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World Series Games 3 And 4 Thoughts

Yes, Texas is down 2-0. No, that's not where they wanted to be.

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Still, there's reason to be optimistic. The Rangers are coming home for the next three games. We won't have to worry about the adventures of Vladimir Guerrero in right field nor will we have to worry about Ron Washington making the wrong decision to pinch hit or screw up a double switch.

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Before the series began, I thought Game 3 was the most pivotal for the Rangers to win. Colby Lewis v. Jon Sanchez is the biggest pitching matchup advantage in the entire World Series for either team - and it's in Texas' favor. Obviously, Game 3 is now a must win because of the hole the Rangers have put themselves in, but it's a game I figured the Rangers needed to win before the series even started.

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Madison Bumgarner will likely start Game 4 for San Francisco, and while I think he should have been the Game 3 starter for the Giants, he's definitely beatable. He's given up six hits in six innings or fewer in both of his starts in the playoffs thus far and he's simply not a guy that is going to take over a game on his own - something that both Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain can do. 

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These next two games are definitely winnable for the Rangers. Tying the series up at 2-2 doesn't seem like such a chore to me.

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.