Why the Texas Rangers WILL WIN Friday Night

Find the nearest chair, take a seat, get comfortable, and take a nice deep breath. The Texas Rangers will beat the Baltimore Orioles Friday night to win the first ever one game wild-card playoff. This won’t do much the nervous energy many Rangers fans feel today after such a devastating final series just days ago. After reading this, you too will understand why the Rangers will win tonight, and tomorrow morning the first cold front this year will lead us right into the Fall Classic as we baseball fans love to call the MLB playoffs. Sure, I am a life-long Texas Rangers fan with an immeasurable amount of bias when discussing my favorite baseball team, but throwing opinions out and looking at the facts is sometimes the best way to figure things out, and possibly lower your blood pressure. Something I consider the bible when predicting sports are what Vegas thinks will happen. The people that set the betting lines typically have a better idea of who will win, how many runs will be scored, and just an overall better understanding of the teams and game. The Rangers head into the game tonight favored by almost 2-1 odds, something very surprising since both teams hold identical 93-69 records. The game is being played in Arlington, which I will label as our first clear advantage. If many of you haven’t been to a big-time game at the Ballpark in Arlington, you don’t know what you’re missing. Crowds over fifty thousand give the atmosphere of a college football stadium, with a venue that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck during the national anthem. I, myself, have attended countless regular season games, but also attended game 5 of the 2010 World Series, and game 1 of the 2011 ALCS. These games will be memories I talk about for years to come, and tonight will be no different for the Ranger faithful that make their way to the stadium for this all or nothing showdown. Emotions go a long way in sports, but the facts don’t lie. After 162 games, the Rangers finished 3rd in overall batting average (.273), while the Orioles finished at an unimpressive 20th place (.243). The Orioles did hit 14 more home runs this season than the Rangers, placing second in baseball, while the Rangers finished up 5th. Texas did take the MLB RBI crown with 780, which blows Baltimore out of the water with their 677 RBI’s. Runs scored also showed a major difference in favor of the Rangers, leading baseball again with 808 runs. The Orioles finished 15th scoring 712. Looking at these numbers give Texas a clear advantage on the offensive side, but everyone knows great pitching typically wins in the post season. Both teams finished in the middle of the pack on team ERA, with Baltimore leading by merely .09 earned runs per game. This modest difference also occurs in opposing batting average, where Texas leads by only .02. Pitching looks to be almost identical, but the starters tonight may have a different opinion. Darvish has been very hot as of late for the Rangers, but Saunders has had his issues. In six starts at the Ballpark in Arlington, Sauders is 0-6 with a 9.38 ERA. Yes, you read that correctly, Sauders has been SHELLED every time he has pitched in Texas, almost as badly as Romney shelled President Obama Wednesday night. He has pitched against the Rangers eleven times, holding a 3-7 record with 6.48 ERA. No matter how you look at it, Sauders struggles against the Texas Rangers, and tonight will be no different. The final tipping point that made me realize the Rangers would win tonight was a look at our past. The last two years have been filled with much excitement, while each ended with major disappointment. This bad taste in the mouth of Texas Ranger players and fans is something no one seems to want again, so a poor performance by our guys is not an option. Ron Washington, as I have said before, is possibly the best manager in the game, which trickles down to all 25 players on the roster. Tonight is a night where we enjoy the spotlight for evening. Tonight is a night where we take care of a simple formality. Tonight is the night the Texas Rangers get on the track to being the 2012 World Series Champions. Follow me on Twitter @DFWsportscreed Edited by Dustin Hughes