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Moreland's 3-run homer gives Rangers 3-0 lead
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ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 30: Fans buy official game programs prior to the Texas Rangers playing against the San...
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Playoff Series
San Francisco leads 2-0 (as of Sat 10/30)
Wed 10/27 @SF 11, TEX 7 Recap
Thu 10/28 @SF 9, TEX 0 Recap
Oct 30, 2010 SF (Sanchez) @ TEX (Lewis) 6:57 PM ET
Oct 31, 2010 SF (Bumgarner) @ TEX (Hunter) 8:20 PM ET
Nov 1, 2010 SF (Lincecum) @ TEX (Lee) 7:57 PM ET
Nov 3, 2010 TEX (Wilson) @ SF (Cain) 7:57 PM ET
Nov 4, 2010 TEX (Lewis) @ SF (Sanchez) 7:57 PM ET
Complete Schedule: Giants | Rangers
Scoring Summary
SF TEX
2nd M Moreland homered to right, N Cruz and B Molina scored. 0 3
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Game Information
Stadium Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, TX
Weather 78 degrees, Clear
Wind 5 mph, RL
Umpires Home - Bill Miller, First Base - Mike Winters, Second Base - Jeff Kellogg, Third Base - Gary Darling
Associated Press
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Mitch Moreland hit a three-run homer off Jonathan Sanchez, and the Texas Rangers took a 3-0 lead over the San Francisco Giants after three innings Saturday night as they tried to claw back from a 2-0 World Series deficit.
Nelson Cruz doubled off the center-field wall leading off the second and, two outs later, Bengie Molina drew a walk from Sanchez, the major league walks leader.
Moreland, the No. 9 hitter, fouled off four straight 2-2 pitches before lining the ninth pitch of his at-bat into the right-field seats. It was the rookie's first home run against a left-hander, and it sent Rangers president Nolan Ryan jumping out of his first-row seat, arm raised.
Colby Lewis allowed one hit over the first three innings. Sanchez, who got just six outs against Philadelphia in his previous start, gave up four hits and two walks, and the Giants had Guillermo Mota warming up in the third.
Forty of the previous 51 teams to take a 2-0 Series lead went on to win the title, including 13 of the last 14. The lone exception was the 1996 Atlanta Braves, who lost to the New York Yankees in six games. Every team to go up 3-0 has won the championship.
In Game 4 on Sunday night, Madison Bumgarner starts for the Giants against Tommy Hunter.
The first World Series game in Arlington began at 6 p.m. CDT, the earliest start time in the World Series since Game 2 in 1987. With the sun still shining on the upper deck in left, the ballpark had more the look of a midsummer All-Star game than of an autumn World Series.
Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former Rangers All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez, a 68 mph toss from the top of the mound. Ryan then took a seat near the Rangers dugout, where former First Lady Laura Bush sat between the Hall of Famer and former President George W. Bush, who wore a blue Rangers jacket. Bush's group owned the Rangers from 1989-98.
Tom Hicks, who owned the team from 1998 until selling it in August to the group headed by Ryan and Chuck Greenberg, watched from a suite between third base and the mound.
With the shift to the AL ballpark, Vladimir Guerrero was in his usual designated hitter spot for the Rangers and Pablo Sandoval got his first Series start as the Giants' DH.
Guerrero was benched for Game 2, a day after making two errors in right field in the opener. Cruz moved to left in place of David Murphy, and Jeff Francoeur got his first Series start in right.
Sandoval entered just 3 for 14 (.214) in the postseason.
San Francisco threatened in the first on Freddy Sanchez's one-out single and Buster Posey's two-out walk, but Pat Burrell struck out.
Michael Young singled with one out in the bottom half on a pop to short left that Burrell got a slow start on, and the ball popped out of his glove as he tried for a diving catch. Josh Hamilton popped out to third baseman Juan Uribe in short left, and Guerrero hit a fly to deep left that appeared to get knocked down by the wind.
Cody Ross walked leading off the second, but Uribe fouled out and Sandoval grounded into a double play.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press