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US Presswire photo Michael Young and Mike Napoli lead the Rangers into the playoffs. |
The Rays arrived in Texas flying high, but they can't live in the past. They're facing a daunting challenge in the defending AL champs, who knocked them out in the Division Series last fall. Rangers manager Ron Washington has his rotation lined up exactly how he wants it, with lefty C.J. Wilson on the mound for Game 1 tonight. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, meanwhile, is taking a bold risk: Rookie Matt Moore, the organization's top prospect, will make only his second career start tonight.
How will this all play out? Scroll down for my series prediction...
AL DIVISION SERIES - GAME 1
TAMPA BAY RAYS at TEXAS RANGERS
Where: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
Gametime: 5:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Radio: WSPZ (570 AM), XM 181
Weather: Sunny, 84 degrees, Wind 12 mph LF to RF
STARTING LINEUPSPREDICTION: People forget how close the Rangers came to being eliminated by the Rays in the first round last fall. Tampa Bay took that ALDS to a decisive fifth game, only to get shut down by Cliff Lee. This year could be different. The Rays are riding a wave after their stunning September surge. They've got possibly the deepest rotation out of all eight postseason contenders, not to mention a real X factor in Moore. And the Rangers don't have Lee anymore. TAMPA BAY IN FIVE.
RAYS
SS Sean Rodriguez
CF B.J. Upton
3B Evan Longoria
2B Ben Zobrist
DH Johnny Damon
C Kelly Shoppach
1B Casey Kotchman
CF Desmond Jennings
RF Matt Joyce
(P Matt Moore)
RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
1B Michael Young
3B Adrian Beltre
C Mike Napoli
RF Nelson Cruz
DH Yorvit Torrealba
LF Craig Gentry
(P C.J. Wilson)
30 comments:
Hmmm.. CJ Wilson gives up 3 runs, maybe we don't want him .... ;-)
Wow. Just saw this: Boston will not be exercising their option on manager Terry Francona.
6-0 Rays in the 3rd.
Wow, was that a fan running on the batters eye grass making a nice catch on Shoppach's home run? AND throwing it right back in!
I bet they let him stay, too!
They did!
So, does Riggleman get an interview for the Boston job?
So - does Francona get an interview with the Nats????? How awesome would that be?
This is a lot less exciting than Wednesday night was...at least so far.
Maybe I am just slow or something, but I just realized that the Upton brothers could play against each other in the world series. Has that ever happened before? The Rays are just kicking a!@##$$!
baseballswami said...
So - does Francona get an interview with the Nats????? How awesome would that be?
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I've got to believe he'll end up with the White Sox.
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baseballswami said...
Maybe I am just slow or something, but I just realized that the Upton brothers could play against each other in the world series. Has that ever happened before?
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At a minimum, the Boyers played against in the 1964 World Series -- Ken for the Cardinals, Clete for the Yankees.
From the sound of things on mlb.com, the decision was at least as much Francona's as it was Epstein's. It didn't sound like it was just spin, either.
I think you are correct about the White Sox. Maybe the Marlins wish they had waited a few days...
CJ Wilson's price tag going down? And - tell me again why this network has championship baseball? Dreck. The one guys is extremely pro-Rangers and also talks about the Yankees so much you would think they were playing in this game.
Slow game, so you get a bit more on the brothers-against-each-other-in-a-World Series question (from a 2008 NYT article):
"Three sets of brothers have played against each other in the same [World] Series: Jimmy Johnston (third base, Brooklyn) and Doc Johnston (first base, Cleveland) in 1920, Bob Meusel (right field, Yankees) and Irish Meusel (left field, Giants) in 1921, and Ken Boyer (third base, St. Louis) and Clete Boyer (third base, Yankees) in 1964."
Francona was the scapegoat for a team that had many injuries and underperformed. Having said that, I don't see him coming to Washington. For starters, the Nats payroll is what, 1/3 of the Red Sox? And Francona was due $4 million had his option been picked up. That's a pretty big culture shock. Sorry, I don't see it happening here. Of course, I've been wrong before.
