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OAKLAND ATHLETICS: AL West Champion; def. Minnesota, 3-0 in ALDS
DETROIT TIGERS: AL Wild Card; def. NY Yankees, 3-1 in ALDS
The Detroit Tigers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in postseason history to advance to their first American League Championship Series since 1987, as they knocked off the All-Star laden New York Yankees in four games of the ALDS.
The Tigers, who are in the ALCS for the fourth time in their long history, were completely dominated in Game 1 against the Yanks, but quickly turned the tables after that. Detroit won the next three contests, backed by some of the best starting pitching the postseason has ever seen.
Rookie Justin Verlander gave up an early three-run homer to Johnny Damon in Game 2, but the high-powered Yankee offense did not cross the plate again until the series was already decided in the seventh inning of Game 4.
Kenny Rogers erased his playoff demons and threw an absolute gem for the Tigers in Game 3, while young Jeremy Bonderman twirled an equally impressive game to eliminate the Yankees on Saturday.
Detroit's last trip to the ALCS resulted in a loss, as it fell in five games to the eventual world champion Minnesota Twins. The Tigers' last win in the ALCS came in 1984, when they swept the Kansas City Royals in three games.
Oakland, meanwhile, made surprisingly quick work of Minnesota in the ALDS. The Athletics swept the Twins in three straight games, the first two of which came at the Metrodome.
Nine times over the span of four playoff series since 2000, the A's had lost games that would have sent them to the ALCS. They had opened 2-0 series leads twice in that span, only to lose the set by dropping three straight.
This time it was a different story, as the A's controlled the series with Minnesota from the outset. Oakland used a perfect combination of great starting pitching along with great offense to win its first postseason series since topping the Boston Red Sox in the 1990 ALCS.
Oakland, which is in the ALCS for the first time since losing in six games to Toronto in 1992, will be making its 10th trip to the League Championship Series.
These teams have met once in the postseason, back in the 1972 ALCS. The A's came out on top in that one, beating the Tigers in five games which started a run of three consecutive world titles.
Detroit took five of its nine regular season matchups with the A's this season, but Oakland is 20-12 in the series since the start of the 2003 campaign. The Tigers split their six games in Oakland this season, but have lost in eight of their last 12 visits.
LINEUP
While the Tigers' pitching staff got all the credit for the ALDS win over the Yankees, their lineup was pretty impressive as well.
Carlos Guillen carried a torrid September at the plate into the postseason and was the best player on the field in the first round. The All-Star shortstop hit .571 with a home run, two RBI and scored three times.
Heading into the series I stated that Curtis Granderson would be introduced to the baseball public, and he did not disappoint. The rookie centerfielder hit .294 with a pair of home runs and a team-high five RBI.
Magglio Ordonez is the one batter in the middle of the Detroit lineup that strikes fear into opposing pitchers. Ordonez hit a big home run in Game 4, but batted just .267 in the series.
Left fielder Craig Monroe struggled and had just three hits in 16 at-bats in the ALDS. Two of those hits, though, were home runs. During the regular season, nearly half of his 28 home runs this season have come in the seventh inning or later.
Frank Thomas set the tone for Oakland right off the bat against the Twins. The veteran designated hitter belted a pair of solo home runs in Game 1, one of which came off of probable Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. Thomas, who will get heavy consideration for the AL MVP Award, was 5-for-11 in the ALDS with two homers and two RBI. He also scored three times.
Eric Chavez snapped out of his funk at the right time, as he homered and finished 2-for-2 in Game 3. The third baseman had been hitless in his first eight at-bats in the postseason before Friday. If Chavez, who has struggled offensively all season, can get his bat going, the A's will be a tough out for anyone.
Oakland also got significant contributions from Jay Payton, Marco Scutaro and Nick Swisher in the ALDS. Payton hit .333 and scored three times, while Swisher hit .300 and knocked in a run while scoring three.
Scutaro, though, was the unsung hero, as he hit .333 and drove in a team-high six runs in the series, four of which came in Game 3.
All the news was not great for the A's in the ALDS, as they lost starting second baseman Mark Ellis for the remainder of the postseason with a broken finger. D'Angelo Jimenez will be the guy the rest of the way at second for Ken Macha's crew.
