World Series 2010: San Francisco Giants Vs. Texas Rangers Complete Breakdown
The World Series kicks off Wednesday, and there are few people who would have guessed it would be the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants left standing when the season came down to its final series.
On one side, there is the offensive juggernaut that is the Rangers, a team that outscored the Yankees nearly 2-1 in knocking them off and advancing to their first World Series ever. Throw in the ace of all aces in Cliff Lee, and you see why the Rangers are favored to win it all.
On the other side, there are the underdog Giants, a team that needed a win on the final day of the season just to qualify for the postseason. Their offense is nothing to write home about on paper, but they always seem to score just enough to back their stellar pitching.
So here are ten aspects of the upcoming best of seven series, and who holds the edge, as we look at every area of the Ranger vs. Giants match-up to come.
Starting Rotations
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Rangers
After years of relying almost solely on its offense, the Rangers now have a legitimate ace and a solid rotation beyond him.
Cliff Lee is quickly establishing himself as one of the best playoff pitchers in baseball history, but beyond him, CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis have proven to be viable options as well. Lewis has actually been one of the bright spots in the postseason for the Rangers, as he has posted a 1.45 ERA in three postseason starts. Tommy Hunter will fill the fourth spot in the rotation.
Giants
Tim Lincecum is among the game's best starters, and Matt Cain gives them a legitimate second ace, but beyond those two there are some question marks. Jonathan Sanchez imploded in his final NLCS outing, lasting just two innings, although the bullpen bailed him out. Madison Bumgarner has been solid throughout the playoffs, but he is still vastly inexperienced, and is a question mark to say the least.
Edge: Giants
Assuming that the Giants counter with Lincecum every time that Lee takes the mound, it is safe to assume that those two will more or less eliminate any advantage they would bring in this category. From there on, the Giants have to have the edge, assuming that Cain continues to pitch like a second ace, and Sanchez can return to form.
Bullpens
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Rangers
Despite being a rookie, Neftali Feliz has quickly established himself as one of the best closers in baseball this season with 40 saves during the regular season, but he has yet to record a save this postseason, although he did pitch three scoreless innings in the ALCS.
Aside from Feliz, Darren Oliver and Darren O'Day have been rock solid all season and will continue to be relied upon heavily in the World Series.
Giants
Brian Wilson has been lights out all postseason, recording five saves and a win in seven appearances, despite the fact that he tends to make things interesting.
Beyond him, the Giants bullpen has a good amount of talent, with Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla emerging as solid setup men this season. And after struggling early in the postseason this year, Jeremy Affeldt also seems to have turned things around, throwing two scoreless innings in game six of the NLCS.
Edge: Giants
While the bullpen has been a strength this season for both teams, the Rangers have posted the second-worst bullpen ERA this postseason, and Wilson has shown that he is the lights out closer that a team needs to thrive in the postseason.
Starting Lineups
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Rangers
With the middle-of-the order made up of Josh Hamilton, Vladmir Guerrero, and Nelson Cruz, the Rangers have one of the best lineups in all of baseball. However, the emergence of Elvis Andrus as a solid lead-off hitter, along with the consistent on base ability of Michael Young, the Rangers have one of the best lineups of the last several years.
Giants
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Giants have struggled at times to find offensive punch. It can't be understated the impact that Buster Posey has had on the Giants lineup, but the acquisitions of Pat Burrell and Cody Ross have done wonders for the Giants offense. This is a team that always seems to get the timely hit, and their pitching will keep them in most games.
Edge: Rangers
The Rangers hold a huge edge here, and it is an edge that far out weighs the slight edge the Giants hold in the starting pitching department. However, if the Giants have shown anything this postseason, it is that they are capable of the big hit. Still, the Rangers jumped on Yankees pitching, and should do the same against the Giants.
Benches
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Rangers
The fact that Rangers DH Vladmir Guerrero will most likely start in right field only half of the time when the games are in San Francisco means they will have one of the best run producers in baseball this season coming off their bench at times.
Beyond him, the Rangers have a solid group of veterans with Matt Treanor, Andres Blanco, Jeff Francrour, Jorge Cantu, Julio Borbon and David Murphy, who will start the rest of the games in right field for the team.
Giants
The fall of Pablo Sandoval has been a rapid one, and it appears as though the combination of Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe on the left side of the infield is the route the Giants will go. Along with Sandoval, the Giants bench is made up of Eli Whiteside, Mike Fontenot, Travis Ishikawa, Nate Schierholz, and Aaron Rowand.
Edge: Rangers
The Giants bench is clearly made up of a large group of veteran backups, while the Rangers have a handful of players that can and will start at some point in the series, and can make an impact when they do see the field,
Base Running
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Rangers
Elvis Andrus is clearly the most electric base runner in this series, and he is one of the fastest players in the game today.
Beyond him, however, the Rangers are one of the more aggressive running teams in the league, with Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Julio Borbon, and David Murphy all stealing double digit bases and Josh Hamilton also running frequently in the ALCS.
