"I anticipate us playing better baseball when we get home," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle told reporters after Thursday's 2-1 loss to Boston in Game Two at Fenway Park.

"We've been comfortable at home. We've been resilient at home. Our crowd will be a big part of it."

Colorado's Coors Field is unique.

Denver's mile-high elevation in the Rocky Mountains means thinner air, which offers less resistance to baseballs. The air and dry climate hurts pitchers as their curve balls have relatively less break, while the conditions help hitters smack the ball farther.

Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka, who on Saturday becomes the first Japanese-born pitcher to start a Series game, will see how his curve and mysterious gyro ball are affected.

To counter the prospect of 'cheap' home runs, Coors' outfield fences stretch farther from home plate. That creates more area in the outfield from foul line to foul line.

"Weather-wise, when it's cold your glove feels like it's a brick, so that's an adjustment," Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell, who played seven seasons in the National League with the Florida Marlins, told reporters.

"But I think it's a much bigger adjustment for the outfielders. There's a lot of room to roam there. Seems like their gaps are huge, and that ball seems to carry just a little bit more than in other parks."

HUMIDOR

After gaining a reputation as a launching pad for home runs, officials took a closer look at the Mile High City effect and found the baseballs became harder and smaller in the dry air. Five years ago they began storing them in a humidor.

Now, home run numbers are down but Lowell said the park still favored offence.

"It's a big field so I think a lot more hits fall," he said.

"A three, four-run deficit isn't the same in Colorado as it is other places just because it seems like there's a lot more room for balls to fall and the rallies can continue."

A big contributor to many Red Sox rallies is their designated hitter, David Ortiz.

Since the National League does not use a DH, pitchers hit in the batting order of World Series games played in NL parks.

Boston manager Terry Francona will either have to take the heavy hitting Ortiz (35 homers, 117 RBI in regular season) out of his lineup or use him at first base and choose between Lowell and Kevin Youkilis at third.

"Two out of the three play, and it's really disappointing because we like when all three of them play. They've all been mainstays in our lineup," Francona said.