Two teams with two very different pedigrees will meet Saturday night in an attempt to decide for at least temporarily, ownership of baseball's supremacy. The Chicago White Sox, who last appeared in the World Series in 1959 and last won it all the way back in 1917, will face the Houston Astros, who will be appearing in their first World Series.
Historical differences aside, the two squads will seem familiar to one another based on their similar styles of play. Both rely on starting pitching, and both make up for a lack of explosive offenses with an effective style of small ball, or as Ozzie Guillen likes to put it, smart ball. So with two teams that practically mirror each other, who holds the edge?
Lineup
Astros
True, the Astros don't seem to have much in the way of offensive firepower. Aside from Lance Berkman and Craig Biggio, has anyone even heard of these guys? And Biggio is nothing to get excited about. Morgan Ensberg had a banner year and a big series against Atlanta before cooling down against the Cardinals. Other than that, Houston has to pray in order to continue to get production out of Chris Burke, Brad Ausmus, Mike Lamb, and the host of others that contributed to knocking the Braves and the Cardinals out of the playoffs.
And if you think Jeff Bagwell is going to provide some offensive punch out of the role of DH, think again. He has 3 home runs in 100 at-bats this season, and none since he came back from his extended injury stay.
White Sox
It a necessity to score runs if you are going to have success in the American League. On paper, the Sox don't necessarily scare you. Paul Konerko though proved he should have been every bit the regular season MVP candidate that Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz were hailed as. Scott Podsednik has rediscovered his running touch after cooling down late in the season. Tadahito Iguchi, despite a propensity for strike outs, is a classic two-hole hitter. Carl Everett, Aaron Rowand, A.J. Pierzynski, Joe Crede, and Juan Uribe all contribute on a regular basis.
EDGE: White Sox
The bottom line is neither of these clubs can stack a lineup like the Red Sox and Yankees, but their timely hitting more than makes up for the lack of high-priced studs. And more than any other sport, baseball's limelight can be stolen by the unlikeliest of participants.
Defense
Astros
When Willy Taveras is in centerfield, the Astros can pick it with just about every team in the league. But if they substitute his defense for the offense of Chris Burke, then the outfield's stability dissipates rather quickly. The right side of the infield can get a little dicey, but nothing that should sway a series.
White Sox
Aaron Rowand is in the same class as Andruw Jones, Jim Edmonds, and Carlos Beltran. The corner outfielders are respectable, and the infield is solid and steady. There are no glaring weaknesses.
EDGE: White Sox
I would be shocked if defensive lapses decided this series. Chicago possesses the better defense, but with the exception of Chris Burke, this series should come down to other factors.
Starting Pitching
Astros
Enough is enough about how Roy Oswalt is the best third starter in the game. Oswalt is the Astros' best pitcher. Roger Clemens is a great story, and Andy Pettitte is tough as nails, but neither possesses Oswalt's 95+ mph and wicked curve. In the playoffs, power pitching can dominate.
This will be a tough matchup for Pettitte. True, he has always been a postseason winner, but a large part of that can be attributed to the Yankees' bats. With the exception of Game 5 of the World Series 10 years ago, the tall lefty has always had room for a small margin of error. The combination of Astros bats and White Sox pitching could put Pettitte outside his comfort zone.
Roger Clemens is a tremendous story, but I would be surprised if he duplicated his regular season heroics against an American League team. Brandon Backe is inconsistent, at best.
White Sox
Other than Jose Contreras, none of these guys are power pitchers, something I alluded to before as being a difference-maker in the playoffs. That being said, if Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, and Freddy Garcia could shut down the Red Sox and the Angels, I think they should handle the Astros.
EDGE: White Sox
I realize the Astros are where they are because of their starting pitching, but aside from Roy Oswalt, I find them to be extremely vulnerable. The only danger for the Sox is if they fail to get those clutch hits and start pressing. If that happens, they just might start looking ahead to when Oswalt starts, and the pressure to produce could become so large that they make Clemens and Pettitte look like the stars they have been all season.
Bullpen
Astros
Brad Lidge is a top-three closer (Mariano Rivera and Eric Gagne are only better), despite his blowing Game 5. And Game 4 against the Braves is the only other proof needed to show how effective the rest of their bullpen is.
White Sox
They might be good, who knows? They only pitched 2/3 of an inning in the entire ALCS. Actually, they pitched brilliantly in the Red Sox series, but the combination of Bobby Jenks, Dustin Hermanson, and Damaso Marte does not equal Brad Lidge.
EDGE: Astros
Intangibles
Both clubs have received extremely favorable umpiring in their road to the World Series. Both managers are unique, yet effective. Both benches are solidly unspectacular. The biggest out of the box advantage in this whole series might be Minute Maid Park. That short left field causes havoc for opposing pitchers, and no one has proven to be more effective at hitting 300-foot clutch home runs than Lance Berkman.
EDGE: Astros
Prediction
This whole series comes down to whether the Astros pitchers can keep the White Sox from scoring. The Astros aren't going to explode in any game — at most, they expect five runs. The question is can the Houston starters consistently keep Chicago in check? I say no, White Sox in six, before Oswalt can win it in seven.
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