World Series 2011: Colby Lewis Heroics Will Allow Texas Rangers to Even Series

It came as no surprise when the St. Louis Cardinals outlasted the the Texas Rangers 3-2 to win Game 1 of the World Series. The Cards had the matchup advantage as starting pitcher Chris Carpenter was pitching to Texas' righty-heavy lineup.

The roles will be reversed in Game 2, however, as the Rangers will be throwing righthander Colby Lewis, while the Cardinals will start southpaw Jaime Garcia. Each side is laden with right-handed hitters, so having a lefty on the mound tends to be a disadvantage.

That will certainly be the case for the Cardinals and Garcia in Game 2. Garcia has struggled during the playoffs thus far as he failed to get out of the fifth inning in either of his starts in the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Lewis, on the other hand, has carried over his playoff success in 2010 into this postseason. While he scuffled a bit in his one start against the Detroit Tigers, Lewis was absolutely dominant in the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays as he allowed just one hit and one earned run in six innings.

Last season, Lewis went 3-0 in four postseason starts with a 1.71 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. He didn't have a particularly great 2011 regular season with an ERA of 4.40, but he was a reliable starter who could take the ball every fifth day.

When you couple Lewis' playoff success with the matchup advantage he is sure to enjoy, the Rangers would seem to be big favorites in Game 2. Essentially all of St. Louis' big boppers like Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and David Freese hit from the right side.

This is the case for Texas as well, as Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli are all righties. Garcia gave up 13 of his 15 regular season home runs to right-handed hitters this season, and with all the power that the Rangers possess from that side of the plate, it could be a rough night for Garcia.

Even if Garcia surprises and only gives up a couple runs, though, that will be plenty of support for Lewis. Even with Cliff Lee on the staff last season, Lewis was Texas' true ace in the playoffs. He just seems able to flip a switch and come up with big performances in October.

He'll have to carefully navigate around the stout middle of St. Louis' batting order including Pujols, Holliday and Lance Berkman, but as long as he can do that, he will be able to shut down the Cards.

Matchups don't always come to fruition, especially in the playoffs, but there is no question that they are in favor of Texas in Game 2, and with "Clutch" Colby Lewis on the bump, the Rangers will wrest home-field advantage away from the Cardinals.