We’re all set for our final tripleheader of the playoffs! Join us, won’t you? Here’s all the information you’ll need to settle in and enjoy.
2010 MLB Playoffs: Rangers Vs. Rays ALDS Game 4 Viewing Guide
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Time: 1:07pm ET
Starting Pitchers: RHP Colby Lewis vs. RHP Matt Garza
Series: 2-1 Texas
TV: TBS
TV Announcers: Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez
Radio: ESPN Radio
Radio Announcers: Dan Shulman and Bobby Valentine
Umpires: Tim Welke, Jim Wolf, Jerry Meals, Bill Miller, Jeff Kellogg, Mike DiMuro
MLB.com Gameday: Link
Team Blogs: Lone Star Ball, DRays Bay
Situation
Saturday afternoon, the Rangers found themselves six outs away from a series sweep of the Rays. They were on home field, they had a loud sellout crowd behind them, and they had their star flamethrowing closer waiting in the bullpen. Then it all came apart. In a flash, Tampa's bats woke up for the first time all series, and the Rays were able to rally against the best and worst parts of the Texas bullpen on the way to a 6-3 season-saving win. That comeback forced a Sunday Game 4, for which both teams will turn to their fourth starters. For the Rangers, they get a chance to put Saturday behind them and win the first playoff series in franchise history at home. For the Rays, they get a chance to take this back to Florida and get revenge for Game 1.
Three Keys
(1) Youngster Wade Davis did not have a very good start to the season. Down the stretch, however, he's been a lot better, putting up a 3.28 ERA and a 2.6 K/BB over his last 12 starts. He's one of those rare righty starters who doesn't throw a changeup very often, instead attacking lefties primarily with his heater and then dropping in the occasional curveball or slider over the outer half. He is not a strikeout pitcher. He is a contact pitcher who gives up fly balls, and so the Rangers hitters should have an easier time with him than they did with Matt Garza.
(2) Speaking of right-handed contact pitchers, we've also got Tommy Hunter. Hunter ran a low ERA and won 13 games, but he also posted a terrifyingly low strikeout rate. He is a guy the Rays will hit. It's just a matter of how well they'll hit him. He's always around the plate. He doesn't change his approach, whether he's facing a righty or a lefty. He'll throw any pitch in any count. He'll pitch to both sides of the plate. Hunter lives on his randomness and unpredictability. There aren't really any patterns. This is going to come down to the quality of the swings the Rays already know they're going to be taking.
(3) With two contact flyball starting pitchers taking the hill on a warm day in a hitter-friendly ballpark, there is a very good chance that Game 4 will come down to a battle of the bullpens. And these two bullpens got a bit of a workout on Saturday, with the Rays using three relievers, and the Rangers using six. All the best relievers got action, which means all the best relievers might be working at something less than 100% on Sunday. Something to keep an eye on, as late leads may not be as safe as you’d think.
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