ALDS Game 1 reaction: Cliff Lee is who we thought he was

To paraphrase a line from former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green in one of the greatest coaching meltdowns in sports history, Cliff Lee is who we thought he was.

Turns out that's pretty damn good.

In Wednesday's 5-1 Rangers victory, Lee toyed with the Rays for seven innings at their own place. He gave up five hits, one home run, didn't walk a batter and struck out 10.

Series status: Rangers 1, Rays 0.

I awed at the ease with which Lee released his pitches. Doesn't look like much. But it's awfully effective.

Lee threw 104 pitches, and 76 (or 73 percent) were strikes.

Exactly the formula I called for in the blog post before Game 1: Limit free passes and make the Rays beat you with their bats.

Lee is a great matchup against the Rays, a team that relies on plate discipline and timely hitting to manufacture runs. One problem: Lee doesn't give up walks.

This is exactly why I was on board with the trade to acquire Lee for first base prospect Justin Smoak.

With a true ace like Lee, who can put you in position to win road games in hostile environments, you roll the dice and don't think about 2011 or beyond. We've already made a serious commitment to the future by shoring up the farm system over the past three years.

How many times will we have this chance? Only four teams in each league make the postseason. It's far from an annual guarantee.

Whether Lee comes back or not in 2011, it's worth the trade to see how far he can take us this postseason. Before 2010, we hadn't played in the postseason in 11 years.

The Texas offense was solid on Wednesday in knocking around David Price a bit. Nelson Cruz hit a towering, tape-measure shot to center field, the postseason experience of Bengie Molina paid off with a home run and we cruised to 10 hits.

I'm starting to embrace the underdog role in this series that most baseball experts had Tampa winning rather easily. I'm not here to rip anyone, but the Rangers seem to play better with an us-against-the-world mentality. Hey, whatever works.

Taking Game 1 was huge. It established home field advantage.

At worst, we head back to Arlington with a split and a chance to clinch a spot in the American League Championship on our home field.

At best, we head back to Arlington needing to win only one of two games to clinch a spot in the ALCS. Not a bad deal, either way.

While I realize the significance of taking Game 1, I'm not naive enough to think the series is over.

History hasn't changed. We still are the only team in Major League Baseball to have never won a playoff series. That sad streak will continue unless the guys do something about it this year.

With the best Rangers team in the franchise's 38-year history, though, I'm hopeful that streak will come to an end.

And the trade for Cliff Lee will be the biggest reason why.