Kuzul

Much has been said and written about the Giants lackluster offense.

The team batted .257 in 2010, finishing sixteenth while the Rangers hit .276 and finished first.

On the other hand, both teams did hit 162 Home runs finishing tied for tenth.

But pushing aside generalized offensive statistics, something strange happened during the course of the year that only keen eyes were privy to.

The Giants cut up opposing teams’ aces.

Here’s a list of the best ten National League pitchers in 2010 using Earned Run Average, then what the Giants did against them.

1. Josh Johnson, FLA, 2.3
2. Adam Wainwright, STL, 2.42
3. Roy Halladay, PHI, 2.44
4. Jaime Garcia, STL, 2.70
5. Roy Oswalt, HOU, 2.76
6. Tim Hudson, ATL, 2.83
7. R.A. Dickey, NYM, 2.84
8. Ubaldo Jimenez, COL, 2.88
9. Clayton Kershaw, LAD, 2.91
10. Mat Latos, SD, 2.92
    
    

Josh Johnson: The Emperor’s New Clothes

From May 13th, 2010 to July 22nd, 2010, Josh Johnson pitched six innings or more and gave up two earned runs or less in 13 straight starts, a major league record.

Yet, on July 27th he came into AT&T Park in San Francisco and got roughed up.

He gave up three earned runs in seven innings and his historic streak was over.

During his streak he dominated the Phillies (twice), Rangers, Colorado, Dodgers, and Tampa Bay among others.

Sure, the Giants lost the game 6-4 with Johnson getting a No Decision, but the point is they roughed up the best of the best, ended the streak, and showed the Emperor without his clothes.

Johnson’s season began to spiral downward after that with his ERA going from 1.61 to 2.3.

So how did the supposedly anemic Giants manage eight hits and three walks versus the hottest pitcher in the universe?

Adam Wainwright: Good is not Great

On May 24th, Adam Wainwright laced ’em up versus Barry Zito at AT&T park.

Nine innings later, Wainwright had his first loss of the season as the Giants won 2-0.

Zito’s stuff that night was electric as he gave up only three hits while striking out 10 in eight innings of work.

The offense didn’t pound Wainwright into the ground, but they scratched out a respectable two runs and seven hits to get the job done.

The cast of no name misfits proved their mettle against arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the last three years.

Roy Hallady: Meet Cody Ross

Not only did the Giants beat Halladay in game one of the NLCS, they marred him in game five and scorched him on April 26th for 10 hits, five earned runs, and his first loss of the season.

His ERA went from 0.82 to 1.80 on that night in April.

How did such a mortal offense give such an immortal legend fits all season?

Jaime Garcia: Not so Fast, Rookie

On April 23rd, the Giants got to the rookie phenom for 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned runs, and 3 walks over 6 innings.

They won the game 4-1. And while it was still early in the year, Garcia’s ERA jumped from 0.69 to 1.42.

Garcia would shut them down later in the year to finish 1-1, despite his 2.7 ERA for the year.

Roy Oswalt: Wile E. Coyote

Roy Oswalt must really, really, really hate the Giants.

Not only did he go 0-3 against them during the regular season with Tim Lincecum showing him the difference between owning Cy Youngs and wishing, but they eventually knocked him out of the playoffs.

Even when he finally got a win against them in Game 2 of the NLCS, he turns right back around a few days later and earns the loss in the ninth inning of Game 4.

Then, he gets cut up again in Game 6 and while not getting the loss he certainly didn’t pitch well enough to get the victory.

How much is he wishing he forced his way onto the Texas Rangers instead of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Twenty years from now Roy Oswalt is still going to have nightmares about the San Francisco Giants.

The funniest thing is he’ll think back to their average offense and just scratch his head in bewilderment.

Tim Hudson: Kryptonite

Hudson is the only pitcher in baseball this year who the Giants just didn’t get. Not ever. All year.

Including the playoffs, Hudson went 1-0 with two no decisions.

In 22 innings, he gave up only 10 hits and two earned runs.

Yet even though he was untouchable, the Giants won Game 2 against the Braves in the NLDS.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

R.A. Dickey: Speaking of Lucky

Giants didn’t play him this year. Lucky for him.

Ubaldo “U-boat” Jimenez: A Game He’d Like to Forget

Jimenez starts against the Giants in 2010 netted a 2-2 outcome with him earning two wins against one loss.

His no decision against the Giants on July 3rd, however, was his worst of the year.

The Giants massacred an erratic Jimenez while feasting on seven earned runs in six innings. It was the most earned runs he gave up in 2010.

In his two wins, Jimenez was his typical dominant self. But on September 1st with the stretch run beginning, the Giants beat him 2-1.

Lincecum beat him in that game and also showed him the difference between owning Cy Young awards and wishing.

Clayton Kershaw: Dodger-meat

The Giants went 2-2 in games started by Kershaw in 2010. His two losses include a combined 13 innings, 11 hits, 6 walks, and 6 runs.

Despite his dominant stuff, the Giants kept him honest.

Mat Latos: Keep Your Mouth Shut, Kid

Mat Latos had the Giants number early in the year, but by the end of the year he wished they would just go away.

He faced them six times during the season, and in those six starts the Padres went 2-4.

The Giants offense got to him enough and at the right times, to keep him vexed. Even to the point he started trash talking.

Then on the last day of the year with the Padres still holding an outside shot at the postseason, the Giants clawed him into his grave, beating him 3-0 on October 3rd.

Conclusion

So what gives? How does an average offense manage to cut up aces. Reason, common sense, and statistical analysis would suggest the Giants struggle mightily against aces.

But they don’t. They didn’t.

Because… heart, courage, and pride don’t cater to reason.

The Giants offense is an overweight, poor, uneducated father who God has blessed with the most beautiful daughter in all the land.

He knows he is barely worthy to be her father, which makes him all the more stalwart and prideful in protecting her.

He would cut any man’s throat who even thought to impugn his daughter’s beauty and grace.

He is humble, but always ready to defend her, especially against other maidens across the land.

Cliff Lee is a very pretty princess, but he comes nowhere close to matching the beauty of the Giants pitching staff.

And so the overweight, poor, uneducated father that is the Giants offense will cut him, again and again, until he’s dead.

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The 2010 World Series is upon us. In the next week or two we have the chance to see baseball history, to see two teams competing at the highest level for the crowning achievement in all of baseball. Along the way, perhaps we’ll share in a collective moment that will last a lifetime.

As we prepare to watch the Texas Rangers face off against the San Francisco Giants in this year’s Fall Classic, let’s have a look back at some of the greatest moments in World Series history.

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This World Series won’t showcase the teams most of us expected or the MLB probably wanted.

But even casual fans, and all Yankee and Philly detractors, will be excited to see a few new faces in this year’s Fall Classic.

The Giants haven’t been to a World Series since 2002, and it’s well documented that the Rangers are making their World Series debut.

The Rangers battered pitchers all season, ending the regular season ranked fifth in runs with the league’s highest batting average. In the postseason the Rangers have outscored their opponents 59-32, pounding both Yankee and Tampa Bay starters and relievers.

On the other side, the Giants bring arguably the best rotation in baseball to the World Series. Anchored by 2008 and 2009 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, the San Francisco Giants had the lowest ERA in baseball this season at 3.68. That ERA has shrunk during the playoffs to 2.47.

This is the big matchup: one of the best hitting teams in baseball against the deepest rotation. Cliff Lee aside, the rest of the Rangers rotation is unlikely to pitch shutouts, and the Giants are unlikely to tee off for 10 runs in a game. The World Series will turn on this matchup. The Giants will score a few runs here and there and hope their pitching gets the job done.

Tim Lincecum

This season Lincecum did not face off against the Rangers. After his 14-strikeout playoff debut, Lincecum was steady, if not brilliant, against the Phillies. Expect him to pitch well at home against a lineup dominated by right-handers. Also, look for him to try to neutralize Josh Hamilton with his devastating change-up rather than go after him the way Yankees did.

Matt Cain

Cain pitched a brilliant game against the Phillies in the NLCS. The Phillies’ lefty lineup favored Cain, and he may struggle to replicate that dominance against the Rangers.

Jonathan Sanchez

Sanchez pitched poorly in his start against the Phillies, but the bullpen saved him. That is the big advantage for the Giants. They may have a slight advantage with their starters, but they certainly have a better bullpen. If need be, the Giants can lean on that.

