Before you go to bed (or if you're just getting up), here's a few more links to get you prepped for the ALDS.
This was the No. 1 Billboard single on the date of the last Texas Rangers playoff game.
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"It's been a good ride so far and, yeah, I could see myself being here in the future. Hopefully, we do some damage here in the postseason, win the World Series, and that will make things a lot easier for me." Those are the actual words of Cliff Lee. Winning the World Series just got a little more important.
- David Murphy is reportedly "good to go" for the ALDS. He will not be starting the games in Tampa, but that makes sense, Jeff Francouer is a good platoon partner for Murphy even if Murph is healthy. I assume skipping game two would be cautionary, though. This isn't a huge upgrade if he plays, as the defensive advantage of Borbon likely offsets quite a bit of the offensive disadvantage in a low-scoring situation, but it is huge from a depth standpoint. And it would be nice if he played, too.
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FanGraphs has a preview of game one. Not much going on you don't already know, but I hadn't realized Cliff Lee's gone 25/2 K/BB against the Rays this season, with no home runs, in 23.2 innings. Despite the 0-3 record and the 4.56 ERA, that's actually really good. But, while I do remember his start in Tampa being victimized by flukey hits and Joaquin Arias defense, I didn't realize he did that well. That, I believe, comes out to a 1.19 FIP. So. . . yeah.
- DRays Bay looks at Ben Zobrist's loss of offensive productivity post injury, and speculates he has not been 100%. From our perspective, that can be seen as encouraging, that one of the best Rays players may be a mitigated factor. From their perspective, that can be seen as encouraging, that one of their best players hasn't been playing his best for a while. As pointed out, B.J. Upton had a similar situation in 2008 and then went crazy in October. Let's hope that's not the case here.
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At Baseball Time in Arlington, Joey Matschulat takes on the importance of "who's hot going in" at playoff time. Pro tip: it's not very important. However, there is some evidence that pitchers who have been hot can be expected to continue a little bit longer. That bodes well for holding on to ninth inning leads. It also bodes well for game two, where recently-off James Shields will be pitching.
- FanGraphs scouts the ALDS game one starters. We've already seen some pretty good scouting on Price and Lee already, but here's the short version if you like.
- DRays Bay looks at whether or not the Rangers can slow down the Rays' running game. It's an interesting break down, though I would bet Nellie Cruz's arm is getting underrated statistically.
- Beyond the Boxscore also talks about Ben Zobrist's inability to reproduce 2009's power hitting.
- Tommy Rancel explains why James Shields was the right choice for the Rays in game two.
- And in what has to be the most incredible story of the ALDS, a woman called in to Tampa radio accusing the Rays of starting James Shields only because he's a Jew. Despite the fact that he's not Jewish. Deadspin has the official Jewish response. It should be read.
The No. 1 box office film the last time the Rangers were in the playoffs.
via en.academic.ru
