Similar reactions may have been heard on the left coast when Seattle Mariners fans found out their young stud pitcher Michael Pineda was headed east. The Yankees and Mariners have reportedly completed a four player exchange with their young studs as the centerpieces.

As first reported by the Seattle Times’ Larry Stone, the Yankees sent Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Pineda and pitcher Jose Campos. Noesi was one of the Yankees promising young starters on the rise, and showed some of his mettle as a reliever at the Major League level last season. Campos is a 19-yr old right-hander with potential (Evaluator John Sickels rated him as the #5 M’s prospect for 2012 and had this to say, “Grade B: We need to see him at higher levels and his secondary stuff needs refinement, but his upside is very high, he throws hard, and already throws strikes.”), but will not have an impact for quite some time.

Clearly this deal was about the Yankees need to boost their starting rotation and the Mariners need for a big bat. After being rebuffed in their attempt to acquire Felix Hernandez, the Yankees went after his young teammate (Pineda will be 23 next week).

Pineda’s rookie season of 2011 saw him finish 9-10, 3.74 with a 1.10 WHIP and 173 strikeouts in 171 innings.  The 6’7″, 260 pound native of the Dominican Republic limited AL hitters to a .211 batting average and gave up just 133 hits. He also held right-handed hitters to a .587 OPS with a torrid fastball and nasty slider. According to Fangraphs.com, Pineda averaged 94.7 mph on his fastball, the fourth best mark in the AL.

Pineda dominated in pitcher-friendly Safeco Field (2.92 ERA in 12 starts) and was much better in the first half before tiring down the stretch. In fact, the Mariners limited his innings per start over the final two months of the season.

With the Yankees lacking pop from the right side, Montero got the call to the bigs in August and produced a .996 OPS in 69 plate appearances.  Among Montero’s 17 hits were four home runs and four doubles, and he drove in 17 runs.  Montero has good power to the opposite field and averaged 18 home runs in his first four full seasons in the minor leagues.  He was nearly dealt to the Mariners at the 2010 trade deadline for Cliff Lee, but Seattle opted to obtain Justin Smoak from Texas instead.

In Montero, the Mariners get a player with 30 home run potential, even if their ballpark is not suited to a hitter’s needs. There were mixed feelings within the Yankees organization as to whether or not the 6’4″ Montero could make it in the Major Leagues as a catcher and that certainly played into the decision to deal him. With 1st base occupied (Mark Teixeira) and the DH slot needed to give the Yankees aging stars (Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, etc.) a rest, there wasn’t much room for Montero to flourish. With Seattle, he’ll get that chance.

Brian Cashman told the Bergen Record’s Bob Klapisch that he believes he took a big gamble.  ”I gave up a ton (for Pineda). To me, Montero is Mike Piazza. He’s Miguel Cabrera.” He may have taken a risk, but this deal appears to be a “win-win”, with both teams profiting. It also puts the Yankees back on top as the favorite in the AL East.

Cashman wasn’t done dealing on Friday night though. A short time after the trade was reported, word came that the Yankees and free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda had agreed to a one year contract, pending a physical, worth $10-11MM. Kuroda was thought to be seeking a $13MM deal.

Kuroda, who turns 36 in February, came over from Japan in 2008 and was 41-46 in four seasons with the LA Dodgers, despite a 3.46 ERA. He’s coming off a 13-16 season with a career low 3.07 ERA and a 3.7 WAR, also tops in his four seasons.

With the two acquisitions, the landscape of the Yankees’ starting rotation changed drastically. Prior to Friday evening, the Yankees five man squad was made up of ace CC Sabathia, 2nd year man Ivan Nova, the erratic A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, and surprise 2011 stand out, Freddy Garcia. Hughes’ immediate future is now up in the air and he could be used as trade bait to bring back a bat. The Yankees would most certainly rather trade Burnett, but the $33MM owed to him is an albatross around Cashman’s neck.

The Yankees would be looking for a short term, low salaried player. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported tonight that Carlos Pena was among the bats that were piquing the Yankees interest.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

The Brew Crew’s biggest masher has averaged 40 home runs and 113 RBI over the past five seasons and has a .929 career OPS. In the final season of his contract, which paid him $15.5MM last year, Fielder hit 38 taters, drove in 120 runs, and scored 95 more  as the Brewers captured their first division title since the 1980′s. Milwaukee would love to have him back, especially with the black eye it’s currently sporting courtesy of Ryan Braun, but their not likely to retain their former first round draft pick (2002) unless he gives them a hometown discount. So far, there’s been no hint of that from Fielder or his agent Scott Boras, who most definitely does not believe in discounts.

SI’s Jon Heyman reported back in mid-November that Fielder was seeking a deal in the neighborhood of eight years and $200MM. Thus far, he has found no takers. For no particular rhyme or reason, it’s been repeatedly reported that the Seattle Mariners are the front-runners for Fielder’s services. Rumors are that he prefers the east coast, but money said, why would Fielder want to bat in a pitcher’s ballpark like Safeco Field?

The Brewers’ divisional rivals, the Chicago Cubs, were early favorites to sign Fielder, but the Cubs reportedly are not interested in spending the type of dollars it would take to put Fielder in Wrigley Field. ESPN’s Buster Olney expects the Washington Nationals to make a big play for Fielder, but thus far the team has maintained that Adam LaRoche will be their 1st baseman in 2012.

The Baltimore Orioles always have an interest in any free agent, but have shied away from the big money free agents in recent years. The Florida Marlins certainly have the desire to spend big bucks as they have already proven this off-season, but FoxSports’ Ken Rosenthal reported the Fish aren’t interested in Fielder. Rumor has it that the Marlins are expected to go hard after Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who would be a draw to the large Cuban population in Miami.

So where does the “Prince of Home Runs” end up? My money is still on the Texas Rangers, even if they are able to sign Yu Darvish. Texas has the money and the desire, and believes you can never have enough offense.

Other than the unknown commodity that is Cespedes, the most intriguing player still available (after Fielder), is LA Dodgers’ pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. The soon-to-be 37 year old right-hander was 13-16 last season despite a 3.05 ERA. The AL East’s big spenders, Boston and New York, are said to be in hot pursuit, though ESPN New York’s Wallace Matthews believes the Yankees interest is merely to drive up Kuroda’s asking price. The strategy was successful last off-season when Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman feigned interest in free agent outfielder Carl Crawford.

Then there is the case of veteran Roy Oswalt. When the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Oswalt during the 2010 season and then added Cliff Lee to a rotation that already boasted Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, most observers though a World Series title in Philadelphia was a done deal. But not so fast; Oswalt threw just 139 mediocre innings in 2011, which included the second lowest strikeout to walk ratio in his 11 year career. Oswalt is seeking just a one year deal, and that is what is making him so attractive to prospective buyers, who hope he can do a suitable job as a fourth or fifth starter.

Then there are players whose best days are behind them, but could still add some value to a team. Raul Ibanez, Hideki Matsui, Carlos Pena, and Cody Ross are among those still looking for work.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes. ]]> http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/12/27/prince-of-the-home-runs/feed/ 0 http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/12/20/yu-cant-be-serious/ http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/12/20/yu-cant-be-serious/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:12:58 +0000 Drew Sarver http://www.baseballdigest.com/?p=10987 It was announced Monday that the Texas Rangers had won the posting bid on Japanese free agent pitcher Yu Darvish. The winning bid was an astonishing $51.7MM dollars, the highest posting bid in MLB history ($.6MM more than the Boston Red Sox bid on Daisuke Matsuzaka prior to the 2007 season), just for the rights to negotiate a contract with the Hikkaido Nippon-Ham Fighting star.  If no deal is struck, the Rangers will owe no money for the posting fee. However if the two sides come to an agreement, the Rangers stand to invest somewhere in the neighborhood of a $100MM for the 25-yr old.

The Rangers’ bid is a desperation move for a team that won two straight American League pennants, but failed to capture their first World Championship. They lost Cliff Lee, one of the top five pitchers in all of baseball, to free agency after the 2010 season, and this year lost one of the top free agent prizes in fellow left-hander C.J. Wilson. The Rangers signed closer Joe Nathan earlier this month and plan to move current closer Neftali Feliz into the starting rotation. Texas’ plans for Feliz are not expected to change if they ink Darvish to a deal.

Texas’ bid also shows that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Baseball fans constantly hear owners bemoaning the fact that they are losing money, that there are haves and have-nots, that the Yankees are spending like crazy, and teams need to tighten their purse strings.  While the true small market teams (Pittsburgh, KC) tend not to spend money earned from the luxury tax, there are plenty of other teams, not just the Yankees, who are more than willing to open their checkbooks.

With bad feelings still lingering from the 1994 player’s strike, Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf infuriated most of his fellow owners when he signed then free agent Albert Belle to a five year, $55MM deal in November, 1996. At the time, the contract was the first to average more than $10MM per season.

Things have escalated since then; Alex Rodriguez signed not one, but two outrageous contracts in excess of $250MM. The first was with the Texas Rangers in December, 2000, and then A-Rod topped that with a new deal with the New York Yankees seven years later. Since 2000, more than 30 contracts have been signed in excess of $100MM in total. Boston used to consider itself a small market team, but it can no longer say that after the franchise doled out $142MM to free agent Carl Crawford last off-season and gave trade acquisition Adrian Gonzalez a $154MM extension.  One year earlier they shelled out $82.5MM for John Lackey, whose best days were behind him.

Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria cried poverty, but got a new stadium and suddenly had the cash to pay out over $191MM this off-season for free agents Heath Bell, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle. Angels owner Arte Moreno did not land Crawford in 2010 as many expected him to, but perhaps he was waiting to reel in the biggest catch this off-season. Albert Pujols pulled in the second richest contract – $254MM - in baseball history when he signed with the Angels earlier this month. He was joined by Wilson, who bolted the Rangers for a five year deal in excess of $77MM.

There is still one more large payout to be handed out this winter, to free agent 1st baseman Prince Fielder. The Rangers are among those expected to court the Milwaukee Brewers’ standout. A team that was on the verge of bankruptcy a short time ago could very well join the nearly dozen teams with a $100MM or greater payroll. And as the salaries go up, so do the tickets, hot dogs, parking, and beer.

Considering that Matt Kemp, Matt Cain, Zack Greinke, James Loney, Howie Kendrick, Josh Hamilton, and Andre Ethier are among next year’s potential free agents, the “spend trend” will certainly continue.

Update – As a reader astutely pointed out, Matt Kemp recently signed a new mega deal. One must be careful when mixing cold medicine and writing.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Pujols reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Angels on a reported, 10-yr, $250MM contract earlier today. The defending champion Cardinals had already lost their manager, Tony LaRussa, who retired after the Cardinals won the World Series, and now have lost their best player as well. 

Pujols was said to be seeking an average salary that would put him above the deal that Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees after the 2007 season. At the very least, Pujols wanted to top the cash earned by Mark Teixeira, the highest paid 1st baseman in baseball. While he didn’t reach A-Rod numbers, Pujols easily surpassed the $22.5MM Teixeira earns per season.

Pujols has put up monster numbers ever since he hit 37 home runs and drove in 130 runs in his 2001 debut season. He was the NL Rookie of the Year that season and made the first of nine All-Star appearances. In 11 seasons in St. Louis, Pujols slugged 445 home runs, averaged 121 RBI, and posted a 1.037 career OPS. He also won a pair of championship rings (2006 in addition to this past season) and won three NL MVP Awards.

