Tag: Texas Rangers (Page 6 of 21)
Was it surprising that Cliff Lee got rocked in Game 1 of the World Series? Surprising doesn’t even begin to cover it. Shocking would be a start, but even then the word would be selling the situation short.
But nothing changes here. The game plan remains the same.
Teams that don’t have home field advantage know that they have to split the first two games on the road, then take two-of-three at home before splitting again on the road in order to come out victorious. That’s the same recipe the Giants used against the Phillies in the NLCS and it seemed to work out well for them.
C.J. Wilson needs to best Matt Cain in Game 2 Thursday night. That’s no small feat considering that Cain hasn’t allowed a run in two postseason starts, but the Rangers’ offense has a way of making even the best pitchers look mortal (just ask Tim Lincecum, who lasted only 5.2 innings and gave up four runs in Game 1).
Texas has already shown its mettle twice this postseason. After beating the Rays twice on the road in the ALDS, they dropped two games at home and then had to play at Tampa in Game 5. Thanks to Lee, they won and they moved on to face the Yankees, who came from behind to shock the Rangers in Game 1 in what could have been a backbreaker.
But it wasn’t. The Rangers took Game 2 to even the series and then went on to beat the Bombers in six games. They’ve shown their resiliency before and if they can do it again, they’ll essentially have home field advantage in what would turn into a five game series. That’s why splitting on the road in the first two games is vital.
And that’s what they’ll need to do tonight. For once, the Rangers need to let Lee off the hook.
With Cliff Lee on the hill, Game 1 of the World Series was almost a foregone conclusion: Rangers would win the opener and the Giants would have to try and even things up in Game 2.
Too bad the Giants had other plans.
In what had to be the most impressive feat of any team this postseason, the Giants crushed the Rangers 11-7 on Wednesday night to take a 1-0 lead in the Fall Classic. The previously unbeaten Lee went just 4.2 innings while yielding seven runs (six earned) on eight hits.
Freddy Sanchez did the most damage, going 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. He set a postseason record by hitting three doubles in his first three at bats, which all came off Lee. After Texas took a 2-0 lead after two innings of play, Sanchez’s first double scored Edgar Renteria to put the Giants on the board in the third inning. His second double to deep left-center scored Andres Torres in the fifth to give the Giants a 3-2 lead and they never looked back from there.
San Fran scored six runs in that fifth inning to break the game open. Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross had RBI singles, while Juan Uribe hit a towering three-run shot off reliever Darren O’Day to give the Giants an 8-2 lead. The expression on Lee’s face as he watched that inning from the dugout said it all: “How could this have happened?”
What’s interesting is that Lee wasn’t necessarily off his game. He struck out seven batters and showed some of the same mastery that he had in previous postseason starts, but the Giants just hit him – and hit him hard. The fact that Lee is a strike-thrower actually played right into the Giants’ free-swinging approach and they didn’t let up the entire night. It didn’t matter if it was Lee on the mound or Nolan Ryan in his prime – they were going to get hit.
Try as they did, the Rangers did score two runs in the top of the sixth and three runs in the top of the ninth to make it somewhat interesting, but the damage had already been done. The Giants’ offense, which everyone has written off several times this postseason (and for good reason given their shoddy performance at times), had once again came through in the clutch.
Lost in the offensive clinic the Giants put on was their ace Tim Lincecum, who picked up his second postseason win of his career. He certainly wasn’t dominant (5.2 innings, 8 hits, 4 runs, 3 strikeouts), but the Rangers’ offense has a way of humbling even the best pitchers. Simply put, he was good enough on a night where his offense did the talking for him. It was a rare role-switch for a pitcher that usually has to limit his opponent to only two or three runs because he knows his offense will struggle.
The Giants have been a streaky offensive team all year. Given their pitching, if their offense can stay hot then they’re going to be tough to beat. The series is far from over, but this is a picture-perfect start for the G-Men.
Top photo courtesy of AllPosters.com.
