Rangers-Rays: Behind Cliff Lee, Texas Takes Game 1 Against Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price is going to learn real quickly that just throwing fastballs doesn’t work in the playoffs.

In a matchup of two of the best left-handed pitchers in the game, Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers outdueled Price and the Rays 5-1 to give the Rangers a 1-0 advantage in their best of five ALDS.

I thought the story of this game was the Rangers’ game plan against Price. The Rangers knew they were going to get fastballs from Price, and they jumped all over him.

The Rangers knew they were getting fastballs going in, and Price obliged. Of the first 43 pitches Price threw, 40 were fastballs. Out of the 107 pitches total Price threw, 83 of them were either two-seam or four-seam fastballs.

His changeup and curve were so nonexistent that the Ranger batters didn’t swing and miss at them once during the entire game. No pitcher on this planet is going to beat a lineup the caliber of the Rangers by just throwing fastballs. I don’t care if you throw 200 mph.

Jeff Francoeur started the scoring in the second with a double off a fastball that scored Ian Kinsler. Bengie Molina followed with a single off another fastball that scored Francoeur.

The big blow in this game came in the third when Price fell behind Nelson Cruz 3-0. Price threw such a “Get me over,” garbage fastball to Cruz that I am surprised Cruz didn’t hit it 550 feet. Instead, Cruz hit it 445 feet to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

At that point, the game was essentially over.

The game was essentially over because Lee was dealing. He gave up just five hits, walked none, and struck out 10 in seven awesome innings of work. Lee did what Price couldn’t—spot his fastball.

Take a look at Lee’s pitch chart by pitch type courtesy of PitchFX...

FT represents his two-seam fastball, and as you can see, it was very well spotted throughout the game.

The one thing I will question about the Rangers in this game is why use Neftali Feliz if you don’t have to? The Rangers had a four-run lead in the ninth and really didn’t have to use Feliz.

Feliz ended up throwing 20 pitches, and with a game tomorrow, I am not so sure that was a wise idea. Why not let someone else close it out and see if you can get two innings out of Feliz tomorrow?

If the Rays are going to draw even in this series, they are going to have to have “Big Game” James Shields live up to his nickname. Maybe Shields will prove me wrong, but his nickname is the most inappropriate in baseball.

I have never seen Shields pitch a big game in his life. Maybe Thursday will be different.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg