(Sports Network) - The Texas Rangers are back in the postseason for a third
straight season. But, it may not be the way they wanted it.
Texas was denied its third straight American League West title and a chance at
the top overall record in the league on Wednesday when it was swept by
Oakland, capping an epic turnaround for the Athletics.
Now, if the Rangers are going to make a third straight World Series
appearance, they will have to win a one-game wild card playoff game against
the Baltimore Orioles at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
"I'm not frustrated, I'm just disappointed," manager Ron Washington said. "We
played all year to win a division and we didn't get it done. Especially the
way it happened, it's disappointing. We put our backs to the wall and we have
to win one game. We're capable of winning one game. If we can do that, you
never know what will happen."
Under the new format the two wild card teams will play one game with the
winner advancing to the ALDS and hosting the AL East champion New York Yankees
in the first two games of the best-of-five set starting Sunday.
The Rangers had been in first place since April 8 and led Oakland by 13 games
after finishing off a sweep of them back on June 30. The gritty A's clawed
their way back, though, and the Rangers lost nine of their final 13 games to
seal their fate.
"We have to shake it off," Rangers outfielder David Murphy said. "It's not
going to be an easy one to shake off, but we don't have the luxury of hanging
our heads and feeling sorry for ourselves. We put ourselves in this position."
Texas will hand the ball to rookie right-hander Yu Darvish, who was 16-9 with
a 3.90 ERA in his first year since coming over from Japan. Darvish was
particularly effective down the stretch for the Rangers, going 5-1 with a
2.35 ERA in his last eight starts.
"Of course, I'm ready," said Darvish, who did not face the Orioles this
season. "If I wasn't ready, I wouldn't be named to pitch that game. I'm just
going to try to approach it like any other start and try to win."
Darvish, of course, was a superstar in Japan for the Nippon Ham Fighters,
pitching to a 1.99 ERA over seven years and twice was named the Pacific
League's Most Valuable Player.
"The guy was under tremendous pressure," Washington said. "He had to learn
everything and make adjustments. It took him some time, but he found it."
An All-Star by way of the final vote in the AL, Darvish ended up fifth in the
league with 221 strikeouts and opponents hit .220 off him, the third lowest in
the league.
"I'm going to treat it like any other game," Darvish said.
While the Rangers may not be happy having to play this extra game, you won't
hear the people in Baltimore complaining, as the Orioles are back in the
postseason for the first time since 1997.
"We are just going to hang our heads and mope into Texas," Orioles slugger
Davis joked. "Of course we're excited. This is the first time this team has
been to the postseason in 15 years. This organization has to be excited. We're
ready to go."
Buck Showalter's group finished 93-69 and still had a chance to win an
American League East title up until the final day of the season. The O's
though, closed the regular season by losing two of three to the Tampa Bay
Rays.
"I told our guys how proud I am just to be associated with this bunch; they're
a baseball-playing bunch of guys," Showalter said of his club, which won just
69 games last season. "They'll let it rip in Texas, and it won't be from
timidness. I can tell you that."
Playing away from home won't intimidate an Orioles team that had an AL-best 46
road wins, although they went 1-2 in Texas and lost the season series, 5-2.
"I'm looking at (it as) half-full," Showalter added. "We've got an
opportunity, and it's there for us in nine innings."
Showalter has yet to name a starter for Friday's contest, but appears to be
choosing between rookie right-hander Steven Johnson and veteran left-hander
Joe Saunders.
Johnson was 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA in 12 games (four starts) this season, while
Saunders went 3-3 in seven starts with a 3.63 ERA after being acquired from
Arizona.
Saunders, though, has a 6.48 ERA in 11 career starts against Texas, including
and 0-6 mark and a 9.38 ERA in six games in Arlington.
"If you look at what's been going on all year, it's been the sum of the
pitching staff between Norfolk and Baltimore," Showalter said. "We think our
No. 1 starter is the guy that's pitching that night."
Texas has never faced the Orioles in the playoffs.
The Sports Network