Kuzul

There’s no doubt about it. That was a heart breaker. And while the Phillies have their Big 3 lined up to attempt to climb out of the hole they find themselves in, they’ll be facing a Big 3 every bit as formidable—at least in these playoffs—of the Giants.

So what went wrong in Game 4? Well, the Phillies finally scored some runs. Five of them in fact. But they had chances to score more.

Every bit as important (and fatal) was poor run prevention. Here’s what I saw happen in Game 5:

THE BIG PICTURE

• I feel like every game has featured an inconsistent strike zone. It was, however, consistently poor for both teams.

• Madison Bumgarner, despite striking out five batters his first time through the Phillies order, didn’t scare me. His fastball was straight and his offspeed pitches were not overly impressive. The Phillies could have and probably should have put more runs on him before getting into the Giants’ bullpen.

• Joe Blanton pitched OK, recovering from early command issues. However, his inability to pitch deep into the game exposed the Phillies’ lack of bullpen depth. The assumption is that our bullpen is fine—and it is when Doc, Oswalt or Hamels go seven, but outside of Madson, Contreras and Lidge, the teams lacks power relievers. While it’s tough to be hard on a guy who pitched just one-third of an inning against the Reds in the postseason, Chad Durbin did not get the job done tonight. His fastball was lifeless and he was lucky to survive the sixth inning allowing just two runs.

THE LITTLE THINGS

• I know what a balk is and so does Mitch Williams. First base umpire Jeff Nelson apparently does not.

• Tim McCarver is the worst.

• After prodding from Fox, I considered purchasing stock in Giants Starting Pitching on E-Trade…searched and searched, but couldn’t find it.

• That was the best bunt of Joe Blanton’s life in the fifth inning. He really shocked me there as outside of Halladay, he has to be the worst bunter on the starting pitchers.

• Third base coach Sam Perlozzo cost the Phillies a run when he windmilled Carlos Ruiz home on a Shane Victorino single in the top of the fifth. The team would have had runners on the corners with one out for Chase Utley who singled in his at-bat.

• Shane Victorino showed inattention to detail when he failed to move up to second base on the play at the plate on Ruiz. This did not end up hurting the Phils as Placido Polanco came up with a huge two-out double, but when the offense is struggling, you need to take advantage of every opportunity.

• Jimmy Rollins went 0-3 with RISP and had a particularly horrendous at-bat in the top of the eighth. After Howard and Werth started the inning with back-to-back doubles, Rollins lofted a weak pop-up to shallow left field, failing in his duty to advance Werth to third.

• Second guessing Charlie: Why not bring in a lefty to pitch to Huff in the bottom of the fifth? Why not pinch-hit for Ben Francisco with Ross Gload or Raul Ibanez against Sergio Romo in the top of the eighth? Yes, Francisco can hit a fastball from either a lefty or a righty, but Romo had no intention of giving in and threw him three straight sliders.

• Leadoff walks to Andres Torres in the fifth and Pat Burrell in the sixth turned into two runs for the Giants. YOU CAN’T WALK THE LEADOFF MAN. Especially, when those leadoff men are Torres and Burrell.

• Placido Polanco misplayed a potential double play ball in the bottom of the fifth that would eventually allow Torres to score. Combining a leadoff walk with a misplay with a bad matchup of Blanton vs. Huff for a run was a frustrating result.

• I think it may have been a mistake to include Domonic Brown on the playoff roster. He’s basically useless as a pinch-hitter, going 3-for-17 on the year as a substitute. As terrible as Greg Dobbs was on the year, I’d prefer his experience to seeing Brown look simply overmatched in his two postseason trips to the plate.

• Juan Uribe made the play of the game robbing Ross Gload of a hit to lead off the ninth. Of course, Gload could easily have been called safe (tie goes to the runner, si?).

• Brian Wilson is either a lot better than I thought he was or he’s simply pitching right now a lot better than he actually is. As Buck and McCarver correctly pointed out, he hasn’t given the Phillies a chance to do much damage against him. He’s stayed on the outer half of the plate and thrown strikes. I do not fear his beard.

