2007 World Series Preview - Colorado Rockies vs. Boston Red Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

10/22/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies will try and continue one of the most impressive runs in recent memory when they open the 103rd edition of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Colorado has incredibly won 21 of their last 22 games to get to this point and enters the Fall Classic as the first team to ever sweep not only the division series, but the League Championship Series as well.

However, you would have had a hard time convincing people in early September that the Rockies would be in this position, as they found themselves as many as six games out of a playoff spot and were 4 1/2 games back of the wild card with nine games to play. However, they ripped off 13 wins in their final 14 contests of the regular season and forced a one-game playoff with the San Diego Padres to determine the NL wild card that they won with three runs in the bottom of the 13th inning.

Their amazing streak carried into the postseason, as the Rockies swept the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS and rolled over the NL West champion Arizona Diamondbacks to claim their first NL pennant. The Rockies have been behind after only four of the 65 innings they've played in the playoffs.

But because of the sweep against the Diamondbacks, the Rockies have not played since October 15. Last year the Detroit Tigers were in a similar position with six days of rest entering the World Series and never really got it going against St. Louis, falling in five games to the Cardinals.

What has been so remarkable is how Colorado is winning. Known primarily for their bats, it has been the Rockies pitching that has carried them here in the postseason, as they have pitched to a playoff-best 2.08 earned run average.

Jeff Francis has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the NL in these playoffs, going 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA. A pair of rookies have also held their own in Franklin Morales and Ubaldo Jimenez.

The Rockies rotation could get a boost with the return of Opening Day starter Aaron Cook, who has been sidelined since early August with an oblique strain. He was eligible to return for the NLCS, but the Rockies opted to leave him off the roster.

Colorado's offense is led by MVP candidate Matt Holliday, who led the NL in hitting, as well as RBI this season. After a so-so division series, Holliday turned it on in the NLCS, batting .333 with a pair of home runs and four RBI to earn MVP honors.

First baseman Todd Helton had to wait 1,578 games to finally get to the postseason, but has struggled mightily thus far. He has just four hits in 26 at-bats and has knocked in only one run.

Another player that has to get going for the Rockies is rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. After hitting .291 with 24 home runs and 99 RBI in the season, Tulowitzki is batting just .179 in the postseason with a homer and two RBI.

Boston, meanwhile, lived up to its huge expectations entering the season and ended the New York Yankees nearly decade long stranglehold on the American League East, winning its first division title since 1995.

After sweeping the AL West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS, the Red Sox had to overcome a 3-1 deficit to beat the AL Central champion Cleveland Indians in seven games to claim their second AL pennant in four years.

Boston also rallied from a 3-0 hole to beat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS on its way to its first title since 1918.

The Red Sox were paced by AL Cy Young Award candidate Josh Beckett, who was 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA this season. Beckett has been even better since the start of the postseason, going a perfect 3-0 with a sparkling 1.17 ERA in his three starts and was named the ALCS MVP.

Beckett, who was the World Series MVP in 2003 while with the Florida Marlins, has been incredible in the playoffs over the course of his young career. In nine postseason games, Beckett is 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA.

Of course, Boston's lineup is fueled by Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. Ramirez, who took some heat for comments he made against the Indians, is hitting .400 this postseason with four home runs and 14 RBI. Ortiz is batting .387 with three homers.

Ortiz will have to bring his glove with him, as he will likely get three starts at first base in Colorado. It will be interesting to see how his achy knees respond to that and Terry Francona might actually opt to sit him a game in Denver.

While Colorado will be playing in its first-ever Fall Classic, Boston will be trying for its seventh title and will be appearing in its 10th World Series.

These teams actually met during the season, as Colorado took two out of three from the Red Sox at Fenway in June. Colorado outscored Boston 20-5, dropping the first game 2-1 before winning the next two, 12-2 and 7-1. The finale of that set saw Beckett get his first loss of the season.

If Colorado has any chance of making this a series it will have to jump on Beckett, as it did in that series in June, right away in Game 1. There is an air of invincibility around him right now and the Rockies need to knock him off his pedestal. If Colorado does win this series it will be in five games, because, as Cleveland just found out, the Rockies are going to have an extremely difficult time putting the Red Sox away in Fenway.

The long layoff is going to hurt the Rockies. As much as they will deny it, there is no way they wanted to sit this long after being so hot. I can't see the Rockies pitching as well as they did in the previous two series and that will be the difference here. Unfortunately for fans in Colorado the magical run is going to come to a close. Boston just has too much firepower in its offense and has a decided advantage on the mound.

Prediction: RED SOX IN SIX