Madison Bumgarner

The Giants’ 21-year-old fourth starter will face a stiff test in Game 4 if Bruce Bochy decides to call on him. He’s pitched well in the postseason but hasn’t faced a lineup like this.

Overview

Basically, the Giants don’t generate a lot of offense. Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell, the Giants’ big hitters in the regular season, have struggled in the postseason. This offense isn’t rolling the way it was down the stretch in the regular season. Cliff Lee, one of the most dominant postseason pitchers in history, is likely to shut them down. For the Giants to overcome Lee’s starts, the pitching staff will have to be lights out.

Honestly, I just don’t see that happening.

Prediction: Rangers in six

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Ladies and gentlemen, your 2010 World Series combatants—the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants.

Fox television executives may not love it, and there are loads of disgruntled Yankee and Phillie fans grumbling about the legitimacy of this version of the Fall Classic. But this World Series promises to be a thrilling affair.

The defending champions of each league were sent packing, each bitterly disappointed that their dreams of a series rematch would never be realized. Last year’s World Series entrants both swept their divisional series foes, only to run into hungry squads that refused to be intimidated by the New York and Philly postseason pedigrees.

Texas has been generally regarded as a potent offensive juggernaut, but as it proved in its thorough dismantling of the New York Yankees, the Rangers can certainly pitch with the best of them. Midseason arrival Cliff Lee and his stellar postseason resume lead the way. But C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter form a diverse rotation capable of silencing the bats of the opposition, even the vaunted Yankee lineup.

San Francisco on the other hand, may have surprised its opposition with its offensive output, as the Giants earned their way to the World Series primarily on the strength of their pitching and, of course, their beards. Led by two-time defending Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, the Giants boast a thrilling, young starting staff that should have Bay Area fans excited about the next several years.

With Game 1 rapidly approaching on Wednesday, let’s take a look at the starting pitching rotations for each team. Since Texas hasn’t quite decided in which order it will trot out its starters and which hurler will occupy the fourth slot, we’ll profile the pitchers in contention for those roles.

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The World Series kicks off Wednesday, and there are few people who would have guessed it would be the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants left standing when the season came down to its final series.

On one side, there is the offensive juggernaut that is the Rangers, a team that outscored the Yankees nearly 2-1 in knocking them off and advancing to their first World Series ever. Throw in the ace of all aces in Cliff Lee, and you see why the Rangers are favored to win it all.

On the other side, there are the underdog Giants, a team that needed a win on the final day of the season just to qualify for the postseason. Their offense is nothing to write home about on paper, but they always seem to score just enough to back their stellar pitching.

So here are ten aspects of the upcoming best of seven series, and who holds the edge, as we look at every area of the Ranger vs. Giants match-up to come.

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I can remember not long ago when a certain Giants fan voted against SF in the NLCS against the Phillies.

This Giants fan had lost his way, dazzled by the stats, highlights and in-depth commentary that pervaded his home before the series, all leading him to believe his beloved Giants would fight a good fight but ultimately crumble before the mighty two-time defending NL champs.

But the Giants didn’t lose. They didn’t crumble. In fact, they won four games to two, with the final win coming inexplicably in Philly against Roy Oswalt—who had dominated them in Game 2—and with their most unpredictable starter, Jonathan Sanchez, basically imploding.

That is when this Giants fan realized this team is bigger than any stats, bigger than anything on paper, and that talent alone wasn’t carrying this team—destiny was.

What this team has done this season has been remarkable, a team of castoffs many cast off as lucky to be in the playoffs, lucky to have the privilege of facing the powerful Phillies.

But this Giants fan knows better now—and he will be damned if he picks the Texas Rangers over the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.

Thus, here are 10 Reasons SF Will Win the Ring.

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The world is going to end in 2012.

The world ending in 2012 is the only reason I can think of, that the Texas Rangers are in the World Series, while the Cowboys are 1-4, the Texas Longhorns are out of the Top 25, and TCU and Baylor are in the top 25.

The Rangers came into this season with three playoff appearances, and only having won one playoff game out of ten. This year, however, the Rangers changed all that. In the ALDS, the Rangers won games one and two, doubling their previous amount of postseason wins.