The overwhelming feeling was that Pujols would return to St. Louis, especially after the Miami Marlins were told they were out of the running.  Angels’ owner Arte Moreno and new GM Jerry DiPoto played things quietly though and seized the opening. They weren’t done for the day either.

Shortly after the Pujols agreement, it was learned the Angels had come to terms with starting pitcher C.J. Wilson on a five year, $75MM free agent contract. Wilson was thought to be either returning to Texas or signing with their division rivals. Opting for the latter, Wilson joins a rotation that already boasts Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana, though there have been rumors that Santana could be moved.

Wilson began his career as a reliever before bouncing back and forth between starting and relieving roles. He became a full-time starter in 2010 and was 31-15, 3.14 over the past two seasons. Wilson was the number one starter on the Rangers, but is considered a number two or three starter by most observers.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

The former Florida Marlins have already been making a big splash this December with the signing of free agent closer Heath Bell to a three-year, $27 million contract as they prepare for life in their new ballpark.  The Marlins made headlines this weekend for good and bad reasons as well. First the good, Miami and free agent shortstop Jose Reyes, one of the hottest commedities on the free agent market, agreed to a six-year, $106MM deal that is contingent on a physical. It’s a huge deal for the Marlins, who already have an All-Star in Hanley Ramirez at the position ( Ramirez is likely to be asked to be moved to 3rd base according to Marlins beat writer Joe Capozzi, but what if he balks. Ramirez had difficulty with management and faced criticism last year for his work habits.).

But the Marlins may have some choppy waters ahead of them. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that a long overdue investigation by the SEC into the Marlins’ ability to get a new stadium is underway.

“The Security and Exchange Commission on Thursday launched guided warheads at the Marlins, requesting the team’s financial records, communications with MLB officials including commissioner Bud Selig, minutes of meetings with local government leaders and political campaign-contribution information, according to a report in the Miami Herald.

While the subpoenas issued by the SEC do not explicitly detail the purpose of the investigation, the feds’ motives are evident: They want to understand how, exactly, a group of county commissioners agreed to fund 80 percent of the Marlins new stadium, which cost more than $600 million, without ever seeing the team’s financial records – and whether bribes had anything to do with it.”

One does have to wonder what took so long. Passan and others reported on wrong doing back in August when Deadspin.com also revealed the Marlins’ balance sheet.

“Miami-Dade County commissioners nevertheless voted 9-4 in favor of taking out loans that will cost the county $2.4 billion over 40 years to help build the stadium in Little Havana, about two miles west of the city. Critics across south Florida panned the deal, which gives the Marlins all stadium-related revenue and imbued the team with a new attitude entering this offseason.”

A team that supposedly had financial problems is suddenly pouring out money, hand over fist. First came the 34-yr old Bell’s $9MM per year deal and then the nearly $18MM per year for Reyes. And the Marlins aren’t done either. Their are said to be ready to make a serious at Albert Pujols’, to whom they reportedly made a nine-year offer to in November for somewhere between $200MM and $225MM. Whether they were serious or not, one Marlins’ spokesman told reporters the team was hoping to leave the winter meetings with “…4 or 5 new players.”

The question is will the SEC come down hard on the Marlins or simply give them a slap on the wrist. And maybe even more importantly, will the fans, who never came to Marlins’ games in the old stadium, suddenly start attending them in the new digs. While owner Jeffrey Loria may suddenly field a contender, will fans/taxpayers get over being swindled and show up? It’s a question that has no easy answer.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Verlander became the third Tigers’ pitcher to pull off the feat, joining reliever Willie Hernandez (1984) and starter Denny McLain (1968). Verlander received 13 of the 28 first place votes and finished with 280 total points, 38 points ahead of Boston Red Sox outfielder and runner-up Jacoby Ellsbury.

But not everyone was happy with Verlander’s selection or the overall vote tally. A heated debate began on Twitter between fans and members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), which casts the votes,  shortly after the 2 p.m. ET announcement. Many fans, and most likely some writers, don’t feel that a pitcher should win the MVP award, since the hurlers already have the Cy Young Award. Jim Ingraham of Ohio’s News-Herald took it one step further by not even including Verlander on his ballot. He didn’t pussy-foot around his reasoning why:

I had three Detroit Tigers on my ballot. None of the three was Justin Verlander, who won the award, getting 13 of a possible 28 first-place votes.

I was the only voter who didn’t include Verlander anywhere on his 10-player ballot.

This was my reasoning:

The short version is I don’t believe pitchers should be eligible for the MVP Award.

Some fans expressed their displeasure at the perceived bias by voters against the designated hitter (i.e., “They don’t play the field, they’re not complete players”), but who have no problem selecting a pitcher that plays every 5th day and doesn’t bat. It wasn’t just the fans that objected though, so did Jose Bautista.

“There’s nothing in the criteria that says a pitcher cannot receive the award,” said Bautista on a conference call. “But at the same time, there’s a couple of items that should eliminate a pitcher from receiving the award from the get go.”

“When one of the first items in the criteria for the MVP award states that the player should be on the field for the most amount of games for their own particular team and knowing that us position players have to be out there 150 plus times over … I don’t know, 30, 32, 33 times that a pitcher has to go out there, in my eyes that’s pretty much an elimination right there,” said Bautista.

It wasn’t all sour grapes from Bautista though, who congratulated the winner.

“It doesn’t make a difference to me if Verlander of Ellsbury wins,” said Bautista. “The bottom line is that I wasn’t chosen but, at the same time, I know that he (Verlander) had a great season and I feel excited for him, that he was able to get the award. Congratulations to him.

Added Bautista: “I’m not knocking on Verlander or the year that he had.”

The biggest argument of the day came though when the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant revealed his ballot. Grant, who covers the Texas Rangers, had selected the team’s versatile hitter Michael Young as his MVP. Young finished 8th in the overall voting and also received a second and third place vote.

