By far, the best pitching match up of the first round is game one between Tampa Bay and Texas. The Rays will send David Price to the hill against fellow southpaw Cliff Lee, the marquis addition by the Rangers prior to the trade deadline and the guy that was virtually unhittable in the post-season last year, going 4-0 for the Phillies with two of those wins over the Yankees in the World Series.

This is a really interesting series because of the seemingly contrasting stylew between the Rays who use speed and play small ball to create runs against a Rangers lineup that takes advantage of the ballpark it plays in to hit a lot of home run and mash.

The Rays have to have a near-healthy Evan Longoria to have a shot in this series and have to get a big game from James Shields, their game two starter who gave up a ton of long balls this season. Will Tampa Bay be fueled by the likelihood of playing together as presently constituted for the last time? Which BJ Upton will show up..the guy who almost single-handedly beat Boston in the ALCS two years ago or the guy who has been an enigman and an underachiever? Will Jeff Nieman or Wade Davis pitch well like they did in the first half of the season or struggle like they did in the second half, largely due to injury? How will Rafael Soriano handle the pressure of closing games in the playoffs?

For Texas, the biggest question is how healthy is Josh Hamilton and how much will he contribute? This is a relentless lineup with Elvis Andrus and Michael Young setting the table for Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero, Nellie Cruz, Ian Kinsler and even Mitch Moreland..how will they handle the spotlight and will Guerrero be able to impart any wisdom about playing in the post-season? How will CJ Wilson, Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter fare in their first playoff starts? And, the same question asked about Soriano certainly applies to the hard-throwing young closer Neftali Feliz for the Rangers.

I've been going back and forth all week about who I like in this series and feel like this is the one series where a game or two could get away from Tampa if they don't pitch well and the Rangers get the bats going. Having been there before and being motivated to do it one last time as a group will be the difference as the Rays prevail in five games.