The first three starters for the American League Divisional Series (A.L.D.S.) have been decided and one of the three, C.J. Wilson (above), struggled mightily Monday night against the Mariners. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)Monday night in Arlington, the Texas Rangers (87-69) unveiled the 2010 American League West Divisional Champions banner.
That was about the only thing worth cheering about for the nearly 30,000 fans, including myself, that made their way to the Ballpark in Arlington on a beautiful night for baseball. The temperature at game time was about 70 degrees, which made fans comfortable as they watched the lowly Seattle Mariners (60-96) jump out to a quick, 6-1 lead.
Former Rangers' first baseman Justin Smoak led the charge, going 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBI for the game.
"We always saw potential in Smoak. ... We know he's gonna be a good player," Washington said. "He's still young. He got us."
C.J. Wilson (L, 14-8), tabbed as a starter for the American League Divisional Series, struggled in his six innings on the mound. Wilson allowed six runs on eight hits and never really seemed in control out there. It appears the Rangers' lefty will have only one more tune-up, Saturday against the L.A. Angels, before the first playoff start of his career.
Speaking of which, the most important thing to happen Monday was the announcement of the Rangers' playoff rotation. Cliff Lee (12-9, 3.29 ERA) will start game one for Texas, followed by Wilson, and then Colby Lewis (12-13, 3.72). Lee will start his sixth career postseason games (all last season with the Philadelphia Phillies) and has a career 4-0 record in the playoffs with two complete games and a 1.56 ERA. Both Wilson and Lewis will be making their first playoff starts.
"We have to finish the season first. I have another start to make and I'll focus on that and getting to be where I want to be," Lee said. "Obviously, the first game of the playoffs you want to do whatever you can to help the team win."
Each of the Rangers' three projected playoff starters have sub. -3.75 ERA's but, beyond Lee, each are untested in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how Lewis and Wilson handle the bright lights of the postseason, especially Wilson, who will be pitching on the road in game two.
In less interesting news, Texas takes on the Mariners again tonight, facing off against Felix Hernandez. I'm not going to lie to you: it's highly unlikely that I will watch many more games this season. Instead of the normal game reviews, I'll update happenings and how they relate to game one of the A.L.D.S.
News and Notes:
- Texas matched it's win total from last season with the 87th victory of the season Sunday afternoon, 16-9 over the A's.
- Josh Hamilton hit off of the tee Monday and looks to be on track to make it back to the lineup by this weekend, although it's likely he'll be the designated hitter.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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