SB Nation Dallas - Cliff Lee Brilliant As Rangers Win Game 1https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48887/dallas-fave.png2010-10-06T17:27:42-05:00http://dallas.sbnation.com/rss/stream/14976252010-10-06T17:27:42-05:002010-10-06T17:27:42-05:00Lee, Rangers Win ALDS Game 1 Over Rays
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<p>(Sports Network) – <span>Cliff Lee</span> struck out 10 in seven masterful innings, and Texas got home runs from Nelson Cruz and <span>Bengie Molina</span> on its way to a 5-1 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a> in Game 1 of their American League Division Series matchup.</p>
<p>The AL West-champion <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> are back in the postseason for the first time since 1999 and got just their second playoff win in franchise history.</p>
<p>Texas has lost all three playoff series it has contested, but took a big step toward its first victory thanks to Lee, who gave up just one run on five hits and did not walk a batter.</p>
<p>Lee got support from his offense, which plated five runs (four earned) off Tampa Bay ace <span>David Price</span>. Price gave up nine hits in 6 2/3 innings, though did not walk a batter and struck out eight.</p>
<p><span>Ben Zobrist</span>’s solo homer in the seventh inning provided the lone run for the Rays, who won the AL East to reach the postseason for the second time in their history.</p>
<p>Game 2 of this best-of-five series is set for Thursday back at Tropicana Field.</p>
<p>Lee began the season with Seattle, which acquired him in the offseason from Philadelphia. However, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Mariners</a> did not begin the season as well as expected and dealt Lee to the Rangers just before the All-Star break.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Lee was back in a pennant race, having helped Philadelphia win the NL East last season. Now he’s back in the postseason, where he excelled in 2009, going 4-0 with a 1.56 earned run average and two complete games in five starts for Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Wednesday he continued that success, though only after escaping some early trouble. In the first inning, the Rays had the bases loaded with one out after three singles.</p>
<p>Lee then ran a pitch up and in to <span>Carlos Pena</span>, but it was ruled a foul tip, and the left-hander went on to get Pena looking at a third strike. Lee followed by fanning <span>Rocco Baldelli</span> on three pitches to end the threat.</p>
<p>Texas, meanwhile, got some of its offense from unlikely sources. <span>Ian Kinsler</span> led off the second inning with a single, then scored when <span>Jeff Francoeur</span> — acquired from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> just before the waiver trade deadline on August 31 — doubled off the wall in center.</p>
<p>Two batters later, Molina sliced a ball down the right field line to plate Francoeur for a 2-0 edge.</p>
<p>Cruz gave the Rangers a three-run lead in the next inning, when he homered with two away. Price threw three consecutive balls before putting a fastball down the middle, and Cruz hammered it to center field, where it landed on the roof of the restaurant located there.</p>
<p>Price gave up another homer in the fourth. He tossed a fastball in to Molina, who got around on the pitch and hit it over the left field wall. Molina had hit just five homers in 416 plate appearances during the regular season.</p>
<p>The Rangers completed their scoring in the fifth, which <span>Josh Hamilton</span> opened by reaching on an error by second baseman <span>Sean Rodriguez</span>. Hamilton, who missed most of September with fractured ribs, stole second before crossing the plate on <span>Vladimir Guerrero</span>’s double to the center field wall.</p>
<p>Lee had settled into a groove by that point, with a little help. Tampa Bay hit some pitches hard, but often right at Rangers fielders, and that bit of luck helped Lee retire 12 in a row until <span>B.J. Upton</span> reached on an error to begin the sixth.</p>
<p>But Lee got <span>Carl Crawford</span> to ground into a fielder’s choice before striking out <span>Evan Longoria</span> and Pena.</p>
<p>Lee’s lone run allowed came with one out in the seventh, when Zobrist hit an elevated fastball over the wall in right for an opposite field homer. Lee retired the next two hitters to finish his outing strong.</p>
<p>Darren O’Day and <span>Darren Oliver</span> combined to throw a scoreless eighth before <span>Neftali Feliz</span> took the mound in the ninth.</p>
