Giants v Rangers - Analysis

Who do I think will win? A very different question from whom am I rooting for.

I hate to say it, friends and neighbors, but I have to give a slight edge to the Rangers. (Of course favorites don't always win. Look at the 1990 A's. Many people considered them to be one of the best teams to ever play the game, and they got swept by the Reds.) The Giants clearly have the better pitching. The Rangers clearly have the better hitting. You know what they say: good pitching always beats good hitting, and vice versa.

The Giants pitching is frightening. To beat them, you almost need to be able to score without getting any hits. Unfortunately, the Rangers can do that. They play small-ball well. They get on base. They steal bases. They move runners over. They can score without getting hits. Of course, they can also hit three-run home runs.

Plus, they have Bengie Molina. I have to think having the catching mentor who helped create the Giants pitching staff on your team has to give your hitters some sort of edge. Molina becomes just the second player to face a team in the World Series he played for early that same season.

Where the Giants have a big edge is in home field advantage. The Rangers were below 500 on the road this year. The Giants, on the other hand, played almost as well on the road.

This is the World Series though. Anything can happen. Tonight's game featuring Lincecum vs Lee is a pitching match-up worth of the "year of the pitcher". Flip a coin and see who wins.

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Dear Bruce Jenkins, Chronicle Staff Writer:

Whether you credit it to Bob Veale, Casey Stengle, or Yogi Berra, and no matter what variation on the phrasing you use, "good pitching always beats good hitting" or "good pitching will beat good hitting anytime" or "good pitching will always stop good hitting", the saying ALWAYS ENDS "and vice versa".

You've written an entire article "SF Giants hope good pitching beats good hitting" based on the erroneous idea that the phrase is simply "good pitching will always beat good hitting." How exactly are you a sports writer?

Sincerely,
Me