Fielding the Rays' 3-2 loss to the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series on a short hop ...

In < 25 words ...
The Rays struggled to get anything going offensively against Phillies ace Cole Hamels, and Tampa Bay was ultimately limited to five hits.

Frozen moment
The Rays fell behind, 2-0, in the first inning, but they had a chance to chip away at the Phillies' lead in the third. Tampa Bay loaded the bases with one out for B.J. Upton. The red-hot center fielder smacked a sharp ground ball, but it was scooped by Philadelphia third baseman Pedro Feliz, who turned it into a rally-killing double play.

Big number
4 -- Walks issued by Rays starter Scott Kazmir issued in six innings Wednesday night. His first-inning walk issued to Jayson Werth was especially damaging, because it was followed by a Chase Utley home run that gave Philly a 2-0 lead.

Game balls

Carl Crawford

The left fielder got the Rays on the board with a solo home run in the fourth.

Scott Kazmir

The Rays' starter endured a rough first inning, which included a two-run home run by Utley. Nevertheless, Kazmir settled in and turned in a quality start for Tampa Bay, leaving the game after allowing three earned runs in six innings.

Akinori Iwamura

The Rays' second baseman had three of his team's five hits Wednesday night, including an RBI double in the fifth.

Sense of October
The cowbells, a new postseason craze in St. Petersburg, made appearances early and often Wednesday night, whenever a Rays pitcher had recorded two strikes against an opposing hitter.


Iwamura
Lines of the Game
Hitting
Akinori Iwamura
4 AB, 3 H, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Comment: The second baseman was a bright spot for the Rays' offense Wednesday night.


Balfour
Pitching
Grant Balfour
1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Comment: The hard-throwing reliever ended a Phillies threat in the seventh.


Maddon
Spoken
"They beat us on a home run in the first inning, primarily." -- Rays manager Joe Maddon, on Utley's first-inning home run

Next step
The Rays will try to even the series on Thursday night and avoid the possibility of having to head to Philly in a 2-0 hole.