Some call me ... Tim The difference here is the loss of the designated hitter for at least two of these games.
Or, how Cliff Lee will have one easy out at the butt end of the line-up. Unfortunately, it appears that Colby Lewis will not pick up a bat as he'll pitch in Arlington. This is a bummer because Lewis was the hero in a game against Milwaukee this year when he batted in two runs while going 2-4 in the 6-4 win in June.
Of course, he also went eight innings allowing two runs and striking out 10. We'll take the latter. And we also get to see Tommy Hunter hit.
The match-ups:
Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum
The Rangers -- through interleague play -- have never seen Lincecum. He's the type of pitcher you want to see. That wind-up helps disguise his pitchers that need little disguising. He throws pure, fat mustard. Lincecum's numbers: 23.1 IP - 1.93 ERA - 5 BBs - 30 Ks. Lincecum's only real chink in the armor is against lefties. His BAA is .254 against lefties (compared to .229 against righties). Lincecum also was 10th in the National League in walks (76).
C.J. Wilson vs. Matt Cain
Cain hasn't allowed an earned run in the playoffs, totaling 13.2 innings. He's, clearly, really good. He's always been a horse, but walks have killed him. He's cut those down significantly. He'll allow some gopher balls on you (22 homers allowed), but he's equally dominant against lefties and righties, home and on the road. If he keeps the ball in the yard, he's almost unbeatable. The rub on Wilson is that he's really, really good against lefties (.144 BAA) and so-so against righties. Other than Aubrey Huff, the Giants don't have many lefties in their line-up. Wilson's also gotten worse with each post-season start.
Jonathan Sanchez vs. Colby Lewis
Sanchez is the X-factor for the Giants, at least the pitching. He's a guy that led the Giants with a 3.07 ERA. Still, he had his worse game of the post-season against Philadelphia when he lasted just two innings allowing two runs. He's dominant against lefties, but the Rangers have the flexibility of throwing a lot of right handers against him. Sanchez will pitch in a hitter's park. He's allowed an astonishing (considering his ERA) 96 walks and 21 home runs. Essentially this season, he allowed 238 baserunners in 193 innings. The key for Lewis is that the Giants (or the current incarnation) haven't seen him. Neither had the Yankees (at least since 1996) and he went 2-0 against them.
Madison Bumgarner vs. Tommy Hunter
The debate here was whether the Rangers would go with Hunter or Derek Holland. Hunter has started all post-season, but Holland's come in with some huge long relief. I agree with the Hunter decision. Why mess with things? Also, Holland would be less effective as, again, the Giants don't have a ton of lefties that'll start in the line-up. Going against rookie Madison Bumgarner, I hope Hunter's given more time. He's been pulled early in both post-season starts. Although, he's struck out 12 and walked none in those games. Bumgarner is a stud. But he's young. A lefty, he gets hit hard by righties (.283 BAA), which could be a problem at the Temple. All things considered, the Rangers need to hit him hard and get this game.
