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Rangers-Rays Preview

Aug 16, 2010 - 8:28 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Texas (67-49) at Tampa Bay (71-46), 7:10 p.m. EDT

The Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays could be headed for an October showdown. For now, the mound matchup in Monday's series opener should be more than enough to give the game a postseason feel.

Two of baseball's premier left-handers, Cliff Lee and David Price, face each other for the first time at Tropicana Field as the Rangers and Rays kick off their potential playoff preview.

The two biggest leads in baseball's playoff races belong to Texas (67-49) - up 8 1/2 games on the Angels in the AL West - and Tampa Bay, which boasts a five-game edge over Boston for the wild card. The Rays also pulled within one game of New York for the East lead after a 3-2 win over Baltimore on Sunday.

The current standings would pit the Rangers against the Rays (71-46) in an AL division series. A potential Game 1 would likely feature the same pitching matchup as will occur in Monday's series opener. Lee (10-5, 2.57 ERA) has given Texas the ace its rotation lacked since arriving in a July 9 trade, while Price (15-5, 2.84) can become the first AL starter to 16 victories.

"If you're a baseball fan," Rays manager Joe Maddon told MLB.com, "you've got to be digging on this game. I don't see how you can't. For me, I'd love to see our first Monday night sellout without a giveaway. If you're a real baseball aficionado, it doesn't get much better than those two lefties going after it."

Price has never faced Lee, but the former No. 1 overall draft pick knows he's in for a challenge.

"He's the real deal," Price said of Lee. "Everybody here knows that, and everybody in baseball knows that. He's tough. When he's pitching against you, he's pretty tough on that offense, so you've got to know as the opposing pitcher that you've got to come in with your 'A' game. That's what I'm looking to do."

Price didn't have his best stuff last Monday, but he had enough to defeat Detroit. He gave up two runs, five hits and walked four while striking out nine over five innings in the 6-3 victory, becoming the first pitcher in Tampa Bay history to win 15 games in a season.

"It's a lot of hard work and it's been fun," Price told the Rays' official website. "But I don't plan on stopping at 15."

Surpassing Minnesota's Carl Pavano and New York's CC Sabathia for the AL wins lead won't be easy considering Price is 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA in three starts against Texas. Michael Young and Taylor Teagarden are a combined 4 for 7 with three doubles versus Price.

Young had three RBIs in Sunday's 7-3 win over Boston, but the Rangers weren't in much of a mood to celebrate with Nelson Cruz sidelined. The right fielder, hitting .320 with 64 RBIs, left Saturday's game with a tight hamstring and was placed on the disabled list for the third time this season Monday.

Lee will aim for a better performance than he produced Wednesday against the Yankees. He struck out 11, but gave up four runs over 6 1-3 innings and left without a decision in a 7-6 loss.

Lee lost twice to Tampa Bay while with Seattle this season, but is 6-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 12 lifetime starts versus the Rays. Evan Longoria - hitting .227 without a homer in his last 17 games - is 2 for 14 against the left-hander.

The Rays, who have won their last four home series against Texas, will get first baseman Carlos Pena back after reinstating him from the DL on Monday.

Pena, out since Aug. 1 because of a sore right foot, is hitting .212 with a team-high 23 homers and 68 RBIs.