World Series Recap: Giants Follow BTH Keys to Success

Bringing the House illustration

In just five games, the San Francisco Giants ended the misery of a tortured but dedicated base. In what was perhaps the most surprising World Series matchup and outcome in the past ten years, the Giants decisively defeated a potent Texas Rangers club four games to one. While there were many factors that contributed to the Giants' victory, a handful of those stood out. More specifically, the Giants' first title since the franchise moved to San Francisco results directly from the team's ability to follow five keys to success as described at Bringing the House. How fantastic! Let's take a look.

Objective No. 1:  Limit Josh Hamilton

Grade:  A

After the American League MVP candidate dominated the Yankees in the ALCS, Bringing the House identified Josh Hamilton as the single biggest threat to the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. Sure, the Rangers have Cliff Lee (more on this later). But a starting pitcher can only affect the games in which he pitches in a seven-game series. A position player, however--and a dominant one at that--can affect each game in dramatic fashion. If the Giants had any shot at defeating the Rangers' vaunted offense, they needed to limit Josh Hamilton.

The Giants successfully shut Hamilton down, and made it look rather easy. The Texas slugger struggled at the plate and turned in a final line of 2-for-20 (.100 average) with only a single and a solo home run to his credit. Not only did the Giants' pitchers silence his thunderous bat, but they did not even have to walk him to do so; Hamilton walked only one time in the series. He also struck out three times and was caught stealing once. Any time a dangerous offense contains a key cog like Texas' contains Hamilton, you have to make sure to limit that person's production, and the Giants did just that.

Objective No. 2:  Patrol the Bases

Grade:  A

We thought the speed of the Rangers did not get enough publicity going into the World Series. They get a ton of press for being a power-hitting team, and rightfully so. But the speed of the Rangers really made a difference against an older and slower Yankees team in the ALCS. If the Giants had any hope of winning close, pitching-dominated games, they would have to neutralize the Rangers' speed by limiting leads and secondary leads and throwing out base runners.

The Giants defense did a great job at patrolling the bases. Not only did the Giants throw out two base runners on stolen base attempts, but they only allowed two successfully steals in the series. Furthermore, neither of those two base stealers came around to score. In essence, those steals were meaningless. What was a huge worry going into the series became completely irrelevant by the end.

Objective No. 3:  Win One Game Against Cliff Lee

Grade:  A+

Entering the series, Lee's playoff history was the stuff of legends. If the Giants hoped to win, or even compete for that matter, they would need to defeat the Rangers in at least one game of which Lee started.

In unquestionably the most shocking development of the World Series, the Giants not only defeated Lee once, but they defeated Lee twice. Emphatically.

In Game 1, the Giants chased Lee off the mound, in front of his own fans, after just 4.2 innings. The Giants smacked him for 7 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk. And in the deciding Game 5, the Giants touched Lee up for 3 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings. While the latter performance wasn't so much of a beating, let's put everything into perspective.

Lee was arguably the most dominant postseason starting pitcher ever. The Yankees, a team that boasted the best offense both last season and this season, could not even touch him over the course of two consecutive playoffs. But the Giants, a team that everyone believed swung chopsticks at the plate, defeated Lee twice, in Texas, in the two most important games of the series, the opener and the clincher.

The only comparison that comes to mind is in the world of mixed martial arts. If you're a fan of the UFC, consider Cliff Lee the B.J. Penn of baseball. Like Penn, Lee is one of the best in the sport and shines on the biggest stage. He completely dominated great lineups (Yankees, Rays, Rockies) like Penn dominated strong contenders (Joe Stevenson, Diego Sanchez, Kenny Florian). It got to the point where you wondered if anyone would ever defeat Lee. He was automatic and indestructible.

But then Lee stumbled upon the Texas Rangers just as Penn stumbled upon Frankie Edgar. In the first encounter, the Rangers defeated Lee and Edgar defeated Penn and both results left you speechless. You literally did not believe what you had just witnessed. But the bigger illusion was what was left to come. In the second and last encounter, just when you thought and expected that Lee and Penn would both return to form and regain that mystique, they both stumbled again.    It was shocking and breathtaking at the same time.

