Major League Baseball

GAME 5 SCOUTING REPORT

Published Oct. 12, 2010 10:16 p.m. ET

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Rangers LHP Cliff Lee (12-9, 3.18 ERA): Lee, who has never pitched in a postseason game his team ended up losing, won Game 1 in dominating fashion. It extended his postseason record to 5-0 in six starts with an ERA of 1.52. Lee threw 21 first-pitch strikes to the 27 hitters he faced. The Rays did little to get themselves back in the count, taking one close strike after another. Lee ended up with 10 strikeouts in seven innings. Lee has never pitched less than seven innings in a postseason start, and that includes one elimination-

game appearance with Philadelphia in last year's World Series.

Key matchup: 1B Carlos Pena, who reached base seven times in 10 plate appearances over the last two games, is 6-for-32 (.188) with nine strikeouts against Lee. Three of them came in Game 1.

Rays LHP David Price (19-6, 2.72 ERA): Price has been outpitched by Lee in both meetings this year. He lasted 6.2 innings in Game 1 and was charged with all five Rangers runs, four earned. The Rangers might have knocked him out earlier but did not take a single walk. Price finished the regular season with 79 walks, tied for sixth in the AL. Price made consecutive starts in a week's period against the same team once this year, holding Toronto to a run in six innings seven days after allowing a pair of unearned runs in eight innings.

Key matchup: DH Vladimir Guerrero is 4-for-10 (.400) in his career vs. Price, including 2-for-3 with an RBI double in Game 1. He has had only two at-bats with runners in scoring position since then and hasn't driven in any of them.

Evan Grant

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