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With Friday night’s Game 6 win by the Texas Rangers over the New York Yankees, half of the 2010 World Series is now set.

Texas right-hander Colby Lewis threw eight dominant innings and Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz came through with clutch hits in the fifth, as the Rangers dethroned the 2009 World Series champs with a 6-1 win at the Ballpark in Arlington.

The National League champion will be decided this weekend, as the Philadelphia Phillies play host to the San Francisco Giants, who lead the series three games to two. Game 6 of the NLCS is scheduled for Saturday night, while Game 7, if necessary, would be played on Sunday.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report all day for ongoing discussions and analysis of tonight’s NLCS Game 6 and the potential World Series matchups.

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By Tyler Ward

The Texas Rangers are moving on to their first World Series. Their opponent, though, we are still waiting to find out if it’ll be the Phillies or Giants. But, for now, it’s the Rangers’ time. They will be appearing in their first World Series, even though they just won their first postseason series earlier this month when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays.

In a pitching matchup that featured Colby Lewis and Phil Hughes, only one would do well. And that was Lewis. The pitcher, who was added to the roster earlier this year after spending two years in Japan, threw a spectacular game.

Lewis pitched eight strong innings, surrendering three hits and one earned run. He also walked three batters and struck out seven.

Hughes, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. The young pitcher managed to only pitch 4.2 innings, giving up four earned runs and four hits. He also walked four, struck out three, and had a crazy wild pitch.

The Rangers got off to a good start in the first inning when Vladimir Guerrero got the first of his three RBI. He was able to ground out to second, but Elvis Andrus scored on the play to give the Rangers a 1-0 advantage.

New York would answer in the top of the fifth when Alex Rodriguez scored on Colby Lewis’ only mistake—a wild pitch. But, there was some controversy on the play. Lewis’ pitch clearly hit Nick Swisher in the shin, but the umpire did not see it that way. He ruled it as a wild pitch and Swisher did not reach base on the play. Rodriguez still scored on the play and the game was tied 1-1, but it wouldn’t last for long.

In the bottom of the inning, Guerrero stepped up to the plate again, slapping a double to center and scoring Mitch Moreland and Josh Hamilton on the play. After the play, Hughes was relieved by David Robertson. However, Robertson would then proceed to give up a two-run homer to Nelson Cruz, sealing the Yankees’ fate.

The blast by Cruz put the Rangers up 5-1 and that’s all they needed. Two innings later, in the seventh, Ian Kinsler hit a sacrifice fly to to left field, scoring long-time Ranger, Michael Young. As far as runs go, that was the end of it.

Neftali Feliz came into the game in the ninth, pitching a perfect inning. He would strike out Curtis Granderson and get Robinson Cano to pop up. Alex Rodriguez was the last batter of the game and Feliz struck him out to end the game. Fireworks would go off and the celebration began. 

Outfielder Josh Hamilton was named ALCS MVP after he hit four home runs in the series, tying an American League record for most home runs in the championship series. Hamilton was also intentionally walked five time, a major league record, including three times in the clinching game. A humbled Hamilton was more than happy that he helped his team reach their first World Series. 

“I don’t want to talk about myself,” Hamilton said. “I want to talk about them, because we are the reason we’re here.” 

The ALCS MVP would then go on to say, “This group’s here because they don’t know how to fail. The chemistry on the team is something like I’ve never known anywhere. All the guys love each other and we support each other. And we love the fans.”

Michael Young, the longest-tenured player on the team, was also more than happy. He was ecstatic. “The World Series is coming to Texas,” Young said. “Totally worth the wait, totally.”

Hamilton and Young weren’t the only happy people on the field. Co-owner, team president, and former Rangers great Nolan Ryan witnessed their victory from the front row—he headed onto the field after Feliz struck out Rodriguez to end the game.

Ryan was the first person to hold the ALCS trophy at the postgame celebration and the fans gave him a roaring ovation. “Our fans have waited a long time, this organization has waited a long time,” Ryan said. “This team coming out of spring training was on a mission.”

The Yankees were dominated in every aspect of the game in the series. Their run differential of minus-19 was the second-most in team history; they were minus-23 in the 2001 World Series when they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks, their first championship, too. They allowed 37 runs in the ALCS, also the second-most in team history—they gave up 41 runs in the 2004 ALCS when they lost in seven games to the Boston Red Sox.

