Kuzul

The 2010 World Series could not have started worse for the Texas Rangers, who return to Arlington, Texas down 2-0 to the San Francisco Giants.

Returning home for three straight games is the best news for the Rangers right now, and to be fair, the Giants have only won two home games, which is what you’re supposed to do.

Cliff Lee will pitch again, and the offense is almost certain to wake up.

The boost the Rangers need may come from their fans, who will no doubt be very wild for Game 3, which will be the first home World Series game in the history of the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers are still a legitimate threat to the Giants, and here’s 10 reasons why.

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If the Texas Rangers are going to win the 2010 World Series, it will no longer rest with Cliff Lee (who lost the first game). Instead, it’s now squarely on the shoulders of the other ace, Colby Lewis.

Assuming that the two teams were reasonably competitive, San Francisco was going to win at least Game 2 at home against C.J. Wilson in AT&T Park. The fact that the Giants also won Game 1 shows that they are VERY competitive.

Making the “competitive” assumption implies that the Rangers will win at least two out of three in Arlington. Those two games will likely be Game 3 pitched by Lewis and Game 5 pitched by Lee, both at home. Game 4, with Tommy Hunter starting, is the question mark.

If the Giants win one out of three in Texas, they will have a decided advantage, needing only to split the remaining two games and facing Wilson, whom they’ve already beaten in Game 6. If the Rangers win all three games at home, they’d be leading 3-2, but with the onus of playing on the road. Their situation would be like that of a backgammon player leading a “race” by four “pips” (versus an average roll of eight), but with the other player on roll.

Let’s say that the tally is 3-3 at the end of six, either by the Rangers sweeping three at home and losing Game 6, or less likely, winning Game 6 after losing one at home. Then it would be Colby Lewis in Game 7 against Jonathan Sanchez with the Rangers on the road for the tiebreaker.

Having demonstrated why it (almost) HAS to be Lewis, I will now show why it CAN be Lewis. He now has the Ranger starters’ best postseason ERA, 1.45. The Giants have pitched to a 2.46 ERA in the postseason. Lewis can beat this while Lee couldn’t in his meltdown in Game 1.

At age 31, Lewis is the other highly experienced starter on the roster and doesn’t pitch appreciably worse on the road than at home, a sign of that experience. Having spent two years in Japan, he may also have a different experience than the average American pitcher. If anything, that could at least make him harder for batters to “read.”

There are no guarantees that Lewis will pull the Rangers chestnuts out of the fire or that his team will get the World Series to Game 7 to give him the chance. However, if Lewis can’t do it, no one else on the team probably will either.

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Ah, you gotta love Texas and its slang.

Whether the Rangers are sweatin’ like a turkey the day before Thanksgiving or not, they ought to be because the Giants have spanked them so far like a rented mule.

Everything is bigger in Texas, they say. But for Rangers fans, players and management, nothing is bigger than Game 3 of this here World Series.

For if’n the Giants find a way to win again, it’s all over but the shoutin’.

Thus far, the Giants have been hotter’n a goat’s butt in a pepper patch. Yes sir, following an 11-7 beatdown of previously untouchable Cliff Lee and the Rangers in Game 1, the city by the Bay came back to clobber Texas 9-0 on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, the Rangers will be happy as a tick on a stray dog if they find the home cookin’ to their liking on Saturday. They return home to face the Giants in a pivotal Game 3 that will likely end any fading hope of a Rangers title if they lose.

The burden rests on the broad shoulders of starting pitcher Colby Lewis, who has been really good in the postseason thus far. Lewis has started three games while allowing just three runs.

So let’s take a look at the keys to Game 3. Now I may be two sandwiches short of a picnic, but if Texas can win this game, they are right back in the series.

But if they lose? Well, that would be a kick in the Texas pistachio wagon.

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In a town that really knows how to party, Giants fans are throwing an after-party by the bay, thrilled by the San Francisco Giants‘ captivating turnaround. In every sense, the city has been a lively, festive place with Halloween looming ever closer and die-hard fans wearing costumes or rowing into McCovey Cove, the waterway near the gorgeous ballpark at the bay.

Every night has felt like a party in the Bay Area, and it has been fun to watch the World Series generate action-packed drama and a beautiful tale. On another pleasant night, the Giants ignited yet another party and continued their World Series awakening with nearly every swing. It’s no coincidence that the Giants are the best ballclub to return to the Fall Classic, hitting the Texas Rangers, a ballclub that shed the misery and gruesome memories of postseason failures, harder than ever when much is at stake.

