Who Should Ron Washington Start in Game 5?

Who should Ron Washington start in Game 5 for the Texas Rangers in Tampa Bay? Listed below is who I think should take the field against David Price and the Rays.

Lineup:

1.       Elvis Andrus, SS

2.       Michael Young, 3B

3.       Josh Hamilton, CF

4.       Vlad Guerrero, DH

5.       Nelson Cruz, LF

6.       Ian Kinsler, 2B

7.       Jeff Francoeur, RF

8.       Mitch Moreland, 1B

9.       Bengie Molina, C

The first thing that will most likely jump out at you is Nelson Cruz playing left field. He had a terrible Game 4 on Sunday in the field but his bat is simply too explosive to put on the bench.

Jeff Francoeur makes the starting lineup based on his postseason experience and ability to jump on a fastball, which is David Price’s dominant pitch. Francoeur got the Rangers’ offense rolling in Game 1 and he could be a spark in Game 5.

Mitch Moreland starts over Jorge Cantu because, well, Jorge Cantu is just plain bad. His timing is off and he looks completely out of whack at the plate. Moreland was one of the few bright spots in Game 4 with a double and an RBI. Although Moreland against Price is a tough lefty-lefty matchup, the fact is Moreland is capable of better at-bats at this point.

Bengie Molina starts at catcher, of course. He was HUGE in Game 1 against Price, going 3 for 4 at the plate with a homerun and two RBI.