Tuesday night, the first round of the MLB playoffs concludes with a decisive Game 5 between Cliff Lee and the Rangers, and David Price of the Rays. This is one you’re going to want to watch, and here’s all the information you’ll need to settle in and enjoy.
2010 MLB Playoffs: TV Schedule And Keys To Tuesday’s Rays Vs. Rangers Showdown
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Time: 8:07pm ET
Starting Pitchers: LHP David Price vs. LHP Cliff Lee
Series: 2-2
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: DRays Bay, Lone Star Ball
Situation
The Rangers had everything going just as they wanted. They took the first two in Tampa Bay. They didn't just take them, either - they took them convincingly, outscoring the Rays 11-1 while slugging four home runs. They were one win away from advancing for the first time in franchise history, and they were going home for two chances to do it. And they couldn't. They blew an eighth inning lead in Game 3, they couldn't do much in Game 4, and now they're stuck going back to Florida for a Game 5 against Tampa's #1. The good news is that opposing Tampa's #1 will be Texas' #1, who was brought in for this exact purpose. It just didn't have to get this far. All's forgiven if Lee does the task, but if he doesn't, there are going to be an awful lot of questions.
Three Keys
(1) Lee was absolutely exceptional in Game 1 once he settled into a groove. After working out of a couple early jams, Lee went on a run in which he retired 16 of the 17 batters he faced, the lone exception reaching on an error. Lee’s a strike-thrower. He threw 76 strikes out of 104 pitches over his seven innings. And of the 27 batters he saw last Wednesday, 18 of them fell behind 0-1. You can’t afford to fall behind Cliff Lee that often and expect to hit him around, because once he’s ahead of you, he’s in control of the at bat. The Rays will want to attack Lee, and they’ll want to attack him early. Fall behind and he’s able to expand the zone, and he’s difficult enough to hit as it is.
(2) David Price is a left-handed pitcher who dominates left-handed hitters. In Game 1, he faced exactly one left-handed hitter, and the left-handed hitter was Josh Hamilton. Price is good against everybody, but he's far more vulnerable against righties, and the Rangers have put together a roster that allows them to work with the platoon advantage. In order to succeed, Price needs to bring the ball down. He was far too elevated against righties in Game 1, especially with his fastball. The top of the zone is where you can get swinging strikes, but it's also where you allow home runs, and Price was dinged for two of them before leaving the game. Both Nelson Cruz and Bengie Molina rode high pitches out of the yard. If Price can spend a little more time low and a little more time over the outer half, he'll have a good shot.
(3) Carlos Pena leads the Rays in the series with four RBI and four runs scored. He has a single, a double, a triple, and a homer, and in the Rays' two wins, he was their most productive hitter. Which makes Game 5 look tricky, because back in Game 1, Pena faced Lee three times and in all three meetings he struck out. Will Joe Maddon start Pena against the lefty? If Pena struggles, or doesn't start, will the rest of the lineup be able to do what it hasn't really done all series? Outside of Pena, the Rays have batted .209 against the Rangers, with a .265 OBP and a .341 slugging percentage.
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