The wildest and most raucous fans in the majors waved orange pom-poms in the stands and were even more exhilarated to cheer on a 9-0 shutout over the Rangers that gave the Giants a 2-0 series lead. For once Thursday night, the Giants were taken seriously and capped one of the most lopsided wins in recent World Series history.

What we learned after this game is that Matt Cain is the latest version of Mr. October. His curly hairstyle reminds us of Larry from the Three Stooges, but his untouchable pitches remind us of a Most Valuable Player. For six-plus innings, he looked spectacular and too lethal to outduel with his usual fastball and incredible calmness on the mound. He could easily be named the next World Series MVP courtesy of his superb pitching in the postseason if the Giants win a title.

The Rangers were 0-7 with runners in scoring position against Cain, who made a vivid statement that he is the best pitcher this fall, clearly better than Roy Halladay or Tim Lincecum. As baseball’s next legend ripens before our very eyes, Cain is more than a talented pitcher, but a gifted pitcher within a franchise suddenly relishing a fascinating moment in recent memory.

As for Cain, of course, it was merely another flawless start, and he is still untouchable without allowing an earned run in the postseason. What should be memorable for the average Giants fan is that Cain has an astonishing 0.00 ERA. That is, of course, a rarity in the fall, but not when Cain is capable of throwing his fastballs on both sides of the plate, not when he wears an intimidating stare and shuts down the powerful lineup.

“We’ve put ourselves in a good situation,” said Cain. “We’ve just got to take that confidence and some of the good approaches that we’ve had into these last two games and take them down to Texas with us.”

When he left the game following 7 2/3 sterling innings, to be anointed with a standing ovation, he tipped his cap to the energized fan base, and one fan hoisted a sign that read, “Cain’t touch this.” There was even a sea of pom-poms wildly swinging to string together the craziest frenzy. Cain is barely 26, but is already close to winning his first World Series. He’s barely in his prime, but his legend is growing rapidly with a franchise that could eventually lavish him with an enormous deal.

With all the drama, he’s more valuable than Lincecum, the ace of the Giants who really isn’t the noteworthy ace but overshadowed by a more superior starter in the rotation. And finally this year, Cain, the longest-tenured Giant, is pitching a gem, not any longer relying on luck or talent. Last season, Cain was mentored by Randy Johnson, who taught him about being a starter. Cain must have listened; he is arguably the best pitcher on the Giants alongside Lincecum and the frightening closer Brian Wilson.

“He did a really good job of emphasizing to stay deep in the game…instead of trying to change the ball in different guys’ hands,” Cain said. “Not trying to say anything…but sometimes those guys might not be feeling good.”

This postseason, no one can match Cain’s resiliency and invincibility. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last 21.1 innings and owns a 2-0 record in his first three postseason starts. Thirty-five year old Edgar Renteria drove a fastball off C.J. Wilson over the left-field wall for a fifth-inning solo home run. But the real damage came in the eighth inning, the one inning that seemed to be a nightmare from Hell.  As Wilson was removed from the sixth with a blister, Cain found his moment to shine.

“He’s probably been our most consistent pitcher,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “He’s such a bulldog…He should be recognized.”

By now, he’s recognized.

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When the Texas Rangers returned home from New York, having taken two out of three games at Yankee Stadium, the airport was packed with Ranger fans ready to cheer on their team, ready to see them wrap up the ALCS at the Ballpark at Arlington.

Last night, that same team returned home with absolutely no fanfare at all, and no lead. They were dejected, beaten and shell-shocked. This morning, the media members that were there were saying a few players that were coming off the plane had their heads down, quiet and without a single expression.

Living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I got used to the media fanfare that came with the Rangers winning the ALCS. The excitement was evident and there was a feeling of excitement around the metroplex.

Instead of seeing Cowboy jerseys around town, they’ve been replaced by Ranger T-shirts, jerseys, hats, car flags and everything else you can imagine. Ranger nation has stood up strong and rooted for its team.

But, after the last two nights of watching their team get beaten like a drum, the excitement has died down, the excitement is almost gone, and a feeling of being dejected, shocked, and surprised has taken over this town.

This wasn’t supposed to happen like this. The Rangers were supposed to be the favorites in this series. They had Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson going in the first two games, yet their team returned home down two games to none.

