Joe Maddon has juggled his lineup for Game 1 of the World Series.
Willy Aybar will be the DH and hit 6th.
Ben Zobrist will get the start in rightfield and bat 8th.
Once again, the Rauys are facing a tough lefthander. Cole Hamels, 3-0 in the National League playoffs, is looking for a third straight win in series openers. I spoke with ESPN's Steve Phillips during batting practice and he said the Rays must be patient against Hamels. He says Hamels will throw a ton of changeups in fastball counts.
Some oither interesting notes...the Game 1 winner has gone on to win the World Series in 17 of the last 20 World Championships. That includes 10 of the last 11. Considering the Rays are facing the Phillies best pitcher tonight, pulling off a win in Game 1 would be massive.
Also, the team that has owned homefield advantage has won 18 of the last 22 World Series. Remember, Scott Kazmir was the winning pitcher for the American League in the All-star game. That opened the door for the Rays homefield advantage.
Al Keck