Today at 2:05 p.m. ET the Philadelphia Phillies will kick off their 2014 attempt at a return to prominence with Cliff Lee (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on the mound agains the Texas Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington. Texas will throw out a much less heralded starter, converted reliever Tanner Scheppers. Live stream the game by clicking this link; Phillies fans can find the radio broadcast on 1210 WPHT, while Rangers fans may do likewise on 103.3 ESPN.
Lee was one of MLB's most dominant starters a season ago, and has been for some time, but after adding Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo this offseason the Rangers have potentially the sport's most devastating lineup. That said, Rangers manager Ron Washington is making no comments to the contrary about what a steep hill beating Cliff Lee is to climb.
"My focus is not going to be on he pitched for us and he did this, my focus is going to be on what it's always on, when we face a guy of Cliff Lee's caliber, we have to be on top of our game," Washington said. "It's going to be a challenge. ... As tough as we know it will be, it's not going to be easy for Cliff, either. That's what I'm thinking."
Lee helped the Rangers reach a World Series in 2011, and remembers his days in Texas fondly even though he's an opponent now. "It was fun to be in the World Series there. I had a lot of fun," Lee said. "We did some things that had never been done there. They've built off that and been a pretty solid team ever since."
The Rangers have dealt with a number of injuries this spring, including Yu Darvish. That leaves Tanner Scheppers to take the mound, becoming the first pitcher since Fernando Valenzuela to make his starting debut on Opening Day. "I have got little things here and there that are a little different," Scheppers said. "Other than that, just go out and pitch."
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