• I still don’t know what to think about tossing Oswalt out there. Obviously the move didn’t work, as Roy was charged with the loss and apparently he had already thrown his bullpen session in preparation for Saturday’s (hopeful) start. Seems a bit risky to me, but then of course, Charlie’s alternatives were Kyle Kendrick and JC Romero. Desperate times call for desperate measures I guess.

• Just in case he reads this, Dan Lauletta correctly pointed out on Facebook that Carlos Ruiz has to be questioned a bit for some of his calls behind the plate. First and foremost was the offspeed pitch he called against Juan Uribe that turned into the game winning sacrifice fly. I’m guessing his thought process was to surprise Uribe after four straight fastballs but the move backfired. In addition, the high fastball he called for in Pablo Sandoval’s at-bat wasn’t my cup of tea. 89 MPH fastballs at the belt can get smashed in the big leagues, and the Panda smashed Durbin’s offering.

• Cody Ross. What a pain in the neck. I’m not going to blame Chooch for the ongoing Cody issues. I can’t remember a pitch he’s hit well where Chooch wasn’t moving his glove. I’m pretty sure he’s not calling low inside fastballs, but that everyone keeps missing their spots. I think whoever is facing him is just psyched out by his present aura of invincibility and is trying to be too perfect. As a reminder to Phillies pitchers everywhere: He’s still Cody Ross.

• The Phillies had kept Buster Posey under control in the series so far. Until tonight. It didn’t look like anything they threw him would get him out. Each and every at-bat was very impressive. Oswalt had him down 0-2 in the bottom of the ninth and after just missing a double down the line and spoiling a tough two strike pitch, he poked a single down the line that setup the game-winning sac fly.

There is still light at the end of the tunnel. The offense showed a pulse in Game 4 and I’d say contrary to popular belief, Lincecum didn’t exactly dominate the Phillies in Game 1. They can hit him, but as Wee Willie Keeler would say, the key is “to hit it where they ain’t.”

I don’t see Halladay making the same mistakes he made in Game 1. The key is to bring the series back home and get the crowd involved. The friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park should produce a few home runs and for an offense struggling to sustain more than one (if that) rally per game, the long ball can be a cure-all.

It’ll be difficult, but this remains a winnable series for the Phillies. I still believe…a little.

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As the saying goes, if you can’t hit the baseball get the hell off the field was the theme coming into Game 5 tonight in the Bronx.

Instead, it was the New York Yankees who got the job done beating the Texas Rangers 7-2, in a must-win to stay-in the series game.

The Rangers are still ahead of Yankees 3-2 in games. If this Wednesday afternoon game is an indication of what’s to come in the next game, Texas should be running home nervous.

The Yankees flat out put the Rangers back where they belong when Cliff Lee is not pitching.

I have held to my opinion about the Rangers all season long; I do not think the Texas Rangers are as good as people think.

The Rangers have some good players like Josh Hamilton, but someone had to replace Alex Rodriguez production when he came to New York. Overall the team is just not well rounded, because without Cliff Lee, the Rangers would not be in the ALCS and maybe make the playoffs because the AL West was such a joke in 2010.

Yankees are without all-star, gold glove first baseman Mark Teixeira for the rest of the playoffs. Tex’s Yankee teammates do not crumble without him, life is not easier by any means but the Yankees are talented enough to still win. Unlike the Rangers, who without Hamilton at the end of the regular season, fell apart.

Sabathia did not have one of his smooth days on the mound, but CC grind-ed his way through six innings and held the Rangers to two earned runs. This is what defines an ace, and it is why Sabathia was brought to New York in the first place.

The pitching has not been its best for the Yankees, but the main problem seems to be fixing itself because the Bombers are hitting again. This is the first time in the ALCS that the Yankees kept the lead from the start and never gave it up all game.

Finally reality hit the Yankees who seemed to be riding the late bus to school the last two games.

The Yankees entire lineup participated in the win, with a hit, RBI, home run or a walk. It is about time that the Yankees started playing like themselves again.

Imagine if the pitching and hitting could get it together for the same game, the Rangers would not stand a chance.

Guess the Rangers will have to wait another day to try and make it to a place they have never been.

The Yankees need to continue to just be themselves, but it’s another must-win for Game 6. When the Yankees have their backs against the wall, they seem to right themselves pretty quickly.

Cliff Lee will be on the mound for the Rangers in Game 7, but let’s get through Game 6 before anyone starts to get ahead of themselves, even a lowly sports writer and die-hard fan like myself.

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Good evening baseball fans! Welcome to Game Four of the NLCS between the visiting Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants.

Bleacher bum Evan Adrian here, taking you every step of the way through this pivotal matchup.

Philadelphia decided not to send Roy Halladay out on short rest, so Joe Blanton will take the mound for Philadelphia the first time this postseason. San Francisco trots out 21-year-old rookie Madison Bumgarner, who pitched six solid innings against the Braves, giving up just two runs in the series-clincher.

Philly is desperate for a win, which would tie this NLCS at two games a piece. Can Blanton come through? Keep it here to find out!

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Here lie your 2010 Minnesota Twins. April 5, 2010-October 9, 2010.

In a game that seemed inevitable, the Twins once again were swept out of the playoffs by the New York Yankees. This is the 12th straight home playoff loss for a franchise which used to flourish come October. The second longest such streak in history. Behind only the Boston Red Sox from 1980-1995 which lost 14 straight. I myself was at Target Field for both home games in the playoffs (and every playoff game since 2004). The atmosphere was great, and the crowd was optimistic for our chances against Derek Jeter and the hated Yanks. This was supposed to be our year. We were no longer the “little Twinks” who beat you with small ball and luck. We were a team sporting a new stadium, two MVP’s in the lineup and a former All-Star batting ninth. We had three, count them three closers in our bullpen with over 20 saves on the year. We had Jim Thome who hits baseballs farther then Happy Gilmore could hit a drive. We were primed for the postseason…

That’s until we got a look at those sexy pinstripes. As Christopher Walken so neatly put it in Catch Me if you Can: “Do you know why the Yankees always win the World Series? It’s because the other team can’t stop looking at the pinstripes.” And I think that’s what is happening here. The Twins were the best team in baseball since June turned over to July. Mauer had hit .379, Thome was putting dents in the flag pole in right field and the “Pavstache” was making girls drool all over the country. The Twins ran away from the White Sox and clinched the division earlier then any other team in baseball. And none of it made a difference once the Yankees showed up to Target Field last Wednesday.

Game 1 was the pivotal game here. Liriano was pitching great through five innings and had a 3-0 lead (thank you Michael Cuddyer). Then the wheels fell off. After giving up two runs already in the sixth, there were two men on for Curtis Granderson. Gardy decided to let Liriano pitch to Granderson. A triple later and the score was 4-3. I don’t blame Gardy to leave Liriano in at that point. Granderson was atrocious against lefties all season (to the tune of .234 on the season). Mijares could have come in and gotten him out, but I’m siding with Gardy on this one. Liriano is your best pitcher and best bet to get Granderson.

The game was lost in the next half inning however. The Twins loaded the bases and actually scored a run with a bases loaded walk. The next batter was retired, and the Twins left three men on base (a recurring theme in the three games). Of course, Crain comes in and leaves a hanging slider to Tex and the game is 6-4. Once No. 42 came trotting out the pen for the Yanks, game over.

Game 2 was a must win for the Twins. I wont spend much time on this because it is a week ago already. Pettitte was great. Berkman was great. Twins once again had no clutch hitting. And shockingly they lose 5-2. Ho hum. Better luck next year. Twins were not going to waltz into Yankee Stadium and win two games, then come home and win Game 5. And they didn’t. After a 6-1 loss to Phil Hughes, the season, which had such high hopes, was over.

Over the next week or so, I will go over what I think the Twins should do with their impending free agents, and who they might be able to acquire in free agency or through trades. This will be an interesting offseason, and the 2011 team will look quite different then the inaugural Target Field team.

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Phillies’ skipper Charlie Manuel has played things pretty much straight up over the past two postseasons and has two NL Pennants and a World Series ring to show for it. With his team finding itself down two games to one and the next two contests in AT&T Park, the time is right to veer from previous course. 

San Franciso Giants manager Bruce Bochy adjusted his lineup for Game 3 and it paid large dividends. 

Moving certified Phillies killer Cody Ross up to the five hole put him in position to drive in the games first, and ultimate winning run. The line single to left plated non prototypical leadoff hitter Edgar Renteria, who had started the rally.  

And, former Phil Aaron Rowand got his first start of the postseason in place of Andres Torres, who has provided nothing offensively other than a breeze from his empty whiffs. Rowand, of course, responded with a double and later scored to extend the Giants lead to 3-0. 

Any notion that Jimmy Rollins might have kick started the Phillies offense with his bases loaded double on Sunday night was quickly dismissed with another moribund postseason showing. 

Yes, Matt Cain is pretty good, but the Phillies have owned him prior to his two-hit, no run work over seven innings yesterday. He was 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA against the Phillies coming into the game. 

Cain, Javier Lopez, and the anti-Beach Boy Brian Wilson combined to shutout the Phillies on three hits. They seemingly alternated between striking out Phillies hitters and getting them to hit routine ground balls to second baseman Freddy Sanchez.  

The time has come for Manuel to change things up to perhaps trigger a spark or avoid digging a bigger hole. Here are four suggestions for tonight’s game that could make a difference. 

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Add another momentum-shifting RBI to Cody Ross’ stellar postseason résumé.

A fourth inning single by the Giants right fielder opened up the scoring in Game 3 of the NLCS, giving Matt Cain (7 IP, 0 R) the only run support he would need in the Giants’ 3-0 home victory.

San Francisco has found lightning in a bottle with Ross, who was only claimed off waivers by the Giants to block the Padres from acquiring him.

After only seeing time in September because of an injury to center fielder Andres Torres, Ross made the most of his opportunity at the plate, registering three homers and five RBI during the last two weeks of the regular season.

Once Torres returned, Ross still split right field duties with fellow midseason pickup Jose Guillen, who now walks around in street clothes since he was left off the Giants’ playoff roster.

Finally a full-time starter, despite getting lifted for defensive specialist Nate Schierholtz in later innings, Ross has found his groove at the plate over the season’s last month.

In his last four playoff games, the Giants right fielder is batting an even .500 (6-for-12) with four home runs and six RBI despite facing the likes of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels (not to mention veteran Derek Lowe in Game 4 of the NLDS).

In Game 1, squaring off against a previously unhittable Halladay (batters were 0-for-34 in the postseason against Halladay up to that point), the Giants’ eight-hitter powered home runs to left field in consecutive at-bats against the Phillies’ ace, and his two RBI would end up being the difference in a tightly contested 4-3 San Fran win.

The seven-year veteran has driven in the opening run in each of the Giants’ last three games (including two home runs) and has slowly moved his way up in the San Francisco batting order, topping out at the five-hole in Tuesday’s lineup.

The Giants are hoping that Ross’ recent surge will spark an otherwise impotent San Francisco offense that has been searching for consistency at the plate all season long.

Aside from Ross’ production, the rest of the San Francisco lineup has combined to hit .189 (18-for-95) with just four runs batted in the first three games of the NLCS and has given no indication that it will heat up anytime soon.

Ahead in the series 2-1, the Giants have an opportunity to put the Phillies in a serious bind with a win in Game 5, and they have a chance to score runs against a very beatable Joe Blanton.

San Francisco may need to rely on Cody Ross to play hero once again for them if they have any hope of reaching their first World Series in eight years.

Jesse Paguaga is a regular contributor to Baseball Digest. He writes as an intern on the Bleacher Report website. Jesse writes for Gotham Baseball, along with Gotham Hoops and Gotham Gridiron. He can be reached at Paguaga@usc.edu and can be found on Facebook and on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/@jpags77

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The score was 3-2 in favor of the Yankees. There were two on and two out for one of the most feared hitters in the game today, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers led the series two games to one, so this was a critical at-bat for the Yankees and their underachieving pitcher A.J. Burnett.

