Regardless of rain, Harrison to start Game 7

By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com | 10/25/11 7:43 PM ET new bam.social.Lib({ title : 'Rangers Beat: Oct. 25, 2011', url : 'http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111024&content_id=25781386¬ebook_id=25781388&vkey=notebook_tex&c_id=tex', showCounters : true, shorty : true }).twitter(".article_tools_twitter a", { via: 'rangers', related: "mlb", tracking: {tcid: "tw_article_" + '25781386'}, omniture: {async:{ "compName":"Article Distribution/Comments", "compActivity":"Article Twitter Share Click", "actionGen":true, "club": '25781386' }} }).facebook(".article_tools_facebook", { type : "like", isFBML : true, omniture: {async:{ "compName":"Article Distribution/Comments", "compActivity":"Article Facebook Share Click", "actionGen":true, "club": '25781386' }} });

ST. LOUIS -- Matt Harrison was warming up in the bullpen in the ninth inning of Game 5 on Monday, but manager Ron Washington said he was not planning on using him.

"That was a between-start thing," Washington said while confirming that Harrison will start Game 7 of the World Series on Thursday if necessary. Washington also reiterated that Harrison is still starting Game 7 if the World Series is pushed back a day by rain.

If that were to happen, that would allow Derek Holland to pitch Game 7 on Friday on his normal four days' rest after pitching 8 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 4 on Sunday. Instead, Holland will be in the bullpen.

"Matt Harrison is my seventh game starter," Washington said.

There is a 50 to 60 percent chance of rain on Wednesday, according to the local forecast. Both Thursday and Friday are looking good although with cool temperatures in the evening, as was the case in Games 1 and 2 at Busch Stadium. Washington said he would rather wait another day if the weather is going to force constant delays on Wednesday night.

"If it's possible we can play, of course we want to play," Washington said. "You don't want to sit down. We're here to play baseball. But if the forecast says that it's going to be bad weather and we're going to play and start and stop, get our starters going ... we want to make sure the conditions are correct, and if we have to wait a day, then we have to wait a day. But if it's at all possible we play, I want to play."

ST. LOUIS -- Rangers manager Ron Washington confirmed the obvious that Michael Young will be back at first base for Game 6 with no designated hitter being used in the National League city.

Washington also said Craig Gentry, a right-handed hitter, will be in center field with left-hander Jaime Garcia on the mound for the Cardinals. That means Josh Hamilton will move to left and David Murphy, a left-handed hitter, will be on the bench.

Washington let Murphy hit against left-hander Marc Rzepczynski in a crucial situation in the eighth inning of Game 5 on Monday night. Murphy responded with an infield single, but Washington still wants Gentry in the lineup for Game 6.

"Yes, I've done that all year since Gentry joined us, and I'm not going to change anything from what I've done all year," Washington said. "Gentry will be in center field. I will move Hamilton over to left."

Gentry is hitting .308 (4-for-13) in the postseason while Murphy is hitting .324 (11-for-34) with seven walks.

ST. LOUIS -- The Rangers have issued 10 intentional walks this postseason. That's two short of the record for one postseason set by the Marlins in 2003.

But the Rangers have at least one game and possibly two left with the Cardinals. Unless Albert Pujols is not in the Cardinals' lineup for those games, the Rangers have a decent chance of at least matching the Marlins' record.

Pujols had five hits, including three home runs, in Game 3 and Rangers manager Ron Washington remains determined not to let him do any more serious damage. He gave Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera the same treatment in the American League Championship Series.

"It's obviously why," Washington said. "He's one of the best players, hitters in the game. His importance in that lineup is to drive in their runs. You know, I just don't think any manager, when the games are dwindling down, will allow Albert to swing the bat to beat you.

"That's not taking anything away from [Matt] Holliday or [Lance] Berkman, because we know what they're capable of doing. But we're just not going to let Albert do it."

The irony is the Rangers have issued only 142 intentional walks over the past five seasons since Washington became manager. That's the second fewest for any team in that time span.

"If I'm in the record book for issuing intentional walks, it's because one guy is Albert Pujols and one guy is Miguel Cabrera," Washington said. "I've never seen Albert Pujols before other than on TV. It's my first time seeing him. And what he did the other night, no, I wouldn't mess with that."

ST. LOUIS -- After a scoreless ninth and a save on Monday night, Rangers closer Neftali Feliz has a 1.02 ERA in 17 postseason appearances. That's the 10th lowest all-time among all relievers with at least 15 innings.

Manager Ron Washington had some concerns about Feliz during the first half of the season but none lately. Feliz has not blown a save since Aug. 6 against Cleveland and has pitched in every game the Rangers have won this postseason.

"He knows this is the finish line, and when you get to the finish line, everything you've got, you've got to bring up," Washington said. "And he's bringing everything he has up. He's certainly starting to use his secondary pitches more. He's starting to throw the ball inside with a little bit more consistency. He's starting to hit the strike zone with more consistency, and I just think it's because the year is winding down. Everything is at stake right now."

Feliz does have one irritating habit. He has made 10 appearances in the playoffs this year and he has allowed the first batter to reach base five times on a hit, three walks and a hit batter. He hit Allen Craig to start the ninth inning on Monday. But Craig was then cut down trying to steal while Feliz was striking out Albert Pujols with a full-count pitch.

"Nefti comes in and he makes it tough, but he's my closer, and I've gotten to the point as the season progressed that he will get me the three outs I'm looking for," Washington said. "I've just got to settle my heartbeat down and put up with it.

"Sometimes I get off the bench and walk away, but he is my guy, and he has gotten me three each time I've put him out there as we have gone down this stretch here. I just have to put up with it. That's Neftali."

• Mitch Moreland is one of four players who have hit two home runs in the No. 9 spot in the World Series. The others are pitchers Dave McNally and Bob Gibson and pinch-hitter Bernie Carbo.

• Moreland is one of eight starting position players to hit a home run from the ninth spot in the lineup and the only one who has done it twice. He is only one of two players who have started at first base and batted ninth in a World Series game. The other was Dave Bergman for the Tigers against the Padres in 1984.

• Mike Napoli has nine RBIs in the World Series, tied for sixth most in one year. The record is 12 set by Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson in 1960 against the Pirates.