As is usually the case on Twitter, some fans got out of hand, but overall the fans had a point. Young had a marvelous season, but struggled defensively, and the Rangers likely would have won the AL West even if Young had produced less offense.

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe felt the New York Yankees’ Robinson Cano was more deserving of the award than his teammate Curtis Granderson, who most thought (myself included) had the best chance at the honor along with Ellsbury and Toronto’s Jose Bautista. While Abraham selected Cano 4th, he had Granderson 8th, with players such as Texas’ Ian Kinsler ahead of him. While Kinsler had a monster September (1.132 OPS), the rest of his season was good, but not elite.

Abraham bewildered many though when he gave his 5th place vote to Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist. His reasoning was only semi-sound.

“Ben Zobrist (Rays): I was settled on the first four before the final few games of the season. Then the Rays won the wild card and I felt they should be represented fairly prominently on my ballot. Zobrist has been a quietly consistent and excellent player for Tampa Bay for several years now. He also had a WAR of 6.6 and started 33 games in right field in addition to his duties at second base.”

While it’s great to use advanced metrics, Zobrist had two months with an OPS under .700 and outside of April and July, had an ordinary season..

As for Verlander, he was his usual classy self and immediately took to Twitter to thank the fans.

JustinVerlander Thank you to everyone – teammates, fans, baseball writers). #DetroitPride (trend it – let’s have some fun with this)

The National League MVP announcement is at 2 p.m. ET this afternoon. Matt Kemp, Ryan Braun (my pre-season prediction), Prince Fielder, and Lance Berkman are among the favorites. But to add the debate, let’s see how NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw finishes. Afterall, he won the pitcher’s Triple Crown (Wins, ERA, Strikeouts).

The complete AL MVP vote:

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Kershaw won the pitching version of the Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (tied Kennedy with 21), ERA (2.28), and strikeouts (248). Additionally, Kershaw had the lowest WHIP (0.972) and hits per nine innings (6.7), and won his first Gold Glove Award. A first time All-Star, Kershaw joined Sandy Koufax (3), Don Drysdale, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, Eric Gagne (the last Dodger to win the award in 2003), Mike Marshall, and Don Newcombe (the only Dodger that was a member of the Brooklyn squad when he won) as Dodgers who have won the award.

Kershaw easily beat out second place finisher Roy Halladay, who in turn finished well ahead of teammate Cliff Lee. The key to the 23-yr old left-hander’s season was better control than he had shown in past seasons. His walks per nine innings was a career low 2.1, while he kept his strikeouts per nine innings over nine (9.6 to be exact). Kershaw made 33 starts, threw a pair of shutouts, and tossed five complete games.

The complete NL Cy Young voting:

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Verlander received all 28 first place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to defeat second place finisher Jered Weaver (LAA) by 63 points. James Shields (TB), CC Sabathia (NYY), and Jose Valverde (DET) rounded out the top five in the voting.

The 28-yr old right-hander’s season also included a no-hitter on May 5 versus the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the second no-no of his six year career. He topped double figures in strikeouts four times, including a season high 14 against Arizona on June 25, and averaged nine strikeouts per nine innings (second only to the 10.1 he averaged in 2009).

Verlander will most certainly garner a number of MVP votes when the BBWAA announces the results next Monday, Nov. 21. He’ll face stiff competition though from the likes of Curtis Granderson (NYY), Jose Bautista (TOR), Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS), and others. (My vote goes to Granderson). 

MLB.com’s Ian Browne takes a look at the AL MVP race and Verlander’s chances. Click here to read all about it.

Here’s the complete AL Cy Young voting: 

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Hellickson threw 189 innings and finished 13-10, 2.95. He had a very good 1.153 WHIP and a 4.2 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). He allowed just 146 hits and averaged just one home run allowed per nine innings. Hellickson joined teammate Evan Longoria (2008) as the only Rays to win the ROY Award.

Kimbrel was a strikeout machine in his freshman year in the ATL. He led the league with 46 saves and averaged 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He also led the NL in games finished (64), while he compiled a 4-3, 2.10 mark and earned a place on the NL All-Star team. Kimbrel is the first Brave to win the award since Rafael Furcal took top rookie honors in 2000. Other franchise winners are David Justice (2000), Bob Horner (1978), and Earl Williams (1971).

It was the first time since Fernando Valenzuela (LAD) and Dave Righetti (NYY) were Rookie of the Year winners in 1981, that the league’s two awards went to pitchers in the same year.

Below is the complete results of this year’s vote.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

In being named manager, Matheny beat out fellow prospective employees Jose Oquendo, Joe McEwing, Chris Maloney, Ryne Sandberg, and Terry Francona.  Matheny was a tough as nails catcher, who spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, including four years (2000-2003) in St. Louis. His career was cut short due to concussions he had suffered in his career.

Like former player Robin Ventura (Chicago White Sox), Matheny becomes a Major League manager with no managing experience. He had been a minor league instructor in the Cardinals’ organization prior to the hiring.

Next Stop Boston

One job down, two major positions left to go. The Red Sox continued their search this past week by interviewing former White Sox and Pirates’ manager, and current Tigers’ third base coach Gene Lamont.  His last managerial stint was the 2000 season, but he told the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t wanted to.

“I’ve wanted to manage all along,” Lamont said yesterday at Fenway Park [map] after interviewing for the Red Sox [team stats] opening. “I guess I just didn’t toot my horn enough.”

Boston has also spoken with Phillies’ bench coach Pete Mackinin, Torey Luvollo, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Dale Sveum. Other than Sveum’s 12 games as interim manager for the Brewers in 2008, none of the candidates other than Lamont have Major League managing experience.

Whoever the new manager is, he’ll have a new closer as well. Jonathan Papelbon agreed to a four year deal with the Phillies this past week to take over as their closer. Boston thought they had a closer in waiting in Daniel Bard, but the fireballing right-hander struggled in his set up role in 2011 and the Red Sox are not likely to go with such an inexperienced late innings guy.