Hamilton hit a pop foul down the left field line—and then it happened.

As Yankee left fielder Brett Gardner closed on the ball, he was quickly running out of room. As he got to the wall and was reaching up to make the catch, a fan reached up to make the catch also and got his hands on the ball. A disgusted Gardner glared into the stands, and Hamilton was given a reprieve.

Sound familiar, Cubs fans?

This was Steve Bartman all over again. It was a similar play that kept an at-bat alive for the Florida Marlins in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. The Marlins then went on to score eight runs in the eighth inning and forced a Game 7. They eventually won the World Series and kept the Cubs’ title-less streak alive at 95 years and still counting.

Bartman was immediately declared Public Enemy No. 1 in Chicago. He was escorted from Wrigley Field before the game ended for his own safety. He was then forced to become a recluse. He still has not been heard from since. The man’s life was forever changed.

But here is the thing: It was not his fault. It never was. And now we have proof. Burnett, undaunted, got Hamilton out. The inning ended, and the Yankees then went on to lose the game anyway. The play had no effect on the game—and in reality, neither did Bartman’s. It was a foul ball in the stands, which every baseball player knows is not fan interference.

If there are any fans that should be postseason-savvy enough to know to let the player make a play in that situation, it would be Yankee fans. After all, no fans have had more practice at the postseason than they have. Yet here they were going after the ball. Why? Because instinct takes over.

Part of being a fan at a baseball game is trying to catch a foul ball. It’s what keeps fans attentive. Without being allowed to keep baseballs, fans might not keep their eyes on the ball at all times, and there would be more fan injuries as a result. We are trained to try to catch foul balls as a youngster. It’s why kids bring their gloves to the game with them.

When Bartman and that Yankee fan reached for the ball, they were doing what any fan would do. You see the ball coming at you, you catch it. No fan should be punished for that.

Early last season on TV I saw a fan at a Tampa Bay Rays game get in Evan Longoria’s way on a similar play. Longoria yelled at him and then glared at him. The poor fan was mortified. If there is any team that cannot afford to alienate fans, it’s the Rays. I hope they apologized to him.

The Cubs need to reach out to Steve Bartman too. He did nothing wrong and has had to pay a steep price. The Cubs owe him an apology. Cubs fans owe him an apology. Baseball owes him an apology.

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Where to begin?

Last night at Yankee Stadium, Bengie Molina and Josh Hamilton propelled the Texas Rangers to a 10-3 drubbing of the New York Yankees to take a three games to one lead in the ALCS.

With New York now on the brink of elimination, Game 4 could mark the final nail in the coffin for the Yankees.

There is so much to break down from this game. So many things that could’ve gone the Yankees’ way didn’t, and there were so many missed opportunities and questionable decisions.

To make it easier, let’s break the big ones down one at a time.

The Cano home run in the second inning

With no one on and one out in the second, Robinson Cano homered to right field. As Rangers OF Nelson Cruz went back on the ball, tracking it the whole way, Yankees fans in right field stood up, hoping to get themselves a souvenir. Cruz leapt, trying to make the catch, and after it went out claimed fan interference.

Looking back on the play, there were basically three fans involved. Two of them were going for the ball, while a third seemed to be going for Cruz’s glove. While the umpires wouldn’t even entertain the idea of fan interference, despite the pleading from Cruz and Texas manager Ron Washington, the question of interference is debatable.

In my opinion, this is not nearly as clear-cut as the Jeffrey Maier incident in 1996, which is drawing the comparisons. Once Cruz put his glove into the stands, whatever happens is his own fault. You can’t expect the fans to get out of the way.

Now it did seem as if one of the fans swatted at Cruz’s glove and wasn’t going for the ball at all. If that’s the case, Cruz did have a case, and the umpires should’ve taken another look. It looked like the ball was out of Cruz’s reach anyway, but if the fan intentionally went for Cruz’s glove, is that interference?

