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Colorado Rockies at Boston Red Sox (-196, 8 ½)

Jeff Francis vs. Josh Beckett

Francis has brought his best stuff in both starts this postseason, setting the tone for both of Colorado’s sweeps by shutting down opposing hitters. He beat both the Phillies and Diamondbacks away from home, and will have to open this World Series on the road too.

The big lefty went 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA in 34 starts this season, leading the team in wins, starts and innings pitched. Francis is not a big strikeout pitcher, but after giving up a first-inning run to the D-backs in the NLCS, he retired 12 of the next 14 hitters he faced.

Francis made one start at Fenway Park this season, giving up seven hits and no runs in five innings of work to get the win.

Beckett, the ALCS MVP, has been nothing short of dominant so far in the playoffs, winning all three of his starts. His biggest performance came in Game 5 against Cleveland last week, when he held the Indians to five hits and a single run with Boston staring elimination in the face.

The right-hander is 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA in his postseason career and has given up just three runs on nine hits in the 23 innings he’s pitched in this year’s playoffs. Beckett last faced the Rockies during June’s interleague play, giving up 10 hits and six runs in his first loss of the season.

Rockies don’t fear Fenway

The Rockies are in their first World Series, while the Red Sox are making their second trip to the Fall Classic in four years. But don’t expect the Rox to be overwhelmed at Fenway Park

Colorado has some recent success in Boston on its side.

The Rockies won two of three games during interleague play in June, outscoring the Red Sox 20-5. They were also one of only two teams to beat Boston’s top two pitchers, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling.

"Mentally, it helps that we had some success on that field," Rockies first baseman Todd Helton told MLB.com. "We know that we can win at that place." Helton is 11-for-34 in nine career games at Fenway.

Rockies right fielder Brad Hawpe went 2-for-12 in June’s series, hitting a memorable three-run homer some 400 feet in the second game.

"That's a very tough place to play, but to go there and win two out of three games was nice," Hawpe said. “I think we knew we could play, but that series showed fans what kind of team we have."

One-two punch at the top of Boston’s order

Just at the right time, Boston’s leadoff and No. 2 hitters are hot at the plate. Rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia and first baseman Kevin Youkilis were two of the main proponents of Boston’s comeback against the Indians, combining for 24 hits and 12 RBIs in the ALCS.

That’s particularly bad news for the Rockies when you consider that the two rookies are followed by David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell in the lineup.

"His bat has really come alive," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Youkilis on MLB.com. "He just doesn't always hit singles. If you make a mistake, he can drive the ball out of the ballpark. You put that bat in front of Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, it gets interesting."

Youkilis is batting .425 with four homers and nine RBIs this postseason.

"I think we all thought he would be just fine," Francona said of Pedroia’s struggles in the early playoff games. "Again, sometimes when you don't get hits, don't think you run away from the guys that got you here. Either you're good enough or you're not."

Pedroia is batting .286 with one homer and six RBIs in his first playoff run. Pedroia’s only homer, a two-run shot in Game 7 against the Indians, was the killer blow that secured Boston’s World Series berth.

Colorado’s flailing bats

Despite the Rockies’ impressive postseason resume, their big four hitters have actually been quiet by their standards. Todd Helton, Matt Holliday, Garret Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki are well below their regular season numbers in the playoffs.

Helton is hitting .194. Matt Holliday – who had a .340 average during the regular season – is hitting just .283 in October, while Atkins and Tulowitzki are hitting .185 and .179 respectively.

As a team, the Rockies had a National League-leading .280 average in the regular season, but that has dropped to .242 in the playoffs.

"Our offense is doing enough to win," Rockies hitting coach Alan Cockrell told MLB.com. "We've come up with some really big clutch hits late in ballgames to win games. In that regard, there is no change to what they did over the last three weeks.

"If anything, some inconsistency in playing every day has affected some guys. They've been doing enough to win ballgames, and that's all you want this time of year."

One area where the Rockies have been doing damage this postseason is with runners in scoring positions. Colorado is hitting .283 with runners on base in October, compared to .276 in the regular season.

Rested or rusty?

The Rockies’ eight-day break between the NLCS and the World Series has some experts speculating that the hottest team in baseball might turn cold. But Colorado’s players and coaching staff are adamant they are ready.

“I don't think the wait will bother this team," starting pitcher Jeff Francis told the San Bernardino Sun this week. “This is a team that knows how to stay focused. Everyone on this team knows what they have to do to get ready, and we will be ready.”

Manager Clint Hurdle also weighed in on the wait: "It beats the alternative.

"We could have had to get on a plane and fly to Arizona for more games and a possible four months of downtime."

The Rockies might be right considering that seven of the 10 teams that had to wait five or more days ended up winning the World Series.

Not surprisingly, the Red Sox disagree. They feel the momentum is with them after coming back from a 3-1 deficit against Cleveland.

“I think you don’t want to have too much time off, especially hitters because of timing and things like that,” Sox rookie outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury told the Boston Herald. “But I think the rest we have is perfect for us.”

“Baseball is a game of routine,” right fielder J.D. Drew added. “Throughout the season, you have two days off a month. Sometimes you don’t even want days off because you find yourself in a good rhythm, so hopefully, we can take these two days, get enough rest and catch up and be ready to go.”

Weather worries

The latest forecasts at game time (8 p.m. ET) put the chance of rain in Boston at 60 percent, making it a strong possibility there will be showers throughout the game.



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