2010 MLB Playoffs: Rangers Vs. Rays ALDS Game 3 Viewing Guide
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Time: 5:07pm ET
Starting Pitchers: RHP Colby Lewis vs. RHP Matt Garza
Series: 2-0 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
The Rangers come home in the best of situations - ahead 2-0 in a best-of-five series with a well-rested bullpen and a pair of wins that weren’t really close. We’ve seen the Rangers take some good swings. We haven’t seen the Rays take good swings, and now they’re just about out of time to get started. With the commanding lead and home field, the Rangers are in a good spot to sweep, which would give them a very lengthy break to get rested and healthy going into the ALCS. For Tampa, it’s desperation time. All important situations must be treated as the most important situations of the season, because this could be it.
Three Keys
(1) Colby Lewis is the first right-handed starting pitcher the Rays will face in the series, which can only be good news for a lineup that didn't manage anything against a pair of talented southpaws. Lewis is strong against right-handed hitters, leaning heavily on his fastball and slider, but against lefties, he doesn't really have a strikeout pitch. He'll mix things up across his four-pitch repertoire, but none of his offerings missed a lot of left-handed bats. That could give Carlos Pena a chance to make a positive difference. Pena will get pitches to hit, and Texas is friendly to lefty sluggers.
(2) Opposite Lewis will be Matt Garza, who saw his strikeout rate drop rather alarmingly from 2009. He pitched about equally as well against righties both seasons, but against lefties, his numbers really declined, from 24% strikeouts to 16% strikeouts. One might blame a worse feel - and thus less usage - of his curve. We can expect a similar, if not identical lineup in Game 3 as we saw in Game 2, and the door will be open for lefties to get on base and do some real damage.
(3) How important would a sweep be for the Rangers? Not only would it guarantee an easy advance to the next round - it would give everyone an extended break, most important among them being Josh Hamilton. Hamilton's 2-8 in the series and has been able to play through fractured ribs, and those ribs aren't going to suddenly heal, but the less often he plays and the more rest he gets, the better he's going to feel, and the better he feels, the better he'll do.