The Tampa Bay Rays would storm back and take games three and four, before “Mr. October,” Cliff Lee lead them to a Game five victory.

The Texas Rangers were finally winners of a postseason series, for the first time in franchise history. Their next opponent, in the ALCS, would be no cakewalk. The New York Yankees, winners of 27 World Titles, were looking to continue their quest for No. 28.

They were boasting former Ranger stars, such as Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees were trailing 5-0 in Game 1, before making a roaring comeback, leading most fans to believe, that the Bronx Bombers would easily dispose of the Rangers en route to a 28th title. 

The Rangers would not go quietly, however, taking three straight games from the Yankees in commanding fashion. The Yankees decisively took Game 5, to take the series back to Arlington.

In Game 6, Colby Lewis shut down the Yankees for eight innings, and Vladimir Guerrero, and Nelson Cruz made the Yankees pay with an RBI Double and 2-run homer respectively, following a Josh Hamilton intentional walk.

In the ninth inning, Neftali Feliz struck out Nick Swisher, got Robinson Cano to ground out, and the batter was Alex Rodriguez. After throwing fastballs that clocked at 98 mph, 99 mph and 100 mph, the count was 1-2.

The crowd was on its feet, and Feliz froze Rodriguez with an 83 mph curveball for strike three.  Is there a more fitting way for the Rangers to make their first ever World Series, than by striking out A-Rod? Oh the Irony of that moment. 

As soon as strike three was called by the umpire, pandemonium broke loose in Texas, people (including myself) waited in lines up to three hours after the game to get their Texas Rangers World Series merchandise. The Rangers have broken the curse!

Wait.

The Story is not over yet, the Rangers defeated the mighty Yankees, but they are not champions yet. What good would the 1980 Olympic hockey team win over the Soviet Union be, if they had not went and won the gold medal the next day?

The Texas Rangers have unfinished business, and in the World Series, they will be “Facing the Giants.”

The San Francisco Giants that is. Game 1 presents an awesome pitching matchup in the form of Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum. The Rangers are looking for their first ever World Title, and they will have to slay the Giants in order to do so. 

The Giants are the best pitching team in the MLB, while the Rangers are the best hitting team in the MLB. This matchup is strength vs. strength.

The celebration has died down in Texas, and it is time for the Rangers to finish what they started.

The Rangers look to atone for the seasons of the Cowboys and the Longhorns.

Will the Rangers slay the Giants?

In the words of Rangers manager Ron Washington, “The Time is now.”

For questions regarding the article, please comment or send me an e-mail.

Paul Ferguson is an intern at Bleacher Report.

Paul is the director of NFL Content at premiersportstalk.com

Visit CleeFacts.com

Follow him on twitter at: @paulwall5

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When the Texas Rangers acquired catcher Bengie Molina from the San Francisco Giants on July 1st, no one knew these two teams would be meeting in the World Series.

If they did, maybe Molina wouldn’t be wearing Rangers red, white and blue.

When the World Series begins Wednesday night in San Francisco, the Rangers need to take full advantage of their inside man. Molina played for the Giants for four seasons and knows all about the pitches Texas is going to see from Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain.

How much of a factor this will be remains to be seen, but maybe the Giants’ decision to award Molina with a World Series ring and a full playoff bonus if they win is more of a payoff than a fair shake.

Offensively, Molina didn’t have a great regular season, hitting only .249 with five home runs for the Giants and Rangers. The postseason has been a different story for Molina. In 30 postseason at-bats so far, Molina is batting .333 with two home runs and seven RBI.

If the Rangers give Molina the lion’s share of the starts at catcher in the World Series, it could be because of his numbers, or it could be because of his knowledge of the opposing pitchers. Do you really think Molina isn’t already in his teammates’ ears about what they can expect? “Lincecum likes to do this…” or “When Cain has you in an 0-2 count, look for…”

The Giants are pitching rich. It’s how they got past the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies to capture the National League pennant and reach the World Series, not because of their offense. Yes, the Rangers don’t have a bad rotation themselves, but you have to give the edge to the Giants.

When Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum meet on Wednesday night in what will be one of the best pitching matchups in recent memory, Bengie Molina should be behind the plate for the Rangers.

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Tim Lincecum: the Most Important Player in The World Series

For the Giants, that is certainly true. But of all the 50 players that will be participating in the 2010 World Series—which begins Wednesday at 7:57 p.m. in the San Francisco’s AT&T Park—”The Freak” is still the most important.

Here are 10 of the reasons why:

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It’s time for another World Series. Time to take attendance.

In the National League—San Francisco Giants? Check. Lineage of the old New York Giants—the franchise of Ott, Mathewson, Hubbell, Mays, Durocher and Irvin, then later in San Francisco: McCovey, Marichal, Cepeda, all those Alous. Here’s your pass—good luck out there.

Now to the American League.

Hey, is this someone’s idea of a joke? Who goes there? The Texas Rangers?

The Texas Rangers?

I’m not laughing. This may as well be the World Serious. No time for gags.

Texas Rangers, please have a seat. Where are the Yankees, tied up in the back room? Were the Red Sox too busy? Heck, give me the Oakland A’s—or even the Angels of Los Angeles/Anaheim/Southern California. Let’s make it an intra-state Series.

What happened to the Baltimore Orioles? I hear Boog Powell is ready to club another three-run home run while Earl Weaver steals a smoke in the runway.

Really, stop fooling around here. The Texas Rangers? Aren’t they the team that got their asses kicked by a bunch of dime beer-consuming fans in Cleveland back in 1974? Manager Billy Martin was running around the field at Municipal Stadium wielding a bat, trying to keep the drunks off his players.

What’s tradition with the Rangers? They came from Washington—first in war, first in peace, last in the American League. Ted Williams was the Rangers’ first manager; he lasted one season before he realized he didn’t look good in cowboy boots.

The Texas Rangers? In the World Series?

Where’s Allen Funt and that hidden camera? OK, you got me good. I wasn’t ready for that one. Nicely played.

How could the Rangers be in the World Series? Their all-time greatest team includes Buddy Bell and Pete O’Brien. Is this the Rangers’ reward for being the first team to schedule Sunday night games? Hey, it was only because it was too damn hot to play during the daytime—let’s not go overboard here.

Didn’t Nolan Ryan just pitch for them a couple of years ago? He went from the mound on a Friday to the president’s office on Monday, I hear.

The Texas Rangers, showing up to the World Series? To actually play in it?

Is this like when they elected Carrie as Prom Queen? Are they going to dump pig’s blood on them just before the first pitch in Game 1?

No teams named after a whole state should be in the World Series—isn’t that a rule? The Minnesota Twins did it three times and the Arizona Diamondbacks once but I hear someone had some photographs.

The Texas Rangers. They didn’t even win a postseason series until this year. Hell, they hadn’t even won a playoff game at home, period, until this month, and that was in the second round. There ought to be a law against such a fast track to the World Series.

With the Giants all the aforementioned names come to mind. With the Rangers, I keep thinking of Billy Sample and Steve Buechele and Jeff Burroughs. I stop and try again and all I can come up with is Joe Lovitto and Jim Sundberg and Dean Palmer.

Yeah, I know they had the Rodriguezes Pudge and Alex, but they both beat it out of town.

This is the franchise that won 94 games in 1977, but it needed four managers to do it—all managing within a week of each other.

Frank Lucchesi was fired on June 21. Eddie Stanky was brought in and he managed one game on June 22 before he got homesick and quit. The Rangers then turned to coach Connie Ryan and he managed six games. Finally, Billy Hunter took over a week after Lucchesi’s last game and guided the Rangers for the final 93 games. The name plates were made from dry erase board.

Two of the Rangers’ first three managers were Ted Williams and Billy Martin. Whitey Herzog was in between. Three big names, and that was the problem—they were bigger names than their players.

Until the Rangers won the ALCS the other night, the proudest night in franchise history was the night Nolan Ryan beat the stuffing out of young whippersnapper Robin Ventura on the pitching mound, when Ventura charged Ryan after being hit in the back with one of Nolan’s fastballs.

Someone should have told Robin that he got lucky with a medium-speed fastball in the back; if Nolan wanted to, he could have killed him, right there in the batter’s box.

So it’s not a joke then? The Texas Rangers are really here to play in the World Series?

Ohhh…I get it. This year’s Series is going to bleed into November and they needed a warm weather state.

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