2010 MLB Playoffs: Rays Vs. Rangers ALDS Game 2 Viewing Guide

Another day, another MLB playoff tripleheader, kicked off with another frightfully early start for the Rays and the Rangers. Here's all the information you'll need to settle in and enjoy.

Starting Pitchers: RHP James Shields vs. LHP C.J. Wilson

The Rays aren't exactly limping into Game 2, but they aren't where they'd like to be after David Price ran into some trouble in the series opener, and Cliff Lee pitched like his classic self. As is always the case in any second game of any Division Series, the loser of the first game doesn't want to fall behind 2-0, and as is always the case in any second game of any Division Series, winning that second game is huge. The matchup is interesting, as the ace starters are done; the Rays start a guy with a home run problem, and the Rangers start a guy who was a reliever as recently as a year ago.

(1) Like Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson is left-handed, but unlike Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson is vulnerable. Thing is, he's vulnerable against righties and not really vulnerable at all against lefties, so it'll be interesting to see if Joe Maddon elects to sit Carlos Pena after his nightmarish Game 1. Dan Johnson is available and ready to fill in if the Rays can suck it up and bench their regular.

(2) James Shields doesn't show a platoon split like Wilson does, as Shields is capable of pounding the zone and getting similar results against hitters from both sides. Shields' weakness is allowing fly balls, and therefore allowing home runs. He badly needs to remain as unpredictable as he can, because the Rays and Shields can ill afford having guys like Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton time his fastball. Shields can get deep if he's on his game, because the Rangers are aggressive and he throws a lot of strikes. He just needs to throw the right strikes.

(3) Neftali Feliz needed 20 pitches to close out Game 1, and while he struck out the last two guys he faced, he had some trouble against the first three. We know he's good. The question will be how prepared he is, and how fresh his arm feels after a bit of a strenuous outing. He held batters to a .553 OPS on the year on zero days' rest, but that's a small sample size of data. Something to bear in mind should the Rangers end up in a save situation.