ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rays manager Joe Maddon spoke matter-of-factly, assessing Tampa Bay’s chances of completing an improbable comeback against the Texas Rangers in the opening round of the AL playoffs.
Down 2-0 after losing the first two games of the series at home, the AL East champions rebounded to win the next two on the road and force a deciding Game 5 on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.
Postseason ace-for-hire Cliff Lee will start for Texas, hoping to finish what he started with a dominating performance in Game 1.
The Rangers built on the 5-1 victory and were five outs from their first postseason series win before the sputtering Rays — in Maddon’s words — got their “mojo” back.
