ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays taking on the Texas Rangers in one of the American League Wild Card matchups wasn't what many experts had on their bingo cards a couple of weeks ago. However, the baseball gods have blessed fans with a very interesting clash between a pair of teams that just missed out on division titles.
Both teams come into Tuesday's Game 1 at Tropicana Field with 90 wins ... and plenty of regrets about what could have been. Both the Rangers and Rays finished second in their division to teams that earned first-round byes in the postseason. Tampa Bay finished two games behind top-seeded Baltimore in the AL East and Texas couldn't convert on its chances to clinch the AL West in Seattle, with the Houston Astros sneaking past them on the last day to take the division and punch their ticket past the Wild Card round.
Regrets? These teams do have a few, but they also have plenty of potential to be problematic in the postseason for any franchise matching up with them moving forward.
However, before we look ahead, let's focus on this series. I'll be at Tropicana Field for this intriguing series and here are three things I'm watching.
Rays-Rangers Wild Card question: Can Texas shake off the past?
Yes, you have to wonder if, deep down, the Rangers will be able to get past the "why are we here?" feelings that likely crept in on the flight from Seattle to Tampa before this series began. After all, Texas controlled its own fate last weekend in the Pacific Northwest but lost three of four to the Mariners to let the division title slip through their grasp.
With that opportunity missed, the Rangers got on a cross-country flight to battle for their postseason lives against the team with the second-best record in the AL (and best home record as well, with the Rays going 53-28 here in central Florida).
It's not the best scenario for the Rangers, but they have little time to feel sorry for themselves, and getting behind early isn't going to bode well. For Texas, coming out strong and grabbing a lead in the opening innings of Game 1 is paramount. The Rangers have been punched in the mouth for the last few games. In St. Pete, they have to fight back ... and do it quickly if they're going to shake off the "what if" thoughts.
Rays-Rangers Wild Card question: Can Tampa Bay's bullpen continue to be in lockdown mode?
As I mentioned in this article over the weekend, Tampa Bay had a sneaky good pickup during the season in reliever Robert Stephenson, who has helped transform the Rays bullpen into one of the best back ends in baseball.
How good have the Rays relievers been lately? This article from MLB.com details a lot of the reasons why, but here's the key stat: Tampa Bay put together one of the highest-strikeout months for any bullpen in recent MLB history (since 1969) in September. Rays relievers weren't just shutting down the opposition this year. They weren't even letting them hit the ball the vast majority of the time.
Yes, Texas has to get off to a hot start for its mental sake, but it also can't let the Tampa Bay bullpen get in control of the game. As much firepower as the Texas offense might have, the Rays relievers have arguably been better. That gives the edge to the home team if the games are tight heading into the final frames.
Rays-Rangers Wild Card question: Can Corey Seager recapture his postseason magic?
Don't forget that this is the first postseason appearance for the Rangers since 2016, so while there may be plenty of faces facing the bright lights of October for the first time, not among them is Seager, who earned NLCS and World Series MVP as a member of the Dodgers when Los Angeles captured the Fall Classic in 2020.
In that NLCS, Seager slashed .310/.333/.897 with five homers in 30 plate appearances while logging a .400/.556/.700 slash line in 27 plate appearances in the World Series win over these same Rays.
Seager could set the tone for the Rangers, both on offense and defense. Against the Rays, the Rangers will have to play error-free baseball, and the 29-year-old four-time All-Star is certainly the right person to have manning your infield if that's your goal. At the plate, Seager has put together MVP-type numbers this season (and will likely finish high in the balloting behind Shohei Ohtani). His 42 doubles lead the AL while he finished second in the league in batting average (.327), slugging percentage (.623), and OPS (1.013).
There's a reason why the Rangers inked Seager to a 10-year, $325 million deal before the 2022 season ... and it's for the moments like we will all see on Tuesday afternoon (3:08 ET, with ABC covering the game) when the postseason officially gets underway.
