Game 5: Rangers (3-1) vs. Mariners (3-2)

This game features an interesting set of pitchers...

I would still love for Beavan to be in the Rangers organization, but trades... they happen. And getting Cliff Lee at the time was a smart decision, because Lee turned not just CJ Wilson into a great pitcher, but really turned everyone else up a notch or two. And that is what sent the Rangers into a second straight World Series.

Beavan started 15 games last year for the Mariners and went 5-6 while putting up a respectable 4.27 ERA. He game up 13 HRs in 15 games, on pace for 28 during a full Major League season, which isn't horrible... still, Beavan is only 23 years of age. He'll develop into an ace quality pitcher in no time and be giving the Rangers headaches for years to come.

As it is, Beavan has already pitched twice against the Rangers and done respectable both times. He took a win in a 4-0 shutout of the Rangers on 9/16/11 and the loss in a 3-1 game on 7/17/11. Mitch Moreland is the only Ranger to homer against him last year. The Rangers are batting .176 against him (current roster), which really screams to me that Feliz needs to have a great night for the Rangers to have a chance.

So, Feliz needs to have a good game, I say? Well, check these numbers out: The Mariners are 0-28 against Feliz (current roster) with four walks. of those 28 outs, 13 have come by way of strike out. This could end up being a pitching duel. And if that is the case, well, I take the Rangers, as they have a better bullpen and better hitters.

Forecast: Rangers over Mariners 3-2.

Game 2: Rangers vs. White Sox

Rangers won the opener 3-2, just like I didn't predict ;) but I did predict the win, so that should count for something.

This time it is Chicago's Jake Peavy against the Rangers Derek Holland.

Peavy went 1-2 with an 8.78 ERA in the preseason. Good for the Rangers. Peavy hasn't done well when pitching in April over the past several seasons, which is another good thing for the Rangers. In fact, the previous three seasons, Peavy is 0-2 with an 8.80 ERA... I'm not sure this is good coaching, putting Peavy up against the Rangers to open his season.

Rangers vs. Peavy

• Adrian Beltre is batting .235 (8-34) with 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 5 RBIs. He's fanned more times than hit, with 9 strikeouts.
• Yorvit Torrealba is batting .241 (7-29) with a double, 2 homeruns, and 3 RBIs.
• Josh Hamilton is batting .500 (6-12) with 2 homeruns and 4 RBIs.
• Mitch Moreland is batting .750 (3-4) with 2 homeruns and 5 RBIs.
• Mike Napoli is batting 1.000 (1-1) with 3 walks. I just thought that was interesting, so I had to share it.

As a team, the current roster is batting .289 (33-114) with 6 doubles, 8 homeruns, and 20 RBIs. There shouldn't be any problem with the Ranger's offense in this game.

Derek Holland is a career 27-22 with a 4.73 ERA. When he goes the distance, he shuts them down. He has 5 complete games in 63 starts, all five are shutouts. He doesn't have much success with the White Sox (11.05 ERA; 0-1 record in two starts). The Sox hit him good with a .364 batting average and have gone yard 3 times in 7.1 innings. The Ranger fan in me says this will change. Those numbers are from last year. Hum.

On a good note, Holland is going to be better than those numbers indicate. The current roster is batting .286 (10-35) against him (still, not much better than the Rangers vs. Peavy) with a double and a homerun. Holland's stock is going up, and I don't think Peavy's stock is going up, but going down. Looking at strickly the numbers I have seen, I like the Rangers in this one.

Forecast: Rangers over the Sox, 7-4. Holland goes six plus innings, Nathan gets another save.