
By Mike Corasaniti
Two of the three teams tied atop the AL Wild Card are looking good enough for a playoff run. Their current three game series is making this matchup even more curious. How would one team's three-hour playoff run go down between these two? Let's take a look:
Baltimore Orioles
How weird does it feel to not say, "It was good while it lasted," about this team? The O's are nine games over .500 and don't seem like they'll be looking back any time soon. Last night was definitely a tough loss with Buck Showalter and Mark Reynolds getting ejected, but a strong nine out of 13 under their belts since an August 3 loss to the Rays proves that their sturdy enough the keep proving critics wrong. And with a kid named Manny Machado still looking pretty hot, Baltimore might just have enough to break their streak of dry Octobers.
Detroit Tigers
The offensive combo of Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera is proving to be the biggest offensive pair in the majors. As evidenced by last night's performance in Detroit, the Tigers rarely have an instance where offense is the issue. With Justin Verlander quieting opposing bats and Jose Valverde keeping them quiet, Detroit probably won't have too much trouble keeping all those bats quiet down the stretch too.
Matchup
In the four major pitching categories, the Orioles only crack the top 20 in one, and only two in the four major batting ones. While watching the O's succeed is pretty spectacular, it's just nobody's place to say how long it will last. Because when it comes down to it, if the Tigers make the playoffs it will be after a hard fought battle with the White Sox. They'll be all hopped up on adrenaline and hungry. If the O's make it, although it'll be a sight to behold, they'll just be happy to be there. Tigers 1-0
Two of the three teams tied atop the AL Wild Card are looking good enough for a playoff run. Their current three game series is making this matchup even more curious. How would one team's three-hour playoff run go down between these two? Let's take a look:
Baltimore Orioles
How weird does it feel to not say, "It was good while it lasted," about this team? The O's are nine games over .500 and don't seem like they'll be looking back any time soon. Last night was definitely a tough loss with Buck Showalter and Mark Reynolds getting ejected, but a strong nine out of 13 under their belts since an August 3 loss to the Rays proves that their sturdy enough the keep proving critics wrong. And with a kid named Manny Machado still looking pretty hot, Baltimore might just have enough to break their streak of dry Octobers.
Detroit Tigers
The offensive combo of Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera is proving to be the biggest offensive pair in the majors. As evidenced by last night's performance in Detroit, the Tigers rarely have an instance where offense is the issue. With Justin Verlander quieting opposing bats and Jose Valverde keeping them quiet, Detroit probably won't have too much trouble keeping all those bats quiet down the stretch too.
Matchup
In the four major pitching categories, the Orioles only crack the top 20 in one, and only two in the four major batting ones. While watching the O's succeed is pretty spectacular, it's just nobody's place to say how long it will last. Because when it comes down to it, if the Tigers make the playoffs it will be after a hard fought battle with the White Sox. They'll be all hopped up on adrenaline and hungry. If the O's make it, although it'll be a sight to behold, they'll just be happy to be there. Tigers 1-0