When it comes to sports, it’s not about which team is the best. It’s about which team plays the best, and the Rangers did that.

If there were a Game 7, Cliff Lee was expected to be the starter, but now with the Rangers’ victory, it looks like Lee will start Game 1 on Wednesday against the Phillies or Giants. The Giants currently lead the series 3-2.

The Rangers’ series win was somewhat bittersweet. The Rangers, in their only three postseason berths prior to this season, were knocked out by those very same Yankees. Now, the Rangers finally got their revenge. The Yankees and their $200 million-plus payroll could not withstand the Rangers’ pitching and hitting. There were many questions entering the postseason, including whether or not the Yankees’ pitching could hold up.

It appeared that there was validity for those questions. The Bronx Bombers’ pitching was nothing, but mediocre at best. As a team, they had an astounding 7.11 ERA for the series and frankly, that will not win games. New York will now have many questions to answer in the offseason, as they are still looking to claim their 28th World Series championship.

A disappointed Joe Girardi said after the game, “We didn’t accomplish what we set out to. And as I told my guys, this hurts. I’ve been through it as a player. I’ve been through it as a coach and now I’ve been through it as a manager. It’s not a lot of fun watching other teams celebrate. They beat us. They outhit us, they outpitched us, outplayed us and they beat us.”

With the Yankees sent home, the Rangers are now looking forward to their World Series matchup against the Phillies or Giants. Game 1 will be on Wednesday and the Rangers are hoping they can bring Texas their first championship in the team’s 50-year history.

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In their 50th season as the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise, a pennant has finally been won. The Rangers knocked off the Yankees on Friday night 6-1 to take the AL flag in their own home in front of 50,000-plus crazy fans.

The Rangers got on the board first and after the Yankees got a gift run, the Rangers put them away. Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz got the big hits they couldn’t get in Game 5 and the team’s young closer put the hammer down in the ninth.

The Yankees couldn’t hit Colby Lewis as many expected, and although Phil Hughes wasn’t terrible, he wasn’t good enough.

With the win on Friday, Cliff Lee now will be on full rest to start Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday in either Philadelphia or San Francisco. Here’s a report card of how the Rangers won Game 6.

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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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Do I really need to say anything or can I just SMILE!

I’ll touch on a couple things:

Yankee “Home Runs”

In the second inning—easy one first—Berkman’s was not a home run, no doubt about that. Not sure what the umpire was watching there, but whatever. It was a foul, and instant replay clearly showed it. However, two batters before, Robby Cano hit a deep fly ball that Yankee “bleacher creatures” assisted out for the home run. 

Here’s my problem—and I can quote the MLB Official Rulebook, if necessary—that play should have been reviewed. Not a doubt in my mind on that. And had the umpires reviewed it and still decided to call it a home run, I would not have been happy, but I would have been “cool with it.” 

My opinion is that the fans obviously interfered with it, but I have watched it too many times. From my vantage point, if you completely remove the fans, the ball might have just been out of Cruz’s reach. However, we will never know, and if that’s what New York needs to keep “home-field advantage,” so be it…because I know for a fact had that been Arlington and a Rangers home run, it would have been reviewed. 

Unsung Hero of the Game

Derek Holland!!! Hello, 3.2 innings pitched in relief of Hunter. He allowed one hit, three Ks, zero runs and only the one inherited runner scored. Very impressive with the young man, even with the TBS announcers telling us he had a “nervous smile,” obviously y’all were wrong…again! 

So happy that Dutch was in the game for all the run-pounding and able to maintain long enough to be the winning pitcher. Before the game there was talk of starting Holland over Hunter in Game 4. If Texas moves on to the World Series, we may very well see that now.

Texas Offense

Apparently the Yankees are slow learners. In Game 3 on Monday they intentionally walked David Murphy to face Bengie Molina—righty vs. righty. Bengie thanked them for that with an RBI single amidst the six-run ninth inning. Last night, they did the same thing in the sixth with two outs. And almost as though on cue coming back from the TBS highlights of his HRs in Games 1, 2 and 3 in the 2005 ALDS against the Yankees, BENGIE goes yard. 

To wrap up another offensive explosion we got to witness DOUBLE BOOMSTICK (not Double Rainbow) from the soon-to-be 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton and then a shot from NC-17, none of which were fan-assisted.