Last night, my wife and I decided to go to a local restaurant to watch the game with a lot of other Ranger fans that were sure to show up, and show up they did.

They were in their red or blue claw and antler T-shirts, jerseys and hats, ready to cheer on their team.

The first four innings were uneventful, both C.J. Wilson and Matt Cain had thrown up zeros on the board. Then came the fifth inning, arguably the moment that could have been the turning point for the Texas Rangers.

Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler led off the fifth inning and took a high fastball deep to center field. Most of us in the restaurant were already on our feet thinking that ball was on its way over the center-field wall.

The ball hit the padding on the very top of the wall and instead of bouncing over the wall, it came back in play, and Kinsler was held to a double.

He would be left on second as neither David Murphy, Matt Treanor or C.J. Wilson, after a walk to Mitch Moreland, could move or score Kinsler.

That moment, the ball hitting the padding and coming back in, changed the entire complexity of the game. Instead of the Rangers going up 1-0 and taking the momentum and bringing it to their side, the game stayed scoreless.

It was a moment the Rangers needed, it was a run they desperately wanted and it was a run they wish they would have gotten.

In the home half of the fifth, Wilson delivered a good high fastball to shortstop Edgar Renteria, a fastball that he jumped all over and hammered over the left field wall to give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

The Giants fans were in a frenzy and the momentum that could have gone the Rangers’ way was gone.

As if things couldn’t get worse, the Rangers imploded in the eighth inning, giving up seven runs, three of which were given up without a single hit.

Derek Holland was brought into the game and he couldn’t throw a strike to save his life. In 13 pitches, Holland threw just one for a strike. While he was struggling on the mound, Rangers manager Ron Washington could only watch and apparently was so caught up in what was happening, he forgot to get anyone else warm in the bullpen.

By the time he did, it was too late. Holland had walked in two runs and the game had gotten away from them.

The most amazing part of all this was the Giants scored seven runs and all of those came with two outs in the inning. The Rangers needed one out, and it took three relievers, seven runs and three walked-in runs to get there.

Now, this team has put themselves in a hole they didn’t expect to be in. They’ve dug themselves this hole with their own shovels and it’s time to see what they’re made of over the next three games.

Their attitudes need to get better, they need to start having confidence in themselves, and they need to find ways to win. Not only that, but they need to sweep the next three games.

Yes, you heard me right. The Texas Rangers need to sweep their next three games at their home ballpark. They don’t want to see the Giants celebrate on their home field and they don’t want to go back to San Francisco down three games to two.

They haven’t won in San Francisco. In fact, they’ve been embarrassed in both games.

If the Rangers want fans to believe that they are the same team that knocked off the defending champion New York Yankees and if they want fans to show up next season, they need to prove that they are not the team that got it handed to them over the first two games.

Walk back into the ballpark, look around, imagine these fans filing in and imagine the expectations they had for this ball club coming into this series. Then imagine the disappointment they’re feeling this morning.

They’ve watched their team struggle and they’ve been sickened watching the Giants fans celebrate, having a party at the Rangers’ expense.

If they can’t fix the problems that have plagued them over the first two games, this series will be over by the time the weekend is out.

If they can fix it, and actually start putting up a fight, then this series will become even more interesting than it already is.

The Rangers shocked everybody by putting a beating on the Yankees, but they’ve been shockingly awful through the first two games of arguably the most important series in franchise history.

So, it’s up to this team to decide whether they want to make history or be known as part of one of the most lopsided World Series in baseball history.

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Few teams in MLB history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in the World Series. But maybe the Rangers have what it takes to continue their ride through new club precedents.

For a team running through new experiences with each pitch, spotting the opposition a two-game lead must seem like climbing a mountain made of wet soap bars. A serious strategy seems like the remedy, but how do you stop superb pitching and clutch hitting?

Where does a team turn after its ace implodes in Game 1 and its offense turns comatose for Game 2? 

Here are five aspects the Rangers must address to avoid embarrassment in the 2010 World Series.

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The Giants entered their third 2010 postseason series as the underdog, again. Everybody was told the Giants can’t score runs. The Rangers will light up Giants pitching.

In two games, the Giants have outscored the Rangers 20-7. San Francisco had only scored 30 runs in their first 10 games leading up to the World Series.

The most glaring problem for Texas has been their miscues and the Giants’ ability to capitalize on them. San Francisco has built the entire postseason on taking advantage of miscues.

