SAN FRANCISCO – Sure, you can make all sorts of claims that the Giants' pitching is superior to the Rangers'.  But then, how do explain Cliff Lee?  The Texas ace virtually guarantees his club two victories in any round when he pitches twice. He delivered two wins for the Phillies in the World Series against the Yankees last year, and two for the Rangers against the Rays in the Division Series this year. Following that, he only beat the Yankees once in the ALCS, but just because that's how many games he was able to start.  Think a Giants lineup batting .231 and averaging three runs per game in the playoffs is going to provide much of a challenge? Lee has struck out 34 while giving up one walk in 24 postseason innings. It'll be interesting to see if any of those free-swinging Giants gets to a three-ball count against him.  Of course, Lee will only start two, at most three games in the World Series. The Rangers' other three starters – C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and maybe Tommy Hunter – are more hittable. But then, so are the Giants' bottom-of-the-rotation starters.  Neither lefty Jonathan Sanchez nor rookie Madison Bumgarner made it through the fifth inning in his most recent postseason outing. Sanchez couldn't even get an out in the third inning, and yet, those are the two pitchers scheduled to start over the weekend at the Rangers' ballpark, where the ball is known to carry considerably more than in San Francisco.  Even if the Rangers split the first two games by the bay, their heavy artillery could do some serious damage against Sanchez and Bumgarner – both of whom allow quite a few fly balls. The last thing the Giants would want is to get into a slugfest with Texas, which ranked fourth in the AL in scoring last season, compared to ninth for San Francisco.  Oh, and if the Giants lose those slugfests, Lee will be there, ready to close them out in Game 5. It would be the perfect ending to the Rangers franchise's 50-year pursuit of a World Series championship.  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Why the Giants will lose the World Series: Cliff Lee, superior Rangers attack - Daily Pitch: MLB News, Standings, Schedules & More - USATODAY.com