In the end the bullpen pulled their weight in a game that we all knew they would have to be strong in for Texas to have a chance. In his 3.1 innings Hunter allowed three runs, in the remaining 5.2 innings the bullpen threw zero after zero after zero. Though the eighth inning got a little nerve-racking, no runs came across. The Rangers slammed the door for good by adding three runs in the ninth behind home runs from Hamilton and Cruz.

Media Bias

I will say that I am getting quite annoyed with the constant attempts by the TBS announcers to justify the pitching performances by Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. I have heard quite enough comments about Pettitte and that he was one pitch away (Hamilton two-run home run) from matching Cliff Lee’s performance. 

NO HE WASN’T!!! 

Look, Pettitte pitched a very good game and more times than not his performance would have been good enough to get a win. But his final line was seven IP, five hits, two runs (both earned), zero walks and five Ks on 110 pitches—again solid numbers. 

BUT…

Cliff Lee: eight IP, two hits, zero runs, one walk and 13 Ks on 122 pitches. Sorry, that is not one pitch away from matching performances. 

And then in Game 4 the announcers tried to justify that Burnett pitched a good game except for one mistake. Through five innings he did pitch well and kept the Ranger bats at bay, but this is a nine-inning game, not five. And in the sixth he didn’t make the pitch he had to make and Bengie blasted a three-run homer.

New Yorkers and a bulk of the East Coast media may not want to admit it, but face facts: the Rangers are one game away from moving on, and the Rangers have outscored the Yankees 30-11 (30-6 if you take out the eighth inning of Game 1). If it weren’t for that eighth inning, this series would now be over in a four-game sweep. Right now the Rangers are flat-out pummeling the Yanks in every aspect of the game, no ifs, ands or buts about that. 

Enjoy it, love it and now store it in your memory because the party ain’t over and the excitement we feel right now is all for not if the Rangers don’t finish the job. Yes, we are up three games to one, we have C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and then Cliff Lee all going on regular or extra rest. But the Yankees are still the defending champs and until we polish them completely off, I will not allow myself to celebrate even the slightest. Finish the job!

The mindset is right so far, and the players are still saying the right things, so we need to go into today’s game expecting to close it out. We need to act like the series is tied. And we need to continue to play like this Yankees team can come back. Because if the eighth inning of Game 1 taught us anything, it’s that if you give this Yanks team the opportunity, they will come back.

I’ll leave you now, not too far away from Game 5, with the quotes that have been constantly on my mind throughout this entire postseason run:

“It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares about who gets credit.”—Blanton Collier

“When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.”—Joe Paterno

“Even when I went to the playground, I never picked the best players.  I picked the guys with less talent, but who were willing to work hard, who had the desire to be great.”—Earvin “Magic” Johnson

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In 1996, a snot-nosed brat named Jeffrey Mair reached his hand into the field of play during the American League Championship Series. He grabbed a ball destined to be caught by Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco, thus allowing it to be called a home run hit by Derek Jeter because right field umpire Rich Garcia was out of position and uncertain of what exactly happened.

Instead of being ejected from Yankee Stadium, or vilified by the press, he was called a hero. Soon he was on televised talk shows and being given seats behind the Yankees dugout. The mayor even gave him a key to the city, telling the youth of New York City that cheating was heroic, acceptable, and rewarding.

The Yankees have spent most of the 2010 ALCS getting their butts kicked by the Texas Rangers. If not for a bullpen meltdown for an inning in Game One, the Rangers would have closed the series with a sweep tonight after their 10-3 win.

The Yankees and their fans are only like by them, but they are still respected because the team has won more World Series titles than any other team. Fans feel entitled by all this success, so actions considered barbaric by the rest of civilization are deemed acceptable by them.

In the second inning of Game Four, New York’s Robinson Cano popped a lazy fly ball in right field. In the bandbox known as the new Yankee Stadium, lazy fly balls often reach the wall. This was the case of Cano’s pop up. Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz easily got to the wall in plenty of time, then timed his jump.

He encountered the ghost of Mair, because a group of idiotic fans figured they were Patrick Ewing and decided to block Cruz from having a shot at the ball. Again, the right field umpire was out of position, but now Major League Baseball has reply.

A replay that clearly showed interference, but it did not matter because the umpire’s ruling made the use of replay is not allowed on such judgement call for some reason. Though replay is still being fine tuned by baseball, this play has given them an obvious impetus to refine this rule.

Now with Texas on the verge of knocking out a Yankees team most predicted to win it all, the Rangers need to realize they are still stuck in the Big Apple. A rotten apple of enabling media urging on fans to cheat for their team to keep tradition alive.