The bottom of the fourth inning

With the game tied 2-2, the Yankees loaded the bases with one out. After the Rangers made a pitching change, Brett Gardner came up against Derek Holland. Gardner hit a well-struck ball into the hole at short that Elvis Andrus made a diving stop on to nail Cano at third. A-Rod scored the go-ahead run, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead, but Andrus’ play killed any chance the Yankees had for a bigger inning.

If Andrus can’t make that play, Cano might have scored from second, or at least the bases would’ve stayed loaded. Instead, Cano was the second out, and Francisco Cervelli, starting in place of Jorge Posada, struck out to end the inning. That play would loom large because in the sixth inning…

The Molina home run

Yankee manager Joe Girardi’s decision to give the struggling A.J. Burnett the start in Game 4 was met with a lot of criticism. Enough has already been said about “should he” or “shouldn’t he,” so we won’t get into that. He did, end of story. But the bigger question is why Girardi left Burnett in the game as long as he did.

In the top of the sixth, Nelson Cruz singled and took second base on a fly ball off the bat of Ian Kinsler. At this point, Girardi should’ve pulled Burnett. Joba Chamberlain was already warmed up and ready to come in. Burnett had only given up two runs and would’ve been able to leave the game to cheering from the fans.

Instead, Girardi chose not only to leave Burnett in the game, but to also put the go-ahead run on base by intentionally walking David Murphy. Okay, so now he makes the move to Chamberlain, right? Wrong.

Burnett was left in the game to pitch to Bengie Molina, who proceeded to crush a three-run homer to left field, giving Texas the 5-3 lead and sending Burnett to the showers. As soon as the ball left Molina’s bat, Alex Rodriguez put his hands on his knees and dropped his head. Even beneath the mask, you could see Cervelli’s reaction.

This was by far the dumbest decision Girardi has made this entire postseason and will probably come to symbolize the Yankees’ play if they lose the series.

We all know the rest of the story. The Yankee bullpen would implode again, this time to the tune of five runs, all earned, on seven hits. In the seventh, Yankee reliever Boone Logan gave up the first of Josh Hamilton’s two home runs; the other came in the ninth inning off Sergio Mitre. Mitre would also cough up a two-run homer to Nelson Cruz for good measure.

The Yankee fans who had the stomach to stay till the end would see a 10-3 final score and find the Yankees in shambles, on the verge of elimination.

Tonight, they’ll try to stay alive with CC Sabathia on the mound. They’ll have to do it, however, without first baseman Mark Teixeira, who went down with a hamstring injury in the fifth inning and has already been ruled out for the rest of the postseason should the Yankees make it any further.

It’s going to be a tall order to not only win tonight, but also get the series to a seventh game. Even if they manage to do it, the Yankees will have to face Cliff Lee…again.

Make no mistake—if the Yankees are eliminated tonight, the fans are going to look at last night’s Game 4 with disgust. Whatever or whoever you choose to blame, there is plenty to choose from and really no wrong choice.

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The Texas Rangers have dominated the New York Yankees in this series. They have outscored them 30-11, outhit .307 to .198, and the Yankees are only hitting .154 with runners in scoring position. Aside from the top half of the eighth inning in Game 1, the Rangers have dominated the Yankees in every way. C.J. Wilson dominated Yankee ace CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee dominated Andy Pettitte and Colby Lewis dominated Phil Hughes.

The Ranger bats have also dominated Yankee pitching. Josh Hamilton has hit four home runs in this series, and is looking more like the regular season MVP candidate. Nelson Cruz, Bengie Molina, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Michael Young and even Mitch Moreland have all been swinging hot bats. The No. 7, 8, and 9 hitters in the Rangers’ order have produced 10 RBI this series, and Molina has four of them. The Texas Rangers are in prime position to advance to their first ever World Series.

Now, with a commanding 3-1 lead, the Rangers look to step on the Yankees throat, when they send C.J. Wilson to the mound tonight. 

Here are five reasons the Rangers will wrap up this series in Game 5 tonight.

1. Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton is perhaps swinging the hottest bat in the postseason right now, except for maybe Cody Ross. Hamilton has hit four homers in four games, while showing the MVP-like hitting he produced in the regular season. 

