Sponsored Links
First things first, Mike Napoli was safe. I have watched the video 7 or 8 times trying to see how the Royals tagged him first, but he did not. It was a pretty sweet way to end a game, especially since Napoli is not exactly known for his speed. The Rangers should have swept the Royals, but that is a story for another time. Now, we are going to talk about the Rays.
The Rangers are returning to the site where they won the ALDS in 2010 for the first time since going to the world series. Big difference: no Cliff Lee for the Rangers, and the Rays lost a whole lot of their players. The Rangers won all three games at the Trop during the ALDS, and I hope that winning streak continues.
Monday, May 30, 2011 – Holland (3-1, 4.68) v. Davis (4-4, 3.71)
Derek Holland is starting to get into his groove, and I think he is about to have a breakout second half of the season. He has impressed me overall with his control and his variety of pitches, and I think he is going to get harder and harder to pitch as the season goes on. On top of that, in case you have not noticed, the Rangers offense is back. With the return of Josh and Nelly, the offense is able to relax more and some of the other guys do not feel like they need to do as much at the plate. It has worked out well the first week that those guys are back. Kyle Davis is coming off his best start of the year, giving up 3 earned runs to the Tigers in a no decision. I think Davis has a tough road ahead of him with the way the Rangers offense is clicking right now. I say the Rangers win this game.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 – Wilson (5-3, 3.25) v. Sonnanstine (0-1, 4.21)
Wilson has had a decent season so far, but not great. He has not really gone through what I would call a sophomore slump as a starter, but he has not been as dominate as he was last season. He is 3-0n with a 1.82 ERA is his career against the Rays including the ALDS last season, and I hope that dominance continues Tuesday night. I think it will,and if the Rangers offense can continue smashing the ball, than I say the Rangers take this one. If CJ falters however, I think it will be a big falter for him and the Rays will win. I still think it will be the Rangers though.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 – Lewis (4-5, 3.90) v. Price (6-4, 3.54)
The Rangers seem to have trouble against the lefty’s this season, and Price is a very good lefty. He has more wins than any of the Rangers pitcher, and If Colby starts as slow as he did in his last start, it is going to be a long day for the Rangers. Giving up 6 runs in 2 innings to the Royals is a whole lot different than giving up 6 runs in two innings to the Rays. Colby seems to pair bad starts, so I think the Rangers lose this one to the Rays (and the fact that the Rangers have not done well in day games this season) but still take the series 2-1.
