World Series preview and pick: Rangers vs. Giants

The Giants and Rangers shocked the baseball world in the last round, but which dog will have its day in the Fall Classic?

Odds provided by BetED.com.

SERIES ODDS: Texas Rangers (-130) vs. San Francisco Giants (+110)

OFFENSE

The Rangers scored 6.3 runs per game in the ALDS against a Yankee staff that completely shut down the Twins in the previous round.  Texas is firing on all cylinders, and ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton is leading the charge. Hamilton had four homers and seven RBIs against New York to go along with a ridiculous 1.526 OPS to match.

Ex-Ranger Mark Teixeira went hitless in 14 ALCS at-bats for New York, but more important for Texas was the performance of Elvis Andrus, whom they received when they dealt Teixeira in 2007. The 22 year-old shortstop, who’s batting .333 with seven steals this postseason, has become a real catalyst at the top of the Rangers’ lineup.

Vlad Guerrero has only three extra-base hits in 45 postseason at-bats, but he reminded us on Friday night that he is a force to be reckoned with. With one on, two outs and the game tied 1-1 in the fifth inning, Joe Girardi elected to walk Hamilton to get to Guerrero.  Guerrero smashed a two-run double to center, effectively ending New York’s season.

The Giants were a poor offensive team during the regular season and, while they haven’t exactly conjured up memories of the ’27 Yankees in the postseason, they have shown an ability to get the big hit when necessary. San Francisco’s .286 BA with two outs and runners in scoring position leads all playoff teams.

Back in August, the Marlins saved themselves about $1 million when they allowed the Giants to claim Cody Ross off waivers. Ross had the last laugh, hitting .350 with three homers against the Phillies, en route to NLCS MVP honors. He has hit safely in nine of San Francisco’s 10 playoff games, including all six games against Philadelphia.

The Giants’ lineup is improving as a unit, but the Rangers are just in a different class.

Edge: Rangers

PITCHING

Admittedly, we thought the Rangers’ staff was in for in for a rude awakening in the ALCS. Those feelings only got stronger when Texas blew a late 5-0 lead in the series opener. But the Rangers responded, holding the big bad Yankees to just 15 runs over the next five games.

Cliff Lee has officially established himself as one of the great postseason pitchers of all-time. In eight career playoff starts, the free-agent-to-be is a perfect 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA. His postseason numbers this year border on the absurd. Lee is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA, a 0.58 WHIP and an unheard of 34:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Colby Lewis and C.J. Wilson have been strong behind Lee. They will need to be at their best for the Rangers to hold up against the Giants’ impressive rotational depth. San Francisco held Philadelphia’s vaunted lineup to 3.3 runs per game in the NLCS.

Giants starters have a 2.15 ERA and a .192 BAA in the playoffs. Matt Cain has not allowed a run in 13 2-3 innings and rookie Madison Bumgarner has shown maturity beyond his years. 

But the success of the Giants’ rotation in this series may hinge on the right arm of Tim Lincecum. The man they call “The Freak” is 2-1 with a stingy 1.93 ERA in the playoffs, and has held opposing hitters to a .171 batting average. A win over Lee in the series-opener would put San Francisco in the driver’s seat. 

Both bullpens are strong, but are anchored by closers that have very little playoff experience. This is the first postseason for Brian Wilson and Neftali Feliz, another key player acquired by the Rangers in the Teixeira deal.

The bullpens may be a wash, but we have to give the nod to the Giants when it comes to starting pitching.

Edge: Giants

INTANGIBLES

Both teams come in on huge emotional highs after knocking off the two World Series favorites in the last round. Bruce Bochy has more playoff experience than Ron Washington, but was 8-16 in his postseason career prior to this year’s playoffs and was swept in his only World Series appearance in 1998.

Edge: Even

The Rangers simply have too much firepower for the Giants. Traditional wisdom is that pitching wins in the postseason, but the fact that the Giants were able to beat a team of Philadelphia’s caliber while scoring a hair over three runs per game is a small miracle – one we don’t see repeating itself. Plus, the Rangers have Cliff Lee.

Pick: Rangers in six games