I’ll make this short. I’m picking
the Rangers. I don’t see this one going to seven games. In fact, I want to
predict them winning in four or five, but I can’t go that heavily against any
team that has both Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. So I’m going with six
games and here’s why:
After losing game one, the Rangers
made quick work of a white hot Rays team with three very solid pitchers on the
mound. In fact, it was Matt Moore, not Price, Shields, or Hellickson that
successfully shut down the hottest offense in baseball. That was in game one,
in a 9-0 rout. Losing the first game at home with your ace on the mound in a
blowout could have been enough to change the momentum of the entire series. But
it wasn’t. Somewhere over the past two years the Texas Rangers became a veteran
team, one that expects to get back to the World Series and win it this time.
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| (AP/Mike Carlson) |
C.J. Wilson got roughed up in game
one, but I expect the Ranger ace to bounce back after plenty of rest and give
his team a fighting chance against Verlander. Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, and
Matt Harrison likely won’t be able to duplicate their division series efforts,
but should be solid enough to combat Doug Fister, Max Scherzer, and certainly
Rick Porcello. I’m willing to call their bullpens a push after both have proven
to be solid and playoff-ready. I may be in the minority, but I’ll still take
Neftali Feliz over Jose Valverde, who despite saving all three games against
the Yankees and no blown saves all season, has certainly shown signs of
weakness as of late.
Where this series will be decided
is through hitting, and though I’d take the one-two of Cabrera and Martinez any
day, there is simply no break in the monstrous Rangers lineup. Beltre.
Hamilton. Kinsler. Young. Napoli. The list goes on and on. And it should take
them to their second consecutive World Series.
Prediction: Rangers in 6
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