I nailed the Divisional Round of the playoffs with stunning accuracy (for me). I then struck out looking, like Ryan Howard in my LCS predictions. So take this World Series primer with either a grain of salt, or as scripture.

Game 1: Cliff Lee v. Tim Lincecum
Advantage: Rangers. I like the Rangers to win Game 1 easily. I see no reason why Cliff Lee, pitching in an expansive park, against a bunch of free swinging hitters, can’t replicate his playoff success. Lincecum, on the other hand, has the real difficult task of facing the best lineup he’s seen all year. Even the bottom of Texas’ lineup (save for Cliff Lee of course) is hitting over .300 this postseason. It’s a real marquee matchup, but Lee’s track record combined with the lineup he’s facing, wins out. Texas wins 3-0.

Game 2: CJ Wilson v. Matt Cain
Advantage: Rangers. Cain, on the surface, is the logical choice. No one walked more batters in baseball this year than did CJ Wilson. However, the Giants aren’t exactly a bunch of patient hitters. I think Wilson can pitch effectively against the Giants lineup. Cain was phenomenal in his only LCS start against Philadelphia, which will be 9 days ago by the time he toes the rubber. Cain also walks a lot of batters. This Rangers lineup will make him pay for that in a way that San Francisco’s won’t to Wilson. Texas wins 5-3.

Game 3: Jonathan Sanchez v. Colby Lewis
Advantage: Rangers. I don’t expect Colby Lewis to pitch in Game 3 of the World Series like he did in Game 6 of the ALCS, even against the Giants. And I think that Sanchez won’t pitch as poorly in Game 3 of the World Series as he did in Game 6 of the NLCS. This is a really interesting matchup. Two completely dissimilar pitchers facing two dissimilar lineups. The Rangers trot out a lot of right-handed batters and I think that could be an issue for Sanchez, who also gives up a ton of walks and is facing a patient lineup. Texas wins, on a hunch, 7-3.

Game 4: Madison Bumgarner v. Tommy Hunter
Advantage: Giants. Not even close. Giants stay alive 6-2.

Game 5: Tim Lincecum v. Cliff Lee
Advantage: Giants. This is where I think the luster starts to wear off a bit on the Cliff Lee playoff mystique. Again, a hunch, but that’s what all of this stuff is. Lee has always pitched in the postseason under some sort of pressure (Game 1s, a big swing Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, a huge Game 5 at Tampa). Here he is coming in up 3-1, after having shut down the Giants in Game 1. Maybe the fire isn’t there. It will be there for Lincecum. Giants win 3-1.

Game 6: CJ Wilson v. Matt Cain
Advantage: Rangers. Barely. I was very tempted to force this to a seventh game. I didn’t. Rangers win 6-5.

Final Prediction: Rangers win 4-2.

Some Thoughts:

-Any talk about how Texas’ hitters are 0-19 against Giants closer Brian Wilson (I’m looking your way Buster Olney) seems foolish to me. That is not an x-factor statistic. No one is expecting Brian Wilson to be the x-factor here. He’s not going to blow saves like he’s Byung Hyun-Kim here. He’s an elite closer, so it’s no surprise the Rangers have struggled to hit him. If the Giants can get it to B-dub, with the lead, I expect them to win. However, there are 8 innings with which they’ll have to find a way to take a lead in to get the ball to their closer.

-I expect Buster Posey to slump horribly in this series. But for one solid game against the Phillies, Posey has been disappointing thus far in his first playoff adventure. Yes, he’s a rookie with a lot of weight on his shoulders, but that’s no reason to just say, “Oh, well it’s not his fault.” It is. He’s in the #4 hole for a reason, people. The pressure is there. The Giants need a good series from Posey to beat the Rangers.

-Vlad Guerrero playing in RF isn’t really that big of a deal. We (and by “we” I mean the media, of which I am not a member) make a big deal about DHs having to play in the field in the World Series. Tell me the last time it’s truly affected the outcome of a game.

-The Giants have the bullpen edge. Big time.

-The Rangers have the offensive edge. Big time.

-The teams are closer in starting pitching than you’d think.

-Series MVP: Elvis Andrus.

-Oh, and Cliff Lee will sign with the Yankees for $140 million over 7 years.

Enjoy this World Series. I heard it said this week, don’t worry about the ratings. If you’re a baseball fan, this is a dream scenario. Ratings mean nothing to you. And it’s true. The crowds in San Francisco and Arlington will be electric. This will be a fun series, even if the Rangers sweep. Two teams that are easy to root for, with a lot of really good guys. This will be a nice end to a very good MLB season.