The Ivy League

The other big job left is, of course, at the ivy covered walls of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Reportedly, the decision is down to four candidates, three of which are major candidates for the Red Sox job- Mackinin, Sveum, and Alomar Jr. Joining them is Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux.

The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan took a look at the competition.

Meanwhile, recently fired manager Mike Quade is a candidate to take over the Twins’ Triple-A team in Rochester, NY.

Moves and Rumors

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported that Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit has received several offers and will sign with a new team by the end of the month. Pittsburgh declined options for 2012 and 2013, which set Doumit free.

Minnesota is expected to sign veteran utility man Jamey Carroll to be their starting shortstop in 2012. The Twins dealt J.J. Hardy prior to the 2011 season and subsequently used a variety of players at the position. The 37-yr old played 146 games for the Dodgers last season, and recorded a .359 OPS. The move is a little odd in that Carroll has only played 224 games at shortstop in his 10 year big league career. In fact, he’s played more games at both third base and second base.

The Marlins met with free agents Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, and reportedly made an official offer to Pujols. His current team, the St. Louis Cardinals, said they will not increase their current offer. SI’s Jon Heyman reported the Cardinals offered Pujols a nine year, $210MM deal prior to the 2011 season.

The Closer

Great news this weekend with the safe recovery of Washington Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos, who had been kidnapped in his native Venezuela.

Sad news though as former big league pitcher Charlie Lea passed away at age 54. The one time Montreal Expo and no-hit pitcher was found dead in his home Friday in Tennessee. He had been a color commentator for the Memphis Redbirds since 2002. Baseball Digest extends condolonces to his friends and family.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Epstein fired manager Mike Quade on Wednesday after just a little over one season in Chicago. The Sun-Times has the story.

Dodgers fans are ecstatic that the McCourts are selling. The LA Times has the full story.

Napoli’s tomahawk in Game 4 of the World Series would make any Atlanta Braves or Florida St. Seminoles fan proud. Bat crushed ball on the first pitch Napoli saw from Cardinals’ reliever Mitchell Boggs and turned a 1-0 cliffhanger in a 4-0, 6th inning lead that would hold up. Monday night saw another nail biter, with the teams tied at two apiece in the 8th inning. That’s when Napoli came to bat with the bases loaded against reliever Mike Rzepczynski. With the hometown fans chanting “Nap-oli”, the guy who looks like a slow pitch softball player, hit a rope up the alley in right-center for a 2-run double and a 4-2 Rangers’ lead. It was the eighth and ninth RBI of the series for the former 17th round draft pick (2000) out of Charles Flanagan High School in Pembrook Pines, Florida.

The Rangers at one time hated Mike Napoli. Now they can’t live without him. Click here to read Stephen Hawkins’ article about Texas’ new favorite teammate.

Napoli hasn’t just done it with his bat though. His defense, which was maligned at times in LA, was a key to a Game 5 victory. Having already thrown out Allen Craig attempting to steal second earlier in the game, Napoli repeated the feat in the top of the 9th inning. With Albert Pujols representing the tying run, Tony LaRussa made the decision to run Craig on a 3-2 count despite being down two. The move backfired as Pujols whiffed at Neftali Feliz’s pitch and Napoli fired a strike to Ian Kinsler to nail Craig for the double play.

The team that selected him probably wishes they had Napoli back since Wells produced a paltry .660 OPS for the Angels while their former player produced career highs in home runs (30), RBI (75), and OPS (1.046). Napoli also helped eliminate his former team from a chance at the post-season with a pair of back to back two-home run games against Los Angeles on the season’s final weekend.

He may not be thinking about it right now, but Napoli should be in for a fine payday this winter after he avoided arbitration prior to the season by signing a one year, $5.8MM deal.  Based on both his regular and post-seasons, Napoli will be looking for a good bump up and a multi-year deal, though he doesn’t have the power of free agency.  Napoli can point not only to his World Series production, but his ALDS numbers as well.  The six year veteran posted a .971 OPS with a home run and four RBI in Texas’ first round knock out of the Tampa Bay Rays. Though Napoli’s catching was limited to 61 regular season games, he was ranked in the upper echelon in the American League by a number of defensive metric gurus.

No matter how much he makes, you can bet the fans in Arlington, Texas will be singing out for Napoli.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Holland had shown glimpses of star potential in his three year Major League career- he threw three complete game shutouts in July- but had come up small in the playoffs thus far. His last two starts came in the ALCS vs. Detroit and lasted only a combined 7.1 innings with seven earned runs allowed. So there was no reason for Texas fans, or Ron Washington for that matter, to have a lot of confidence in their 25-yr old left-hander.

But after a couple of pep talks from Washington, Holland went out and threw the game of his life. Eight and one-third innings of shutout baseball to enable the Rangers to even the series at two games apiece. It was only fitting that Holland’s battery mate, Mike Napoli, provided the big blow on offense with a 3-run home run.

Texas had plenty of opportunities off of Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson, who walked seven hitters in 5.1 innings, but could only manage one run through the first five innings. You had the feeling that at any moment the Cardinals would break through with a run or two and the Rangers would be in trouble. But just the opposite happened. Holland allowed just two hits on the night, and after Lance Berkman’s double in the 2nd inning, didn’t allow another Cardinals’ base runner to reach second base.

Jackson’s walks eventually caught up to him when his final free passes put two aboard in the 6th and Napoli smashed reliever Mitchell Boggs’ first pitch into the left field seats for a back breaking home run. The Cardinals mounted a minor threat in the 9th with walks off Holland and closer Neftali Feliz, but the hard throwing right-hander struck out Matt Holliday on a 3-2 fastball to end the game.