Objective No. 4:  Other Bats Must Help Cody Ross

Grade:  A

If you take out a solo home run in a losing effort in Game 3, the Rangers shut down Cody Ruth Ross. Bringing the House correctly saw this coming and knew that the Giants needed their others bats to step up if they wanted the crown.

The other batters picked up Ross' slack and then some. Check out the following numbers:

• Five different Giants had at least 5 hits
• Six different Giants hit a home run
• Eight different Giants drove in at least 2 runs
• Five different Giants recorded a slugging percentage over .500
• Eleven different Giants scored a run

As you can see, the Giants not only had a lot of production, but the production came from a lot of different players. On the game's biggest stage, the entire offense showed up.

Objective No. 5:  Unleash the Beard

Grade:  A

The Rangers feast on bullpen pitching, so we thought that the Giants would need to get the ball to Wilson and Wilson would need to pitch lights-out for them to win this series. It turned out that the Giants offense performed so well that there weren't many save opportunities for Wilson. That being said, manager Bruce Bochy gave Wilson three appearances and The Beard delivered the following line:

2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Fittingly, the only save chance that Wilson received was in the clinching Game 5. Not surprisingly, Wilson threw a perfect ninth inning, struck out two batters in the process, and locked up the team's first championship since 1958.

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants!

How the San Francisco Giants Can Win the World Series

Bringing the House illustration

With the start of the World Series just days away, Bringing the House will dissect the keys to each team winning the title. First up:  the San Francisco Giants.

1. Limit Josh Hamilton

Hamilton, my pick for the American League MVP, had a quiet division series versus the Tampa Bay Rays. He finished that round 2-for-18 (.111 average) and only drove in one run. Just when everyone began to wonder whether Hamilton's late-season rib injury was simply too much to overcome, the star outfielder silenced all critics by delivering an MVP-worthy series against the Yankees. In Game 1, Hamilton started the game with a 3-run shot off of Yankees ace CC Sabathia to jump start the Rangers and send Arlington into a frenzy. In Game 3, Hamilton again ignited the offense by sending an Andy Pettitte offering into the bleachers for another first-inning home run. The next night, in pivotal Game 4, Hamilton hit two home runs to lead the Rangers to a 10-3 blowout. Hamilton seemed to have found his groove as he finished the American League Championship Series 7-for-20 (.350) with 4 home runs and 7 runs batted in. And just for fun, he also stole three bases.

I doubt the Giants followed the Rangers much throughout the regular season; the two teams are obviously in different leagues and San Francisco was occupied by an intense NL West race with the Padres and Rockies all season long. But as the number of remaining teams in the playoffs dwindled down, I would be surprised if the Giants had not caught the Rangers and their dismantling of the Yankees. And if they did in fact catch any of those games, they would have concluded, among other things, that Josh Hamilton is the single most important factor in the Rangers' success. How, then, do the Giants stop him?

Besides praying that Hamilton falls into a slump like he did against Tampa, there are two main ways to at least contain him. First, you could pitch around him or intentionally walk him like the Yankees did in the ALCS. The Yankees walked Hamilton a total of eight (8) times in the series. In Game 2, Hamilton went 0-1 with 4 walks, but the Rangers won in decisive fashion. Then in Game 6, Hamilton walked another 3 times, yet the Rangers still won and closed out the series. The Yankees took the bat out of Hamilton's hands, yet they still got pounded. Did the strategy backfire? No, not exactly.

The key to pitching around a player is to get the next guy out. Every great hitter in this league has another strong hitter behind him to "protect" him. That player's job is to punish the opposing team for walking the star batter. For most of the season and the entire playoffs, Vladimir Guerrero had the duty of protecting Hamilton. Let's take a look at how successful the Yankees were in getting Guerrero out after they had walked Hamilton.