A tradition seen on National TV the past two games where 80 percent of Yankees Stadium was empty well before the game ended because these famous fans show themselves to be more fair-weathered than loyal. Leaving the field early cheats the team, but that seems to be the new Yankee Way thanks to their hero Jeffrey Mair.

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After storming out to a 2-0 lead in their ALDS clash with the Tampa Bay Rays, it quickly appeared as if the Texas Rangers had taken firm control of the series and were inevitably headed to their first American League Championship Series appearance in franchise history.

Tampa however, had their sights set on returning to the World Series, to erase the bitter disappointment of losing the 2008 Fall Classic to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Rays stormed back in Games 3 and 4 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, evening the series at two games apiece, and setting up the decisive Game 5 match-up between the teams’ aces, Cliff Lee and David Price.

The rematch of ALDS Game 1 starters pitted two of the game’ s premier left-handed pitchers against one another in what promised to be quite the pitchers’ duel. Game 5 didn’t disappoint, as the two lefties battled for six innings, with Price being eventually touched for three runs by some timely Rangers’ hitting and aggressive base-running. Lee hurled yet another complete game, limiting the potent Rays’ offense to only one run on six hits and no walks, while striking out 11. Texas would add two more in the ninth to seal their 5-1 victory which would send them to their first ever ALCS.

With the Division Series now concluded, the Rangers can now look ahead and begin planning for their ALCS match-up against another AL East powerhouse, this time, the New York Yankees. During the regular season, the Yankees claimed the Wild Card by finishing 95-67, one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the Eastern Division race. New York’s path to the ALCS began with a definitive three-game sweep of the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins, in which outscored the Twins 17-7. Displaying offensive strength, dominant pitching, and stingy defense, the Yankees easily dispatched the Twins, and their deeply experienced roster makes them a formidable foe for the Rangers in the ALCS.

Let’s take a look at how the two teams stack up against one another, in a position by position analysis of the primary figures at each spot around the diamond.

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If the Wild Card system in Major League Baseball had any remaining detractors entering this season’s Division Series round of postseason play—and it did—the pair of excellent series (San Francisco-Atlanta and Texas-Tampa Bay) may have wooed them all.

Even aside from Roy Halladay’s historic October debut, there were great performances by batters and pitchers alike all around the playoff circuit. Cliff Lee, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte solidified their sterling playoff reputations, while Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum and Curtis Granderson began building their own October legacies.

The Rangers may be the best story entering the 2010 Championship Series round, having won their first-ever postseason series. But there are plenty of individual superstars who will vie for the bright spotlight of postseason glory. Through the first round, these five men have made the best cases.

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The earliest of Sunday’s three MLB Division Series matchups will be between the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays, after Tampa notched a comeback win in Game 3 of the ALDS. Trailing 2-1 entering the eighth inning, the Rays got big hits from (among others) Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena en route to a season-saving win.

Game 4 on Sunday will pit two disappointing young starters, Texas’s Tommy Hunter and Tampa Bay’s Wade Davis. Though each posted decent numbers in traditional statistical categories (Hunter went 13-4 with an ERA south of 4.00, while Davis finished at 12-10 and had a 4.07 ERA), neither man was especially impressive.

Davis had just 1.82 strikeouts per walk issued, a pedestrian figure, and gave up 24 home runs. Hunter surrendered 22 bombs in only 133 innings, and struck out fewer than five per nine innings. In fielder-independent ERA (FIP), each ranked among the 20 worst hurlers in baseball with 120 or more innings pitched according to FanGraphs.

The season may hang in the balance for each squad. Tampa’s season would end with a loss, but the Rangers (51-30 at home this season) can hardly afford a defeat that would send the ALDS back to Tampa Bay for a decisive fifth contest.

In an ideal world, each manager would send out his ace for such a crucial game, but both David Price and Cliff Lee are being held in reserve for a potential Game 5 start on long rather than short rest.

Therefore, Davis and Hunter will take the mound Sunday, and the game will likely be decided by the teams’ respective offenses.

That makes for a highly unpredictable outcome in Game 4. Neither team has an offensive attack that can be fairly labeled as consistent (witness the Rays falling victim to two perfect games in two years, and the Rangers’ 59 games with three or fewer runs scored), yet each has explosive potential with batters (Texas’s Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton, Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford, and Evan Longoria) capable of hurting an opposing hurler in myriad ways.

