AL West

When the Texas Rangers returned home from New York, having taken two out of three games at Yankee Stadium, the airport was packed with Ranger fans ready to cheer on their team, ready to see them wrap up the ALCS at the Ballpark at Arlington.

Few teams in MLB history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in the World Series. But maybe the Rangers have what it takes to continue their ride through new club precedents.

For a team running through new experiences with each pitch, spotting the opposition a two-game lead must seem like climbing a mountain made of wet soap bars. A serious strategy seems like the remedy, but how do you stop superb pitching and clutch hitting?

Where does a team turn after its ace implodes in Game 1 and its offense turns comatose for Game 2? 

It feels like Howie Kendrick has been considered a potential sleeper for the past 10 years.  While it hasn’t quite been that long, as we enter 2011, his age 27 season, the time has finally come for Kendrick to either put up or shut up.

Known as a high-level average guy in the minor leagues, he has perpetually disappointed since making his debut.  Unfortunately for owners, 2010 was no exception:

Fake bearded towel waving Giants fans watched as Matt Cain was able to deliver a crushing defeat to the heavy hitting Texas Rangers, and for many fans, the idea of capturing their first World Series since 1954 is but a stone’s throw away.

Cain kept his 0.00 postseason ERA intact going nearly eight as he dazzled and confounded the Rangers’ hitters, while postseason veteran Edgar Renteria did the rest, going 2-4 with a key home-run in the fifth inning that got things going.

Apparently the pitchers duel that everyone was expecting to occur Wednesday night caught a late flight to San Francisco and arrived Thursday evening. With Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee facing off in Game 1, no one could have predicted the 11-7 slug-fest that took place in the World Series opener.

It's half-past midnight here in Ranger land and things are looking bleak. Cliff Lee has shown that he is human, and the Ranger bats seem to have gone into hibernation. To add insult to injury, the bullpen is pitching with the ferocity of a petting zoo, and with Halloween right around the corner, it seems as though the Rangers are dressing up as choke artists.

The Texas Rangers were embarrassed by the San Francisco Giants in Game One of the 2010 World Series, losing 11-7.

The "unbeatable" Cliff Lee gave up six runs in a game where the Rangers lost by four.

Freddy Sanchez was the man of the night for San Fran, hitting four doubles and driving in three.

Cliff Lee was thought to be invincible, and his postseason record proved that he just might be. He had never lost in the postseason, that is until Game 1 of the World Series.

Game 1 was a disaster for the Rangers. They allowed 14 hits and 11 runs, with Cliff Lee allowing a postseason-high of six. They made four errors, which was uncharacteristic for a normally solid Rangers team. Cliff Lee was pounded around for 4 2/3 innings.

Few things have been more certain that Cliff Lee's dominance in the playoffs over the last two seasons.

Sure, there's the sunrise and, nearly as certain, sunset.

There's Glenn Beck angering liberals and Jon Stewart offending conservatives. 

And there's MTV killing the brain cells of children with Jersey Shore.

When Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington wrote in Vladimir Guerrero as his starting right fielder for Game 1 of the 2010 World Series, he probably saw things going a bit differently.