World Series Preview

As we near the start of the Major League baseball World Series, I thought I'd break down the match-up between the stubborn Cardinals and the overpowering Rangers.

The Ranger's path to the World Series:
Finished regular season at 96-66
Def. Tampa Bay Rays 3-1
Def. Detroit Tiger 4-2


The Cardinal's path to the World Series:
Finished regular season at 90-72
Def. Philadelphia Phillies 3-2
Def. Milwaukee Brewers 4-2


These two teams had fairly even seasons, with a slight edge to Texas. In the playoffs, both of these teams have relied on clutch power hitting and shut down relief pitching to close out games.  Both of these teams have some truly great hitters, but one hitter form each team really stands out to me.

Nelson Cruz, OF Rangers

Cruz has been on fire this postseason, hitting 6 home runs and compiling 13 RBI's to lead his team. In the series against Detroit, he ended one game with a walk off grand slam and hit a go ahead home run that proved to be the game winner in the first game of the series. Detroit made the mistake of pitching to Cruz instead of walking him, and he made them pay all series long. The Cardinals have a strong rotation of pitchers to match up against Cruz, but they'll have to be on their best to escape him.


David Freese, 3B Cardinals

Freese has been the surprise of the postseason for the Cardinals, outperforming the major sluggers on the roster and creating runs for the Cardinals. Freese is hitting .425 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI, with an OPS of 1.315. Freese compiled these numbers against some tough pitchers as well, facing the Phillies and the Brewers.



The Difference Maker
I think these teams are fairly similar, as they both combine some great sluggers with some dominant pitching and have advanced through the postseason fairly easily.  It will be tough to predict how well each team will pitch in the series, but I have to believe that the Ranger's starting rotation will rise tot he challenge. The Ranger's starters were top 5 in the league in quality starts and WHIP rankings in the regular season. Let me tell you why that matters. When your starters are having that many quality starts, its put the bullpen pitchers in a great spot and allows them to throw their best pitches and shut down opposing batters. As a team, the Ranger's were 6th in the league in Batting Average Against (.244).


Prediction
Rangers in 5
As I mentioned, both teams can hit. Expect to see a fair amount of offense, but I think that the Ranger's starters will outperform their Cardinal counterparts, and that will be the difference maker in this series.