Game 1 (bottom of the 3rd):  Guerrero struck out swinging
Game 2 (bottom of the 1st):  Guerrero struck out swinging
Game 2 (bottom of the 2nd):  Guerrero grounded out
Game 2 (bottom of the 4th):  Guerrero lined into double play
Game 2 (bottom of the 8th):  Guerrero struck out swinging
Game 6 (bottom of the 3rd):  Guerrero popped out
Game 6 (bottom of the 5th):  Guerrero hit 2-run double
Game 6 (bottom of the 7th):  Guerrero grounded out

Minus one hanging curveball from Phil Hughes in Game 6, the Yankees were able to retire Guerrero after they had walked Hamilton. The strategy, for the most part, worked very well. The damage in Games 2 and 6 were done long before Hamilton even stepped up to the plate. While the Giants have better starting pitching top to bottom than the Yankees do, there will be times during games (i.e. first base is open with two outs) when you would rather pitch to Guerrero than Hamilton. And if they do decide to give a pass to Hamilton, they need to make sure to get Vlad out.

In the event that the Giants pitchers want to go after Hamilton, they need to focus on getting ahead in the count with early strikes. You obviously want to get ahead of every batter you face, but Hamilton more so than others. For him, one strike makes a world of difference. Check out the following splits that detail Hamilton's batting average based on various ball and strike counts:

Count 0-0:  .398
Count 0-1:  .383
Count 0-2:  .128
Count 1-0:  .404
Count 1-1:  .392
Count 1-2:  .247
Count 2-0:  .500
Count 2-1:  .528
Count 2-2:  .358
Count 3-0:  .500
Count 3-1:  .636
Count 3-2:  .302

As you can see, his godly numbers comes back down to Earth once you get two strikes on him (with the exception of 2-2 counts). So the key will be to get ahead in the count and then work outside of the zone with nasty breaking pitches, which happens to be Tim Lincecum's general approach. As a general rule of thumb, just treat him like everyone treated Barry Bonds (at-bat) in his prime; San Francisco should know all about that.

2. Patrol the Bases

The Rangers and Giants are polar opposites when it comes to speed. Texas finished 7th in all of baseball 123 stolen bases on the season, whereas San Francisco finished dead last with only 55 swipes. The Giants have not seen the type of speed Texas possess mainly because the AL is simply a faster league than the NL. The American League teams that have the speed make it a point to use it, and when they do, it can dramatically affect a game.

In Game 2 of the ALCS, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus used his speed to wreak havoc against the Yankees in the first inning. First, Andrus reached on an infield single after beating out a dribble to Derek Jeter. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes then threw a wild pitch, which Andrus took advantage of by moving to second. After Michael Young struck out, Andrus stole third against the feeble-armed Jorge Posada. Two batters later, Andrus and Josh Hamilton orchestrated a beautiful double-steal and Andrus came across the plate for the game's first score. So in one inning, the Rangers manufactured a huge run without ever hitting the ball out of the infield; sounds like a luxury that may come in handy against the tough pitching of Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner.

To defend the Rangers' speed, the Giants will really need to buckle down. It starts with making sure that the Rangers' top speed guys don't get on base. Andrus is far and away their fastest player, but Nelson Cruz, Julio Borbon, Ian Kinsler, and David Murphy all recorded double-digit stolen base totals this season. When those runners do get on base, San Francisco pitchers need to mix up how long they hold the ball before going to the plate and make sure they execute effective slide-steps. As good as all that sounds on paper, however, it may be irrelevant. The Giants had trouble with opposing base runners all season en route to allowing a 9th-most 115 steals. In the NLCS, the Giants gave up seven (7) steals to the Phillies while only throwing them out once. The Rangers have a clear advantage in this aspect of the game.

3. Win One Game Against Cliff Lee

No team has ever defeated Lee in the playoffs. Last year, Lee was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA over 40.1 innings in the playoffs. This postseason? More of the same. Check out what Lee has done in three starts thus far:

ALDS, Game 1 vs. TB:  7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K (Win)
ALDS, Game 5 vs. TB:  9.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K (Win)
ALCS, Game 3 vs. NY:  8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 13 K (Win)

Stop it, Cliff. That's just not fair. In fact, not only is it unfair, but it's unheard of:  Lee became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to strike out 10 or more batters three times in a single postseason. Current Rangers owner Nolan Ryan (ever heard of him?) even said, "[Lee is] the most consistent pitcher I've ever seen." Quite the compliment considering the source.

We can ogle over Lee's stats for days, but my point is this:   If the Giants want to win their first World Series since moving to San Francisco in 1958, they will need to defeat the Rangers in at least one game in which Lee starts. They don't have to knock Lee around with a handful of home runs or double-digit hits. Heck, they don't even have to get a single run off of him. But they have to win that game somehow, whether on a blown call or via late-inning heroics at the expense of Texas' bullpen. They just can't afford to chalk up two games as losses in this series simply because Lee is listed as the probable starter that night. And while opposing Lee with Lincecum boosts your chances, the burden ultimately rests on the offense.

4a. Can Cody Ross Continue His Magic?

Unless you are a Florida Marlins fan or followed fantasy baseball closely, you probably had never heard of Cody Ross before this postseason (and I suppose unless you are a Giants fan, Phillies supporter, or sports blogger, you still haven't). But Ross burst onto the stage in dramatic fashion over the past three weeks by providing a bulk of San Francisco's offense and some timely hits. In 34 at-bats, Ross has 11 hits (a .324 average), including 4 doubles and 4 home runs, with 8 RBIs. The Giants batters have recorded 27 RBIs this postseason, which means that Ross has nearly one-third of those. Sometimes the big stage brings out the best in players; sometimes people get hot at the right time. I think this is a combination of the two. But will he carry the momentum into the World Series where the pressure is exponentially greater? If the Giants are to win, he has no choice.

4b. Which Batter Will Step Up?

In the event that Ross' bat cools off, who will pick up the slack? This is his first postseason appearance and he is absolutely obliterating his career averages in the major statistical categories. He is nearly 60 points above his career batting average, over 70 points above his career on-base percentage, and over 300 points above his career slugging percentage. He is not just hot, he is on steroids fire. But all good things come to an end, and if this ride happens to end before the start of, or during, the World Series, to whom will the Giants look?

The ugly truth is that the Giants are not built for high-scoring affairs. The Giants have only one player who hit over .300 during the regular season (Buster Posey, .305). The Rangers, on the other hand, had three players, including the league's batting champion. The Rangers scored nearly 100 more runs in the regular season than the Giants did. And so far this postseason, the Rangers have six players who are slugging above .400 (including Cruz at .875), whereas the Giants only have three. Although the Giants do not want to engage in any slugfests with the Rangers, eventually they will have to outscore the Rangers to win the series. Someone besides Ross will need to play big.

5. Unleash The Beard

The Brian Wilson Bandwagon is more packed than ever. The charismatic closer has not only gained a huge following because of his infectious personality, but also because of his lights-out pitching. In 9.0 innings this postseason, The Beard has allowed only 4 hits without surrendering a run, and he struck out 12 in the process. Although he sometimes makes ninth innings exciting excruciating, he gets the job done at the end of day--just ask the Phillies. The 3-2 curveball that he threw to freeze Ryan Howard was the biggest pitch of Wilson's life to date, and it was downright nasty.

Wilson will be very important for the Giants because the Rangers have feasted on late-inning pitching so far this postseason. Specifically, the Rangers have piled on runs in the ninth inning of games, killing any chance of an opponent's comeback and taking all air out of opposing stadiums. In the ALCS versus the Yankees, the Rangers scored nine (9) ninth-inning runs. And while none of those runs were scored off Mariano Rivera (i.e. the closer), you won't win if you can't stop a team late in the game. The Beard has great stuff and he will need to bring it if he wants to shut down a potent Rangers offense.

NLCS Preview: Giants vs. Phillies

On Saturday, the National League Championship Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies begins. The Giants enter  as an upstart that has become a trendy pick to reach the World Series. Meanwhile, the boys on Broad Street look to continue their dominance by winning their third straight pennant. Let's take a  look at the match up.

