Things you may not know about this Series matchup, more notes

NEW YORK -- Star Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, an amateur Jimmy the Greek, says his Phillies are going to win the World Series in five games. Rollins is on a few-year roll with his predictions, although the Yankees generally seemed more amused than concerned about Rollins' latest. "Nostradamus,'' Jorge Posada called him, though it was hard to tell whether Posada was lauding or mocking Rollins.

In any case, most experts see this as a much tighter series than that.

The Yankees and Phillies offer the game's two best and deepest lineups, two true ace pitchers, several more talented starters and a pair of star closers (now that Brad Lidge has found himself again). For most of us, it is very difficult to separate these two teams, so difficult that I am more confident in my prediction of seven games than my prediction of the Yankees.

Before making your own call, here are some things to consider that you may or may not know ...

1. The Phillies are supposed to be more vulnerable vs. left-handers, but the numbers don't bear that out. This is extremely important since the Yankees will likely employ a left-handed starter in five of seven games. Three of the Phillies' four biggest power threats (Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez) are left-handed, and one scout said, "None of their left-handed hitters is as comfortable against lefties as righties.'' But somehow, the team stats don't really prove that. The Phillies were actually 29-16 vs. left-handers in the regular season, which was slightly better than they fared against right-handers. Their .248 batting average vs. left-handers was worse than their .262 mark vs. right-handers, but they made up for it with a .787 OPS vs. lefties compared to .779 vs. righties. During the season, though, Howard's OPS was 1.088 vs. righties and .653 vs. lefties, as mentioned in the New York Times

2.Howard's hot streak is no fluke. The longer he plays, the better he does. His career .255 batting average before All-Star Games stands in stark contrast to his .303 mark after All-Star Games. "He can be pitched to. But you better be very careful to execute those pitches because if you make a mistake he's going to make you pay,'' one AL scout said. That scout said the best plan is to go "soft,'' while the Dodgers' idea was going inside. That plan obviously didn't' work too well. Hey, here's an idea: Pitch around him. This is his time of year.

3. Neither is Alex Rodriguez's. He's just catching up after some oddly weak Octobers. His 1.516 OPS is 300 points higher than the best of the Phillies (Howard's 1.207, Jayson Werth's 1.203 and Shane Victorino's 1.161). He is a "more complete hitter'' than Howard, said the scout.

4. The Phillies might want to avoid too big a role for Joe Blanton. Blanton is a versatile and useful pitcher who could still get a start in game 5 or 6. But against the Yankees, he has pretty much been a punching bag -- 0-3 with an 8.18 ERA lifetime.

5. Pedro Martinez had that famous quote about how the Yankees were his "daddy,'' but in reality, the son often rises. Contrary to popular belief, he's pitched about as well against them as everyone else. His career WHIP vs. the Yankees is 1.08, compared to 1.05 against all other teams. But he is 12-13 lifetime vs. the Yankees, which might have frustrated him, since he has a winning record against nearly every other team. Pedro was brilliant against the Dodgers, but skepticism remains since this isn't primetime Pedro. "Pedro has to come with smoke and mirrors,'' one scout said. "To beat these Yankees you need not only power but great command.''

6. The idea that there's no such thing as a clutch player makes no sense when Derek Jeter is considered as an October player. That his career OPS in the postseason is higher than the regular season (.858 to .847) is amazing, considering hitters only see the best pitchers on the best teams in the worst conditions. "The regular season and the postseason are two different things,'' Jeter said. "People bear down in the postseason. On 3 and 0 in the regular season the pitcher might just lay one in there. But not in the postseason.'' Better than anyone in this era, he has figured out how to navigate October (and November).