If Derek Holland were 13 and Jewish, he would be told, “Today you are a man.” Well, at least he has the mustache of a 13-yr old and a game he’ll never forget. Should a Game 7 occur in this World Series, Holland will be the man on the mound in St. Louis and the Texas faithful will have a renewed faith in him.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

While rumors persist that the Rangers will throw a boatload of money at CC Sabathia, if the pitcher opts out of his current deal witht the New York Yankees, and the team already is loaded with hitters, they could go after Pujols. Texas’ principle owner Nolan Ryan surely had to be wishing Pujols was on his side as he watched the St. Louis Cardinals destroy his team in Game 3 of the World Series last night. Pujols had five hits, three home runs, and six RBI to help boost the Cards to a 16-7 win and a two games to one advantage over the Rangers.

Pujols is in the final year of an eight year, $116MM contract, with deferred money, that makes him only the 35th highest paid player in baseball. The Cardinals offered the 11 year veteran a nine year, $195MM deal last winter, but, to no surprise, Pujols turned it down. He is said to be looking for a deal similar to that of Alex Rodriguez (10 years, $275) and Joe Mauer (10 years, $230). But can the Cardinals pony up the money, and if not, who can?

The number of teams that can fulfill Pujols’ wishes are limited. The Yankees, always players for big time players, should not be involved. The Angels are always mentioned when it comes to high salaried players, everyone was sure that they would sign Carl Crawford last off-season, but the Angels haven’t been throwing money around lately for outside free agents. The Red Sox saw this season (Crawford, Lackey, Gonzalez) that big money moves doesn’t even translate to a playoff spot. Other teams you will surely hear mentioned are the SF Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Washington Nationals.

The Rangers 2011 salary was $91,885,265, the 13th highest total in all of baseball. The Rangers top priority will be to bring back their #1 starter, C.J. Wilson, who will be a free agent after the World Series. If Ryan is able to accomplish that feat, and unable to bring in Sabathia (there are no other top-line starting pitchers available via free agency), the Rangers should be able to add a Pujols type contract to their payroll.

The Rangers added Adrian Beltre to any already strong lineup last off-season and Texas scored the third highest total runs scored (855) in all of baseball, but imagine what they could do with Pujols? Even more protection for Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and Beltre. It would also free them up to deal Mitch Moreland and prospects for pitching. The downside of signing Pujols would be that Michael Young could be the odd man out, just as he nearly was this season.

You Better Be Better, You Bet

Derek Holland needs to pitch the game of his life in Sunday night’s Game 4 of the World Series. It’s the pivotal game of the series with Texas either tying things up at two games apiece or the Cardinals just one game away from their 11th title. Holland has struggled in his three playoff starts, particularly his two ALCS appearances against the Detroit Tigers. Holland lasted just 7.1 innings in his two starts and allowed seven earned runs. He appeared in two World Series games last season and allowed three earned runs in one inning.

Pujols Makes History

Pujols’ three home run night was the second of this post-season, joining Nelson Cruz who had a hat trick in the ALCS. Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson are the only other players to hit three home runs in a single World Series game.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, last night was just the second time in WS history that players from both team had at least four hits in the same game. Pujols and Beltre were the first players since Enos Slaughter, Whitey Kurowski and Joe Garagiola of St. Louis had four hits for the victorious Cardinals in Game 4 of the ’46 Series, while Wally Moses had four for the Boston Red Sox.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Prior to the series Washington admitted he couldn’t match wits with his counterpart, Tony LaRussa. That may be the understatement of the year.

The Cards had jumped out a 2-0 lead on Lance Berkman’s single in the 4th, but Rangers’ catcher Mike Napoli tied the game with a 2-run shot off of Cardinals’ starter Chris Carpenter in the top of the 5th. St. Louis took the lead again when pinch-hitter Alan Craig, whose been clutch all season, stroked an RBI double in the 6th, just out of the reach of right fielder Nelson Cruz.

Texas once again had a chance to answer right back when they put two aboard in the 7th with just one away. But that’s where Washington’s decision making came into question. With lefty David Murphy due up and the pitcher’s spot to follow, LaRussa went to the pen for left-hander Mike Rzepczynski. Washington had four right handed bats on the bench- Yorvit Torrealba, Craig Gentry, Matt  Treanor, and Estaban German. None are stellar, but Torrealba is the best of them.

Washington went for a straight outfielder for outfielder switch instead and chose to send up the light-hitting Gentry. He struck out looking. The inning was still salvageable had Washington gone with Torrealba to bat for pitcher Alexi Ogando, but once again Washington defied logic and batted German. The veteran utility man had not swung a bat in a big league game since September 25 and had only 11 MLB at-bats all season. German at least swung the bat when he struck out. Never mind that the pitch was in the dirt.

Texas has plenty of talent to win the World Series, but if the series comes down to a chess match, LaRussa will be the only playing the role of Bobby Fischer.

Replay, Replay

Had last night’s game been in Texas, a chant may have gone up from the crowd for a change to instant replay. With one out in the top of the 9th and his team trailing by one, Texas’ Adrian Beltre fouled a ball off the front of his shoe and immediately got knocked off balance. The ball bounced to third baseman Daniel Descalso, who threw across the diamond to easily record the second out of the inning. Beltre stood in the batter’s box in amazement until Washington came out of the dugout to argue to no avail.

Once again, Major League umpires failed on baseball’s biggest stage. We see it year after year in the post-season, from phantom tags to fair balls called foul. There’s no saying that Beltre would have done anything positive with his at-bat, but home plate ump Jerry Layne, and the other members of the crew in the infield, Greg Gibson, Alfonso Marquez, and Ron Kulpa made sure he didn’t get the chance.

Lewis and Start

Colby Lewis will try to even the series tonight when he face’s St. Louis’ Jaime Garcia. Lewis was outstanding in the division series when he limited Tampa Bay to one hit over six innings in the Rangers 4-3 win. He came back down to earth though in Game 3 of the ALCS when he allowed four runs in 5.2 innings in a 5-2 Tigers’ victory.