<p>Feliz walked Pena and pinch-hitter <span>Dan Johnson</span> to start the inning, though retired Zobrist on a lineout to right. Feliz then fanned <span>Reid Brignac</span> and pinch-hitter <span>Matt Joyce</span> to end the game.</p>
<p>Game Notes</p>
<p>Prior to this season, Texas faced the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">New York Yankees</a> in the <span class="caps">ALDS</span> round in 1996, ’98 and ’99. The Rangers lost in four games in 1996 before being swept in the other two matchups. Their victory Wednesday snapped a nine-game playoff losing streak…The Rays last reached the playoffs in 2008, when they made it to the World Series before losing to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a>…Tampa Bay was 4-2 vs. Texas during the regular season…Price had allowed only 15 homers in 31 starts this season.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/texas-rangers/2010/10/6/1735261/lee-rangers-win-alds-game-1-over-raysJP Starkey2010-10-06T12:02:20-05:002010-10-06T12:02:20-05:00Follow Game 1 Of The Rangers/Rays ALDS Live
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<p>To follow the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> as they take on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> in Game 1 of the <span class="caps">ALDS</span>, head over to <a href="http://www.lonestarball.com/2010/10/6/1733783/alds-game-1-game-day-thread" target="new">Lone Star Ball and join the conversation in the game thread.</a></p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/texas-rangers/2010/10/6/1734528/follow-game-1-of-the-rangers-rays-alds-liveJP Starkey2010-10-06T11:57:03-05:002010-10-06T11:57:03-05:00Rangers Set LDS Roster
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> opted for <span>Esteban German</span>’s versatility over a seventh reliever for the divisional series, as <span>Derek Holland</span> and <span>Dustin Nippert</span> won the last two bullpen spots. The roster:</p>
<p>SP: <span>Cliff Lee</span>, <span>C.J. Wilson</span>, <span>Colby Lewis</span>, <span>Tommy Hunter</span></p>
<p>RP: <span>Neftali Feliz</span>, <span>Darren Oliver</span>, Darren O’Day, <span>Alexi Ogando</span>, Derek Holland, Dustin Nippert</p>
<p>C: <span>Bengie Molina</span>, <span>Matt Treanor</span></p>
<p>IF: <span>Michael Young</span>, <span>Elvis Andrus</span>, <span>Ian Kinsler</span>, <span>Mitch Moreland</span>, <span>Jorge Cantu</span>, <span>Andres Blanco</span>, Esteban German</p>
<p>OF: Nelson Cruz, <span>Josh Hamilton</span>, <span>Vladimir Guerrero</span>, <span>David Murphy</span>, <span>Julio Borbon</span>, <span>Jeff Francoeur</span></p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/texas-rangers/2010/10/6/1734507/rangers-set-lds-rosterBrett Perryman2010-10-05T23:36:21-05:002010-10-05T23:36:21-05:00Cliff Lee Leads Rangers Into Tampa Bay For ALDS
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<p><span style="line-height: 7px;">For the first time in 4,015 days, the </span><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">Rangers</span></font></a><span style="line-height: 7px;"> will be playing in a playoff game. Their last game in the playoffs resulted with a loss against </span><span><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">Roger Clemens</span></font></span><span style="line-height: 7px;"> and the </span><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">New York Yankees</span></font></a><span style="line-height: 7px;">. For the first time in franchise history, the Rangers will see an opponent other than the Yankees in the postseason. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 7px;">Now, the Rangers are set to open the playoffs with perhaps the best pitcher in baseball, </span><span><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">Cliff Lee</span></font></span><span style="line-height: 7px;"> as he and the Rangers will take on the AL East Champion </span><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">Tampa Bay Rays</span></font></a><span style="line-height: 7px;"> in Game 1 of the ALDS.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 7px;">Lee was acquired by the Rangers to anchor their postseason staff. Since he's been a Texas Ranger, Lee has pitched 108.2 innings, walking only 12 batters while striking out 96 and posting a 1.06 WHIP. Lee will be looking to replicate his postseason success that he had last year with the </span><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">Philadelphia Phillies</span></font></a><span style="line-height: 7px;"> when he went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA as the Phillies won the National League pennant. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 7px;">The Rays will counter with young lefty phenom and Cy Young candidate </span><span><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">David Price</span></font></span><span style="line-height: 7px;">. Price was a 19 game winner this year for the Rays, posting a 2.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP while striking out 188 in 208.2 innings pitched in the difficult AL East. While this is Price's first postseason start, it's not his first appearance in the postseason. Price appeared out of the Rays bullpen in 2008 when they advanced to the World Series. He pitched five times, going 5.2 innings and striking out eight, allowing only one run. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 7px;">With the Rangers facing a lefty in Price, </span><a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/04/2519615/murphy-improving-but-likely-will.html" target="_blank"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">manager Ron Washington plans to start both Jeff Francoeur and Jorge Cantu </span></font></a><span style="line-height: 7px;">- both of whom enjoy more success against southpaws than they do right handed pitching. </span><span><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">David Murphy</span></font></span><span style="line-height: 7px;">, who is still recovering from a groin injury,</span><a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4855320/david-murphy-says-hes-good-to-go" target="_blank"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;"> proclaimed himself at "80 percent"</span></font></a><span style="line-height: 7px;"> Tuesday after testing his groin but was told he will sit in both Game 1 and Game 2 of the ALDS with a return to the lineup possible in Game 3.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 7px;">Just as the Rangers added MVP candidate </span><span><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">Josh Hamilton</span></font></span><span style="line-height: 7px;"> back to their lineup over the weekend, the Rays will add their own MVP candidate </span><span><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">Evan Longoria</span></font></span><span style="line-height: 7px;"> to the lineup in Game 1. Longoria, an offensive and defensive stalwart, had been sidelined for the final 10 games of the regular season with a strained left quad. He said on Tuesday </span><a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4855312/rays-evan-longoria-says-hes-85-90-percent" target="_blank"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">that he expects to be at "85-90 percent</span></font></a><span style="line-height: 7px;">" for Game 1.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 7px;">Tampa Bay won the season series against Texas this year, taking four of the six contests - including the last four. The Rays swept the Rangers in Tampa Bay August 16-18 - with help from defensive miscues when Cliff Lee lost to the Rays on August 16. </span><span><span style="line-height: 7px;">The Rangers will be looking to snap two streaks: their four game losing streak against the Rays and their nine game postseason losing streak. </span></span></p>
<p><span><a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/top-posts/mlb-announces-playoff-umpire-assignments-for-first-round.php" target="_blank"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">The umpire crew</span></font></a></span><span style="line-height: 7px;"> which boasts Tim Welke, Jim Wolf, Jerry Meals, Bill Miller, Jeff Kellogg and Mike DiMuro will </span><span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/sports/baseball/06catwalks.html" target="_blank"><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 7px;">have new ground rules to adjust to in hazardous Tropicana Field.</span></font></a><span style="line-height: 7px;"> Tropicana Field is notorious for problems when balls in play strike the catwalks above the field, where the ball has been deemed in play and ruled upon as fair or foul by where the ball struck the catwalk and where it landed in the field of play. This judgment call has been removed. If a ball strikes the A or B ring in fair territory the play is immediately ruled dead and the pitch does not count. Balls that strike the C or D rings in fair territory will remain home runs.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 7px;">First pitch is slated for 1:37 EDT in Tampa Bay, the first playoff game of the 2010 postseason. Televised coverage can be found on TBS.</span></p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2010/10/5/2322144/cliff-lee-leads-rangers-into-tampa-bay-for-aldsJP Starkey