Schedule:

Game 1 - October 16, 2010 (at PHI)
Tim Lincecum vs. Roy Halladay

Game 2 - October 17, 2010 (at PHI)
Matt Cain vs. Roy Oswalt

Game 3 - October 19, 2010 (at SF)
Cole Hamels vs. Jonathan Sanchez

Game 4 - October 20, 2010 (at SF)
Pitching probables TBD

Game 5 - October 21, 2010 (at SF, if necessary)
Game 6 - October 23, 2010 (at PHI, if necessary)
Game 7 - October 24, 2010 (at PHI, if necessary)

Starting Pitching

To my recollection, no playoff series has ever pit such great pitching staffs against one another. The conversation must begin at the top with the teams' respective aces:  Roy Halladay for the Phillies and Tim Lincecum for the Giants. Each of these workhorses has an arsenal of nasty pitches that makes opposing hitters look foolish. Each pitcher has incredible arm durability, mental fortitude, and the ability to dominate on any given night. In case you have not heard, they both threw absolute gems in their respective playoff debuts earlier this postseason; Lincecum threw a complete game two-hit shutout, with 14 strikeouts, against the Braves; and Halladay did something that only one pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball had ever done:  pitch a no-hitter. These guys are good.

But the arms race does not end with them. As you can see above, Game 2 presents a Matt Cain versus Roy Oswalt duel. Cain pitched 6.2 innings of one-run (unearned) baseball against the Braves in his first playoff outing, while Oswalt served up a mild disappointment in allowing four runs (three earned) to the Reds in only five innings.That being said, Oswalt is a great pitcher and everyone in the ballpark will be expecting a great performance.

The pitching probables have been posted only through Game 3, which lists a Cole Hamels-Jonathan Sanchez showdown. After Hamels threw a complete game shutout with 9 strikeouts to close out a sweep of the Reds, it is safe to say that he is officially in beast mode. Although Hamels had well-documented struggles last year, do not forget that he was the 2008 NLCS MVP and the 2008 World Series MVP. It looks like he is back to that form, if not better. The Giants should be very scared. On the other hand, Sanchez is a young flamethrower and strikeout artist with the ability to nullify a great offense like the Phillies. However, at times this season he had issues with his control, and falling behind the count against this lineup could be dangerous.

Although the Game 4 probables have not been released/decided yet, we can always speculate. It would be a shock if either manager decided to send out his Game 1 starter to throw in Game 4 on only three full days of rest. However, it would make complete sense if Phillies manager Charlie Manuel gave Joe Blanton the nod and if Giants manager Bruce Bochy started his impressive rookie, Madison Bumgarner. If that were the matchup, I would easily give the edge to the Giants. I have followed Bumgarner's starts all season and the kid is the real deal (two runs allowed over six innings in the NLDS).

In sum, I love both of these rotations. I think the Phillies have a stronger and more outstanding staff because they boast two legitimate staff aces (Halladay and Hamels) and then a third guy who is the ace on at least half of the squads in baseball (Oswalt). The Giants, on the other hand, have more depth. Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez is a great 1-2-3 combination and Bumgarner is an excellent fourth starter. However, I give the edge to the Phillies because of their awesome big three. In a seven game series, Halladay will certainly pitch twice and either Oswalt or Hamels will also pitch twice. It's tough to pick against that. Based on starting pitching matchups alone, the Phillies have a clear advantage, despite the fact that everyone in the media is trying to hype the Giants' staff up and put the two groups on equal footing.

Edge:  Phillies

Relief Pitching

The matchup of the two bullpens is an interesting one because the numbers do not tell a full story. The Giants bullpen was absolutely terrific all season long. Most notably, closer Brian Wilson had a career season. While his appearance and his personality (video) gain a lot of attention, the Phillies should worry more about his arm; the enigmatic closer collected 48 saves this season (and 2 in the NLDS) while holding opponents to a .220 average and striking out 11.21 batters per nine innings. Meanwhile, the Phillies have had small issues closing out games all season long; Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson combined for 10 blown saves this season.

But what's most interesting is that the Giants superb bullpen struggled a bit versus the Braves in the NLDS, and because we're in the postseason, all regular season stats are effectively irrelevant. Atlanta got to both Ramon Ramirez and Sergio Romo, the latter of which gave up the towering game-winning home run to Rick Ankiel in Game 2. Add to that the fact that the Phillies, with their starting pitching dominance, may not need very many innings from their bullpen (they only need four innings in three games against the Reds), and suddenly the matchup gets intriguing; it all depends on which team's starting pitching can go deeper into games--and both staffs are completely capable of doing so.

Edge:  Even

Offense

While the Phillies' bats took naps for weeks at a time throughout the regular season, it is difficult to ignore their superior talent. Top to bottom, their lineup looks like it belongs in the American League East. I don't need to review the accomplishments of the thumpers in the middle of the order, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. But Charlie Manuel has the luxury of surrounding those two cornerstones with more power (Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez), speed (Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins), and flexible players who can bunt, execute a hit-and-run, or even lift one out of the park (Placido Polanco, Carlos Ruiz). While another week of hibernation is certainly possible, I just don't see it happening. Not on this stage, especially when you consider their level of experience. In three games against the Reds, this lineup put up 13 runs, which is enough in any three-game stretch when you have Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels on the mound.

As for the Giants, I found myself surprised time and time again at their offensive prowess. Their lineup contains a couple of aging veterans who have had resurgent seasons (Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell), a sensational rookie catcher with immense power (Buster Posey), some guys who have had breakout seasons out of nowhere (Juan Uribe, Andres Torres), and important pieces that underperformed (Pablo Sandoval, Freddy Sanchez). In four games against the Bravos, they scored a total of 11 runs. But not all of those runs came from clean hits, or any hits for that matter. In Game 1, a blown call on a steal at second base led to the only run of the game and a Giants victory. Other than that, the offense was effectively shut down by Derek Lowe and company. Then in Game 3, the now infamous trifecta of errors by Braves second baseman Brooks Conrad led to two of the Giants' three runs. As you can see, the Giants' offense has been more lucky than good. And while a win is a win, it's tough to imagine that the offense catches similar breaks against a better and more experienced team like Philadelphia.

Edge:  Phillies

Managing

The advantage here has to go to Charlie Manuel of the Phillies. While Bochy is a solid manager that accomplished a lot this season, Manuel is not only more experienced on the big stage, but has proven his value during a roller-coaster season in Philly. With the exception of Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth, every single starting position player had at least one stint on the disabled list, including three trips alone by former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins. The pitching staff also suffered numerous injuries, most notably to bullpen pieces like Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson and back-end starters like Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ (now with the Astros), and the ageless Jamie Moyer. Manuel dealt with a ton of adversity and still came out on top. If nothing else, his back-to-back trips to the World Series have to count for something.

Edge:  Phillies

Series Outlook

I think the Giants are a solid team, but just not strong enough to dethrone the Phillies. Regardless of how some people think the starting pitching in this series is a wash, the top three for Philly, in my estimation, tilt the playing field. Even if you venture to say that Halladay and Lincecum cancel each other out, Oswalt and Hamels oust Cain and Sanchez in my book. Now add in the Phillies' decisive advantage on offense and a more experienced and proven manager. The result? A Phillies victory in six (6) games for a third straight trip to the World Series.

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MLB Trade Deadline Review: Help or Hurt?

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At this time every season, the contenders indirectly separate themselves from the pretenders.  The top teams deal to strengthen their weaknesses; the teams with the playoffs in their reach make a move to find the missing piece that will put them over the top; and teams in the cellar unload high-priced veterans in hopes of bringing in young talent for the future.  While baseball fans and analysts across the country endlessly debate which teams "won" and "lost," I think it's too early to make such conclusions.  Instead, I put teams into one of two categories:  "Help" or "Hurt."  In the following paragraphs, I will evaluate the moves made by several teams.

