2011 MLB Playoff Schedule: Rays Need David Price To Mix It Up in ALDS Game 3

Though he ended up with respectable numbers, 2011 was a tough year for Tampa Bay Rays lefty ace David Price. He just wasn't quite as dominant as he was in 2010, when he went 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA.

Price's general non-dominance was very much on display in his last start of the season, in which he pitched four innings and allowed five earned runs to a New York Yankees team that had nothing to play for. Luckily for Price, Evan Longoria and the Rays bats bailed him out.

You don't need to tell Price that he needs to have a much better game on Monday night. He and the Rays are hosting the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, and Price's job is essentially to make sure the Rays aren't put in a 2-1 series hole.

The scary part for the Rays is that the Rangers lineup is going to present some matchup problems. Many of Texas' best hitters hit from the right side of the plate, and that just doesn't bode well for Price. Righties only hit him at a .250 clip, but he did give up 17 homers to right-handed hitters, as opposed to just five to left-handed hitters.

The key for Price will be to mix up his pitches. He tends to get over-reliant on his blistering fastball at times, and it can get hit a long way if he's not locating it.

To give you an idea, Price threw a fastball 70.3 percent of the time this year, a figure that was bested only by Bartolo Colon and Justin Masterson. Price threw 74 percent fastballs in 2010, but he kept hitters off balance by throwing more curveballs. He didn't do that as much in 2011, and that might explain why he gave up more line drives (18.8 percent of batted balls) and home runs.

And make no mistake, the Rangers will tee off on Price if he's not careful. We're talking about a team that hit better than .300 when they put the ball in play, and almost 13 percent of their fly balls resulted in home runs.

The other variable worth mentioning is that the Rangers may be ready for Price after facing Matt Moore in Game 1. Like Price, Moore is a hard-throwing lefty who works off his fastball. Thanks to a little help from some nasty shadows in Game 1, he had no trouble dominating the Rangers.

Price may not be so lucky. He's not going to have the luxury of shadows at Tropicana Field, and the Rangers are not going to be caught off guard by 96 MPH fastballs coming from a lefty arm slot.

To clarify, none of this is to suggest that Price is automatically at a disadvantage heading into Game 3—it's just that he could put himself at a disadvantage if he's not careful.

So, needless to say, Price will have to be careful.