Oakland does hope shortstop Bobby Crosby will be ready to go for this series, which would allow Scutaro to move to second. Crosby missed the ALDS with a back injury
EDGE: OAKLAND
STARTING PITCHING
Nate Robertson will head to the hill for the Tigers on Tuesday in Game 1. The left-hander was the lone Detroit starter tagged with a loss in the ALDS, as he allowed seven runs and 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Robertson, who led the Tigers with 208 2/3 innings pitched this season, has worked six innings or more in each of his past 18 starts. He beat the A's the last time he faced them and is 2-2 lifetime against them with a 5.46 ERA in four starts.
Getting the call in Game 2 for Jim Leyland's crew will be the veteran Rogers, who pitched one of the gutsiest games ever seen in the postseason in Game 3 of the ALDS. Rogers shed the label of not being a big-game pitcher, as he held the Yankees scoreless over 7 2/3 innings while allowing just five hits.
Rogers had been brutal in his playoff career up until that point, going 0-3 with an 8.85 ERA in nine games. He had also been winless in his last 11 starts against New York.
However, as bad as Rogers has been against the Yankees, he has been that good against the A's. During the course of his 17-year career, Rogers is 21-7 against Oakland with a 4.33 ERA. He has been even better at McAfee Coliseum, where he is 25-4 lifetime with a 3.46 ERA.
Rogers was 21-11 during 1998 and half of 1999 as a member of the A's.
Taking the ball in Game 3 will be probable AL Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander, who earned a big win in Game 2 against the Yankees. Verlander worked out of trouble all game against the Yanks, as he surrendered three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He always seemed to get the big out when he needed it, though.
The No. 2 pick of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Verlander has emerged as one of the best young power pitchers in the game. His fastball has been clocked as high as 99 mph, and that mixed in with a plus curveball and a decent changeup make him almost unhittable when all three are working
Verlander has faced the A's just three times in his brief career and is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA against them.
Another ALDS hero will toe the rubber in Game 4, as Bonderman faces the team that took him with the 26th overall pick in the 2001 draft. The 23-year-old was lights-out in eliminating the Yanks on Saturday, as he was perfect through five innings and allowed two runs and five hits in 8 1/3 frames.
Bonderman is 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA against the A's in his young career.
Detroit wasn't the only team doing some pitching in the ALDS, as the A's starters were just as impressive in taking out the Minnesota Twins.
Starting the series will be former Cy Young Award winner and free agent-to-be Barry Zito, who outdueled Johan Santana in Game 1 of the ALDS. Zito was magnificent in that one, as he surrendered just a run on four hits in eight innings.
Macha will go with Esteban Loaiza in Game 2. Loaiza did not pick up a win in his ALDS start but was solid over five innings, giving up eight hits and two runs.
Loaiza endured an erratic first season in Oakland but put together a strong second half. He was 7-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 starts since August 7, and was named AL Pitcher of the Month for August after going 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA.
Oakland's rotation got a huge boost with the September return of Rich Harden (4-0, 4.24 ERA), who can overmatch any team's lineup if he's healthy and on. An elbow ligament sprain and a back injury limited the hard-throwing righty to just nine starts, but he was sharp in his first two outings after coming back in September. Harden, who did not pitch in ALDS, will likely go in Game 3.
Zito, Loaiza and Harden are a combined 21-11 lifetime against the Tigers
If Harden does indeed go in Game 3, then right-hander Dan Haren will take the mound in Game 4. The right-hander posted a 14-13 record and a 4.12 ERA while finishing among the league leaders with 176 strikeouts.
After struggling down the stretch, Haren was thought to be wearing down after logging a career-high 223 innings. However, he was great against the Twins, as he gave up two runs and nine hits in six innings in Game 3.
Haren, though, is 0-2 lifetime against the Tigers with a 5.31 ERA in three starts.
EDGE: EVEN
BULLPEN
Detroit may have the deepest bullpen of the four teams left in the postseason. Veteran closer Todd Jones saved 37 games, and while he may not be as dominating as some of the other upper-echelon closers in the league, he gets the job done.
Jones is set up by 21-year-old right-handed fireballer Joel Zumaya, who regularly hit 100 mph on the radar gun in his two appearances against the Yankees. Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker and Jason Grilli all give Leyland plenty of other talented options for the late innings.
Rookie Zach Miner will be Leyland's long relief option. Miner won six of his first seven decisions this season, but he struggled after the All-Star break, going 1-5 in nine starts.
Oakland's bullpen has been a team strength all season, but thanks to some great starting pitching, the unit was not needed much in the first round.
