Rangers defeat Rays, three games to one.
Key stat: after blowing out the Rangers 9-0 in game one, the Rays scored just 12 runs in the final three games of the series. They actually outscored Texas 21-16 over the three games, but two one run games in Tampa ended up being their undoing.
Key hitters (Rangers): Adrian Beltre singlehandedly carried the Rangers to a game four win with his three homers. But discounting those three homers, he went just 1/12 in the series with one RBI. Mike Napoli drove in key runs in both games two and three, tying game two at three and putting them ahead 2-1 with a two run homer in game three. His miraculous season continues. On the negative side, Nelson Cruz went just 1/15 with five strikeouts over the series, and actually hit seventh in the order. He must still be hurt.
Key pitchers (Rangers): Alexi Ogando, a starter during the regular season, worked out of the bullpen for this series, and got into three games, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Closer Neftali Feliz also got into three games. Despite putting four runners on base in his 3 1/3 innings, he allowed just one run and closed the door on all three victories. After a terrible start from CJ Wilson in game one, Scott Feldman and Derek Holland righted the ship over the next two games, allowing just two runs in 11 innings. In fact, Lewis allowed just one hit in his six inning game three victory.
Key hitters (Rays): rookie Desmond Jennings tried his damndest to carry the team to a win, homering twice in game three to account for two of the Rays three runs. He reached base twice in all four games of the series. Two homers by Kelly Shoppach in game one gave the team a blowout win, but he was a nonfactor in games two and three. BJ Upton reached eight times in his first three games of the series, but in the pivotal game four, went 0/4 with three strikeouts. Once the series returned to Tampa Bay, Evan Longoria struck out five times in eight plate appearances.
Key pitchers (Rays): rookie Matt Moore got the most innings of all Rays pitchers in the series, and after shutting out the Rangers for seven innings in game one, allowed a solo homer in game four that would end up being the difference. James Shields had a hard luck game two, allowing seven earned despite walking none and striking out six. Tampa Bay’s bullpen struck out just eight hitters while walking eight during their time in the series. Relief ace JP Howell was used for just two pitches over the course of the series.
The series could have had a different result if…Longoria showed up once the series came back to Tampa. He came to the plate with runners on base in five of his plate appearances in Tampa, and drove in none. He only reached base once in those five plate appearances.
You can’t blame…the Rays starting pitching. In games three and four, Jeremy Hellickson and David Price allowed six runs in 10 2/3 innings, and while they were in the game, the Rays scored just three runs. The meltdown of Shields in game two was unfortunate, but was more of a case of balls finding holes than him pitching terribly.
Series MVP: I’d go with Napoli, despite Beltre’s historic game four performance. He stepped up big after Tampa Bay blew out Texas in game one.
Next up: the Rangers await the winner of the Tigers-Yankees series, the finale of which will be on Thursday in New York. If Detroit wins, the series will start in Texas. If New York wins, the Rangers are heading to New York for the start of the series on Saturday.
