(My Sportsbook) - The Tampa Bay Rays will try to continue one of the most impressive turnarounds in sports history when they open the 104th edition of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Tampa became the first team since the 1991 Atlanta Braves to reach the World Series a year after finishing with the worst record in the majors thanks to its thrilling seven-game win over the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.

The Rays are also just the third team to advance to the World Series immediately after 10 or more consecutive losing seasons. Detroit was the last team to do it two years ago, but it was dismissed in five games by the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

The victory over the Red Sox also maintained the state of Florida's dominance in the MLB postseason, where the Sunshine State has yet to drop a series in eight chances.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, is back in the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993 and despite being around since 1883, it has just one more World Series title than the Rays, who played their first game in 1998.

The Phillies, of course, won their only championship in 1980, but are playing in their sixth Fall Classic.

Tampa won an MLB-best 57 of its franchise-high 97 wins at Tropicana Field this season. Philadelphia, however, was the NL's best road team, going 47-39 away from home.

These teams have a limited history against one another, but Tampa has won 10 of the 15 regular season meetings, including six of the nine games contested at the Trop. The Rays have also won seven of the last nine encounters.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the matchups at each position:

CATCHER

Dioner Navarro had a breakout season and is the leader of the young Rays. However, the 24-year-old backstop brings more to the table with his defense and his ability to handle the pitching staff than he does at the plate. He is hitting .268 this postseason with five RBI, but managed to bat at just a .192 clip in the seven games against the Red Sox.

Like Navarro, Carlos Ruiz's worth is behind the plate. Ruiz, though, hit .313 in the LCS. If the Phils need Ruiz's bat, though, they are going to be in some trouble.

EDGE: RAYS

FIRST BASE

Carlos Pena belted 31 home runs with 102 RBI during the regular season and has continued to contribute here in the postseason. In 10 games Pena is hitting .333 with three home runs and eight RBI.

The Phils need Ryan Howard's bat to come alive. The NL MVP candidate hit .500 (6-for-12) over the final three games against the Dodgers, but has yet to hit a home run this postseason and has driven in a measly three runs.

Of course, Howard, who is a liability in the field, hit 48 home runs in the regular season with 146 RBI - both league highs.

EDGE: PHILLIES

SECOND BASE

Akinori Iwamura gets it all started at the top of the lineup for the Rays and has scored seven times in their 11 postseason games. He is as solid as they come and is hitting .277 in the postseason.

For the second straight year, Chase Utley struggled in the NLDS, but showed some signs of life against the Dodgers. The second baseman hit a big two-run homer to even Game 1 and was 6-for-17 in the NLCS with three RBI.

EDGE: PHILLIES

SHORTSTOP

Jason Bartlett could be the most underrated player on the Rays. Basically a throw-in, in the deal that saw Delmon Young shipped to Minnesota for Matt Garza, Bartlett has been a steady force defensively for Tampa. He is struggling at the plate, though, batting just .243 in the playoffs with eight strikeouts.

The Phillies are going to need the NLDS version of Jimmy Rollins rather than the guy who hit .143 against the Dodgers. J-Roll is the catalyst of what could be a high-octane offense and still managed to score four runs in the NLCS.

EDGE: PHILLIES

THIRD BASE

You may have heard about the Rays' third baseman Evan Longoria, who has belted a rookie playoff record six home runs this postseason with 11 RBI. His eight runs driven in against the Red Sox matched Cincinnati's Pat Duncan in 1919 for most RBI by a rookie in a single postseason series. Of his 11 hits in these playoffs, nine have gone for extra bases. Longoria has also struck out 11 times, though.

Even at the age of 23, Longoria could be the best defensive third baseman in the game. However, he has had some throwing problems of late.

Pedro Feliz has been an albatross for the Phillies this postseason, hitting just .192, while leaving a small country on the basepaths. Feliz is one of the best defensively at his position, but it wouldn't kill him to get a hit with a runner in scoring position at some point in this coming series.

EDGE: RAYS

LEFT FIELD

Carl Crawford, the longest tenured Ray in team history, batted .302 and has swiped six bases in the playoffs. Crawford missed most of the last two months of the season with a hand injury, but has shown no signs of it bothering him here in the playoffs.

Like Crawford, Pat Burrell is the longest tenured Phillie in the World Series and could be playing his last series for the team. Burrell, eligible to become a free agent at season's end, is hitting .300 this postseason with three homers and seven RBI. He is often lifted, though, for defensive purposes late in games for Eric Bruntlett.

EDGE: RAYS

CENTER FIELD

There has not been a better player in the postseason than B.J. Upton. Upton, who only left the yard nine times during the regular season, has hit seven homers in these playoffs, one short of the major league record held by Bonds (2002) and Carlos Beltran (2004), who did it for Houston in 2004.

