Afterward, as the Phillies nursed a 4-2 loss to the Rays, a struggling offense was left to answer questions they've faced at varying points throughout this whimsical season, while at the same time keeping some perspective in a series tied at 1.
"We came on the road and of course we would have liked to have taken two games, but everyone says make sure you split," said shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who went 0-for-5 and is now hitless in 10 World Series at-bats. "You don't want to go home 2-0, because then it's tougher, down 2-0 already. We definitely accomplished that and we didn't get the job done tonight."
More perspective: The Phillies were facing a talented pitcher, one who has played as big a role as any in the Rays worst-to-first revival.
Righthander James Shields deserves his fair share of credit for remaining in control of the game, regardless of the pressure the Phillies put on him. He kept the ball in the park, struck out four, walked two, and did not allow a run in 5 2/3 innings.
Nevertheless, the Phillies acknowledged a fair share of culpability:
* They were hitless in their first six at-bats with runners in scoring position. Combined with their 0-for-13 performance in Game 1, it left them 0-for-19, the second-longest hitless streak with runners in scoring position to begin a World Series (the Dodgers started the 1966 World Series 0-for-22).
* They finished the game 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position, making them 1-for-28 in the first two games of the series.
* They put leadoff men on base in six innings, and failed to score in all but one. Of the first 18 innings of the series, they've had runners on base with no out in 10, scoring in just two.
