World Series preview: Texas Rangers facing elimination in Game 5
The Texas Rangers will battle the San Francisco Giants on Monday 1 November in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas in Game 5 of the World Series.
The Giants currently lead the series 3-1 and can clinch a World Series title with a win on Monday night.
On the mound
Taking the mound will be Tim Lincecum for the Giants and Cliff Lee for the Rangers. Both pitchers started in Game 1, which was supposed to be a low scoring pitching battle between two of baseball’s best
pitchers.
Instead, both Lincecum and Lee struggled. Lincecum was the better of the two, but only barely, as the youngster left the game in the fifth inning and finished the night with a 6.35 ERA. Lee could not seem
to get his game on track as he was forced out in the fourth inning with an ERA of 11.57. Both Lincecum and Lee are fierce competitors and are likely to come back strong in game five.
At the plate
In order for the Rangers to extend the series they will need more production from their big bats, as both Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero have been quiet at the plate. Guerrero has struggled throughout
the post-season, but seems to have hit a wall in the World Series. The outfielder/designated hitter has only managed one hit in 10 at bats, while Hamilton has gone four-for-16, which gives the slugger a .125 batting-average.
The series thus far
The series thus far has been dominated by San Francisco. The club has managed to keep the Texas bats quiet and has capitalized on fine pitching, timely hitting and superb defence. The series was originally
thought to be a struggle between the power-hitting American League Rangers and the strong starting rotation of the Giants. However, San Francisco has surprised many by being strong at the plate, while maintaining their patented pitching game.
The Giants were clearly the stronger of the two sides in the first two games of the series, which were held in San Francisco. The Rangers had their bats in the first game, but fell to a Giants side, which
was able to out duel them at the plate, winning 11-7. In Game 2 the Giants brought a complete game, shutting out the Rangers, while driving in nine runs.
The two sides then headed to Texas for the next three games where the Rangers were thought to have the upper hand. Many were saying that Texas’ opportunity to get a designated hitter into the line-up would
play in their favour. The Rangers were able to capture game three, but only narrowly with a 4-2 win. In Game 4 the Giants once again impressed, winning 4-0, silencing the Texas bats for the second time in the series.
The first four games have set the stage for what could be a World Series winning Game 5. The Giants have shown they are the better team so far in the series, but will have to contend with a desperate Rangers
club.
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