The Giants received a victory after Braves second baseman Brooks Conrad committed three errors in one game. They continued to take advantage of errors against the Phillies, mostly bobbles by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

With the Rangers, they started to pile on the runs by hitting the ball towards Vladimir Guerrero. He looks older than his 35-year-old body says he should be. Guerrero having played a mere 16 games in right field did not help the Rangers.

The implosion of the Rangers bullpen has also been a huge factor. On Thursday night, the Giants led 2-0 going into the eighth inning. The Rangers were able to get the first two outs but then allowed the Giants to bat around.

Much of this was keyed on walks and location of pitches.

Whatever the case, the Giants continue to take advantage of mistakes and limit the opportunities of their opponents. But there is more to their success against Texas.

The pitching the Giants have seen prior to the World Series was some of the best pitching in all of baseball.

In the NLDS and NLCS, the Giants faced Derek Lowe twice, Tim Hudson, Roy Halladay twice, Roy Oswalt twice and Cole Hamels. Tommy Hanson is no slouch either.

Their bullpens are just as good. Jonny Venters, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Craig Kimbrel.

To say the least, by name, the Giants have seen the best.

Then came the Rangers and Cliff Lee who had not lost in the postseason, ever. We saw how that worked out. C.J. Wilson came as advertised.

The drop off in quality pitching is huge when you think about what the Giants have already seen, and this is why they have been so successful.

Because they have seen pitchers that make so few mistakes, when they face guys who are not as sharp, they are able to attack more easily.

They have started to wait out the Rangers pitching, letting them make the mistakes.

A perfect image of that was the eighth inning of Game 2. On a normal day, in a normal game, I would not have been surprised to see Juan Uribe or Edgar Renteria strike out swinging on a pitch a few inches outside or in the dirt.

They were patient (wait, these guys patient?) and waited for their pitch. In Uribe’s case, he was able to take a walk, another thing he does not do often.

The Giants have scored 20 runs with Buster Posey and Pat Burrell going a combined 2-for-14 in the first two games of the World Series. If these guys heat up in any way, the Giants will be in very good shape heading into Texas.

San Francisco will have big questions to answer before the start of Game 3. Who will be the DH? Will Pablo Sandoval play against the right-handers Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter?

Will there be a game that actually involves torture?

Aubrey Huff has offered his services as the DH. Burrell would rather not relive the debacle that was his career as a DH. How important will defense be?

Travis Ishikawa or Nate Schierholtz could also end up in the lineup. Maybe Sandoval plays third, Uribe at short, and Renteria is the DH. Bruce Bochy will have plenty of options.

The Giants are in a great position heading into Arlington with a 2-0 lead in the series. Eleven teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit to win the World Series. A team has never come back from a 3-0 deficit to win.

Game 3 is a crucial game for both teams and is a make-or-break game for Texas.

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Apparently the pitchers duel that everyone was expecting to occur Wednesday night caught a late flight to San Francisco and arrived Thursday evening. With Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee facing off in Game 1, no one could have predicted the 11-7 slug-fest that took place in the World Series opener.

In Game 2, the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants sent their secondary aces to the hill to hopefully do the job that neither of their respective No. 1 pitchers could accomplish. With C.J. Wilson of the Rangers and Matt Cain of the Giants taking the hill Thursday evening, the promise of a superbly-pitched game was well within reach.

Through six innings, that scenario unfolded beautifully as each starter had his best stuff working and had command of all his pitches. Cain had the upper-hand, as he continued his amazing run of scoreless postseason innings, extending it to 21.1 innings. However, Wilson nearly matched his effectiveness through six, until he was forced by a blister on his finger to turn the 2-0 game over to the Texas bullpen.

That’s when things began to get interesting—primarily if you’re a Giants’ fan. Texas’ bullpen, normally highly effective, imploded in spectacular fashion, helping the Giants to an eventual  9-0 victory in front of an ecstatic home crowd in AT&T Park.

The Rangers were comprehensively shut down by Matt Cain and two San Francisco relievers with barely a whimper. For a team that was only shut out five times all year, Texas was stifled all game by a dominant Giants’ pitching performance.

San Francisco continued its trend of finding a different unlikely hero each night, as tonight Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe led the way with both their bats and gloves. New-found folk hero Cody Ross had another great game as he continued to ride his hot streak following his NLCS MVP performance. Technically, the Rangers’ bullpen played a massive role in the Giants success as well, gifting several runs to their NL foes to put the once-close game out of reach.

