Bodog Beat

The Tampa Bay Rays come into the World Series with just two days rest after their seven-game battle with the Red Sox in the ALCS. (AP Images)

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies have been off for a  week after clinching the NLCS in five games. Game 1 goes tonight as Phillies ace Cole Hamels faces fellow 24-year-old lefthander Scott Kazmir at Tropicana Field.

The youngest position players in this series have become the Rays’ biggest stars. Evan Longoria had four homers and eight RBIs over the final six games of the ALCS, while B.J. Upton has seven homers in 11 playoff games while driving in 15 runs. Neither Upton nor Longoria have faced Hamels, and only four Tampa Bay hitters have ever faced him.

One area of concern for Phillies backers is the apparent huge gap between the AL and NL. There were 252 interleague games played this year, and the AL won 59.1 percent of them. Are the Rays more battle-tested?

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