Crasnick's article on playoff contender lineups...

[OesterPoster]

Interesting, because I honestly thought I'd have to scan down the list pretty far before seeing the Reds.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/column...arting9/100908

"Other than maybe Votto, they don't have top-of-the-line guys like the Yankees or Rangers do," said an AL scout. "But nobody is an easy out in that lineup. They seem to know what they are and they approach their jobs accordingly. They're a pretty consistent group."

[VR]

Pretty fair assessment.

I think this team has proven it can beat anyone, on any given day, at any location. They just need to hit a mojo streak once the playoffs start.

[RedEye]

Of course the Yanks have a star-studded cast, but outside of Hamilton, who do the Rangers have who is "top-of-the-line"? I suppose Vlad is still Vlad most of the time... but Kinsler? I think the trio of Votto, Rolen and BP stack up pretty well against those three quite honestly.

[REDblooded]

Of course the Yanks have a star-studded cast, but outside of Hamilton, who do the Rangers have who is "top-of-the-line"? I suppose Vlad is still Vlad most of the time... but Kinsler? I think the trio of Votto, Rolen and BP stack up pretty well against those three quite honestly.

The Rangers have a line-up full of guys that wreak havoc on the basepaths, which leads to better ab's for their sluggers... It's a darned nice offense tbh.