Paul Hagen: Phillies are proving, it's the pitching, stupid

THE PHILLIES had five scouts shadowing Tampa Bay and Boston throughout the American League Championship Series. From that, and other sources, came a detailed report on how to approach each of the Rays' hitters.

It would have been difficult to envision, though, that Phillies' pitching would have been able to hold Tampa Bay's 3-4 punch of Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria to a combined 0-for-29 with 15 strikeouts through the first four games of the World Series.

That's a big reason why the Phillies now lead the best-of-seven series three games-to-one with a chance to wrap up just the second world championship in franchise history as early as tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

Pena, who had 31 homers and 102 RBI during the season, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the Phillies' 10-2 win last night.

Longoria, considered a shoo-in to be voted American League Rookie of the Year, went 0-for-4 with three punch-outs.

"It is what it is," he said. "We've had our struggles this series, unfortunately for us. We have one more game to make adjustments. If we can't change it, we'll be going home."

Longoria agreed with the observation that he and Pena have expanded their strike zones and that the Phillies' pitchers have had a solid game plan against them, but added there's more to the story than that.

"They've been pitching well," he said. "You've got to give their guys credit. We haven't had too many pitches to hit. But if you swing at the bad ones and make outs, there's not much you can say.

"I don't think they're pitching me any differently [than during the regular season]. I think I'm just having one of those stages where I'm not locked in. I'm getting one, maybe two, pitches to hit in each at bat. And when it does come, I'm not getting it."

Phillies lefthander Jamie Moyer said you can't overestimate the importance of shutting down two big bats in the middle of the order.

"It's been key," he said. "And the scouting information we've gotten has been very good. But it still comes down to everybody

executing."

Maybe he was genuinely concerned that something fishy was going on. Or maybe he was just trying to get into Joe Blanton's head a little.

Maybe he was genuinely concerned that something fishy was going on. Or maybe he was just trying to get into Joe Blanton's head a little.

Whatever the reason, Rays manager Joe Maddon went out early in the game to talk to home plate umpire Tom Hallion about a dark smudge on the bill of the Phillies starter's cap.

"I did bring it to their attention," Maddon said. "Quite frankly, I did. I asked them to watch it and be vigilant about it and nothing happened, obviously. But I was concerned about that early on."

He stopped short of saying that he believed Blanton was applying a foreign substance to the ball. And both Blanton and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel shrugged off the incident.

"It's nothing," Blanton explained. "They rub the balls up with whatever they rub them up with and you get it on your hand and I'm constantly trying to get moisture and I just touch my cap. It's nothing sticky."

Joe Blanton became just the 13th pitcher to hit a home run in the World Series, and the first since Ken Holtzman left the yard for Oakland in 1974. So Brad Horn from the Hall of Fame asked for and received his bat to add to the museum's collection.

Joe Blanton became just the 13th pitcher to hit a home run in the World Series, and the first since Ken Holtzman left the yard for Oakland in 1974. So Brad Horn from the Hall of Fame asked for and received his bat to add to the museum's collection.

That the last four World Series have gone five games or less? There hasn't been a sixth game since Florida beat the Yankees in 2003.

That the last four World Series have gone five games or less? There hasn't been a sixth game since Florida beat the Yankees in 2003.

2: Errors by Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura, one in the third inning and another in the fourth. It's the first time in his career he's made multiple errors in a game.

Errors by Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura, one in the third inning and another in the fourth. It's the first time in his career he's made multiple errors in a game.

4: Pitchers used by the Phillies in the seventh inning: Joe Blanton, Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson.

25: Home runs for the Rays this postseason. That's a new American League record, eclipsing the 24 hit by the Angels in 2002. The overall record (27) was set by the Giants, also in 2002.

89: Pitches thrown by Rays' starter Andy Sonnanstine in just four innings.

.187: Rays' team batting average through four games.

As close as the first three games were, it's easy to understand why Rays' starter Andy Sonnanstine was so focused on keeping the Phillies off the scoreboard in the first inning.

As close as the first three games were, it's easy to understand why Rays' starter Andy Sonnanstine was so focused on keeping the Phillies off the scoreboard in the first inning.

But that focus led to a bad decision. It ended up costing Tampa Bay a run and Sonnanstine was lucky it wasn't a whole lot worse. Here's what happened:

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins continued his hot hitting by leading off the bottom of the first with a double into the rightfield corner and moved up to third when Jayson Werth flied out to right. Chase Utley walked to leave runners on first and third.

Sonnanstine appeared to get a break when Ryan Howard hit a grounder back to the mound. All he had to do was turn and throw to second to start what appeared to be an easy inning-ending double play.

Except that he didn't throw to second. He ran right at Rollins, the approved technique for starting a rundown. Except that Rollins broke back to the base and was past third baseman Evan Longoria by the time he took the flip from Sonnanstine. Longoria lunged at Rollins, but umpire Tim Welke ruled that he had missed the tag.

Longoria argued strenuously. Replays were inconclusive. Of course, none of that would have mattered if Sonnanstine made the proper play.

"I probably should have gone to second right there [but] I thought we had [Rollins] going back to third," he admitted.

Said Longoria: "I thought he was out. The umpire called him safe. I tagged him before he got to the base. The umpire said I missed him."

That loaded the bases. Pat Burrell walked to force in a run, but Sonnanstine limited the damage by getting Shane Victorino to ground into a pitcher-to-catcher force play and Pedro Feliz to fly out.

The way the game played out it probably didn't change the outcome of the game. But you never know. *

Send e-mail to hagenp@phillynews.com