Left-handers David Price and Martin Perez square off in Texas as the Rays and Rangers meet to decide which team plays Cleveland in the AL Wild Card game. Nelson Cruz joins the Rangers after serving his suspension for PED use. Cruz hits Price well, six for 12 in his career with two home runs. The Rangers in general give David trouble, as he is 1-4 with a 5.98 ERA against them in his career, and a 10.26 ERA in Arlington.

Perez pitches to contact, as evidence by his .268 BA allowed with just a .322 OBP. His strength, however, comes from limiting opponents power with men on base. He allows just a .323 slugging percentage with men on, compare to .466 with the bases empty. One only of his 13 home runs allowed this season came with men on base. The long hits against him are timed to do the least damage, as extra-base hits are very good at driving in runs, especially from first base.

We’ll see how the managers use strategy as well. The Rangers, despite hitting for decent power, stand second in the AL in sacrifice hits. Eight of their 45 came in the last week, over 1/6th of their total. The Rays, on the other hand, use the sacrifice sparingly. Twenty four times they laid down a successful sacrifice bunt, tied with Boston for third fewest. We’ll see if Texas gives away outs early. I suspect, since the Rangers won seven in a row, the sacrifice looks like a good strategy of them.

Enjoy!