WS tied at 1 after Rays' 4-2 win, heading to Philly for Game 3

My first reaction to this game is disappointment, primarily in Brett Myers. Obviously, none of the other Phillies starters has had quite the same stellar postseason that Cole Hamels has had, and yet most teams don't see such a sharp drop-off from their #1 pitcher to their #2. The Phils' 0-for-13 record with RISP in Game 1 set a new World Series mark, and with anyone but Hamels on the mound, they would've surely lost the game, perhaps by a large margin - and with Myers on the mound and a 1-for-15 RISP hitting record in Game 2, they still lost by a small margin.

It could have been a shutout, if not for Eric Bruntlett, whose pinch-hit solo homer in the 8th put the Phils on the board for the first time, and Carlos Ruiz, who scored on an error in the 9th after getting his second double of the night - and it could have been a 5-0 shutout if not for RF Jayson Werth, who threw out Rocco Baldelli as he tried to score from second base on B.J. Upton's RBI single in the bottom of the 2nd. The violent collision at home plate was the highlight of the inning, at least in terms of entertainment value.

It's a pretty safe bet that James "Big Game" Shields will be the official Player of the Game, and so I feel no need to give him an Arkham's Child award. However, I feel that two Other Team MVP awards are necessary - one for PH Eric Bruntlett, who hit the only home run of the game and started the rally that just wasn't big enough, and one for catcher Carlos Ruiz, who reached base 4 times (2 doubles and 2 walks) and managed a narrow escape from Death By Rocco Baldelli (see above paragraph).

Hopefully, taking this series back to Citizens Bank Park (which features real grass and a real sky) will bring enough confidence into the Phillies' clubhouse that they can bounce back and win Game 3, ideally backed by a shiny performance from Jamie Moyer and helped along by a couple of those good ol' Chase Utley RBIs - even if the game is postponed an hour or twenty-four by the predicted "afternoon thundershowers".