Giants
The Giants only stole 55 bases during the regular season, compared to 123 by the Rangers, and 26 of the 55 came from lead-off hitter Andres Torres, so outside of Torres, the Giants will do very little running.
Edge: Rangers
The Rangers clearly hold the edge here, not necessarily because the have a team of speedsters, but because of their aggressive base running mentality.
Team Defense
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Rangers
Elvis Andurs is the anchor of the Rangers infield, and is one of the better defensive shortstops in all of baseball. Michael Young is a former Gold Glove winner, and the outfielders have solid range and arm strength across the board.
Overall, defense is a strength for the Rangers, with their only real weakness being at first base, where they have a converted outfielder in Mitch Moreland and converted third baseman in Jorge Cantu.
Giants
The Giants have taken to fielding a their best possible defense of late in the infield, starting Edgar Renteria at shortstop and Juan Uribe at third base. Andres Torres is a fantastic center fielder, and backups Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholz are both solid defenders.
On the other hand, Pat Burrell is a below average fielder out in left field, although he may DH when in Texas, and the the team has no real middle infield backups.
Edge: Giants
Across the board, the Giants seem to have better overall defense, as well as some reserve options to improve that aspect even more. That said, it will be offense, not defense, that decides this series.
Managers
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Rangers
Ron Washington has done a tremendous job this season managing his team, and aside from his poor decisions regarding how to use his bullpen against the Yankees in Game One of the ALCS, he has also done a fine job this postseason.
The Rangers swing at the first pitch and run at the first opportunity mentality has made them as dangerous an offensive team as there is, and the have scored runs in bunches this postseason because of it.
Giants
This is not Bruce Bochy's first rodeo, as he has four previous playoff appearances, including a trip to the World Series with the Padres back in 1998.
He has done a commendable job mixing up the Giants lineup, and he has resisted the urge to play Pablo Sandoval, which directly paid off when third baseman Juan Uribe hit the game winning home run in Game Six.
Edge: Giants
Bochy gets the edge here, simply because of his experience, but both managers have done a great job this season, and are most likely on their way to Manager of the Year honors.
Intangibles
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Rangers
The Rangers are a tightly knit team, and they seem to have a mutual respect for each other, evidenced by their Ginger Ale celebrations in respect for sober teammates Josh Hamilton and CJ Wilson.
They have a good mix of veterans and rookies, and everyone on the team seems to buy into the team mentality and knows their role. Guys like Jeff Franceour, who have started their entire career, are more than happy to make the occasional start to help the team.
Giants
The Giants have played with the underdog mentality all season long, and there is not doubt that they are rallying around the idea that many people think that the Rangers are going to simply out score them.
Veteran leaders like Aubrey Huff, who has finally made it to the World Series after 11 seasons and 1,479 games, will instill a sense of urgency in this Giants team.
Edge: Draw
Both teams have surprised everyone this season, and both teams seem to have their own driving forces behind continued success. The Rangers appear to be favored in the series, but the Giants will only use that to help drive them.
Stadiums And Crowd Impact
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Rangers
For the first time in team history, the Rangers are in the World Series, after winning their first ever playoff series earlier this year, and that means that for the first time in forever, the Rangers fans have something to cheer about in October.
For both teams, weather will not be a factor, and the Ballpark in Arlington should be at capacity as the Rangers look to capture their first World Series title.
Giants
The Giants play in what is widely recognized as a pitcher's ballpark, and that is a great for a team that relies heavily on their pitching as opposed to their offense.
With the NL winning the All-Star game, the Giants will have an extra game at home, and that will be a major factor if the series goes to a seventh game and the Giants go to their ace Tim Lincecum at home for the clincher.
Edge: Giants
With an extra game at home, and their ballpark playing well into the fact that they are a pitching oriented team, the Giants hold a slight advantage in the stadium department.
Five Matchups To Watch
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Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum
For all intents and purposes, these two will have to do everything they can to cancel each other out, as they are two of the best pitchers in all of baseball, and are both capable of carrying their team in a series if they are not matched pitch for pitch by their counterpart.
Buster Posey vs. Rangers Pitching
While the additions of Pat Burrell and Cody Ross have been big for the Giants offense, it has been rookie Buster Posey who has made the biggest impact all season for the Giants, and with him hitting in the cleanup spot, the Giants will need their young phenom to come through when it matters most.
Brian Wilson vs. Neftali Feliz
Wilson has been lights out this postseason, while Feliz has yet to get a save chance yet this season, and there is no doubt that both pitchers will get a chance to lock down/blow a win a some point in the series. A blown save in the World Series is always tough to take, and if one of these guys blows a game it could be a series changer.
Jonathan Sanchez vs. Jonathan Sanchez
While the contributions of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have been big, the emergence of Sanchez this season is a big part of the reason why the Giants have made it this far. After his Game Six meltdown, in which he made it just two innings, he will need to bounce back and forget about his last start if the Giants have a chance in this series.
Giants Offense vs. Rangers Pitching
Clearly this is the matchup that will decide the series, as the Giants will have to do everything they can to keep up with the Rangers high powered offense. On the other hand, both CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis have been better than anticipated and will need to keep that up for the Rangers.