Join me as we examine the key facets of Texas’ game and find out where it all went wrong for the visiting Rangers in World Series Game 2.   

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It’s half-past midnight here in Ranger land and things are looking bleak. Cliff Lee has shown that he is human, and the Ranger bats seem to have gone into hibernation. To add insult to injury, the bullpen is pitching with the ferocity of a petting zoo, and with Halloween right around the corner, it seems as though the Rangers are dressing up as choke artists.

But before you decide to bury the Rangers remember one thing: The Series is coming to Arlington, and there’s nothing like home cooking to “cure what ails ya.”

I know what most of you are thinking, the Rangers have only won two games at home during the playoffs. True. However, there is one enormous difference that most people will overlook—The Rangers get to play by house rules now.

To say that playing at AT&T Park was hard on the Rangers would be like saying that do-it-yourself-dentistry is easy. It was that painful. But now the World Series shifts to Arlington where the Rangers have three games to get back in the race.

What is so substantial about the change of venue? Everything.

Playing by National League rules meant the Rangers had to sacrifice the DH spot in the order; as such, Ranger manager Ron Washington was forced to make a decision: to play Vlad, or not to play Vlad. If you saw Game 1 then you know the answer to that question, and consequently, you know the result: two errors that lead to three back-breaking Giant runs.

Further, because of the lack of a DH, Ranger pitchers were forced into dawning a helmet and wielding the lumber, which meant the Rangers were essentially guaranteed an out in the nine spot. Additionally—and I am not laying blame on the umpires at all—the games were called by National League umpires, and as any big league pitcher would tell you, the transition between the two strike zones is markedly different.

But now, Texas comes home to play in their park, with the luxury of a DH, and a familiar strike zone for their pitchers to work with.

Think about it like this: With the availability of a DH at their disposal, the Rangers can have Vlad’s bat in the middle of the order to protect Nelson Cruz, which also slides down guys like Kinsler and Molina, but perhaps more importantly, the DH puts Mitch Moreland back in the nine spot, a place where he has frustrated pitchers to Dustin Pedroia-like lengths.

The DH also means that the Rangers can use their platoon of David Murphy or Jeff Francoeur, who have both been decent at the plate. So by merit of one position change, the Rangers can have two meaningful bats in the line-up.

But positions and league rules aside, I get the feeling the Rangers were intimidated by the amped up San Francisco crowd. After having played at Tropicana Field, where the Rays had to give away tickets, and then on to Yankee Stadium where the Yankee faithful (I use that term very loosely) left their team for dead routinely, the Rangers didn’t really face much in the way of noise and hostility.

My hats off to Giant fans, you guys brought it.

The look on Derek Holland’s face during his own personal attempt at the March of Dimes in the eight inning of Game 2 said it all—the Rangers were scared. The noise, the energy, the beard, all of it definitely played a part in making Texas look more like the 2003 Rangers than the Claw and Antler edition that fans have come to love.

So where do the Fightin’ Ron Washington’s go from here?

It’s really anyone’s guess at this point. The Giants have pitched so incredibly well that the Rangers definitely have their work cut out for them. One would think that after Lincecum and Cain the sledding would get easier, but Johnathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgardner have proved they can get it done as well.

With Colby Lewis taking the hill, all the eyes of Texas will loom large on the battle tested righty. Can he do what Lee couldn’t? Will the Ranger bats finally come alive with a Frankenstein-like vengeance?

All of the above are unknowns, but if I do know one thing, its that nothing cures an illness quite like home cooking.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Game 2 of the 2010 World Series belonged to Edgar Renteria, Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants from start to finishing Thursday.

Cain tossed a scoreless gem in 7 2/3 innings of work to vault himself into some historic company, extending his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 21 1/3 innings.

But it was the 35 year-old shortstop from Columbia who absolutely stole the show.

Renteria blasted a tape-measure home run of Rangers’ starter C.J. Wilson in the fifth inning to give the Giants a 1-0 lead, then added a two-run single in the eight to blow the game open.

It ended up being another perfect night by the Bay for the thousands of Giants’ fans who gathered to watch their team creep ever-closer to a World Series crown.

Here’s a comprehensive report card for the San Francisco Giants’ game 2 win.

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