Victorino has been in the middle of every big Phillies rally this postseason, including the Game 3 fracas with the Dodgers. He has driven in a franchise- record 11 runs here in the playoffs and has made people forget that fan favorite Aaron Rowand used to roam center for the Phillies.

EDGE: RAYS

RIGHT FIELD

Given Gabe Gross' pitiful postseason (.063), Joe Maddon could use Rocco Baldelli in right. Baldelli, though, is hitting just .214 in the postseason. A five- tool player, Baldelli missed most of the season with mitochondrial myopathy, a disease that starves muscles of energy to function, leaving him constantly fatigued.

Jayson Werth was one of the unheralded stars for Philadelphia during the regular season. He has hit safely in all but two games for the Phillies this postseason and has scored five runs. Werth, though, hit just .190 against the Dodgers in the NLCS and struck out seven times in the five games.

EDGE: PHILLIES

STARTING PITCHING

A big reason why Tampa is in this position is because of its starting pitching. The quartet of Scott Kazmir, who will pitch Game 1, James Shields, ALCS MVP Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine have been tremendous. However, Shields is going to have to win a game or two in this series to earn back that "Big Game" moniker he entered the postseason with.

NLCS MVP Cole Hamels, who will oppose Kazmir on Wednesday, has been incredible for the Phils, winning all three of his starts this postseason while pitching to a 1.23 ERA. After him, though, it could get a little shaky. Brett Myers won both of his starts, but has been up-and-down, while 45-year-old lefty Jamie Moyer has been downright awful (0-2, 13.50). Joe Blanton has also given the Phillies two decent efforts in Game 4 of both of the previous series.

With Myers getting the Game 2 start, he won't have a chance to improve upon his tremendous .800 average (4-for-5, 3 RBI) at the plate.

EDGE: RAYS

BULLPEN

The group, which was so solid during the regular season, has struggled in October. Dan Wheeler, who was to assume Percival's vacated closer's spot, has surrendered four runs in six innings of work, while Grant Balfour is pitching to a 7.94 ERA.

Percival could be activated for this series, but Maddon may have found another option in 23-year-old left-hander David Price, who recorded the final four outs in the Rays' Game 7 clincher against the Red Sox.

Price, the top overall pick in the 2007 draft, has electric stuff, but was only used three times in the playoffs. He was 1-0 with a save and did not surrender a run in 2 1/3 innings of work.

Unlike the Rays, when the game gets to the ninth, there is no doubt who is pitching for the Phils. Brad Lidge has been the best closer in baseball this season and, although, he may make things interesting, he has done the job every time he has toed the rubber this season.

Lidge was a perfect 41-for-41 in save opportunities during the regular season, and erased his postseason demons by going a perfect 5-for-5 against the Brewers and Dodgers.

Of course, though, it is Lidge who was the losing pitcher in this year's All- Star Game, which gave the Rays home field advantage for this series.

Righty Ryan Madson has been tremendous in getting the ball to Lidge, going 1-0 this postseason, while surrendering one run in nine innings of work.

EDGE: PHILS

DESIGNATED HITTER

Switch-hitting Willy Aybar is Maddon's jack-of-all trades and will probably get the start in Game 1 against the lefty Hamels. He has belted three home runs and has knocked in seven runs this postseason.

Philadelphia could go a number of ways here, but Greg Dobbs will likely serve as the team's DH in Game 1. Dobbs has managed six hits in 11 at-bats in limited time this postseason.

EDGE: RAYS

BENCH

Cliff Floyd's veteran leadership is often overlooked on this team of rising superstars, but he could very well be the most important person in that locker room, other than Maddon. Floyd will likely be relegated to bench duty this series since has only managed three hits in 15 at-bats this postseason. Eric Hinske, Gross, Fernando Perez and Ben Zobrist could also contribute off the bench.

The main reserves for the Phillies are Dobbs, Chris Coste, Bruntlett and Matt Stairs. Dobbs played in 128 games this season and can fill just about any vacancy on the field, while Stairs delivered a crushing two-run home run to lift the Phils to victory in Game 4 against the Dodgers.

EDGE: RAYS

MANAGERS

In his third season with the Rays, Maddon pressed all the right buttons, from his insistence on the team wearing hip Ed Hardy T-shirts, to him joining his club in getting a mohawk. Maddon, who will likely pick up the AL Manager of the Year award, has been the perfect leader for this young Rays team and it has showed on the field.

Charlie Manuel, meanwhile, is back in the postseason for the second straight year with the Phillies and his third time overall as a manager. Manuel also led the Cleveland Indians to an AL Central title in 2001, but his team lost in five games in the ALDS to Seattle.

EDGE: RAYS