Carlos Pena Ain’t Dead Yet

One key advantage for Tampa Bay is that first baseman Carlos Pena responded excellently to being benched in Game 2, notching two hits and three RBI on Saturday night. Pena had struck out three times and walked once in the opening contest of the Series, and manager Joe Maddon elected to start Desmond Jennings in Game 2, moving Ben Zobrist in from right field to first base and bumping Pena from the lineup.

Pena, who batted just .196/.325/.407 this season and struck out 158 times, could well have pouted over being relegated to the pine. Since the start of 2008, Pena’s 98 home runs are good enough for ninth in baseball. Instead, the notoriously easy-going left-handed swinger took the temporary demotion in stride, and had the key game-tying single for Tampa in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday. He then cracked a two-run home run in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

Pena is unlikely to return to the Rays next season, given the team’s well-publicized designs on payroll reduction and his $10.125 million salary for 2010. How much longer Pena remains a Ray, then, may hinge upon how well he hits in Sunday’s contest with Hunter, against whom he is 3-for-10 lifetime with two doubles and a home run.

The Impaler Cometh

Vladimir Guerrero signed with the Texas Rangers this winter in a generally unheralded move. Guerrero was coming off his worst big-league season, having failed to reach 20 home runs, bat at least .300, and slug at least .520 for the first time in more than a decade.

The 2010 season has marked a modest renaissance for the future Hall of Famer, once a cat-like outfielder but now relegated to designated hitter duty. Guerrero batted .300/.345/.496 for the season, swatting 29 home runs and driving in 115 runs for the Rangers.

Guerrero is just 35, but with a mutual option on the table for next season and big raises due to Hamilton, Cruz, and others, Texas may be forced to address other needs this winter. Cliff Lee would command a huge sum to stay in Texas, while the Rangers must also shore up their bench: Jeff Francoeur, Bengie Molina, and Cristian Guzman all are free agents at season’s end. Guerrero’s primary suitors if he left Texas would include non-contenders like the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox.

If this is the swan song for Guerrero’s playoff career, expect him to go out with a bang. The slugging Dominican is one of his generation’s underrated superstars, a .320/.383/.563 career hitter who could well reach 500 home runs. In his five previous trips to the postseason, however, Guerrero has slugged just .375 with two home runs, and his team has never reached the World Series.

Texas needs its cleanup-hitting slasher to come through in a big way sometime over the next two games if they hope to advance further into these playoffs, as the organization has never won a playoff Series of any stripe.

A Battle of Wits

By the end of Game 4, expect to see both skippers empty their benches and bullpens. Both Maddon and Texas manager Ron Washington have made frequent use of pitching changes and pinch-hitters during the ALDS, taking advantage of two of the league’s deepest benches.

For Maddon, this sort of chess match is a comfortable setting. No junior-circuit team deployed more pinch-hitters than the Rays this season, and overall, only the Yankees had the platoon advantage more often at the plate than did Tampa Bay.

Washington spent much of the regular season forgoing such micro-management: the Rangers used narrowly more than half as many pinch-hitters as Tampa Bay, and had the platoon advantage less often than all but one AL team, the Toronto Blue Jays. Intriguingly, though, Washington used his substitutes in more important situations than all but one other manager, with an average leverage of 2.12 in pinch-hit at bats: Tampa registered a league-low 1.19 leverage.

On the pitching side of the ledger, Maddon and Washington have much more convergent styles. The two men made more pitching changes than any other American League managers, and were less hesitant to go to relievers who had been used the previous day than any other skippers.

Again, Maddon somewhat over-managed at times, making more pitching changes without allowing a reliever to record at least three outs than any other skipper. He also made more moves while ahead and with runners on base than any other skipper. Washington, ever the chooser of spots, made a league-best 184 switches in high-leverage situations, and led the league in pitching changes during tie games. Though each will try his best to control Sunday’s clash, the execution of their players will decide this one.

Matt Trueblood is a student at Loyola University Chicago and B/R College Writing Intern. Follow him on Twitter.

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The Texas Rangers clubbed the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 Thursday to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their ALDS matchup. 

The Rangers have never won a postseason series in the franchise’s history, but that looks like it will change in 2010. Are they just a fluke, destined to burn out in the ALCS, or something bigger and more promising? 

Here are 10 reasons why the Rangers a trustworthy this October. 

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