Trophy leans toward Rangers offensive burst

World Series

Texas Rangers vs. San Francisco Giants

The first game will give us some insight into what to expect in the series. Tim Lincecum against Cliff Lee in a battle for a 1-0 lead. Lee is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA in 24 innings so far in the postseason. He also has 34 strikeouts and one walk.

Lincecum had a great first start against the Atlanta Braves, but he didn’t look unhittable against the Phillies. Regardless, he has 30 strikeouts, 14 in his first start, and only five walks in 23 1/3 innings pitched. He has a 1.93 ERA and is 2-1.

The Rangers will throw Chris Wilson, Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter out with Lee going in games one and five. The Giants have Matt Cain, Jonathan Sancez and Madison Bumgarner with Lincecum.

The teams’ ERAs are actually fairly similar. The Rangers have a 2.76 ERA, while the Giants have a 2.47 ERA. It would seem pitching will be a factor, but the winner will need to score runs.

The Rangers have score 29 more runs, have 30 more hits and have a home run advantage of 17-6. Texas has a .281 average and the Ginats are at .231. The offense that comes through in the end will be holding the trophy.

Prediction: Rangers in 6

The Rangers are having a great postseason with an offense blowing away any staff they play. The Giants have pitching and stopped a hot Philadelphia team with clutch hitting and deep starts to rest the bullpen, but the Rangers are at another level.

The Phillies only batter .215 in the postseason. They just weren’t seeing the ball as good as the Rangers, and while some may say it was the Giants staff that did this, Philadelphia only batted .212 against the Cincinnati Reds. That means the Phillies actually hit better against the Giants.

In the end, the Giants are a good team, and they won’t be beaten easily. However, the Rangers are hitting the ball way too well. It doesn’t hurt that they have a postseason legend forming before our eyes in Lee.