Full disclosure: I’m a massive San Francisco Giants fan. The first time I sat down to watch a baseball game from start to finish was in 1989 when the Giants played my hometown Cubs in the NLCS. Will “The Thrill” Clark put on a clinic in that series and I was hooked ever since.
Of course, the A’s went on to sweep the Giants in the Fall Classic that year and I was introduced to the torture that is San Francisco baseball. From “The last pure pennant race” in ‘93, to Edgar Renteria’s base hit in ‘97, to Mark Gardner’s dud in a one-game playoff against the Cubs in ’98, to Bobby Jones’ one-hitter in ’00, to…well, to 2002. I don’t like to mention 2002 outside of how I wish Scott Spiezio grew up playing ping-pong instead of baseball.
It goes without saying that it’s been a while since the Giants were this good and it’s been even longer since they won a title. People like to talk about the Cubs’ championship drought, but the Indians and Giants are right behind them.
With that in mind, I won’t play coy: I’m rooting for the Giants. I won’t be objective and damn it, I don’t have to be either. Giants in 7. No, wait – Giants in 4.
Actually, I see the Rangers taking Game 1 because, well, Cliff Lee doesn’t lose in the postseason. Ever. I see the Giants taking Game 2 with Matt Cain (the most underrated pitcher in baseball) on the hill and then the rest of the series could go either way. If the NLDS/NLCS Game 2 Jonathan Sanchez takes the hill in Game 3, then San Fran could steal the first game in Texas on Saturday night. But if NLCS Game 6 Jonathan Sanchez rears his ugly head, then the Rangers could easily win, 27-1. (That lone run coming on a Cody Ross home run, of course.)
The Rangers are favored for a reason. They have the better lineup from top to bottom, their pitching staff isn’t as good as the Giants’ but they can certainly hold their own and Lee is unbeatable. They also have that “destiny” thing about covered with this being the first time they’ve ever reached the World Series.
But the Giants, my Giants, are somewhat playing with house money. Nobody expected them to win the NL West this year and even fewer people thought they’d beat the Phillies in the NLCS. Yet here they are, plugging along without a care in the world and no idea that they’re not supposed to win. Their pitching staff is great, players like Ross are having unprecedented success this postseason and their bullpen (thanks to Brian Wilson, Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affedlt) is nearly unhittable in the later innings. If they can continue to get timely hitting from Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe, they’ll have a shot.
They can win this thing.
Giants in 7.
Who are you taking?
It’s official: the Giants will send Tim Lincecum to the mound in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night.
After “The Freak” threw 16 pitches in Game 6 against the Phillies last Saturday, there had been some debate as to whether or not he should start Game 1 against the Rangers. But in the end, there wasn’t really any debate at all – at least not to Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy.
Teams want to throw their ace Game 1 so that if they need them in Game 4 or Game 7 to stave off elimination or to win the series, they’re available to throw again. If the Giants had pushed Lincecum’s start back (even just one game), then he probably wouldn’t have been available to throw on short rest later in the series when San Fran truly needed him. Besides, he only threw 16 pitches on Saturday night and this is for the whole shebang. Players have all winter to rest.
While the Rangers have yet to officially announce their starting rotation, it’s presumed that Cliff Lee will face Lincecum in Game 1. Again, teams want to throw their ace first so that they’ll be available later on and there’s no doubt that the Rangers want Lee available as much as possible. For the Giants, Matt Cain will start Game 2 and then I would imagine Jonathan Sanchez would pitch Game 3.
Much like Lincecum vs. Roy Halladay in the NLCS, the Lincecum-Lee matchup will be one for the ages. Lee has proven to be one of the best postseason pitchers the game has ever seen and with another dominating performance or two, we’ll be able to drop the “one of the best” from that sentence. Lincecum, on the other hand, already has two Cy Young awards and won in each of his first two postseason outings (once against the Braves in the NLDS and then once more against the Phillies in Game 1 of the NLCS).
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