Francona is almost certainly going to the White Sox. He was in their system before and has good contacts there. It was clear from his comments that he thought it was time to leave Boston. The pressure there is extraordinary, and at one point he said, "I've had enough." He didn't specify, but it was clear from the context that he's had enough of Boston. That said, I think he'd be a good fit here, because in important ways his good teams were like ours--in terms of internal cohesion and spirit. That's what Boston lacked. But he was no scapegoat. Theo made that clear more than once: "Nobody is blaming Tito."
First day of the playoffs pretty boring so far - Wednesday was much more exciting!
I'm rooting for Tampa and the Tigers. SO far so good...
Yay! Rays win. Did a "speed watch" of the reply on the RecordMan thingy. That Moore kid did okay for himself. Touching first pitch ceremony, too.
sec3, I thought of you when I saw that. :-)
Sec 3, My Sofa said...
Wow, was that a fan running on the batters eye grass making a nice catch on Shoppach's home run? AND throwing it right back in!
I bet they let him stay, too!
September 30, 2011 6:03 PM
Me, too, Jane.
p.s. Thanks for doing the postseason game threads again, Mark.
okay? come one 1a. Don't you think a rookie n his second career start, shutting out the best offense in AL for seven innings deserve more credit?
Anyways, I saw the whole game and was very impressed with how Matt pitched. With Shields, Price, and Hellickson to come up, Rays look like the favorite right now.
CJ Wilson and his 2.94 ERA definitely dropped his stock. His ERC (Component ERA) was slightly higher than Jordan Zimmerman and CJ Wilson's WHIP was higher also.
Wilson's WHIP was 1.19 compared to JZim at 1.15.
I stated before that he has ACE numbers but most focus on that 16-7 W/L record and not the numbers that go into it which is the great run support that Wilson gets.
Wilson really only has 2 seasons as a starter and will be 31 years old in 45 days.
Wilson is now 1-3 in Post Season games.
I saw Matt Moore pitch in AAA game and he looked great. Here is something you rarely see within a season. Moore did well in AA 2.20 ERA and got promoted to AAA in the summer and the pitching coach changed his mechanics and Moore's ERA improves to 1.37. Moore improved to #'s where he was unhittable and .
Originally they brought him up to get a taste of the Majors as nobody thought they were going to Post-Season. Moore pitched in a relief role and then the Rays looked like they could make a move. They give Moore his 1st start over a week ago against the Yankees and he throws 5 innings of no run baseball.
What is this magic the Rays are doing in their AAA? Jeremy Hellickson has Ace stuff also. The Rays HAVE pitching!
Interesting comments on the number of innings that Moore has pitched this year. He had a pitch limit of 160 and went over that tonight. Will they throw him again if needed? And what if the Rays move on?
I also wonder how we will treat SS if we are in the same sort of position next year.
sjm308.....major difference between Moore and Strasburg.... Moore''s not coming off TJ surgery.
a. I am rooting for the Rays.
b. How was I not giving the kid credit?
c. What-ever.
FS said...
okay? come one 1a. Don't you think a rookie n his second career start, shutting out the best offense in AL for seven innings deserve more credit?
I was just saying that he did better than 'okay', 1a. That's all.
I am also rooting for Rays.
Off the topic, I hope Yankees trade Gardner to us in the offseason.
good point natsjack but it still will be interesting to see if we have the discipline to shut him down. my point was the Rays had talked about shutting Moore down when they were still 3 or 4 games out of the playoff hunt but when things got exciting and he was lights out against the Yankees they suddenly forgot all about that magic shut down innings number. I don't think this has injury ramifications like SS would but its interesting to see that other managers say one thing and do another just like here.
On one other point, how is the instructional league looking?
FS, agreed. My comment was made in light of the fact that some had questioned Maddon's decision to start him. Go, Maddon! Go, RAYS!!
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