Red Sox & Rays: Keep Your Friends Close, Your Enemies Closer

The Boston Red Sox head to Tampa Friday night as the Sox and Rays open the American League Championship Series. The two teams battled often during the regular season—quite literally, with a notable brawl on June 5. Since the Rays won 10 of the 18 regular season meetings, does that mean Tampa will roll into the World Series? Or does the experience of the defending champions give Boston the edge? Statistically speaking... Much has been made of the pitching match-ups, with many analysts giving an edge to Tampa because of the balance in the rotation and the depth of its bullpen. Don't get carried away with citing regular season stats, though; after all they include a host of players and circumstances that have no bearing on this series. Four-man rotations are the norm in the playoffs. Tampa's four started 122 games in the regular season, Boston’s started 119. So let’s toss out team figures and instead consider the following: Tampa's rotation of Shields, Kazmir, Garza, and ... (link)