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Rangers, Cards brace for Wednesday rain

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | 10/25/11 9:00 PM ET new bam.social.Lib({ title : 'Rangers, Cards brace for Wednesday rain', url : 'http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111025&content_id=25785396&vkey=news_tex&c_id=tex', showCounters : true, shorty : true }).twitter(".article_tools_twitter a", { via: 'rangers', related: "mlb", tracking: {tcid: "tw_article_" + '25785396'}, omniture: {async:{ "compName":"Article Distribution/Comments", "compActivity":"Article Twitter Share Click", "actionGen":true, "club": '25785396' }} }).facebook(".article_tools_facebook", { type : "like", isFBML : true, omniture: {async:{ "compName":"Article Distribution/Comments", "compActivity":"Article Facebook Share Click", "actionGen":true, "club": '25785396' }} }); Members of the Busch Stadium grounds crew pull the tarp over the field on Tuesday. (Mark Newman/MLB.com)

ST. LOUIS -- It's hard to imagine that after a sunny, warm late October Tuesday on the banks of the Mississippi, Wednesday night's Game 6 of the World Series between the Cardinals and Rangers at Busch Stadium could be in jeopardy because of rain.

Internal forecasts provided by Major League Baseball call for the chance of rain all day on Wednesday with steady precipitation projected at and after the 8:05 p.m. CT start. Weather.com reports that the chance of rain at that time is 50 percent. The Rangers lead the best-of-seven Series 3-2 and have the opportunity to win their first Fall Classic.

MLB officials would rather not stop the game after it starts and may call it early if the forecast full day of rain comes to pass, pushing Game 6 back to Thursday night at the same starting time. A possible Game 7 would then be played on Friday night, officials said. Weather is projected to be much better here on Thursday and Friday nights -- partly cloudy with the temperature dropping into the mid-40s.

If Game 6 should start and have to be suspended, under a rule passed in 2009, it would resume at the point of suspension on Thursday with Game 7 on Friday if the Cardinals win.

Rangers manager Ron Washington said during Tuesday's off-day that he'd rather not start and stop a game in which his club has an opportunity to clinch.

"I would rather wait for the game to go another day," Washington said. "If it's possible we can play, of course we want to play. You don't want to sit down. We're here to play baseball. But if the forecast says that it's going to be bad weather and we're going to play and start and stop, I'd rather not."

The Rangers had their share of rainouts and delays in their six-game victory over the Tigers in the American League Championship Series.

There were two rain delays early on Oct. 8 in Game 1 at Rangers Ballpark, skewing both teams' starting pitching. Justin Verlander had to come out after four innings for the Tigers, and Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson didn't make it through the fifth. The game took four hours, 57 minutes to play, including one hour, 50 minutes of rain delays. Texas prevailed, 3-2.

The next day, the rain continued during the afternoon prior to Sunday night's Game 2. In order to be prudent and avoid a similar set of circumstances, MLB postponed the game early and reset it for Monday afternoon. By Sunday's scheduled game time, the skies were clear and there was no rain that night. Monday was sunny and clear and the 7-3 win for the Rangers came off without a hitch.

Game 4 on the afternoon of Oct. 12 in Detroit met with a similar set of circumstances. It rained all afternoon and through what was supposed to be the start of the late-afternoon game. Looking at forecasts for that evening, MLB waited, delaying the start of the game for two hours, 13 minutes. It was then played in its entirety and the Rangers won, 7-3.

This past Wednesday, the day of Game 1 of the World Series right here was cold and rainy. Commissioner Bud Selig, who makes the final weather-related determinations this time of year, had to decide whether to delay the game or let it rip. He'll be at the lever again on Wednesday.

"There was talk about waiting an hour, and the Commissioner said, 'No, we're starting,' and it was a good decision and we played," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I know they don't want to interrupt [Wednesday's] game. It'll be interesting."

The rain continued on and off all evening and the Cardinals won that game, 3-2.

As far as his preference to start Game 6 in rainy conditions, La Russa added:

"What I've learned over the years, if your opinion isn't asked, don't bother thinking about it. If they say play, we'll play. They'll definitely keep us abreast whether it's us or the Texas Rangers. MLB puts all the factors into it and we'll certainly be thinking about it from the St. Louis Cardinals point of view."

As far as the postseason-suspension rule is concerned, Game 1 of the AL Division Series this past Sept. 30 between the Tigers and Yankees at Yankee Stadium was suspended in a deluge midway through the second inning based on the rule change that was implemented after the 2008 World Series.

Both starting pitchers -- Verlander and CC Sabathia for the Yankees -- were knocked out of their series-opening starts. That game resumed on Oct. 1 in the bottom of the second inning with Ivan Nova on the mound for the Yankees and Doug Fister for the Tigers. The Yankees won, 9-3.

This was the nexus of it all: On Oct. 27, 2008, Game 5 between the Rays and Phillies in Philadelphia was stopped amid a downpour just after the Rays had tied the score at 2 in the sixth inning. Selig suspended the game by edict, and it concluded two inclement days later with the Phillies winning, 4-3, to lock up their second World Series title.

Contrary to the season, when a game becomes official, during or after the fifth inning depending on which team is leading, the rule now states that when all postseason games are suspended, they will resume at the point of termination, no matter the score or inning, and be played to conclusion. That rule was memorialized by the owners at their quarterly meetings in January 2009.

Barry M. Bloom is national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Boomskie on Baseball. Follow @boomskie on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Cruz's big league path one of persistence

ARLINGTON -- Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz sat shoulders slumped in front of his locker in the corner of the clubhouse at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, took in a deep breath and sighed.

It was Saturday night, less than 30 minutes after Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols powered his way to three home runs and a 16-7 shellacking of the Rangers in Game 3 of the World Series to take a 2-1 series lead. Cruz had seen better days.

He wiped his brow, stood up and was immediately peppered with questions about Pujols' performance. If Cruz was not aware of the historical significance of his countryman's three-homer game before he stood up, the hordes of English and Spanish media members in his face, many from Cruz's Dominican Republic, were there to remind him.

"Babe Ruth, Reggie [Jackson] and Albert," Cruz said. "If anybody is going to do it, it's him. He's the best player in the game."

Cruz, 31, took another deep breath. He wanted the interviews to end. He wrinkled his eyebrows, looked to the ceiling and then glanced down to what was supposed to be the empty chair in the empty locker next to him. To the outfielder's surprise, Nelson Cruz III, 3 years old and 2 1/2 feet tall, stood on the chair in silence, waiting for his father to stop talking. Little Nelson had not seen his "Pappi" for almost a month.

