Pre-Series Notes

Phillies Notes:

One interesting subject of speculation is how the brain trust will work the DH in the American League park. Against right-handed pitching, one strategy would be to start Gregg Dobbs at third and use Matt Stairs as the DH. Of course, if Charlie Manuel decides to start Pedro Feliz, which he tends to do, Dobbs would surely be the DH. Another option is to put Dobbs in left field, with Burrell as DH. A real long shot would be to use Ryan Howard as DH with Dobbs playing first. But against left-handed pitching, things really get interesting, and not for the better. The Phils have a dearth of right-handed hitting threats on the bench. Chris Coste doesn't add much punch as a DH plus you would sacrifice room for maneuver at the catching position late in the game. Do you start So Taguchi in left and DH Pat Burrell? You could go on and on but the bottom line is that there is no dream ticket here. The Stairs/Dobbs option against right-handers is certainly the most potent offensively.

The potential role of Jamie Moyer in the Series is a sensitive one. Manuel implied a few days ago that if the Dodger series had gone 7 games, there was no guarantee that Moyer, due up in the rotation but coming off a bad outing, would start. The coaching staff is indicating now that Moyer will pitch in the third game of the Series but one wonders if that's a lock, especially if the Phils were two games down. This is an emotional time for Moyer, his first time in a World Series after more than 20 years in the big leagues. He was a major contributor in the regular season but legitimate questions have been raised about his reliability at this stage of the long season. It would be heartbreaking if he were taken out of the rotation now.