Lewis has faced the Cardinals just once, and it was a relief appearance he’d like to forget. While a member of the Oakland A’s in 2007, Lewis gave up four runs on four hits in one inning, including a 3-run home run to then Cardinal Ryan Ludwick, and was the losing pitcher.

He’s faced five members of the current Cardinals team with mixed results- Lance Berkman (0-7) and Nick Punto (0-1) are hitless, while Albert Pujols (1-1) and Ryan Theriot (2-2) are batting 1.000. Cardinals back up catcher Gerald Laird has just one at-bat in two games this post-season, but is 4-8 lifetime against Lewis with a home run and four RBI.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Wednesday night the Rangers face the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series. It’s Texas’ second straight trip to the final series, which makes them just the third team (joining the Yankees of 1998-2001 and Philadelphia Phillies of 2008-2009) since 2000 to make back to back series appearances.  The Yankees mini-dynasty at the turn of the decade, the ’76-’78 Bronx Bombers, the ’72-’74 and ’88-’90 A’s, and the ’69-’71 Orioles are the only teams in the last 42 years to win three consecutive pennants. To put it simply, Texas needs to take advantage of their opportunity, because you never know when you’ll get another chance.

The Rangers won 96 regular season games despite the loss of ace Cliff Lee to free agency. They have a #1 starter who is really a #2  in C.J. Wilson, an adequate remaining rotation, a dynamite bullpen, and a fearsome lineup. Their manager, Ron Washington, can be both a plus and minus. He makes some of the oddest in-game decisions, but his team loves him and will do anything for him. Can they win him a World Series? That remains to be seen.

Last year the Rangers were considered a Cinderella team. A team that won despite financial issues and an on-going sale. This year the team with the glass slippers are the St. Louis Cardinals, the NL representatives who should not have even been in the playoffs. At least that’s the way it looked on September 1 when Atlanta had a huge lead in the NL wild card only to see it evaporate on the final day of the regular season. The Cardinals have taken full advantage of their place in history, beating the league’s winningest team in Philadelphia and the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. Like the Rangers, their starting rotation has not been superior (outside of ace Chris Carpenter), but the bullpen, defense, and lineup has gotten the job done.

In other words, both teams are vulnerable. The Rangers take a lead and their bullpen says, “game over”. The Cardinals never say die and fight to the final out.

So what do the Rangers have to do to win?

1. Get much better starts out of Wilson; the left-hander has allowed 14 earned runs in 15.2 post-season innings thus far. Washington needs his top starter to step up since Derek Holland has made it through the fifth inning in only one of his three starts and Matt Harrison has only worked five in each of his two starts. The bullpen has been fantastic for Texas, but you can’t keep taxing it.

2. Keep the top of the Cardinals order off base so Albert Pujols comes up with no one on. After a slow start to the season, Pujols is tearing things up again and can single-handedly man handle any opponent. Don’t let the big man beat ya.

3. Keep scoring. Sounds silly; okay, really silly. The Rangers lineup can make up for any mishaps that occur during a game. They averaged 5.3 runs per game in the division series and 6.5 in the ALCS (4.8 in games other than Game 6).

4. Don’t overtax Neftali Feliz. The second year closer is outstanding, but is still learning the ropes and can be shaky times. Washington should limit Feliz to one inning saves.

5. Wednesday, 8:05 ET in St. Louis. Show up.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Ryan Rayburn started the 6th with a single off of Rangers’ starter C.J. Wilson to give the heart of the order a chance to do some damage. But with Adrian Beltre hugging the third base line, Miguel Cabrera hit a perfect double play ball to him. With a potential rally about to be quashed, the ball hit the front of the third base bag and shot high over Beltre’s head into the left field corner. Rayburn raced around the bases to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead and Cabrera thanked the heavens for his good luck double.

It was only the beginning of the end for the Rangers though. Victor Martinez followed with an RBI triple out of the reach of a diving Nelson Cruz and Delmon Young topped that with a long 2-run home run. Just like that, the Tigers first four batters hit for a natural cycle and gave the team a four run lead.

Without being able to bring in Jose Valverde, Jim Leyland stuck with starter Justin Verlander for 133 pitches and leaned heavily on left-hander Phil Coke to get a five out save. Coke struggled, allowed a run, but finished off the win.

Notes

Max Scherzer, who tossed six solid innings in Game 2, will start Saturday night as the Tigers try to even the series at three games apiece. Scherzer held a 3-2 lead going into his final inning of work, but allowed a game tying home run to Nelson Cruz, who won the game with an 11th grand slam.

Texas will counter with left-hander Derek Holland, who lasted just 2.2 innings in Game 2. Holland has only faced Detroit one other time in his career.

Delmon Young added another home run in Game 6 and five of his eight playoff hits (in 30 AB) have been home runs.
After going 1-15 in the ALDS, Nelson Cruz is 6-20 with the ALCS with five home runs. He’s homered in four of the five games played. Cruz’s 11 home runs over the past two post-seasons are the most by any player in back to back years.

The Rangers are still playing in the post-season, but reports are out that they are going to throw a bundle of money at CC Sabathia, should the Yankees left-hander opt out of his current deal.

C.J. Wilson is having a post-season he’d like to forget. The southpaw has allowed 14 earned runs in 15.2 innings pitched and has twice given up three home runs in a game. Though he went 16-7, 2.94 in the regular season, his playoff performance in three starts may make teams think twice about signing the free agent.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Mike Napoli’s RBI single snapped a 3-3 tie and Nelson Cruz, who hit a walk off grand slam in Game 2′s extra inning victory, put the game on ice with a 3-run blast. It was Cruz’s fourth home run of the series. Much like that Game 2 loss, Detroit led most of the way thanks to their starting pitcher. Monday it was Max Scherzer who held a 3-2 lead until Cruz tied the game with a solo home run in the 7th inning.

