Baseball guide Scott Kendrick and contributing writer Kevin Kleps are back with fearless World Series predictions, in a matchup neither of us saw coming. Well, at least one of us.
Kevin picked the Rangers to come out of the American League. Nobody had the Giants. It's the Bengie Molina Series -- who comes out on top?
Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum in San Francisco in Game 1. Who do you like?
Scott: I'm going against the grain here. I like Lincecum, for the reason that the Rangers have never seen him before, other than Molina, who caught him for the Giants. He's "The Freak," and it will take a couple of times through the order before the Rangers can figure him out. The Giants know they'll have to swing against the pinpoint control of Lee, and I think they'll get just enough wood on the ball to squeak out a couple of runs on him.
Kevin: I can't go against Lee, especially since he pitches better away from Arlington. He is 3-0 in three starts this postseason, all on the road, with a 0.75 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, one walk and 34 strikeouts. He's the best pitcher in the game, and the Yankees are going to give him a Sabathia-sized contract this offseason to prove it. Aside from Bruce Bochy's odd choice to pitch Lincecum in Game 6 of the NLCS, The Freak has been productive, too, but Lee is on another level at this time of year. He's the anti-A-Rod.
Which unit could be the difference?
Scott: The Giants' bullpen vs. the Rangers' bullpen. Texas has done just fine, aside from the Game 1 ALCS meltdown against the Yankees. But the Giants have been unhittable.
Kevin: The Rangers' lineup. The Giants win with pitching, but they haven't seen an offense like this. Texas is batting .281 in the postseason and has scored 59 runs in 11 games. The Giants are hitting .231 with 30 runs in 10 games, albeit against better pitching. Texas has five regulars batting better than .300 in the playoffs. You know things are going well when Molina is hitting .333.
Which everyday player will have the most impact on the series?
Scott: One of the things I love about this postseason is the chance to see Elvis Andrus play every night. He out-Jetered Derek Jeter in the ALCS. He's a superior defensive shortstop, gets on base and steals bases once he gets there. I think we're seeing a 10-year All-Star in the making. As he goes, so will the Rangers. On the Giants' side, it's gotta be Buster Posey. He hasn't really showed what he can do with the bat yet, either.
Kevin: Josh Hamilton might be the most obvious candidate, but I'll take Nelson Cruz. He hit .400 in the Division Series and .350 in the ALCS. In 40 postseason at-bats, he is batting .375 with five homers, five doubles, eight RBI and a 1.294 OPS. He's hotter than Minka Kelly, who is consoling Derek Jeter as we speak.
The Giants have had unlikely heroes. Cody Ross? Juan Uribe? Who could come out of nowhere in the World Series?
Scott: Andres Torres seems to have snapped out of his slump, and I have a feeling Aubrey Huff will be a good play in this series. Just a hunch. On the Rangers' side, everybody is talking about Hamilton and Cruz, but Mitch Moreland has solidified things at first base, so much so that Jorge Cantu might not even be on the roster, unless they think he could be an effective pinch hitter.
Kevin: If the Rangers win it all, Andrus will play a big role in them doing so. He's hitting .333 with seven steals in the postseason, and he sets the table for the mashers in the middle of the order. For the Giants, Freddy Sanchez was quietly effective in the last five games against Philly in the NLCS. He was 9-for-20 in that span, and he was a .292 hitter in the regular season. They don't score a lot of runs, so they need him to get on base in the No. 2 spot in the order.
Who wins the championship?
Scott: The NL has the home field this year, and both teams are incredibly overdue for a championship. The Rangers have hit so well in the postseason, but I think the Giants have enough pitching to slow them down and scratch out a six-game series win.
Kevin: I haven't gone against the Rangers yet, and I certainly won't do so here. As crazy as it sounds, they might have been better off beating the Yankees in seven games, only because Lee would have been in line to pitch Games 3 and 7 (hey, it worked well in the ALCS). But Lee can give them a 1-0 lead on the road, and Colby Lewis (2-0, 1.45 ERA in the postseason) and C.J. Wilson are very effective in their roles. If Tommy "Worst Playoff Beard Ever" Hunter can get on track, watch out. Rangers in seven.
Bonus question: Brian Wilson -- world's worst use of Just For Men ever?
Scott: No doubt. The Giants closer needs to read the directions. It looks like he didn't rinse that beard in time. Five minutes, Brian. Five minutes. Who is he trying to be, Steve Bedrosian?
Kevin: I couldn't agree more. There were so many closeups of that beard Saturday night on Fox that I'd rank Wilson's beard a nine out of 10 on the intimidation scale. It would be a 10, but we all know you can't scare Bengie Molina. You can only get out of his way when he's heading for home.