Akinori Iwamura scored and B.J. Upton advanced to third. Evan Longoria followed by grounding out to shortstop. Upton scored and, that quickly, the Rays had a 2-0 lead.
Their fourth run came on a perfectly executed safety squeeze by shortstop Jason Bartlett in the fourth.
"Ground ball, ground ball, bunt, three points right there, that's beautiful," Maddon said.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are an incredible 1-for-28 (.036) with runners in scoring position so far in the World Series. And that lone hit, an infield single by Shane Victorino in the fourth inning last night, didn't even drive in a run.
The umpire's room
It doesn't change the game when you miss as many opportunities and make as many mistakes as the Phillies did last night, but home-plate umpire Kerwin Danley was involved in two close calls that went against the Phillies.
In the second inning, starter Brett Myers appeared to have Rocco Baldelli struck out. Danley raised his arm, as if calling him out on the checked swing, then pointed to first. First base umpire Fieldin Culbreth ruled on the appeal that Baldelli didn't swing, and he trotted to first on the walk instead.
"I thought he called the guy out," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "But he said he was pointing to first."
With a runner on second and nobody out in the ninth, Rays lefthander David Price threw an inside pitch that appeared to brush the uniform of Jimmy Rollins. But Danley ruled that the ball hadn't hit him. Rollins eventually popped out and Price nailed down the save.
Rollins later said the ball hit him.
Did you notice?
That Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had righthander Chad Durbin warming up behind starter Brett Myers in the fourth? For Durbin to be up that early says a lot about his recent struggles, a 6.94 earned run average in September and nine baserunners allowed in 2 2/3 innings during the playoffs.
Numerology
