We've Been Here Before

The Texas Rangers have been here before. Yes, Cliff Lee was not the impetus of the last Game 1 loss. Yes, Cliff Lee has been an incredible leader for this team during this postseason, mostly due to the fact that everyone seemed to think he would infallibly have a good game, even a great game. But the fact is, that the Rangers have reached the World Series on more than just Cliff Lee's pitching.

Against the Yankees, the Rangers could not take advantage of Lee's first good outing. This is exactly why it is incredibly important for them to realize that they got here together. Without their aggressive hitting, their other starters, and the improvement of the bullpen, the team would not have beaten the Yankees in the ALCS. Today, it seemed as if everyone was dismissing the team because of Lee's bad outing. Many people cited that this reflects some new comfort that the Giants' hitters have found with Texas pitching, but the reality is they are hitting .231 this postseason.

Everyone has treated the Giants' hitting last night as if was their normal production. They have scored more than 4 runs in a whopping 1 other game since September! They have scored 41 runs, with 38 RBI this postseason. The Rangers on the other hand are batting .283, and have scored 66 runs with 62 RBI. The truth is that last night was an aberration, and the Rangers only have to go out and be the TEAM that they have been throughout this postseason. Even more comforting should be the fact that the Rangers scored 4 runs in 5+ innings on Lincecum, the Giants' own ace. The Rangers continued their normal rhythm of aggressive hitting last night, the Giants had a great game. Credit to them for that, but it is important to realize that the Giants in no way took the Rangers out of their game. The Giants are now playing the Rangers game, and even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and again. The Rangers aren't going to win every slugfest, but they will win the majority of them, and as a team, they will keep up this great postseason, and return to their winning ways.