My favorite time of the year.....with march madness being a close second. I figured I would make a thread to track my playoff success/failure. Tail or fade as you will.
1st Play
ALDS: Game 1 - Texas Rangers (+119) @ Tampa Bay Rays (-129)
With the horrible scheduling times, this figures to be the least anticipated matchups of this years playoffs. I mean come on, games 1 and 2 are weekday early starts and potential game 4 conflicts with NFL at 1:00pm Sunday. Oh well, I'll be keeping a close eye on this series.
My brain is telling me to play the Rangers for statistical reasons, but my heart is telling me to play the Rays for intangible reasons.
The Rangers made a push for Cliff Lee in July in hopes of him recapturing the magical playoff run he had with the Phillies in 09. Things have not gone quite as expected to date for Mr. Lee as he had quite a few ugly pitching lines this year. What's encouraging is 3 fantastic performances of his last 4 heading into the postseason. The Rangers have finally returned to full strength, and will feature a very potent lineup 1 through 6, the best in baseball in my opinion.
The Rays send electric David Price to the hill after a tremendous sophomore season, highlighted by an All Star game start. Price has been shut down all season at home, and looks to continue his success this afternoon. Surprisingly (to me at least) the Rays only feature two players who hit above .265. They rely on drawing walks (led the majors), and running the bases with their blazing speed. The problem here is that Cliff Lee doesn't issue walks, and being a lefty, holds runners in check.
With everything said, I think the intangibles will be the difference here. Outside of Vlad and Bengie, the Rangers don't have any playoff experience in their lineup. Nerves could very well get to these guys, as facing Price won't help. The Rays have been to the rodeo, making a run to the WS two years ago, with many of the same regulars. The past few years, Texas has really struggled indoors, and Tropicana can be a difficult place for opposing teams to play, especially opposing teams who play under .500 on the road. The Rays have been a loose bunch all year, and I don't see anything changing today. From a coaching standpoint, Washington can't come close to matching the wits of Madden, and the bullpen nod goes to the Rays should the game be tight late, which I fully expect.
MY PICK: Tampa Bay Rays (-129)
RISKING $129 to WIN $100
1st Play
ALDS: Game 1 - Texas Rangers (+119) @ Tampa Bay Rays (-129)
With the horrible scheduling times, this figures to be the least anticipated matchups of this years playoffs. I mean come on, games 1 and 2 are weekday early starts and potential game 4 conflicts with NFL at 1:00pm Sunday. Oh well, I'll be keeping a close eye on this series.
My brain is telling me to play the Rangers for statistical reasons, but my heart is telling me to play the Rays for intangible reasons.
The Rangers made a push for Cliff Lee in July in hopes of him recapturing the magical playoff run he had with the Phillies in 09. Things have not gone quite as expected to date for Mr. Lee as he had quite a few ugly pitching lines this year. What's encouraging is 3 fantastic performances of his last 4 heading into the postseason. The Rangers have finally returned to full strength, and will feature a very potent lineup 1 through 6, the best in baseball in my opinion.
The Rays send electric David Price to the hill after a tremendous sophomore season, highlighted by an All Star game start. Price has been shut down all season at home, and looks to continue his success this afternoon. Surprisingly (to me at least) the Rays only feature two players who hit above .265. They rely on drawing walks (led the majors), and running the bases with their blazing speed. The problem here is that Cliff Lee doesn't issue walks, and being a lefty, holds runners in check.
With everything said, I think the intangibles will be the difference here. Outside of Vlad and Bengie, the Rangers don't have any playoff experience in their lineup. Nerves could very well get to these guys, as facing Price won't help. The Rays have been to the rodeo, making a run to the WS two years ago, with many of the same regulars. The past few years, Texas has really struggled indoors, and Tropicana can be a difficult place for opposing teams to play, especially opposing teams who play under .500 on the road. The Rays have been a loose bunch all year, and I don't see anything changing today. From a coaching standpoint, Washington can't come close to matching the wits of Madden, and the bullpen nod goes to the Rays should the game be tight late, which I fully expect.
MY PICK: Tampa Bay Rays (-129)
RISKING $129 to WIN $100
