Major League Baseball

RANGERS BASK IN AFTERMATH OF START

Published Oct. 8, 2010 10:22 p.m. ET

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Rangers centerfielder Josh Hamilton was asked if the first two games of this playoff series against the Rays could've gone any better for the American League West champions.

"Sure," Hamilton said with a grin, "everybody could've got a hit or a home run."

He was joking, of course.

The Rangers, a much better team at home than on the road, would have been pleased with stealing one of the first two games before going back to Texas. Instead, they took both and now have two opportunities at home to wrap up this best-of-five series, starting with Game 3 on Saturday.

"It's perfect," Rangers reliever Darren Oliver said. "Who would've thought this was going to happen? We're glad it did. I'm glad we're on this end instead of the other end."

If the Rangers had scripted the first two games, they would've wanted outstanding pitching from postseason veteran and ace Cliff Lee in Game 1 and playoff first-timer C.J. Wilson in Game 2. They would've wanted contributions throughout the batting order. They would've wanted homers and clutch two-out hits, stellar defense and strong work from the bullpen.

The Rangers have practically check-marked everything they could have wanted to accomplish in the first two games.

"We're definitely playing baseball the way we want to play baseball," said second baseman Ian Kinsler, who increased the Rangers' lead Thursday to 2-0 with a solo homer in the fourth. "We're pitching extremely well, and our offense is giving our pitching some runs. Right now, everything is going smoothly."

So far for the series, the Rangers have outscored the Rays 11-1 and outhit them 19-8.

"To come in here, honestly, it was a one-game-at-a-time approach," Kinsler said. "And to get that first one and then come in here (Thursday) and forget about the first one and concentrate on the second one says something about our team. It says a lot about our focus."

Naturally, the Rangers said all the things a team is supposed to say when it is still a victory shy of winning the series.

"We haven't accomplished anything yet," manager Ron Washington said.

"Nothing is over yet," Kinsler said.

"We're not going to get ahead ourselves," third baseman Michael Young said.

But, let's face it, taking a 2-0 lead back to Texas was the Rangers' pie-in-the-sky, best-case scenario.

"It's going to be fun playing in front of our home crowd," Hamilton said. "They're going to be excited. We're going to be excited. We can't try to do any more than what we've been trying to do the last two days."

So far, that's been more than good enough.

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