Texas Rangers:  Big Help

Of all teams involved in the mid-season bartering, the Rangers helped themselves the most. Nobody believed that the Rangers would be in first place at this point in the season, and the team made big trades that would give them the best chance to remain in first the rest of the way. The first move, and by far the biggest, was trading for star pitcher Cliff Lee from the Mariners.  Lee is arguably the best pitcher in the game. His strikeout to walk ratio is absurd. He dominates in big games that matter (ask the Yankees).  And he's been dealt at this point before in the season, so he can make the appropriate adjustments to joining a postseason race and playing with new teammates and coaches.  Anytime you land someone of this caliber, it would come as no shock to think that you instantly upgraded your team. But why is Lee such a valuable addition? Because the Rangers need pitching more than any other first place team. The Rangers are in first for two reasons.  First, they have a juggernaut offense led by Josh Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero, and Michael Young. And second, they have gotten surprising pitching contributions from C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis.  But to win down the stretch, or at least have the confidence to win, you need proven players. The veteran arms on the Rangers staff--Harden, Feldman, and Holland--have either been hurt or simply underachieved.  So Lee not only gives you a dominant Game 1 starter, but he gives you presence, confidence, leadership, and experience. This will take pressure off of Wilson, Lewis, and Tommy Hunter down the stretch, not to mention the bullpen (Lee is among the league-leaders in complete games).

In addition to Lee, the Rangers went after veteran contributors on offense and in the field. Bengie Molina is a seasoned veteran behind the plate who has shown some life with his bat as of late.  Jorge Cantu is a guy who can play first or third and drive in runs.  And Cristian Guzman is a good defender who plays both positions in the middle of the infield, makes contact at the plate, and has some speed on the base paths.  Ultimately, the Rangers shored up their biggest weakness in the best possible way and gave themselves more flexibility at the plate and in the field with proven veterans.

New York Yankees:  Enough Help

Anyone who has followed the pinstripes this season knows that their biggest hole is in the bullpen. Joba has been a disappointment, Chan Ho Park has been relatively worthless, and whenever you have to rely on Chad Gaudin to bridge you over to the 9th, you have to be concerned.  Well the Yankees took a gamble on a back-end guy and brought in Kerry Wood. Although Wood has struggled a bit so far this season as a closer in Cleveland, the potential is there. I think the Yankees should have gone after someone like Matt Capps (went to the Twins) instead, but Wood was what they got.

The Yanks don't really have any weaknesses in their lineup, unless you count a disappointing Curtis Granderson, who is finally showing signs of life. They passed on big prizes like Adam Dunn and Jayson Werth and instead traded for Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns.  Berkman is a proven offensive monster who may benefit from a change of scenery and the chance to win it all. Kearns will likely spell Granderson when the Yanks face lefties. Ultimately, this just gives the Yanks some extra depth, which can never hurt.

Minnesota Twins:  Needed More Help

Each of these three teams are in the thick of division races and had obvious missing pieces/holes to fill. The Twins needed a starting pitcher, the Rays needed a bat, and the Giants needed offensive help as well.

Supposedly the Twins could have gotten Cliff Lee for highly touted prospect Wilson Ramos. They declined. Then they turned around and traded Ramos for Matt Capps. I understand how important the bullpen is, an Capps has had a solid year closing in Washington. But the Twins already have Jon Rauch, who has stepped in nicely for the injured Joe Nathan.  And the Twins had a chance to put together a starting rotation that could lead them to the World Series. Imagine throwing Lee, Pavano, and Lirano for the first three games in a series. With the Twins' potent offense, that would be a recipe for success. But instead, they will have to settle with Scott Baker or Kevin Slowly instead of Lee.

San Francisco Giants/Tampa Bay Rays:  Helpless

Finally, both the Giants and Rays needed a bat in the middle of their lineups. Both teams were rumored to be pursuing Adam Dunn, but Dunn didn't move because the asking price of was too high. The Rays pursued Jayson Werth as well, but Werth was taken off the market after Victorino went down in Philly.  The Giants were supposedly going after the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista, but nothing came of that.  I just cannot fathom why neither team brought in a bat.  The Giants made the most of things by bringing in a mediocre relief pitcher from the Pirates. But I wouldn't be so easily fooled if I were a Giants fan. That team, along with the Rays, blew their opportunity.

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