Rays vs Rangers | Preview, Odds & Pick

2010 ALDS Game 5 Preview

vs.

Tampa Bay Rays (96-66) vs. Texas Rangers (90-72)
Tuesday, October 12, 8 PM ET on TBS
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Starting Pitchers
TEX: Cliff Lee 1-0, 1.29 this post season
TAM: David Price 0-1, 5.40 this post season

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The odds makers have the Rays as a -1.5 point favorite with an over/under of 6.5.

Cliff Lee will take the mound for the Texas Rangers and try to shut the door on the Rays. He brought his postseason prowess into game one and didn’t disappoint, pitching seven innings of five hit ball, while striking out ten and allowing one run to earn the win.

While not a typical flamethrower, he matched well against the Tampa lineup who tends to be dead fastball hitters. By mixing speeds and location, he was able to exploit the massive holes in the swings of the flail and hope lineup. Lee will look to do more of the same this game, but will be wary of getting too comfortable, as he is known for the long ball — the main tool in the Tampa Lineup arsenal.

David Price was not as effective in game one, dishing up nine hits and five runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. He did strikeout eight but his command was a bit off and he relied on the fastball a tad too much. During the season, he used his sharp biting slider and his fastball as a setup pitch, resulting in 19 wins over 208 innings for a 2.72 ERA. If he can find that command again, he can beat the Rangers, who are free swinging in its own right, and be dominating.

The Texas lineup is built around power, with a 3-4-5 of Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero, and Nelson Cruz. Everyone else is a table setter, yet Hamilton is 2-14, and Guerrero is 4-15 with a single RBI; Cruz is the only player to step up so far and has three homeruns in 16 at bats. Despite Hamilton’s struggles, the lineup will remain unchanged since it is capable of scoring five runs or better easily, and Lee will not need that many.

Tampa Bay finally had a hero; Evan Longoria broke out of his funk in Game 4 with a homerun and two doubles, setting the table for a 5-2 win. That followed Carlos Pena’s performance a game before, but the team is still waiting for Carl Crawford to break out of a 3-17 slide. He has good reason to, since he is highlighting his abilities for the offseason where he is a free agent. While The Rangers probably feature the better offense top to bottom, Tampa Bay was a red hot or cold hitting team all season, mostly due to their strikeout totals. If things are clicking, they will be nearly unstoppable for a good long run. It’s the perfect time in a do or die game five, and the Yankees waiting for the winner of the series.

Matt’s Prediction: This game is one to watch, and both teams will be clawing for the win. When the dust settles I expect Tampa Bay to be heading to the next round. I think they want to face the Yankee’s again, and know this may be the last hoorah for Tampa before the team is broken up this offseason.