Hamilton has had many clutch hits in this series. His home run in the first inning of Game 3 gave Cliff Lee all the support he would need in that game. His homers in the seventh and ninth innings of last night’s game, put the nail in the Yankees’ coffin en route to a 10-3 win.

If Hamilton continues to swing a hot bat, then the Rangers will have no problem wrapping up this series in five games. The series ending in five games is something few people predicted for the start of this series. Hamilton is a main reason that it could end in five.

2. All-Around Play of Elvis Andrus

Elvis Andrus has been a monster in this series. He has affected every game in every way. He has a hit in every game this postseason. He is one of the best on the team at producing productive outs. Elvis Andrus has affected games at the plate, in the field, and on the base paths. He has the ability to get on base from the leadoff spot, to advance the runners over, or to drive a runner who is in scoring position in.

Perhaps his most effective quality, however, is in the field. Last night was a prime example of this, Andrus made a diving stop on a grounder, and while still on the ground made the force out at third. This saved a run or even two, and changed the whole complexion of the game.

If Andrus can continue his stellar all-around play in Game 5, the Rangers will make quick work of the Yankees. 

3. No Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira severely strained his right hamstring sliding into first to beat a throw on Tuesday night in Game 4. He will need six to eight weeks to recover from an injury where he came up awkwardly on a fielders’ choice. 

Even though Teixeira was hitless, going 0-for-14, he is still one of their most dangerous hitters, and he hits in the No. 3 spot in their lineup. Teixeira is one of the most dangerous hitters in the game and could hit it out at any time.

More than his hitting, Teixeira is a phenomenal fielder. He made two outstanding plays on balls hit to the right side of the infield, saving runs. His defense will be hard to replace, and could provide opportunity to take advantage.

4. Nelson Cruz and Vladimir Guerrero 

Cruz and Guerrero hit in the No. 4 and 5 spots in the Texas lineup. Cruz has been on a tear this postseason, hitting home runs, doubles and driving in a lot of runs. Guerrero has been quiet this postseason, looking like he is in a slump, but he showed signs of resurgence last night, when he was able to produce three hits.

When Cruz and Guerrero are both productive, it makes the Rangers lineup even more dangerous. This does not allow Yankee pitchers to pitch around Hamilton to get to Guerrero.

If Guerrero and Cruz come alive tonight, the game, and the series will be over before the Yankees know it.

5. C.J. Wilson

C.J. Wilson pitched a gem in Game 1, even though the Rangers took the loss. He outpitched Yankee ace CC Sabathia in every way, and fooling the Yankees time and time again. He is left-handed like Cliff Lee, and is showing signs of even pitching like Lee, and that is a scary sign for opposing hitters.

Wilson went 15-8 this season, and the Rangers went 23-9 when he pitched. Wilson will look to expound on his Game 1 performance, and shut the Yankees down.

C.J. Wilson has the ball in his hands to lead the Rangers to their first ever World Series.

The Rangers have the Yankees on the ropes with the ability to deliver the knockout blow tonight. C.J. Wilson has the chance to lead a whole state into jubilation.

The eyes of the entire state will be on this game tonight, with anticipation of a first ever World Series.

Will there be rejoicing in Arlington, Texas tonight?

Any thoughts on this article? Please comment or Email me at paulferguson2@att.net

Paul Ferguson is an intern at Bleacher report

Follow him on twitter at: @paulwall5

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The New York Yankees are all but out of their ALCS match-up with the Texas Rangers. 

With the exception of just a few innings, they have been dominated throughout and should have been swept.  Their dramatic comeback in Game 1 is the only reason that they’re still in this series.  Now they will need more of that comeback magic to survive.

Many factors have gone into the Rangers’ dominance in this series. Lots of ideas have been kicked around, but one that never gets mentioned is the fact that the Rangers are better than the almighty Yankees. 

Is this true?  Well, it sure looks that way after four games, though a Yankee comeback is always possible.

Here are five ways the Yankees can climb back into this series.

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