With games three and four of the 2010 World Series shifting to Texas, the Texas Rangers find themselves down two games to none against the San Francisco Giants. Colby Lewis is scheduled to start game three tonight for Texas.
Until getting hit around in the opening game of the series, Cliff Lee had a perfect 7-0 record in the postseason.
The Rangers need to win four of the next five games to win the World Series.
If the Rangers win game three, they will still be down two games to one. If they lose game three, they are one loss away from elimination. All indications point towards Rangers' pitcher Tommy Hunter pitching game four. Hunter had a good regular season - 13 win, 4 losses, 3.73 ERA - but has struggled in two postseason starts this year - 0-1, 6.14 ERA.
Apparently Cliff Lee doesn't feel comfortable pitching on three days rest.
Through the course of a 162 game regular season, I understand wanting your full four days rest. It is a long grind and you want to stay healthy.
But if you are arguably the best postseason pitcher of the last two seasons and one of the best pitchers in the game, I don't understand how if you are Cliff Lee, you don't want to pitch.
There is a competitive fire that has to burn deep within you to be successful in athletics. It is that fire that drives you to prepare in the off season. That competitiveness leads to success on the field and pain in defeat. But competitors take the pain of defeat and use it for motivation.
How does Cliff Lee not want the ball in game four?
He is in the World Series for the second straight year and is headed toward his second straight series defeat (last year he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies that lost to the New York Yankees). I'm not sure how the competitiveness that had undoubtedly made Cliff Lee great doesn't make him walk into Rangers' manager Ron Washington's office and ask to pitch game four.
Maybe Cliff Lee feels that pitching game five is the best thing for the team. Maybe he has more faith in Tommy Hunter than most. Maybe he doesn't want to hurt himself or his chances for his big contract in the off season.
Whatever the reason, depending on how game three goes, the Rangers may be relying on Tommy Hunter to save their season. At least they will have Cliff Lee ready to go in game five. They just better hope the series gets there.
www.tothetopperformance.com
Showing posts with label Texas Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas Rangers. Show all posts
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
...the top of the 8th Inning of Game One of the ALCS
In the top of the eight inning of game one of the American League Championship Series (ALCS), New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner singled, shortstop Derek Jeter doubled allowing Gardner to scored. At that point, the Texas Rangers were winning by a score of 5-2.
If you watched the game, it was really evident that the Yankees were going to make a come back and the Rangers were in trouble.
Body language can say a lot about your confidence.
Many times in life, you get what you expect. In baseball, it is no different.
The body language of the defending World Series champion Yankees said that they were expecting to come back, expecting to win and were not going to simply roll over and die and start to think about game two. The confidence of the Rangers was gone. A 5-0 lead in the game was slowly evaporating.
Once Rangers' manager Ron Washington decided to pull starting pitcher C.J. Wilson, who left with the Rangers still leading 5-2 with no outs in the top of the eight inning, you could tell - at least on television - that the Rangers were also expecting the Yankees to rally. It was almost as if they knew their lead was in trouble.
And it wasn't just the relief pitchers, though they looked like they wanted no part of being on the mound. Ron Washington, in camera shots from the dugout and as he was walking to the mound to make pitching changes, seemed as he was just hoping to be able to withstand the storm. The Rangers infielders, on those same pitching changes, looked as if they were expecting their lead to disappear.
The Yankees, who were losing 5-1 at the start of the eight inning, ended up scoring five runs in the top part of the eight inning to give them a 6-5 lead, which was also the final score. The Rangers were never able to recover.
Expect bad things to happen and they usually will. Expect good things and good things will come.
www.tothetopperformance.com
If you watched the game, it was really evident that the Yankees were going to make a come back and the Rangers were in trouble.
Body language can say a lot about your confidence.
Many times in life, you get what you expect. In baseball, it is no different.
The body language of the defending World Series champion Yankees said that they were expecting to come back, expecting to win and were not going to simply roll over and die and start to think about game two. The confidence of the Rangers was gone. A 5-0 lead in the game was slowly evaporating.
Once Rangers' manager Ron Washington decided to pull starting pitcher C.J. Wilson, who left with the Rangers still leading 5-2 with no outs in the top of the eight inning, you could tell - at least on television - that the Rangers were also expecting the Yankees to rally. It was almost as if they knew their lead was in trouble.
And it wasn't just the relief pitchers, though they looked like they wanted no part of being on the mound. Ron Washington, in camera shots from the dugout and as he was walking to the mound to make pitching changes, seemed as he was just hoping to be able to withstand the storm. The Rangers infielders, on those same pitching changes, looked as if they were expecting their lead to disappear.
The Yankees, who were losing 5-1 at the start of the eight inning, ended up scoring five runs in the top part of the eight inning to give them a 6-5 lead, which was also the final score. The Rangers were never able to recover.
Expect bad things to happen and they usually will. Expect good things and good things will come.
www.tothetopperformance.com
...Brett Gardner
What to commonly becomes a lazy run to first base turned into the spark the New York Yankees needed in the top of the eight inning last night to shock the Texas Rangers.
Down five to one in the top of the eight, Yankees' left fielder - and the ninth batter in their lineup - hit a ground ball to the Rangers' first baseman Jorge Cantu. If you watch Major League Baseball frequently, all to often you see the batter concede the out and simply jog to first as if the out has already been recorded. But Brett Gardner didn't.
Brett Gardner sprinted down to first base and dove head first toward the bag as Cantu was throwing the ball to Rangers' pitcher C.J. Wilson, who was covering first base because the ball was hit to the first baseman.
The umpire correctly called Gardner safe and the play jump started the Yankees. A 5-1 deficit at the start of the inning turned into a 6-5 lead by the time the Rangers came to bat in the bottom of the eight inning.
A common saying - no matter in which sport - is that you don't need talent to hustle. You don't have to be the most talented player on your team, on the field or in the league to give 100% effort on every play.
It would have been easy for Brett Gardner to take the play off, go through the motion of running down the first base line and head back to the dugout. Because he didn't, the Yankees hold a 1-0 lead in the best of seven American League Championship Series.
www.tothetopperformance.com
Down five to one in the top of the eight, Yankees' left fielder - and the ninth batter in their lineup - hit a ground ball to the Rangers' first baseman Jorge Cantu. If you watch Major League Baseball frequently, all to often you see the batter concede the out and simply jog to first as if the out has already been recorded. But Brett Gardner didn't.
Brett Gardner sprinted down to first base and dove head first toward the bag as Cantu was throwing the ball to Rangers' pitcher C.J. Wilson, who was covering first base because the ball was hit to the first baseman.
The umpire correctly called Gardner safe and the play jump started the Yankees. A 5-1 deficit at the start of the inning turned into a 6-5 lead by the time the Rangers came to bat in the bottom of the eight inning.
A common saying - no matter in which sport - is that you don't need talent to hustle. You don't have to be the most talented player on your team, on the field or in the league to give 100% effort on every play.
It would have been easy for Brett Gardner to take the play off, go through the motion of running down the first base line and head back to the dugout. Because he didn't, the Yankees hold a 1-0 lead in the best of seven American League Championship Series.
www.tothetopperformance.com
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