Closer Huston Street nailed down two saves and allowed a run on three hits in three innings against the Twins. Justin Duchscherer, who saved nine games when Street was sidelined in the second half with a groin ailment, is one of the game's top set-up men. He pitched in two games against the Twins and allowed a run on one hit in four innings.
Right-hander Kiko Calero was the only other reliever to see action in the first round. He picked up the win in Game 2 as he tossed a scoreless inning without giving up a hit.
Kirk Saarloos will handle long-relief duties in this series.
Southpaw Joe Kennedy (4-1, 2.31 ERA) also had a good year, although he was more effective against righties than lefties. Chad Gaudin (4-2, 3.09 ERA) also proved capable this season. Neither made an appearance in the first round, but will both likely see action in the ALCS.
EDGE: DETROIT
MANAGERS
Jim Leyland, who already has a World Series title to his credit with the 1997 Florida Marlins, proved why he will undoubtedly win the AL Manager of the Year award with the way he handled his team in the first round. After years of futility in the Motor City under other skippers, Leyland was the perfect manager to get the young Tigers back on track.
Macha, meanwhile, probably deserves more credit than he gets. Each year the A's lose frontline free agents, but are always in the mix at the end of the year.
EDGE: DETROIT
BENCH
Thanks to injuries to their middle infield, Oakland is now not that deep off the bench. Bobby Kielty is a very good fourth outfielder and a tough out against left-handed pitching. Dan Johnson's sophomore slump cost him the everyday first-base job, but he could make an impact as a lefty bat off the bench. The A's have five switch-hitters, which gives Macha all kinds of matchup possibilities. A healthy Crosby would help the unit tremendously.
The Tigers also have capable bench players. Omar Infante is a strong-gloved infielder who can fill in at a number of spots and a capable pinch-runner. When not being used as the DH, Matt Stairs is an excellent option off the bench late in games. Overall offensively, Detroit's supporting cast is average at best, though.
EDGE: ATHLETICS
PROGNOSIS
Detroit shocked the world in beating the Yankees in the ALDS. So who is to say they can't beat Oakland? Both teams have similar lineups that rely on outstanding starting pitching and a deep bullpen. These teams are so evenly matched that it is hard to predict a winner. The Tigers' celebration after the ALDS win over the Yankees was a bit extreme, but Leyland should get his team re-focused on the matter at hand.
Prediction: DETROIT IN SEVEN
DETROIT TIGERS: AL Wild Card; def. NY Yankees, 3-1 in ALDS
The Detroit Tigers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in postseason history to advance to their first American League Championship Series since 1987, as they knocked off the All-Star laden New York Yankees in four games of the ALDS.
The Tigers, who are in the ALCS for the fourth time in their long history, were completely dominated in Game 1 against the Yanks, but quickly turned the tables after that. Detroit won the next three contests, backed by some of the best starting pitching the postseason has ever seen.
Rookie Justin Verlander gave up an early three-run homer to Johnny Damon in Game 2, but the high-powered Yankee offense did not cross the plate again until the series was already decided in the seventh inning of Game 4.
Kenny Rogers erased his playoff demons and threw an absolute gem for the Tigers in Game 3, while young Jeremy Bonderman twirled an equally impressive game to eliminate the Yankees on Saturday.
Detroit's last trip to the ALCS resulted in a loss, as it fell in five games to the eventual world champion Minnesota Twins. The Tigers' last win in the ALCS came in 1984, when they swept the Kansas City Royals in three games.
Oakland, meanwhile, made surprisingly quick work of Minnesota in the ALDS. The Athletics swept the Twins in three straight games, the first two of which came at the Metrodome.
Nine times over the span of four playoff series since 2000, the A's had lost games that would have sent them to the ALCS. They had opened 2-0 series leads twice in that span, only to lose the set by dropping three straight.
This time it was a different story, as the A's controlled the series with Minnesota from the outset. Oakland used a perfect combination of great starting pitching along with great offense to win its first postseason series since topping the Boston Red Sox in the 1990 ALCS.
Oakland, which is in the ALCS for the first time since losing in six games to Toronto in 1992, will be making its 10th trip to the League Championship Series.
These teams have met once in the postseason, back in the 1972 ALCS. The A's came out on top in that one, beating the Tigers in five games which started a run of three consecutive world titles.
Detroit took five of its nine regular season matchups with the A's this season, but Oakland is 20-12 in the series since the start of the 2003 campaign. The Tigers split their six games in Oakland this season, but have lost in eight of their last 12 visits.
