Rangers Will Be Crowned Tonight

Rangers vs. Diamondbacks, Game 5, 8:03 ET

This one might be over, folks. That's pretty much all I could think last night as I glanced at the game in between taking my daughter Trick-or-Treat'ing. Sometimes it is nice to be wrong right away and in the most obvious sort of way. Last night I took the Diamondbacks and even though the final score will indicate that it was a competitive game, it really wasn't. Now, we have one team on the brink and one with their backs against the wall. Who will prevail?

To be honest, I need the Diamondbacks to win a couple more games at least. I liked them to make this a competitive series. In reality, it probably should be a 2-2 series right now, but the Rangers spoiled that with their late-game heroics in Game 1. Game 2 saw the Diamondbacks take a commanding lead. Neither team had much going in Game 3, but the Rangers were able to grab that one. And, after last night, they remain perfect on the road in the playoffs. Last night we saw the Rangers ambush the Diamondbacks. They scored 10 runs in the first three innings. That is utterly demoralizing for a team to try and overcome. More on that in a second. The Rangers offense was clicking and it wasn't just the longball (though, those did help). You can essentially put Corey Seager's name on the World Series MVP trophy now, provided the Rangers win. The Diamondbacks, to their credit, didn't just roll over and die yesterday. They put up seven runs, which wasn't enough, but they could've just packed it in and said "Get 'em tomorrow."

I've mentioned this before, but it is very important for a team to get out to a lead in these games. It allows your pitcher to be more comfortable. It allows your team to be more comfortable, and with your backs against the wall, you're going to start pressing or stressing a bit knowing that this is a do-or-die. Tonight we get the Game 1 pitching matchup once again. If you're the Rangers you probably feel great about it with Nathan Eovaldi on the hill. The Rangers have won all five games that Eovaldi started. Game 1, though, was in spite of his start, not because of it. In that game, the Diamondbacks were able to tag him for five earned runs over 4.2 innings. He's been great otherwise. If you are the Diamondbacks, you probably are ready to pull your starter at the first signs of problems. I'm a Zac Gallen fan because he's made me a lot of money, but this postseason he looks really overmatched. He hasn't had a clean start, and one of the fun things about Gallen is that he goes on scoreless streaks. This year his splits were drastic - he struggled mightily on the road, but at home was as dominant as they come. In the playoffs, he only made one home start but it wasn't great. He allowed four earned runs over six innings in a loss to the Phillies. I would describe him as "good enough" in the World Series opener. He went five innings and allowed three earned runs.

I like Gallen. I'd love to root for him here, but there aren't many indications that show me the Diamondbacks are going to win the game. I think Eovaldi has been the better pitcher in the playoffs and the Rangers hitters just don't seem to slow down. It is a bit of a coinflip, but I'll take the Rangers to close out the World Series tonight at -110.

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