Colby Lewis

It's not going to be a sweep for the Yankees. The Rangers got their first postseason victory at home in their nearly 50 seasons with a 7-2 blowout win over the Yankees.

After a bullpen collapse Friday night, the Rangers were able to hold on to their lead. The Rangers' bullpen was the complete opposite of what it was in their loss to New York on Friday. The Yankees were only able to obtain one hit in a little over three innings against the Rangers' bullpen.

The age-old axiom so often quoted in baseball circles that pitching and defense win championships is just as true today as it has always been. Of course, loaded lineups and the ability to score runs in bunches are always a plus, but those aspects of a team don't always show up in the playoffs when you're facing the best pitching staffs in the league.

Fun fact: Who has the best winning percentage of any pitcher in baseball over the past five seasons?

Here's a hint. It's not C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Johan Santana, Josh Beckett or any of the other pitchers the East Coast writing establishment loves to go on endlessly about.

It's Jered Weaver at .663.

Weaver has clearly taken his game to another level in the absence of former Angels ace John Lackey, and has managed to single-handedly carry his team through a horrific stretch in the process.

To add Cliff Lee or not to add Cliff Lee, that is the question surrounding a lot of teams as the trade deadline is just a few weeks away.

For the Texas Rangers, however, the answer to this question has to be a resounding-no.

For one, the team is currently four and a half games up on the defending AL West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and don't look to be slowing down any time soon.

Fantasy Baseball’s Pitching Line of the Week: 

Colby Lewis (SP-TEX) 9 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W 

Lewis pitched his first career complete game on June 19 against the Houston Astros. He picked up his third consecutive win while allowing only one earned run on two hits, striking out nine, and walking none.

How great is this story?

Colby Lewis struggles with several Major League teams, the Rangers, Athletics, Tigers, and the Nationals, in the U.S.

Then in 2008 and 2009, he plays for the Hiroshima Toyo Carps in Japan.  He thrives there, leading the league in strikeouts both seasons. Then he comes back and dominates for the Rangers in the States. Pretty good, huh?

Ignorance and poor decision-making, not cocaine, will be the downfall of Ron Washington as manager of the Texas Rangers. After yet another heartbreaking 7-6 loss in a game the Rangers should have won against the Boston Red Sox, it is hard not to find fault in Washington's style of game management.

Anytime a team goes from leading 6-2 to losing the game by a run, fingers begin to be pointed. Five runs and a degrading loss later, fingers should be pointed at the manager.