The interviews halted immediately as the father-son kisses began -- first on the cheeks, then the forehead and then on the top of the head. This was the Nelson Cruz that couldn't be measured on the back of a baseball card or by sabermetrics. The American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player trophy meant little to Cruz during these moments because his biggest prize was in his arms. The media respectfully backed away and were given a thankful nod by Michael Young, the father of two sons.

"The game is important, but you know, you see your son and you forget about everything," Cruz said. "He is my life."

It's Cruz's goal to teach his son about life's lessons. He could start by telling his own story: The transformation of a talented player that nobody wanted into a full-fledged superstar on the cusp of a World Series championship. The Rangers lead the Cardinals, 3-2, heading into Game 6 on Wednesday.

"I've grown up," Cruz said. "You can say I'm more of a veteran now. It's natural. You have to grow up in this game or you are gone."

The Cruz that will take right field for Texas on Wednesday is a far cry from the outfielder that joined the organization from Milwaukee with Carlos Lee in 2006. The Rangers sent Francisco Cordero, Laynce Nix, Kevin Mench and Minor Leaguer Julian Cordero to the Brewers in the trade and insisted on Cruz's inclusion in the deal because they correctly assumed they would not be able to re-sign Lee for 2007.

Lee hit .322 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 59 games for Texas and signed a six-year, $100 million deal with the Astros two months after the season ended. The Rangers, who finished 13 1/2 games behind the first-place Athletics in the AL West standings, had gambled and lost. They were stuck with Cruz for better or worse.

And by all accounts, it got worse before it got better. Cruz had excelled at Triple-A but was gaining a reputation as a 4-A player -- a talented athlete who could perform at the Minor League level but would struggle in the big leagues.

Case in point: He hit .302 with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs for Milwaukee's Triple-A Nashville club to start the 2006 season but later hit .223 with six home runs in 41 games for the Rangers after the deal.

What to do with Nelson Cruz?

The Rangers made a decision and Cruz, then 26, started the season in the big leagues in 2007. By June, he was back at Triple-A and perplexed. Cruz knew he didn't need another change of scenery. After all, he was originally signed by the Mets in 1998, traded to Oakland two years later and then to Milwaukee in 2004.

He needed to change his swing.

Scott Servais, the club's senior director of player development, had the answer and approached the club's front office to offer his assistance.

"When we traded for him, Nelson had limited success at the Major League level, and I threw out the idea of, 'Hey, do you care if I make an adjustment with Nelson Cruz?'" Servais said. "They said, 'Go ahead,' so I went up to Albuquerque where our Triple-A team was and took him into the cage and told him what we wanted to do."

Servais had two suggestions for Cruz: He needed to open up his batting stance to improve his ability to see pitches, and he needed to flatten his swing. The results were gradual. Cruz ended up hitting .235 in 96 games for the Rangers that season but gained confidence at the plate. It carried over into Spring Training in 2008.

"I think all players get to that point where it's make or break. They're very coachable at that point, because they have nowhere else to go," Servais said. "That's kind of where he was."

Despite the newfound confidence, Cruz struggled that spring and the club chose to take outfielder Jason Botts over him when the team broke camp for the start of the 2008 regular season. Cruz, who was out of Minor League options, was placed on waivers and went unclaimed.

He returned to the Rangers' Triple-A team and went on a tear in the Pacific Coast League. His Minor League numbers -- a .352 batting average, 37 home runs and 99 RBIs for Triple-A Oklahoma City -- earned him another big league opportunity. He took advantage of it, hitting .330 in 31 games for the Rangers.

He hit .260 with a career-high 33 home runs and 76 RBIs in his first full season with the Rangers in 2009 and continued to hone the batting stance Servais had introduced.

Botts has not played in the Major Leagues since appearing on April 27, 2008, with Texas. He was released by the Rangers two months later.

The lesson in this case is simple. One day, Cruz will tell Nelson III to never give up.

"History says that when it's that late in a guy's career, it's not going to happen," Servais said. "Nelson was about 27 when we got him and most times it doesn't happen that late. He beat the odds."

Cruz was limited to 108 games last season because of a series of hamstring injuries but still hit .318 with 22 home runs and 78 RBIs. He hit three home runs with two doubles in the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay, had five RBIs in the ALCS against the Yankees and drove in three more runs in last year's World Series against the Giants.

When the Rangers defeated the Rays in Game 5 to win their first postseason series in the history of the franchise, Cruz broke away from his teammates, sought out Servais and bear-hugged him.

"Thank you," Cruz said. "Without you, I would not be here."

The lesson for Nelson III is to be grateful.

"I don't know how many guys are that open to a significant change in their approach and stance, at age 26 and 27," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "I think that says a lot about him. Humility and understanding that people around him are legitimately trying to help him. Tremendous human being."

Cruz hit .263 with 29 home runs and 87 RBIs during the 2011 regular season. He hit six home runs against the Tigers in the ALCS and has hit one home run in the World Series against the Cardinals. Overall, he's hitting .267 with two RBIs and five walks in the Fall Classic.

"For me, at this moment, I'd rather think about where I am now than concentrate on what I had to go through," Cruz said. "It wasn't easy, but being a big league player is not easy. Everybody has their story. My story is my story, and I'm grateful to be here."

One day, Cruz will share his story and all of the lessons he learned with Nelson III. But for now, he's content just to hug his little boy.

Jesse Sanchez is a national reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @JesseSanchezMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Rangers to slot Young at first, Gentry in center

By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com | 10/25/11 7:43 PM ET new bam.social.Lib({ title : 'Rangers Beat: Oct. 25, 2011', url : 'http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111024&content_id=25781386¬ebook_id=25781390&vkey=notebook_tex&c_id=tex', showCounters : true, shorty : true }).twitter(".article_tools_twitter a", { via: 'rangers', related: "mlb", tracking: {tcid: "tw_article_" + '25781386'}, omniture: {async:{ "compName":"Article Distribution/Comments", "compActivity":"Article Twitter Share Click", "actionGen":true, "club": '25781386' }} }).facebook(".article_tools_facebook", { type : "like", isFBML : true, omniture: {async:{ "compName":"Article Distribution/Comments", "compActivity":"Article Facebook Share Click", "actionGen":true, "club": '25781386' }} });

ST. LOUIS -- Rangers manager Ron Washington confirmed the obvious that Michael Young will be back at first base for Game 6 with no designated hitter being used in the National League city.

Washington also said Craig Gentry, a right-handed hitter, will be in center field with left-hander Jaime Garcia on the mound for the Cardinals. That means Josh Hamilton will move to left and David Murphy, a left-handed hitter, will be on the bench.

Washington let Murphy hit against left-hander Marc Rzepczynski in a crucial situation in the eighth inning of Game 5 on Monday night. Murphy responded with an infield single, but Washington still wants Gentry in the lineup for Game 6.

"Yes, I've done that all year since Gentry joined us, and I'm not going to change anything from what I've done all year," Washington said. "Gentry will be in center field. I will move Hamilton over to left."

Gentry is hitting .308 (4-for-13) in the postseason while Murphy is hitting .324 (11-for-34) with seven walks.

ST. LOUIS -- Matt Harrison was warming up in the bullpen in the ninth inning of Game 5 on Monday, but manager Ron Washington said he was not planning on using him.

"That was a between-start thing," Washington said while confirming that Harrison will start Game 7 of the World Series on Thursday if necessary. Washington also reiterated that Harrison is still starting Game 7 if the World Series is pushed back a day by rain.

If that were to happen, that would allow Derek Holland to pitch Game 7 on Friday on his normal four days' rest after pitching 8 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 4 on Sunday. Instead, Holland will be in the bullpen.

"Matt Harrison is my seventh game starter," Washington said.

There is a 50 to 60 percent chance of rain on Wednesday, according to the local forecast. Both Thursday and Friday are looking good although with cool temperatures in the evening, as was the case in Games 1 and 2 at Busch Stadium. Washington said he would rather wait another day if the weather is going to force constant delays on Wednesday night.

"If it's possible we can play, of course we want to play," Washington said. "You don't want to sit down. We're here to play baseball. But if the forecast says that it's going to be bad weather and we're going to play and start and stop, get our starters going ... we want to make sure the conditions are correct, and if we have to wait a day, then we have to wait a day. But if it's at all possible we play, I want to play."

ST. LOUIS -- The Rangers have issued 10 intentional walks this postseason. That's two short of the record for one postseason set by the Marlins in 2003.

But the Rangers have at least one game and possibly two left with the Cardinals. Unless Albert Pujols is not in the Cardinals' lineup for those games, the Rangers have a decent chance of at least matching the Marlins' record.

Pujols had five hits, including three home runs, in Game 3 and Rangers manager Ron Washington remains determined not to let him do any more serious damage. He gave Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera the same treatment in the American League Championship Series.

"It's obviously why," Washington said. "He's one of the best players, hitters in the game. His importance in that lineup is to drive in their runs. You know, I just don't think any manager, when the games are dwindling down, will allow Albert to swing the bat to beat you.

"That's not taking anything away from [Matt] Holliday or [Lance] Berkman, because we know what they're capable of doing. But we're just not going to let Albert do it."

The irony is the Rangers have issued only 142 intentional walks over the past five seasons since Washington became manager. That's the second fewest for any team in that time span.

"If I'm in the record book for issuing intentional walks, it's because one guy is Albert Pujols and one guy is Miguel Cabrera," Washington said. "I've never seen Albert Pujols before other than on TV. It's my first time seeing him. And what he did the other night, no, I wouldn't mess with that."

ST. LOUIS -- After a scoreless ninth and a save on Monday night, Rangers closer Neftali Feliz has a 1.02 ERA in 17 postseason appearances. That's the 10th lowest all-time among all relievers with at least 15 innings.

Manager Ron Washington had some concerns about Feliz during the first half of the season but none lately. Feliz has not blown a save since Aug. 6 against Cleveland and has pitched in every game the Rangers have won this postseason.

"He knows this is the finish line, and when you get to the finish line, everything you've got, you've got to bring up," Washington said. "And he's bringing everything he has up. He's certainly starting to use his secondary pitches more. He's starting to throw the ball inside with a little bit more consistency. He's starting to hit the strike zone with more consistency, and I just think it's because the year is winding down. Everything is at stake right now."

Feliz does have one irritating habit. He has made 10 appearances in the playoffs this year and he has allowed the first batter to reach base five times on a hit, three walks and a hit batter. He hit Allen Craig to start the ninth inning on Monday. But Craig was then cut down trying to steal while Feliz was striking out Albert Pujols with a full-count pitch.

"Nefti comes in and he makes it tough, but he's my closer, and I've gotten to the point as the season progressed that he will get me the three outs I'm looking for," Washington said. "I've just got to settle my heartbeat down and put up with it.

"Sometimes I get off the bench and walk away, but he is my guy, and he has gotten me three each time I've put him out there as we have gone down this stretch here. I just have to put up with it. That's Neftali."

• Mitch Moreland is one of four players who have hit two home runs in the No. 9 spot in the World Series. The others are pitchers Dave McNally and Bob Gibson and pinch-hitter Bernie Carbo.

• Moreland is one of eight starting position players to hit a home run from the ninth spot in the lineup and the only one who has done it twice. He is only one of two players who have started at first base and batted ninth in a World Series game. The other was Dave Bergman for the Tigers against the Padres in 1984.

• Mike Napoli has nine RBIs in the World Series, tied for sixth most in one year. The record is 12 set by Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson in 1960 against the Pirates.

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Holland, Rangers take back Series momentum

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Napoli ever after: Rangers near crown

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Rangers at the top of the first world series title

WS2011 Gm5: Washington speaks of mentality Rangers

ARLINGTON - The Texas Rangers are in a position that only can envy 29 other clubs.

They are a victory away from his first series Championship world, with the man who has been his best start of playoffs in the last two years will be in game 6.

The St. Louis Cardinals, on the other hand, still could be envidiados by 28 other clubs. It is two games ahead, 2-1 in the world series. Now they trail 3-2. Still, they are in the same, and all the remaining shares will be held in his home, the Busch Stadium.

Game 6, set for Wednesday night on Fox at 8: 05 ET, will feature Colby Lewis the Rangers against Jaime García Cardinals. After being struck by 16 runs in a game 3 loss, the Rangers gave up only two runs in the following two games, after a bright start by Derek Holland in the fourth game with a top combat by C.J. Wilson and a highly effective performance bullpen in the fifth match on Monday. A team has returned to win the world series, when the final 3-2 in the current format of best of seven on 18 occasions.

Texas is now Lewis, its more reliable starting in the last two postseasons. He is 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA in three playoff starts in 2011. Limited cards implementation more 6 2/3 innings in the Rangers game 2 victory in the world series. During the last two postseasons, Lewis has a record of 4-1 with a 2.22 ERA in seven starts.

"I think when you put in the postseason, getting focused," Rangers President Nolan Ryan said on Monday. "It is one of these guys has tendency to take his game to another level." I believe that he is very ready and know what you want, and stick to their game plan. I know Colby pretty well now, when you make a pitch and not get it, I can see it. I read it through your body language, but it did not lead the next pitch.

"I just think that where he is in his professional career and discipline that has serves quite well, and if we look at our pitching staff, Colby has been our best postseason performer in the last two years."

For the Cardinals, Garcia lost two of their first three postseason starts, but you can take the comfort of your home in 2 World Series game. As Lewis, García was not involved in the decision, but worked seven superb innings, closing the Rangers on three hits and a walk to beat seven. Also encouraging for the Cardinals is the fact that divisions of Garcia and the main road, both in the regular season and the playoffs, greatly favor their work at Busch Stadium.

Apart from that, renounce the Cardinals before that have been the last that has been a very vague. They were written when they were 10 1/2 games behind the Braves in the National League Wild Card race. They were weighed down in its Division of NL against the Phillies, who have favored to win everything. St. Louis was down again in front of Milwaukee NL Championship series, had the home field advantage and the best record in the House in the big leagues.

None of this made no difference to the Redbirds, who just kept playing. Your problem will be to find two consecutive victories against the Rangers. The last Texas lost time consecutive games was on 25 August.

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If Series goes to Game 7, Harrison will start

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Cards holding down Rangers' running game

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Rangers within one win of World Series title

1 de 10. Mike Napoli des Texas Rangers frappe un double de deux-RBI contre les Cardinals de Saint-Louis à la huitième manche du championnat de baseball du Game 5 de MLB World Series à Arlington, Texas, 24 octobre 2011.

Crédit : Reuters, Mike SegarBy Larry Fine

ARLINGTON, Texas | Mardi 25 octobre 2011 12 h 08 HAE

ARLINGTON, Texas (Reuters) - beat The Texas Rangers, les St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 lundi déplacer dans une victoire de revendiquer leur première série mondiale titre depuis la franchise est né en 1961.

La victoire a donné au Texas une avance de 3-2 de la série-de-sept.

Un double de deux dirigés par Mike Napoli dans le fond de la huitième manche aimanter une cravate de 2-2 à lever les Rangers sur une équipe des Cardinals qui a gaspillé une multitude de chances, laissant 12 hommes sur base tout en atteignant 1-pour-12 avec les coureurs en inscrivant la position.

Les cardinaux, qui a quitté les bases chargées dans le cinquième et septième manches et les hommes échoués sur le deuxième et le troisième dans le sixième, menacent une dernière fois dans le neuvième.

Texas plus proche Neftali Feliz frappé Allen Craig avec un terrain menant au large de la dernière image élever le Albert Pujols dangereuses comme le terme déliée.

Avec le comte complet, Pujols basculé et raté un terrain bien à l'extérieur de la zone de grève et receveur Napoli abattu un lancer à base de seconde pour une grève out-throw à double jeu.

La Manche a été maintenue en vie quand Feliz marchait Matt Holliday, mais Lance Berkman radié pour y mettre fin.

Analgésiques Darren Oliver a été crédité de la victoire et Feliz enregistré une sauvegarde, Octavio Dotel a eu la perte.

Les cardinaux a marqué leurs trajets dans la deuxième manche, profitant de tangage lâche et lâche de mise en service. Les Rangers utilisé la longue balle de revenir avec Mitch Moreland frapper un home run dans le troisième et Adrian Beltre alimenter un solo blast au large de Saint-Louis démarreur Chris Carpenter dans le sixième.

(Déclaration par Larry Fine, montage par Patrick Johnston)

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Did you know? World Series Game 5

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Classic autumn to be in your name

ARLINGTON - Called the autumn classic and let us be realistic, sometimes it is a misunderstanding. Sometimes time is still as summer. More often, it is frankly like winter.

And sometimes the world series is not really all that "classical".

Sometimes--like last year, for example - the best equipment simply steamrolls the competition, and we are all involved in four or five games. Sometimes the best players of face on the greatest stage. Sometimes reality can not keep pace with hype.

Well, it's nobody's fault. It is the nature of professional sports. If the series is staged, we always have some tension, and we've always gone with a champion. But sometimes we do not take a dramatic way openly to the final result.

Not this year.

This year, with the Rangers and Cardinals headed in game 6 and looking every bit as close as people speculated before the beginning of everything, we are in a truly classical path.

"We are players," said Rangers second base Ian Kinsler, "but we're also fans of the game." It has been a great series, an incredible series. "I hope that the fans are enjoying".

What is not to enjoy?

We have had four games that have reached the ninth, and one of which was decided in the ninth. The blowout presented only individual performance in the history of the world series, which is why, actually, everything is forgiven for the final score.

We have had questionable administrative movements that have inspired second-guessing and serious debate, we have had a hero pinch-hit that has inspired applause, a swipe second base that inspired a rally winner of the game, a surprising world series which inspires whiskers bad on Earth home proud and a mixup bizarre bullpen should have managers opt for mobile text messages.

"From a fan point of view and I consider myself a fan, I think that it has been captivating baseball," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, said. "I'm proud to be part of this game, because I believe that only a point of view of baseball, it's been fun to see."

Execution, remember that it all started with the wild on Wednesday night - the last night of the regular season - that resolved the spots were two finals and two epic collapses were sealed in extra innings, within few minutes the other. It led to a series of round three of the four Division sets was the distance of five games. And then a League Championship round in which both series were six.

This world series, has then lived up to the high standard set by all those who came before.

