Rangers need Wilson to give Lee’s Game 3 start real meaning

Added on Oct 15, 2010 by Ted Sillanpaa in

MLB

C.J. Wilson could, literally, carry the Rangers American League Championship Series hopes with him to the mound Friday night in Game 1.

Postseason ace Cliff Lee won’t pitch until Game 2, with right-hander Colby Lewis sandwiched between him and Wilson. Lewis went 12-13 with a 3.72 ERA during the regular season. The club is 4-8 in his last 12 starts, not including a loss in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.

With Lee unavailable and the specter of Lewis facing a potent Yankees’ attack looming in Game 2, Wilson (15-8, 3.35) needs a strong outing to get the Rangers to Lee in good position in the best-of-seven series.

Wilson pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings in Game 2 of the ALDS in beating the Rays. He struck out 7 and walked 2. He worked 3 innings and gave up four runs to the Yankees in a 6-5 loss on Sept. 10. The lefty went 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on Aug. 10 in a 4-3 victory over New York. His April 16 start versus the Yankees resulted in six innings, three earned runs and seven hits.

Wilson will face New York’s C.C. Sabathia (21-7) in the opener. The Texas southpaw isn’t rattled by the matchup.

“Yeah, his uniform is much bigger than mine and his feet are much larger,” Wilson said of Sabathia. “But I’m not trying to fill his shoes.”

** Lewis was a first-round draft pick in 1999 who wound up pitching in Japan in 2009. He’s just happy to be in the big leagues, let alone preparing for an ALCS start.

“If you would have told me two years ago, when I was getting on a plane going to Japan, that I’d be back here in the ALCS, I’d would say, ‘Yeah, right,’ ” Lewis said. “It’s kind of surreal. I think everything happens for a reason. You get put in situations where, I guess, you’re kind of meant to be.”

** The Yankees have had nearly a full week off after sweeping the Twins in the ALDS. The layoff is worrisome to New York manager Joe Girardi.

“There’s a little bit of concern,” Girardi said. “I mean, you always worry about that. I don’t know any other way to handle it. â¦ There will be rust on your players for the first few innings.”