Call it fate, poor weather, bad managing, or inexperience, this just was not the year for the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series. While the team was unable to follow in the 1969 Mets foot steps in going from worst to first and winning the Fall Classic, the Tampa Bay Rays’ season is still nothing short of amazing.

Rising to the top of the best division in baseball, comprised of the mighty New York Yankees and defending World Series champion Red Sox, is remarkable enough in its own right for a team still in its infancy. However, the young Rays team would not be satisfied by just regular season success. Read more »

Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-3 in Game 5.

Chase Utley went 0-for-3 with a run scored, but left five runners on base.

Even Ryan Howard, who was hitting at a .353 clip before taking an 0-for-4 in Game 5, struggled in the game that took nearly half a week to play. Thankfully for the Philadelphia Phillies, Jayson Werth went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. Read more »

The Los Angeles Angels began their offseason a tad early by picking up options on both Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey for $15 million and $9 million, respectively. The good news is that the Angels shore up their rotation and part of their outfield for the 2009 season. The bad news is that 29 other MLB GMs miss out on two marquee names to add to their roster for the 2009 season.

While picking up Lackey’s inexpensive option was a no-brainer for the Angels, picking up Guerrero’s option might draw a bit of criticism.

While only 32 years old, Guerrero’s numbers have seen a steady decline since he joined the Angels as a free agent before the start of the 2004 season. He has battled numerous injuries, which has certainly been a contributing factor for his decreased production. A serious back injury limited “the impailer” to just 112 games in 2003, which was his last season playing at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Certainly, having to play 81 games a year on that poor surface in Montreal certainly did not help matters much. Read more »

The Chicago Tribune has speculated this week that the Cubs would be interested in making a deal for San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. The Tribune reported that a potential deal involving Derrek Lee could be offered in a blockbuster that also involves Padres ace Jake Peavy.

This entire line of thinking seems like a longshot, but you never know. What the Cubs gain is apparent — a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter and a young left-handed power bat — but what they send back to San Diego is a mystery. Lee is a nice start, but may not be enough to lure Gonzalez, a franchise building block, away from the Padres. Read more »

The ship has sailed for the Tampa Bay Rays on a potential World Series championship. The Rays had their opportunities early in the series, and by failing to cash in, they gave the Phillies more than enough time to get comfortable and find their rhythm.

This series turned out to be a race to that point. Who would break out of their funks first, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria or Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins?

While Howard and Rollins emerged in big ways the last two games, Pena and Longoria may not wake up until spring training. Both players are in search of their first hits in the series — they are a combined 0-for-29 — and Phillies pitchers are searching for threats in the rest of the Rays lineup. Read more »

The Philadelphia Phillies are a well-publicized 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position in this World Series. The team has had little problem getting to Tampa Bay Rays pitchers, but from there, it has inexplicably frozen up and responded poorly in the clutch. Every player in the lineup has been part of the problem, which is equal parts good pitching, bad execution and flat out not getting the job done.

Take the early part of Game 2, for instance. After the Phillies botched a couple of key chances, they had virtually no chance of overcoming a 3-0 deficit on the road.

In the second inning, with runners on first and second with no outs, Shane Victorino fouled out to third base and failed to advance runners. Had Victorino executed and been productive with his out, a wild pitch by James Shields to the next batter, Greg Dobbs, would have scored a run. Read more »

All season long, the Tampa Bay Rays won with balance. Hitting in the clutch, strong team defense, and solid pitching led the team to 97 victories. But, in the Game 1 loss to Philadephia in the World Series, the hitting faltered and all sense of balance was off.

Compiling only five team hits, the Rays lineup was stifled by opposing pitcher Cole Hamels all game long. The meat of the Ray’s order - B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena - were held without a hit in 12 at bats.

In attempt to offset the struggles of their teammates, Akinori Iwamura and Carl Crawford gave their best efforts to pick up the slack. Iwamura went 3-for-4, while Crawford added a home run. However, their effots were not enough to carry the team to victory, as the Rays fell into a 1-0 series deficit. Read more »

Who said that the Philadelphia Phillies would have trouble dealing with pop ups and fly balls getting lost in the dome and catwalks of Tropicana Field?

Who said that the Phillies would have difficulty fielding grounders on the terrible artificial turf that the Rays have played on for 88 games to date?

No one must have told this to the NL Champions as they took home field advantage away from the Tampa Bay Rays with a Game 1 victory last night. The Phillies overcame a week-long layoff to put themselves in the driver’s seat for this year’s Fall Classic. Read more »

After a grueling 162 game regular season and weeks of playoff baseball in rigorous cold weather, the World Series has finally arrived pitting the Philadelphia Phillies against the Tampa Bay Rays. Hold onto your hats because history is about to be made, regardless of who wins.

Can the Phillies bring Philadelphia its first major sports championship since 1983, or do the Tampa Bay Rays win their first World Series in franchise history? ImaginaryDiamond.com is here to break down both teams, and tell you who is going to raise the hardware at series end. Read more »

While the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies have had their World Series rotation set for a few days now, Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon has still not set his rotation for the World Series. Game 1 is just a day away.

There are many reasons for why Phillies manager Charlie Manuel already has his rotation set. Begin with the fact that the Phillies eliminated the Los Angeles Dodgers almost a week ago and the time off has allowed for all of his starting pitchers to get some extra rest. You might even be able to reason that the Phillies starters have a bit of a psychological edge, knowing exactly when they will be handed the ball. Read more »