Major League Baseball

Lee key to Rangers-Angels showdown

Published Jul. 22, 2010 5:46 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Tonight in Texas, Cliff Lee takes the ball in the series opener against the rival Angels. It is no stretch to say that he was acquired for precisely this sort of occasion.

Lee will oppose Jered Weaver, a fellow American League All-Star. If the crowd for Lee's first Rangers home start was any indication – 41,093, including a ballpark-record walkup – there will be a certifiable Big Event atmosphere in Arlington.

The Rangers lead the Angels by five games, meaning this is a potential make-or-break weekend in the AL West race.

If the Rangers sweep, they will have a nine-game advantage on the Angels and a clear path to October. If the Angels take all four, their deficit will be down to one game.

Really, anything other than a split will have a dramatic impact on the Rangers' chances of reaching the postseason for the first time since 1999. A series win puts Texas seven up on Los Angeles; a series loss cuts the lead to three.

And the Rangers have the right guy on the mound.

You can tell that from how he reacted to a question about it earlier this week.

"Another game in the season," Lee said. "It's as important as any other game, except we're playing a team that's been the team to beat in this division for several years."

For the record, Lee is looking for his first win as a Ranger. But it's not as if he pitched poorly in his first two starts. He lasted nine innings each time.

There will be considerable buildup behind every Lee start for the foreseeable future, because of what he's accomplished in the past and the dramatic way in which he joined the team. But the truth is that there was a different tenor to this Texas team, long before Lee arrived in the six-player blockbuster on July 9.

Consider the words of second baseman Ian Kinsler: "We have a really good team. Our pitching's a lot more consistent. Our bullpen's a lot better than it was last year. Our offense is more dynamic. I could go on and on."

Among the reasons why the Rangers look like a playoff team:

-- The lineup is explosive, with one of the best one-through-six groups in the major leagues: Elvis Andrus, Michael Young, Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz.

Manager Ron Washington moved Kinsler and Hamilton to their current stations beginning May 17. Since then, the Rangers are 35-22 – the fourth-best record in baseball over that span.

Wilson, who starts Game 2 of the series, is 8-5 this season with a 3.23 ERA.

Hunter, meanwhile, is the first Rangers pitcher to begin a season 7-0 while pitching exclusively as a starter, according to research by the team's media relations department.

The 24-year-old has a 2.09 ERA over nine starts this season.

"When everybody was talking about whether (Stephen) Strasburg should be in the All-Star Game, we were kind of floored for that," said Young, the Rangers' unquestioned team leader. "Yeah, we understand the kid's an incredible talent. But we were like, 'Our guy's having a great year, too.' It's a rallying call for our team, to pump our own guys up."

-- The Rangers have helped their pitching staff immensely with the acquisitions of catchers Matt Treanor and Bengie Molina. Neither was on the roster when spring training began. Treanor was acquired from the Brewers for minor league infielder Ray Olmedo on Mar. 22, and Molina arrived in a trade with the Giants earlier this month.

Two savvy acquisitions by general manager Jon Daniels.

"We have two veteran catchers that understand how to call a game," Kinsler said. "You don't see too many teams get to the playoffs without that."

Catchers of the past, present and future – Max Ramirez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden – are all in the minor leagues.

-- Hamilton, never out of the spotlight, is involved in the MVP discussion again. He leads the AL with a .353 batting average and ranks among the top four in home runs and RBIs.

"Ever since he's moved into that fifth spot," manager Ron Washington said, "he's taken off."

-- And then there's this: It's the second half, and the Rangers' pitching hasn't melted in the heat.

Maybe this is the year when that won't happen at all – thanks to Hunter, Wilson and the guy who is pitching tonight.
 

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball