Rangers win second straight AL pennant (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 October 2011 11:48:34 PM. © MLB News Blog

Nelson Cruz and the Texas Rangers are headed to their second straight World Series, finishing off the Detroit Tigers to become the American League’s first repeat champion in a decade. Cruz set a postseason record with his sixth home run of the series, Michael Young hit a pair of two-run doubles in a nine-run third [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/10/16/rangers-win-second-straight-al-pennant-ap/

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Cruz sets playoff HR and RBI records (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 October 2011 11:21:27 PM. © MLB News Blog

Texas slugger Nelson Cruz set a record for home runs in a postseason series, connecting for the sixth time in the AL championship against Detroit. The two-run drive in Game 6 Saturday night gave him 13 RBIs in the series, another record for any postseason round. Cruz put Texas ahead 15-4 in the seventh inning, [...]

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LCS Open Thread and Ichthyomancy (Day Eight)

post from Fish Stripes on 15 October 2011 08:01:38 PM. © Fish Stripes

There is only one game today. Once again the Rangers will be trying to win the series while the Tigers are trying to force a game seven.

The game today:

Tigers (Scherzer) at Rangers (Holland), 7:05 p.m. (FOX)

Ichthyomancy is in its simple form where all picks will be from the Tigers-Rangers game.

Best of Luck to You!

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y-eight

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Brewers Wolf may pitch out of bullpen (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 October 2011 07:55:21 PM. © MLB News Blog

Randy Wolf has had the best outing of any Brewers starter in the NL championship series and said he’d be ready to pitch out of the bullpen if Milwaukee can force a Game 7. If the Brewers are able to beat the Cardinals in Game 6 on Sunday, Wolf will have had three days’ rest [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/10/15/brewers-wolf-may-pitch-out-of-bullpen-ap/

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Marcum looks to set up Game 7 in NLCS (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 October 2011 06:37:18 PM. © MLB News Blog

Shaun Marcum thinks people really want to see two aces face off in Game 7 with the NL pennant on the line. He can go a long way to forcing that matchup with a strong effort Sunday. Marcum will get the ball for Milwaukee when it faces Edwin Jackson and St. Louis in the league [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/10/15/marcum-looks-to-set-up-game-7-in-nlcs-ap/

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Brewers Marcum looks to force Game 7 (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 October 2011 06:37:18 PM. © MLB News Blog

Shaun Marcum thinks people really want to see two aces face off in Game 7 with the NL pennant on the line. He can go a long way to forcing that matchup with a strong effort Sunday. Marcum will get the ball for Milwaukee when it faces Edwin Jackson and St. Louis in the league [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/10/15/brewers-marcum-looks-to-force-game-7-ap/

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Leyland: I wont use Verlander in relief (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 October 2011 06:11:18 PM. © MLB News Blog

Detroit manager Jim Leyland would love to see Justin Verlander pitch again because that would mean the Tigers are in the World Series. While Leyland could put him on the mound sooner, he’s already made it clear that he won’t. Before Game 6 of the AL championship series against the Texas Rangers on Saturday, Leyland [...]

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Jim Palmers Hall Of Fame Plaque

Jim Palmer’s Hall Of Fame Plaque Elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1990, Jim Palmer received 411 of the 444 votes counted. With a pitching resume that could compare with the game’s greatest, the fact … Continue reading →

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Marcum wants to set up Game 7 in NLCS (AP)

Shaun Marcum thinks people really want to see two aces face off in Game 7 with the NL pennant on the line. He can go a long way to putting together that matchup with a terrific effort Sunday. Marcum will get the ball for Milwaukee when it faces Edwin Jackson and St. Louis on Sunday [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/10/15/marcum-wants-to-set-up-game-7-in-nlcs-ap/

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What should the Tigers do about Nelson Cruz

Through 5 games, Nelson Cruz is carrying the Rangers to a remarkable extent.

HR, RBI - Texas Rangers
Nelson Cruz - 5, 11
Rest of Team - 0, 13

Nelson Cruz is a very good hitter, but he's not this good. He's also only been walked one time in the entire series. That makes sense because he's not an especially patient hitter. He only walked 33 times in 513 PA while striking out 116 times.

The Tigers would probably do better to pitch around Cruz or treat him like Barry Bonds circa-2004 than pitching to him like they have been so far in the series. The Rangers have plenty of excellent hitters (Hamilton, Beltre, Young, Napoli), but they've been relatively quiet in the series. Cruz is in a zone, and he's probably too dangerous to pitch to right now.