World Series Preview: Rangers Won't Be Hurt by Lack of DH in St. Louis

The Rangers have to wonder what is going on with the American League.

By virtue of winning the All-Star Game, the American League had home field advantage in the World Series from 2003 through 2009. Actually, the last year of the rotating system was 2002, when the American League also had home field advantage.

But now, the Rangers have won their first two pennants, and the National League has won its first two All-Star Games in more than a decade.

So again, the Rangers will be forced to take at least one game in the National League ballpark if they are going to win the World Series. In 2010, they failed to do that, losing the first two games in San Francisco.

But the Rangers are a new team this year—2011 won't have a similar ending.

The 2010 version of the Rangers had Vladimir Guerrero as the designated hitter. He was their cleanup hitter in the World Series. They were left in a really tough spot in the first two games.

In Game 1, they played Guerrero in right field and he was abysmal. In Game 2, Guerrero was left on the bench, and the Rangers didn't score a single run.

Now, Guerrero is gone. Every one of the Rangers' best hitters is capable of playing the field. They may prefer to play certain players at DH, but they aren't going to be liabilities in the field. When the Rangers are in St. Louis, they will be able to put their best offensive lineup out, and it won't hurt them in the field.

While I am sure that the Rangers would prefer to be starting the series in Arlington, the fact that they aren't isn't too big of a deal.

The Rangers aren't as reliant on the DH as they were in 2010, and the Cardinals don't have the kind of pitchers to really exploit whatever deficiencies are there, as the Giants did.

Don't get me wrong—I am not counting the Cardinals out of this series. They are a red-hot team, playing with a lot of confidence. Despite the fact that they are a National League team, the Cardinals can slug with anyone.

But when you think about this series, don't overrate the home-field advantage. In some years, it might mean a lot, but 2011 is not one of them.

The Rangers will be fine in St. Louis, and the Cardinals will be fine in Arlington.