In a rematch of last season’s ALDS, the Texas Rangers eliminated the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday to advance, for the second straight season, to the ALCS.

Rangers slugger Adrian Beltre provided the knock out punch in game four by hitting three solo home runs, lifting his team to a 4-3 win, and ending the Rays’ season ... again. He is only the seventh player to accomplish such a feat, and the first since the Angels’ Adam Kennedy in 2002.

The Rays were riding high after their dramatic coup of the wild card from the hands of the Boston Red Sox to sneak into the playoffs. They rode that momentum, and Matt Moore’s young arm, to cruise through a game one 9-0-blowout victory in Texas.

Many teams would be concerned after losing Game 1 in their own ballpark in a short series, but the Rangers had recent history on their side. Last year’s ALDS saw the Rangers win all three games in Tampa, including a series deciding Game 5.

After Texas was able win Game 2 and even the series, it turned into deja vu for the Rays and their fans.

Tampa returned home only to blow a late inning lead in Game 3 by giving up four runs in the seventh inning and losing 4-3.

Beltre and the Rangers’ impressively deep arsenal of right- and left-handed pitching did the work in Game 4 and the Rays were left with the same bitter taste they had last season.

“We had a great year,” said Rays Manager Joe Maddon. “When we started the season 0-6, I made a toast on our plane and said that we are the best 0-6 team in the history of baseball. Turns out I was right.”

The Rays were expected to have a down year this year after losing free agents Carl Crawford, Matt Garza, Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett, and Rafael Soriano. They began the season 0-6 and were all but out of the playoffs in early September when they trailed the Red Sox by nine games in the wild card race.

Boston’s monumental collapse combined with Tampa’s clutch late season performance provided some of the best final game drama we’ve ever seen in baseball. And even though they were beaten by a very good Rangers team, the Rays and Joe Maddon continue to defy the odds by succeeding in a tough division with a payroll that makes it difficult to do so.

Meanwhile, Ron Washington’s Rangers have seen a gradual improvement in each of the seasons he has been there. After nearly losing his job at the beginning of the 2010 season over a failed drug test, the Rangers rallied around their manager and marched all the way to their first World Series appearance in franchise history.

Although Texas was eliminated in five games by the San Francisco Giants, it was clear that Washington and the Rangers had the talent and depth to be perennial contenders.

They are fully equipped with all the 62267}necessary tools needed to make a postseason run. They have run producers like Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, and Michael Young.

{etRelated In addition, they have speedsters like Elvis Andrus and Craig Gentry. Gentry hasn’t been caught stealing yet and Andrus catches everything hit his way at shortstop.

Catcher Mike Napoli’s veteran presence has provided a lift to an already richly talented pitching staff.

Ron Washington has the luxury of utilizing three quality left-handed starters in his rotation. CJ Wilson and Derek Holland led the way with 16 wins this season, while fellow young southpaw Matt Harrison had 14. Harrison was brilliant in a short Game 4 ALDS outing, striking out nine Rays in just five innings pitched before Washington brought in his fresh lefty, Holland, out of relief.

With that kind of pitching depth in the starting rotation and no-nonsense, shut-down guys like Mike Adams, Alexi Ogando, and Neftali Feliz at the back of the bullpen, the Rangers will be tough for anyone to beat.

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