LINEUP
While the Tigers' pitching staff got all the credit for the ALDS win over the Yankees, their lineup was pretty impressive as well.
Carlos Guillen carried a torrid September at the plate into the postseason and was the best player on the field in the first round. The All-Star shortstop hit .571 with a home run, two RBI and scored three times.
Heading into the series I stated that Curtis Granderson would be introduced to the baseball public, and he did not disappoint. The rookie centerfielder hit .294 with a pair of home runs and a team-high five RBI.
Magglio Ordonez is the one batter in the middle of the Detroit lineup that strikes fear into opposing pitchers. Ordonez hit a big home run in Game 4, but batted just .267 in the series.
Left fielder Craig Monroe struggled and had just three hits in 16 at-bats in the ALDS. Two of those hits, though, were home runs. During the regular season, nearly half of his 28 home runs this season have come in the seventh inning or later.
Frank Thomas set the tone for Oakland right off the bat against the Twins. The veteran designated hitter belted a pair of solo home runs in Game 1, one of which came off of probable Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. Thomas, who will get heavy consideration for the AL MVP Award, was 5-for-11 in the ALDS with two homers and two RBI. He also scored three times.
Eric Chavez snapped out of his funk at the right time, as he homered and finished 2-for-2 in Game 3. The third baseman had been hitless in his first eight at-bats in the postseason before Friday. If Chavez, who has struggled offensively all season, can get his bat going, the A's will be a tough out for anyone.
Oakland also got significant contributions from Jay Payton, Marco Scutaro and Nick Swisher in the ALDS. Payton hit .333 and scored three times, while Swisher hit .300 and knocked in a run while scoring three.
Scutaro, though, was the unsung hero, as he hit .333 and drove in a team-high six runs in the series, four of which came in Game 3.
All the news was not great for the A's in the ALDS, as they lost starting second baseman Mark Ellis for the remainder of the postseason with a broken finger. D'Angelo Jimenez will be the guy the rest of the way at second for Ken Macha's crew.
Oakland does hope shortstop Bobby Crosby will be ready to go for this series, which would allow Scutaro to move to second. Crosby missed the ALDS with a back injury
EDGE: OAKLAND
STARTING PITCHING
Nate Robertson will head to the hill for the Tigers on Tuesday in Game 1. The left-hander was the lone Detroit starter tagged with a loss in the ALDS, as he allowed seven runs and 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Robertson, who led the Tigers with 208 2/3 innings pitched this season, has worked six innings or more in each of his past 18 starts. He beat the A's the last time he faced them and is 2-2 lifetime against them with a 5.46 ERA in four starts.
Getting the call in Game 2 for Jim Leyland's crew will be the veteran Rogers, who pitched one of the gutsiest games ever seen in the postseason in Game 3 of the ALDS. Rogers shed the label of not being a big-game pitcher, as he held the Yankees scoreless over 7 2/3 innings while allowing just five hits.
Rogers had been brutal in his playoff career up until that point, going 0-3 with an 8.85 ERA in nine games. He had also been winless in his last 11 starts against New York.
However, as bad as Rogers has been against the Yankees, he has been that good against the A's. During the course of his 17-year career, Rogers is 21-7 against Oakland with a 4.33 ERA. He has been even better at McAfee Coliseum, where he is 25-4 lifetime with a 3.46 ERA.
Rogers was 21-11 during 1998 and half of 1999 as a member of the A's.
Taking the ball in Game 3 will be probable AL Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander, who earned a big win in Game 2 against the Yankees. Verlander worked out of trouble all game against the Yanks, as he surrendered three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He always seemed to get the big out when he needed it, though.
The No. 2 pick of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Verlander has emerged as one of the best young power pitchers in the game. His fastball has been clocked as high as 99 mph, and that mixed in with a plus curveball and a decent changeup make him almost unhittable when all three are working
Verlander has faced the A's just three times in his brief career and is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA against them.
Another ALDS hero will toe the rubber in Game 4, as Bonderman faces the team that took him with the 26th overall pick in the 2001 draft. The 23-year-old was lights-out in eliminating the Yanks on Saturday, as he was perfect through five innings and allowed two runs and five hits in 8 1/3 frames.
Bonderman is 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA against the A's in his young career.
Detroit wasn't the only team doing some pitching in the ALDS, as the A's starters were just as impressive in taking out the Minnesota Twins.
Starting the series will be former Cy Young Award winner and free agent-to-be Barry Zito, who outdueled Johan Santana in Game 1 of the ALDS. Zito was magnificent in that one, as he surrendered just a run on four hits in eight innings.
