The Rangers lost Game 1 in a surprising manner, but there is a lot of series left and here are six reasons why they aren't in trouble. The Giants offensive performance in Game 1 was a total anomaly. There - I said it. The Giants are an offensively anemic team, but even terrible offenses have nights where they can?t miss. Game 1 was one of those nights. There is a reason baseball needs 162 games to sort out who should be competing for a championship and that?s because anything can happen in one game. This isn?t who the Giants really are. The Giants don?t win in landslides against good teams. When they win, it?s a torturous, low scoring pitchers duel, and last night was anything but. If anything, Rangers fans should feel fortunate that the Giants decided to put on a laser show in the same game that Cliff Lee decided he could no longer locate his pitches. Had the Giants decided to put on a laser show, in Game 2, against far more mediocre pitching, there?s a good chance the Rangers are down 0-2 going back to Arlington. Assuming, the Giants can?t put up double digits in Game 2, there is a good chance the Rangers can go back to Texas with a split, and that?s all you can really ask for as a fan of the visiting team. Losing Game 1 isn?t a death sentence. The Yankee?s were absolutely thrashed in Game 1 of the World Series last year, and we all know how that ended. It is true that 68% of the teams who win Game 1 of the World Series go on to win the World Series, but that percentage could be far worse. It could be 90%. Historically, there isn?t a better team you would rather be down one game to then the Giants. The Giants also won Game 1 of the 2002 World Series against the Angels, but went on to lose the series. Cliff Lee isn?t really that bad. It was just a matter of time before the Giants exploded for an onslaught of runs. Conversely it was just a matter of time before Cliff Lee eventually threw up a head scratcher. Entering the World Series, Cliff Lee had an astounding 1.62 ERA in eight playoff games. Not even the best pitchers can go that long without faulting once or twice. I predicted a terrible game a week ago, when Cliff Lee was facing the Yankees. Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for Giants fans, I was a week off. The point is, no one can be that consistent all the time, and should Lee get another start, he won?t be that bad again. Tim Lincecum hasn?t looked like Tim Lincecum in his last two starts. Tim Lincecum?s line was 5.2 innings pitched, 8 hits, 4 earned runs, and only 3 strike outs for a 6.35 ERA. If I told you before the game, that was going to be Lincecum?s box score, you would most likely predict a Giants loss. Giants fans may not want to admit it, but Lincecum has looked very mediocre in his last two starts. I wouldn?t go as far as to say, that his performances have been poor, but they have in no way reflected the dominance we saw in Game 1 of the NLDS. Both Rangers players and fans have to be encouraged that the Giants stop-gap ace appears to be at least temporarily somewhat hittable, and that does wonders for confidence in a ?must win? game situation down the road. The Rangers haven?t lost offensive momentum. The major question I had going into this World Series was which strategy was going to win out? There is no question that the Giants pitched their way into the World Series. It was their ability to stifle even the most powerful offenses with their defense, forcing teams to have to play perfect in order to beat the Giants in close game scenarios. Both the Braves and the Phillies, clearly weren?t prepared for this type of pressure, as indicated by the overwhelming number of errors that amounted during critical moments in the matchup. Conversely, the Rangers used their high batting average and aggressive base running to clinch their first World Series berth. The Rangers aren?t a team who relies on the ?Big Inning? to win the game. Instead, they have a slow but deliberate small ball strategy, where they get some guys on base and move them along through a combination of plate patience, base stealing, and timely hitting. Although lacking the offensive bravado that other teams have, the strategy has proven to be suffocating to the Ranger?s opponents. Like a slow poison, they beat you one inning at a time, slowly accumulating enough runs to win comfortably by the 9th inning. So with the clear differences in strategy (Giants relying on pitching and defense, and the Rangers relying on a small ball offense) the question became which team was going to impose their will? Game 2 is the ?tell all? for the remainder of the World Series. I won?t go as far as to say that it?s a ?must win? for the Rangers, but Game 2 will go a long way in explaining how the remaining games will play out. If the Rangers come out and put up a bunch of small ball run earning innings against Matt Cain, and the previously impenetrable Giants relief pitchers, they have to feel good about where the Series is going. A 7-2 Rangers victory would seem to further indicate if not, solidify the idea that the Rangers can and will score on the Giants. However, if the Giants are able to eek out another torturous 3-2 victory, not only would it indicate that the Giants pitching staff is back on track, they would be back on track with a 2-0 lead in the World Series, which is a commanding position on the road to Championship.