For the final adjustment (but not too late), this is what we have looked at:

Game 1: On a frigid night at Busch Stadium, with the game tied at 2 and both ACEs - Chris Carpenter and C.J. Wilson - image, the decisive battle was between a relief pitcher and player of banking. And at the battle of Allen Craig vs Alexi Ogando, part 1, Craig came through of with the single down the first base line RBI, allowing cards score the go-ahead run. The Rangers threatened with two in one out in the seventh, but pinch-hooligans Craig Gentry and German Esteban fell flat and Ron Washington was questioned for his use of banking.

Game 2: Jaime Garcia and Colby Lewis celebrate these highly publicized zero through six alignments and the work of Elvis Andrus dazzled Center upper glove. Once again, reached the bullpens and, specifically, Ogando and Craig. And once again, Craig has the lead, precipitates the same exact pitch to right field make start first run of the game in the seventh. But just when it seemed that the cards would take a 2-0, Ian Kinsler lead Commander blooped a single Jason Motte and then took second in a brave attempt to stolen base. Andrus chosen at centre forward Kinsler to third and own Andrus advanced to second when Albert Pujols muffed Jon Jay shot home from the Centre. Tony La Russa yanked Motte and then seen the Rangers they bind and lead in consecutive flies of sacrifice of Josh Hamilton and Michael Young.

Game 3: This was an ugly duckling that became a Swan. A call blown at first base, a couple outside target shooting and a barrage of hits and battered weapons for an unsightly scorebook. But then, Pujols, who had been a switch in games 1 and 2, Centre outside Ogando in the sixth to put the letters up to 11-6. And once off Mike Gonzalez in the seventh to make it 14-6. And, finally, against Darren Oliver in the ninth to wrap 16-7 and, most important, enter the record books. Only Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson had Center not once, not twice but three times in a game of world series--and added nobody had ever today 14 total bases, as Pujols did.

Game 4: As significant as performance of Pujols was from a historical perspective, that is how important it was Derek Holland from the perspective of the series. The Rangers were in clear and present danger of falling into a hole of potentially essential 3-1 in the best of seven, and Holland has been volatile this postseason. But the whiskered guy from Newark, Ohio, maintains his focus and become a jewel of zero 8 1/3 inning. And the Rangers, driven by the Chamber of breathing provided by heroic Mike Napoli last October, had tied up with a 4-0 victory.

Game 5: An enigma of communication for the cards, an intentional walk to the Rangers addiction and, Yes, another big blow in the bat from Napoli made this a fun and if the matter a bit strange. The Cardinals struck early to take an advantage of 2-0 on Wilson, but the Rangers responded in the form of a Mitch Moreland of Homer as soloist at the second deck and one of Adrian Beltre shot outside his subsequent knee. The Rangers took the hands of Pujols bat three times with intentional walks, and increasingly worked. Then, in the eighth left-handed Marc Rzepczynski became face right-handed Napoli, only because the bullpen did not hear accurately call La Russa Motte on the deafening roar of the crowd. Napoli had doubled to two advanced executions, and they did not recover the card.

By what leads to game 6. And, also, has a tough act to follow.

This is the first time that we secured a 6 game thanks to a 2-2 split from the series of 2003 between the Marlins and Yankees. We have only had an other 6 game since then - in 2009 between the Yankees and Phillies. We did not have a game 7 since in 2002 between los Angeles and the Giants, but I do not think that anyone is surprised to see a seventh heaven here, given that all that we have witnessed so far.

We are witnessing more elitist talent of the game, Pujols, trying that the team representing another title before entering the incursion of a free agent.

We are seeing two of the more conventional managers in matching wits game - and do so with different personalities.

We are witnessing a team trying to finish the job after climbing only definitive makes a season and another trying to complete one of the final races notable season sport has ever seen.

We are witnessing a series that nobody expected and nobody in their right mind could get away.

That we are witnessing, in short, a true classic of autumn.

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, CastroTurf, and his columns and follow him on Twitter at @ Castrovince. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Rangers to join the elite

St. LOUIS - it is time that the Texas Rangers to take a final step, the final step which will be carried two places at once.

A final step would be a Championship world series, but also to the full and unquestionable State as an elite franchise of major league baseball. Don't miss - here come the Rangers.

In 2010, the Rangers enjoyed his breakthrough, his first American League pennant season - his arrival as a real force in baseball contemporary. There are only an encore suitable for that performance. 2011 Rangers are a victory away encore, with an advantage of 3-2 in the world series over St. Louis Cardinals and the first release of the game 6 scheduled for 7: 05 CT on the night of Wednesday at Busch Stadium.

In this era of greater parity, two World Series appearances are a rarity in itself. The last club to appear in back-to-back world series, other than the Yankees, was the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992-93. Speaking of the Yankees, the gold standard for the playoffs, have been to the world series once in the last eight seasons - or one appearance less than the Texas Rangers in that period of time.

This is a remarkable success story given that few months before the world series in 2010, the Texas franchise was in the bankruptcy court. There, its largest creditor only at a time was Alex Rodriguez, whom a previous property promised us $ 252 million over 10 years in part based on the theory that the more A-Rod was paid, more people would come to see him play. Forgiveness. It seems that not.

But here are the Rangers now, not just in great shape at the moment, but apparently for the future. They have an absolutely ideal man of point as team President; Nolan Ryan, a Texan, a member of the Hall of Fame and a man with definite ideas about the initial production of launchers once again into something more than six partial inning.

The administration of baseball under general manager Jon Daniels has done only what you must do a contemporary organization - has discovered, produced and developed its very own pitching, both quality and quantity. Ah, the Rangers are well-defined with young pitching.

So when the external gnashing of teeth was heard because the year postseason ACE past, Cliff Lee, departed via free Philadelphia Agency, the Rangers did not join the groans and wailing. They had positioned young pitchers to intervene, intensify and take over.

Remove the 4 of this same world series game. With the Rangers two games to one, immediately after the Cardinals stomping them to the tune of 16 runs in game 3 in phased Derek Holland, 25-round draft picks in 2006. The left-handed produced the biggest of his life game, the Cardinals were two hits instead of 16 races and throughout the series turned.

The Rangers have gathered an impressive group of athletes in the positions of every day. They have power, have speed and have depth. Their offensive is to impose its pop, impressive in its breadth. This is operated with enthusiasm, empathy and understanding by manager Ron Washington. Despite what it says about his inability to match the ingenuity with the legendary Tony La Russa, Washington is obviously not in this series or any other power forward.