Macha will go with Esteban Loaiza in Game 2. Loaiza did not pick up a win in his ALDS start but was solid over five innings, giving up eight hits and two runs.
Loaiza endured an erratic first season in Oakland but put together a strong second half. He was 7-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 starts since August 7, and was named AL Pitcher of the Month for August after going 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA.
Oakland's rotation got a huge boost with the September return of Rich Harden (4-0, 4.24 ERA), who can overmatch any team's lineup if he's healthy and on. An elbow ligament sprain and a back injury limited the hard-throwing righty to just nine starts, but he was sharp in his first two outings after coming back in September. Harden, who did not pitch in ALDS, will likely go in Game 3.
Zito, Loaiza and Harden are a combined 21-11 lifetime against the Tigers
If Harden does indeed go in Game 3, then right-hander Dan Haren will take the mound in Game 4. The right-hander posted a 14-13 record and a 4.12 ERA while finishing among the league leaders with 176 strikeouts.
After struggling down the stretch, Haren was thought to be wearing down after logging a career-high 223 innings. However, he was great against the Twins, as he gave up two runs and nine hits in six innings in Game 3.
Haren, though, is 0-2 lifetime against the Tigers with a 5.31 ERA in three starts.
EDGE: EVEN
BULLPEN
Detroit may have the deepest bullpen of the four teams left in the postseason. Veteran closer Todd Jones saved 37 games, and while he may not be as dominating as some of the other upper-echelon closers in the league, he gets the job done.
Jones is set up by 21-year-old right-handed fireballer Joel Zumaya, who regularly hit 100 mph on the radar gun in his two appearances against the Yankees. Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker and Jason Grilli all give Leyland plenty of other talented options for the late innings.
Rookie Zach Miner will be Leyland's long relief option. Miner won six of his first seven decisions this season, but he struggled after the All-Star break, going 1-5 in nine starts.
Oakland's bullpen has been a team strength all season, but thanks to some great starting pitching, the unit was not needed much in the first round.
Closer Huston Street nailed down two saves and allowed a run on three hits in three innings against the Twins. Justin Duchscherer, who saved nine games when Street was sidelined in the second half with a groin ailment, is one of the game's top set-up men. He pitched in two games against the Twins and allowed a run on one hit in four innings.
Right-hander Kiko Calero was the only other reliever to see action in the first round. He picked up the win in Game 2 as he tossed a scoreless inning without giving up a hit.
Kirk Saarloos will handle long-relief duties in this series.
Southpaw Joe Kennedy (4-1, 2.31 ERA) also had a good year, although he was more effective against righties than lefties. Chad Gaudin (4-2, 3.09 ERA) also proved capable this season. Neither made an appearance in the first round, but will both likely see action in the ALCS.
EDGE: DETROIT
MANAGERS
Jim Leyland, who already has a World Series title to his credit with the 1997 Florida Marlins, proved why he will undoubtedly win the AL Manager of the Year award with the way he handled his team in the first round. After years of futility in the Motor City under other skippers, Leyland was the perfect manager to get the young Tigers back on track.
Macha, meanwhile, probably deserves more credit than he gets. Each year the A's lose frontline free agents, but are always in the mix at the end of the year.
EDGE: DETROIT
BENCH
Thanks to injuries to their middle infield, Oakland is now not that deep off the bench. Bobby Kielty is a very good fourth outfielder and a tough out against left-handed pitching. Dan Johnson's sophomore slump cost him the everyday first-base job, but he could make an impact as a lefty bat off the bench. The A's have five switch-hitters, which gives Macha all kinds of matchup possibilities. A healthy Crosby would help the unit tremendously.
The Tigers also have capable bench players. Omar Infante is a strong-gloved infielder who can fill in at a number of spots and a capable pinch-runner. When not being used as the DH, Matt Stairs is an excellent option off the bench late in games. Overall offensively, Detroit's supporting cast is average at best, though.
EDGE: ATHLETICS
PROGNOSIS
Detroit shocked the world in beating the Yankees in the ALDS. So who is to say they can't beat Oakland? Both teams have similar lineups that rely on outstanding starting pitching and a deep bullpen. These teams are so evenly matched that it is hard to predict a winner. The Tigers' celebration after the ALDS win over the Yankees was a bit extreme, but Leyland should get his team re-focused on the matter at hand.
Prediction: DETROIT IN SEVEN
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