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Shaky Start Mars Otherwise Solid Outing By Kazmir

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By TONY FABRIZIO

afabrizio@tampatrib.com

Published: October 23, 2008

Updated: 10/23/2008 01:21 am

ST. PETERSBURG - ST. PETERSBURG Scott Kazmir pitched well enough to give the Rays a fighting chance in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.

Cole Hamels, who was drafted two spots behind him at No. 17 in the June 2002 draft, was a little better, and the Phillies held on after the two starters departed for a 3-2 victory.

As has often been the case in recent months, Kazmir's effort was not a work of art.

The enigmatic left-hander, dominant when he's comfortable with his mechanics, gave up a two-run homer to Chase Utley in the first inning, loaded the bases in the second and allowed a run in the third after the first two batters singled.

He labored through some type of trouble in almost every one of his innings, but when he left after six, the Rays trailed only 3-2.

"It wasn't easy tonight," he said. "I felt like I had to battle every single inning. I never got a 1-2-3 inning. It was, maybe, 0-2 on the first hitter and then I'd be in a jam and have to fight through it."

Kazmir gave up six hits while striking out four and walking four. All of his three runs allowed were earned.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said the Phillies are a good offensive club that can make a pitcher look like he's struggling.

"They thing I noticed about them, seeing them for the first time, is they're fundamentally [sound]," he said. "They had some really good two-strike at-bats. They hit little softies, used the opposite field.

"I really thought Kazmir pitched great. I thought he had probably the best slider he's had in a couple lf months. Velocity, maybe not mid-90s, but much better command of low 90s, which I would prefer anyhow."

Kazmir was 1-0 with a 6.52 ERA in this postseason entering Wednesday's game. The Rays had won two of his three starts, taking one game in the ALCS in which he wasn't sharp and losing one in which he was stellar.

Wednesday, Kazmir wasn't as zeroed in as he was in Game 5 of the ALCS last Thursday in Boston, where he held the Red Sox to two hits through six innings. That's the game in which Boston rallied against the Tampa Bay bullpen for an improbable 8-7 victory.

That this game was going to be more difficult became evident out the outset when Kazmir walked the game's second batter, Jayson Werth. That spelled trouble because the two hitters behind Werth hit a combined 81 home runs during the regular season.

Sure enough, Utley sent a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall, and Philly led 2-0.

"I just made one bad mistake," Kazmir said. "It was a fastball to Utley. I wanted it to be away, and it ended up being middle in. That's where he likes it."

Including the regular season, Kazmir has allowed 12 home runs in his last six outings, including three or more home runs in three starts.

The Phillies were on the verge of adding to their 2-0 lead in the second when speedy Shane Victorino reached on an infield single and Kazmir walked Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz to load the bases with one out.

But Kazmir coaxed a fly ball from leadoff man and 2007 National League MVP Jimmy Rollins to short center, and center fielder B.J. Upton fired a strike to catcher Dioner Navarro as Victorino was streaking home. Navarro applied the tag, and the Rays were out of the inning.

Kazmir found potential trouble in the third, surrendering a leadoff double to Werth. But he got Utley to ground out this time, and he struck out NL home run champion Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell.

The third run Kazmir gave up came after Victorino and Feliz started the fourth inning with singles. A groundout by designated hitter Chris Coste moved Victorino to third, and groundout by Ruiz scored Victorino.

Kazmir looked stronger in the sixth inning than he did in his earlier innings, putting Coste, Ruiz and Rollins away in succession after allowing a soft leadoff single to Feliz.

Kazmir and the Rays bullpen did hold two of Philly's most dangerous hitters, Howard and Rollins, to a combined 0-for-9.

"We pitched pretty well tonight," said reliever Grant Balfour, who helped the Rays' bullpen blank the Phillies over the final three innings. "I was happy with how I threw. Kazmir pitched well. When he did get into some trouble, he worked his way out of it."

Kazmir is scheduled to pitch a possible Game 5 on Monday in Philadelphia

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