Of all assets in the field, the Rangers come into a very lucrative local television contract. And the success of the club during the last two seasons has considerably increased his fan base ticket purchase. It's an operation that eventually meets the size of its market. The Rangers are truly each size of Texas.

The World Series Championship is not yet a done deal, but would be - for this team of Rangers supremely bien-configuración - up - just the beginning.

Mike Bauman is a national columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Baseball Helps Japanese Town Heal

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan—As the evening light drained from the sky, Rinnosuke Yoshida hurled one last pitch across the dusty practice field—a refuge amid the piles of debris left behind by the tsunami in March.

A 15-year-old local baseball star who aspires to play in college and one day turn pro, Rinnosuke spends his free time training—lifting weights and trying to perfect his swing—and grappling with the biggest decision of his life so far: to stay here or move to a bigger city inland to play high school baseball.

Ko Sasaki for The Wall Street Journal A Yonesaki Middle School player was at bat during a June 18 game against Setamai Middle School.

It is a choice he will have to make without the guidance of the person whose counsel he wants the most.

"My dad always used to give me advice on baseball and what to do next. I don't have that anymore," he said. "I think that's what I miss the most."

Rinnosuke's father, Toshiyuki Yoshida, was dragged off by the swirling black waters that ravaged this coastal community on March 11. His body still hasn't been found. Rinnosuke and his family now are contemplating a future far different from the one they once imagined.

Almost 20,000 people across Japan were lost within minutes to the massive earthquake and tsunami it spawned. In Rikuzentakata, nearly 2,000 of this city's 23,000 residents were torn away by the rampaging ocean, including more than 40 volunteer firefighters and a host of city workers, politicians and business leaders.

The waves took people like Mr. Yoshida, a civic-minded Rikuzentakata native who worked at a small-business association and was actively involved in the community. He belonged to the local fire brigade. And he was passionate about baseball, the American sport transplanted to Japan in the late 1800s. For 14 years, he coached the team at the middle school he had attended as a boy and where his younger son is still a student.

Seven months after the disaster, survivors are still struggling to mend the holes ripped in Rikuzentakata's social fabric by so many deaths. They are searching for replacements to run the city's companies, operate its government, save its cultural institutions and nurture its sports teams.

In many ways, the human rebuilding is a tougher challenge than the physical reconstruction of Rikuzentakata and other cities like it on Japan's northeast coast.

"With enough money, infrastructure can be replaced. For people, of course, it's not that easy," said Futoshi Toba, Rikuzentakata's mayor, whose wife, Kumi, is among the dead. "The community needs to work together so the thoughts and ideas of the people who passed away can be carried on."

As U.S. baseball fans focus on next week's World Series, the sport is playing a critical role in sustaining the family Mr. Yoshida left behind in Japan: his wife, 41-year-old Kazue, and two sons Rinnosuke and Shinnosuke,16.

Both boys are obsessed with baseball. Rinnosuke, a pitcher at Yonesaki Middle School, played this fall on a regional all-star team. Shinnosuke is a catcher and vice captain at Takata High School.

Yuta Niinuma, one of Mr. Yoshida's former protégés and a pitcher, is an assistant coach at the middle school and has become a mentor to the boys, especially Rinnosuke. He works with them in between his shifts at a local poultry processing plant.

"It's a way to pay back what his father taught me," said Mr. Niinuma.

High school baseball is a big deal in Japan. It commands the sort of attention and fan loyalty that high school football does in Texas and some other parts of the U.S. Glossy magazines in Japan are devoted to following school-boy ball players. The best are recruited straight to the major leagues.

The sport has long been important in Rikuzentakata. One of the city's proudest moments was when Takata High went all the way to the national championship tournament outside Osaka in the summer of 1988—Ms. Yoshida's senior year. Hundreds of fans turn up for the team's big games.

"I've been playing baseball since before I can remember," said Shinnosuke. His father, who played outfield in high school and bragged about his base-stealing prowess, dressed his sons up in baseball uniforms for photos when they were still toddlers.

Shinnosuke joined his elementary school team when he was 9 and Rinnosuke became determined to play like his big brother. His parents bought Rinnosuke his first glove for his 7th birthday.

Mr. Yoshida, who taught his boys the basics of batting and fielding in the backyard, was a stickler for form. When Rinnosuke developed a habit of throwing side arm, his father had him sit straight-backed in a chair for hours, gripping a baseball in his right hand and lifting his arm, elbow first, so that he could learn the proper motion and avoid injury later.

When they weren't practicing with the team, father and son would head over to the middle school diamond. Mr. Yoshida would squat behind home plate, catching pitch after pitch and giving his son pointers. Rinnosuke would often throw 90 pitches in a session.

"When I would get tense, he would tell me to relax more," Rinnosuke said.

As an assistant coach, Mr. Yoshida was known for his keen sense of humor and motivational comments. The head coach, Seiji Yoshida (no relation), said Mr. Yoshida played "good cop" to his "bad cop."

When the tsunami hit that Friday afternoon, Mr. Yoshida, 43 years old at the time, was downtown for work and raced to help people climb to safety on the roof of City Hall. Witnesses later said that after guiding some older residents up the stairs, he headed back down to rescue stragglers. He hasn't been seen since.

In the chaos after the disaster, Mrs. Yoshida, a city employee, was drafted for emergency relief work. The boys waited for their father to come home, or report for duty at the fire station. When he didn't turn up after three days, they went with their grandfather to search for him.

They made the rounds of all the evacuation centers but Mr. Yoshida's name was nowhere to be found. With dread, the three went to the gymnasium at Rinnosuke's school, which had been turned into a makeshift morgue.

The boys were told to wait outside. Mr. Yoshida's father went in alone to look at the mud-covered corpses laid out on the floor. His son wasn't among them.

"Because my dad is the kind of person he is, when he didn't come home, I was already guessing what happened," said Shinnosuke. "My grandparents took it really hard."

The family didn't hold a funeral. As the months went by, they tried to return to the rhythms of daily life.

At first, the boys said, it wasn't clear whether they would play baseball again. Their town lay in ruins and their father was gone.

Lying in bed at night after the disaster, Rinnosuke would sometimes sob, asking his grandparents who would teach him baseball now.

