The Giants' Ross, Rangers' Francoeur share a little luck

SAN FRANCISCO - There was a time this season when Cody Ross and Jeff Francoeur were buried on the rosters of National League East teams, destined to play baseball through Game No. 162 and go home.

When the Florida Marlins and New York Mets went to Puerto Rico for a three-game series at the end of June, the two went to a casino after a game and played blackjack.

"Until about 5 in the morning," Francoeur said. "It was just the two of us."

"Next thing you know," Ross said, "we have stacks of chips in front of us. We couldn't lose. It was one of the most fun times I had."

And now?

"Now we're both here playing in the World Series," Francoeur said. "Maybe that was our lucky night."

The two outfielders were waived after July 31 by their old teams. The Giants, wanting to block San Diego from acquiring Ross, put in a claim. Ross went on to become the MVP of the NL Championship Series.

Francoeur hit .340 in 15 games for Texas, who worked a deal with the Mets to acquire the 26-year-old former Atlanta phenom.

Ross and Francoeur are righthanded outfielders, a commodity the Phillies could be in need of this off-season if Jayson Werth does not re-sign.

The Phils put a claim on Ross in August when the Marlins waived him, but San Francisco, with a slightly worse record, was awarded him.

The Giants beat the Padres on the final day of the season to clinch a playoff spot. Then, they beat the Braves in the division series, before taking down the Phillies. The one common thread? Ross.

"I knew the Padres were on me," Ross said. "Then we beat them. We went and played the Braves, who were on me, and ended up beating them. Then, the Phillies. It's been a pretty crazy last couple of months."

Ross is arbitration-eligible and has likely forced San Francisco to offer him a contract for 2011.

But Francoeur is a free agent and could attract the Phillies because of his age and his ability to hit lefthanded pitching. He is notorious for his low on-base percentage and his tendency to swing often in early counts. But in 120 at-bats against lefties, he hit .300 and has a career batting average of .229 against lefthanded pitching.

The World Series is another tryout for Francoeur.

"Absolutely," he said. "But at the end of the day, I don't really care. I think I'd be doing myself a disservice if I don't take these next 10 days and enjoy the heck out of them."