MLB World Series Preview: Giants vs. Rangers

Game 1 of the 2010 MLB World Series goes tonight at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Let’s take a look at a few of the major storylines to follow as we prepare for what promises to be an excellent series:

Batting

Give the big edge to Texas here. Not only do the Rangers have superior talent at the plate, but their big bats have almost all gotten hot at the right time. ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton (four homers, seven RBI, .350 average, 1.536 OPS) has been knocking the cover off the ball while LF Nelson Cruz is hitting .375 with five homers and eight RBI. Throw in the likes of the red-hot Ian Kinsler, Elvin Andrus and Bengie Molina and you’ve got arguably the best one-thru-nine lineup in baseball.

The Giants haven’t been as solid as the Rangers, although that’s due in part to facing superior pitching (most notably against the Phillies). Outside of Cody Ross (.324, 4 HR, 8 RBI), San Fran hasn’t had many breakthrough postseason performances, instead relying heavily on a committee approach. Catcher Buster Posey is hitting .282 and 2B Freddy Sanchez is hitting .268, both of which have been pleasant surprises…but the Giants are still waiting for the likes of Pat Burrell (.207 batting average) and Aubrey Huff (zero home runs) to break out of their slumps.

Pitching

The two aces of each staff — Texas’ Cliff Lee and San Fran’s Tim Lincecum — have been outstanding this postseason. You’d have to give the edge to Lee based on the fact he’s been virtually unstoppable (3-0, 0.75 ERA, 0.58 WHIP) and has struck out 34 batters to just one walk, but take nothing away from Lincecum. He’s 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings in the playoffs — outstanding numbers in his postseason debut — and has been aided by some impressive help from the rest of the San Fran staff. Matt Cain hasn’t allowed a run in 13 and 2/3rds innings while Jonathan Sanchez is boasting a 2.93 ERA. Lee is the best pitcher on either staff, but the Giants clearly have more depth throughout the rotation.

The Rest

Give the edge to the Giants in terms of relief pitching, as Brian Wilson has been counted on (and delivered) far more than Texas’ Neftali Feliz has…When it comes to bench and role players, this one is fairly even. Texas’ David Murphy and Jeff Francoeur have made cameo appearances but haven’t done much in terms of offense, so don’t expect that to change. The Giants will platoon in Pablo Sandoval to get his bat in the lineup, but expect Edgar Renteria to play the majority of the time…Middle relief could play a huge part in this series. Rangers Darren Oliver and Derek Holland were great in long relief against the Yankees while San Fran’s Javier Lopez and Santiago Casilla were equally good throughout the NLDS and NLCS.