This time around it was 22-yr old Rick Porcello who blanked the Rangers through the first five and held a 2-0 lead thanks to a 3rd inning Miguel Cabrera double that plated two runners. But after facing just one batter over the minimum, Porcello ran into trouble in the Texas half of the 6th inning. An RBI double by Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus’ RBI single tied the game at two apiece. Porcello’s own throwing error allowed Andrus to move into scoring position and Michael Young took advantage with a go ahead single.

Brandon Inge gave the Tigers a temporary reprieve with a solo home run off reliever Alexi Ogando, but Detroit couldn’t escape Texas’ extra innings magic. Scott Feldman, who pitched so marvelously in relief in Game 2 to allow Texas to play catch up, tossed one inning to earn the win.

Cy Young to the Rescue?

There’s no doubt that Detroit’s Justin Verlander will win the AL Cy Young Award and will most certainly receive a good number of AL MVP votes as well. But can he do what is needed to force a Game 6 back in Texas on Saturday? Everyone will get that answer Thursday afternoon when Verlander makes his second start of the ALCS against Texas’ number one, C.J. Wilson.

Just like his first start in the ALDS, Verlander’s ALCS debut was cut short by rain. Unlike the ALDS game, in which play was suspended and resumed the next day, both teams sat through a pair of rain delays in Game 1 on Saturday and watched the game become a battle of the bullpens.

Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland brought Verlander back in Game 3 of the division series and saw his prized right-hander struggle early in the contest after coming back on just two days rest. Verlander eventually cranked his fastball up to triple digits, but couldn’t hold a 4-2 lead late.  Thursday, he’ll be working on his normal fifth day for his most important start of the season. And no one would be surprised if Verlander was tuned into the Weather Channel and hoping for clear skies in Detroit on Thursday.  Especially after the start of Game 4 was delayed two hours and 13 minutes by rain.  (Verlander won’t be happy to know there’s a 30-40% chance of rain beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday – first pitch is slated for 4:19 pm.)

Verlander is 6-2, 2.31 in nine career starts vs. Texas, but hasn’t had great success in the two post-seasons he’s participated in. He was 1-2 in his rookie season in 2006, and allowed 17 earned runs in 21.1 innings pitched. So far this year, the 24-game winner has allowed eight earned runs in 13 innings, including three runs in four innings in Game 1.

Is There A Doctor In The House?

The Tigers are falling apart day by day; Delmon Young injured his oblique in the ALDS and was only added back to the ALCS roster after Magglio Ordonez fractured his ankle. Victor Martinez then hurt his rib cage in Game 3 on a home run swing.

MLB.com’s Louie Horvath took an inside look at some of the Rangers’ accomplishments through four games. Click here to read all about it.

Cruz Doing It All

Nelson Cruz isn’t just a slugger, the guy can play some right field too. With the game tied 3-3 in the 8th inning of Game 4, Cruz played the hero with his arm. With Cabrera on third base and less than two outs, Young lifted a fly ball to right. Cruz caught it and fired a perfect one hop throw home to catcher Mike Napoli, who withstood a Cabrera collision for a game saving double play.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Tigers’ starter Max Scherzer had given up a pair of early runs, but held a 3-2 lead entering the 7th inning, thanks to a Ryan Rayburn 3-run home run off of Rangers’ starter Derek Holland. That’s when Cruz played the hero for the first time, tying the game against Scherzer with a solo blast in the 7th inning. Then Cruz put his name in the record books when he became the first player in League Championship Series to hit a walk off grand slam. It came in the 11th inning after Ryan Perry had allowed three straight singles, and gave the Rangers a 7-3 victory. It was a home run that fit the moment; a majestic shot that simply had to stay fair, which it did.

The series resumes in Detroit this evening (Tuesday) with the Tigers sending Doug Fister up against the Rangers’ Colby Lewis. Fister took the loss in Game 1 of the ALDS, but escaped a number of jams in a five inning appearance to pick up the victory in the decisive fifth game against the New York Yankees. He’s 2-3 in six career starts against the Rangers, with a 4.38 ERA. Cruz could find himself continuing to have a hot hand since he’s 7-14 lifetime against Fister with a home run. Also of note is David Murphy’s 6-16 (.375) performance with a pair of home runs.

Though he won’t discuss it, Lewis has been bothered by a bad hip for much of the season. It didn’t stop him from pitching six innings of one hit ball in a Game 2 win against the Rays in the ALDS. Lewis hasn’t had much success against the Tigers though, posting a 7.48 ERA in five career starts and one relief appearance. He’s managed a 2-2 record despite having allowed 40 hits in just 27.2 innings pitched.

Alex Avila (3-9, 1 HR), Austin Jackson (6-15, 1 HR), Miguel Cabrera (5-12, 3 RBI), and Victor Martinez (5-11, 2 RBI) have all enjoyed enormous success against the 32-yr old right-hander. With Delmon Young bothered by a sore oblique, Don Kelly should get the start in left field. He had two hits in Game 2 after entering the ball game as a defensive replacement and hit the ball well in the ALDS.

Tigers Have Work Cut Out For Them

Only three teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit in the league championship series- the 1985 Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, and the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

If the Tigers are to become the fourth team they need to start coming up with hits in the clutch. They were just 1-12 on Monday with runners in scoring position. They also need to a better job of getting on base. Ramon Santiago is the only player with more than two hits (5) in the series.

Rangers’ Pen Mightier Than The Sword

The key to Texas’ Game 2 victory was the tremendous job their bullpen turned in after manager Ron Washington pulled starter Derek Holland after just 2.2 innings. Scott Feldman, in particular, stood out with 4.1 scoreless innings of relief. Overall, the Rangers pen has allowed just five hits in 12.2 innings and has not allowed a run. They have also walked just three hitters and struck out 16.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.