Word of his quandary made it to Mr. Niinuma, who was coaching at the middle school. "When I heard that, I thought that was something I could do. I could teach him about pitching," Mr. Niinuma said.

Mr. Yoshida started coaching at Yonesaki Middle School when Mr. Niinuma, now 28, was a student and a promising pitcher there. "He used to tell me not to over-think everything, every play, every move, but to listen to my gut," Mr. Niinuma said.

School eventually started again in May, and with it, baseball practice.

Yonesaki Middle School's baseball field had become home to temporary housing for residents displaced in the tsunami. So the baseball team scrounged for places to play. It took buses to diamonds in neighboring towns. Yonesaki's kids spent time preparing for a regional summer tournament on a playing field surrounded by debris. A beached fishing boat sat among smashed concrete and tangled steel beyond the outfield.

Mr. Niinuma began spending more time with Rinnosuke after practice. They played catch and hung out. To help Rinnosuke get more power into his pitches, Mr. Niinuma had him change his motion to focus his mind on the transfer of weight from his back leg to his front as he throws the ball. Now, Rinnosuke bends his back knee and exaggerates his windup before hurling the ball.

Sometimes, Mr. Niinuma, who lives with his wife nearby, would spend the night at the Yoshidas' house. He was wary of broaching the subject of Mr. Yoshida's death directly with Rinnosuke.

"I felt that if I consoled him, it would make things worse," he said in May. "I don't want to overprotect him, to keep asking him how he's doing."

At the first game of the middle school summer tournament—in his first at bat—Rinnosuke smacked a double deep into center field, driving in a run.

But when his team took the field, and Rinnosuke, the starting pitcher, made his way to the mound, jitters got the best of him. He walked the first batter. He gave up two hits. Then he threw a wild pitch. By the end of the inning, Yonesaki's early lead was gone and the score was tied 3-3.

For the next few innings, control see-sawed between Yonesaki and the team from Setamai Middle School in the neighboring town of Sumita.

"During the tough moments, I kept thinking about my dad. I felt like he was there with me," Rinnosuke said.

Then, in the bottom of the sixth, things fell apart. With one out and the bases loaded, Rinnosuke threw a pitch. The batter hit a triple to right field. Three runs scored. The game ended 9-5.

Outside the stadium afterward, Rinnosuke broke down. One hand against the concrete wall, the other holding a towel to his face, he cried inconsolably for 30 minutes.

"If I'd been able to hold them, we could have won," Rinnosuke said later. "I was really sad that I couldn't pay back all the people who supported me after the disaster. And I cried for my dad."

In the months that followed, Mr. Niinuma kept working with Rinnosuke to help rebuild his confidence.

As Mr. Niinuma's presence in Rinnosuke's life has grown, so has his influence. After Mr. Niinuma graduated from Yonesaki Middle School in the late 1990s, he left Rikuzentakata for a high school in the bigger inland city of Ichinoseki to improve his baseball prospects.

Mr. Niinuma ended up pitching at Fuji University, about 90 minutes from Rikuzentakata. Mr. Yoshida and his young family used to go and watch his games.

As the school year wore on, Rinnosuke began to seek Mr. Niinuma's advice on the strengths and weaknesses of various high school baseball teams. Going to a school with a better baseball program would mean better coaches and more advanced training. But it would also mean more competition for playing time. It would also involve moving away from home—and potentially leaving his mother all alone, since Shinnosuke will soon be going to college.

In late August, over bowls of steaming ramen noodles at one of the few local restaurants back in operation, Mr. Niinuma discussed an option with Rinnosuke: Ichinoseki Gakuin High School, a private school in the same city where Mr. Niinuma had studied, about two hours away. The team went to the national championships last year.

"I told him if he goes, he will improve as a player," said Mr. Niinuma. "He will also make connections and meet new people. It's good for many reasons."

While Rinnosuke mulled his decision, the family continued to struggle with their loss. Mrs. Yoshida couldn't bring herself to file the papers to have Mr. Yoshida declared dead. Shinnosuke largely kept his feelings to himself. The family said that they seldom talked about Mr. Yoshida's death directly.

Baseball helped them cope. Shinnosuke tasted success when Takata High School won four games to take second place in the autumn regionals and earn a berth in the prefectural championship tournament, where they lost in the second round.

Shinnosuke turned into an important leader for the team, working closely with its pitchers and keeping the players on the bench motivated.

"He's somebody I can trust," said Akishi Sasaki, the Takata High manager. "He can see the game as a whole. He's very smart. The team can't do without him."

Shinnosuke said he is determined to stick with baseball and his studies. After he graduates from Takata High, he wants to go to the prefectural capital, Morioka, for university and eventually settle back in Rikuzentakata.

Mrs. Yoshida said that she appreciates all the support that Mr. Niinuma has given to her sons. And if Rinnosuke decides on Ichinoseki, she will do her best to send him there.

But if he doesn't win a scholarship, the tuition will be expensive. And she worries how he will cope with living on his own, far from home.

"I think if his dad were still here, I wouldn't be so worried about his going away," said Mrs. Yoshida. "In my heart, I hope he decides to stay home and go to high school with his brother."

Rinnosuke still isn't sure what to do. He said his heart—and his mind —are divided, 50-50.

On the one hand, going to Ichinoseki, with its more competitive program and tougher practice regimen, would likely help him improve faster as a player, and give him exposure to the world beyond Rikuzentakata. On the other, he said, he doesn't want to turn his back on his mother, his hometown and its team.

"If Takata High can win and bring attention to the city, we can repay all the people who have supported us," Rinnosuke said. "Baseball could help bring things back to the community."

—Hitoshi Koreeda contributed to this article.

Write to Gordon Fairclough at gordon.fairclough@wsj.com

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Harrison in Game 7

Rangers manager Ron Washington said Matt Harrison will be his starter if there is a Game 7. He is ruling out bringing back Derek Holland on three days rest. Washington also said that if Game 7 is pushed back by weather – the forecast calls for the possibility of rain on Wednesday – Harrison is still going to pitch Game 7.

But Holland will be available.

Rangers World Series Game 5 lineup announced

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Elvis Andrus, SS
3. Josh Hamilton, CF
4. Michael Young, DH
5. Adrian Beltre, 3B
6. Nelson Cruz, RF
7. David Murphy, LF
8. Mike Napoli, C
9. Mitch Moreland, 1B