Later tonight the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics finally take the field after an interminable (for the fan bases) four day layoff. With Tigers' playoff baseball nigh, the BYB writers and moderators who were able to participate make their predictions. We are almost in lock-step, with one surprising dissenter.
We want to hear your ALDS predictions. Let them fly in the comments!
David: Tigers 3-1
I like the Tigers rotation enough to take it in four. I think Peralta will be the key. I also believe that Oakland A's fans will torch SF in anger.
Les: Tigers 3-2
The offense gets off to a slow start on the road and the Tigers drop two miserable games at the Coliseum, but rally to tie the series at home. Scherzer shuts out the A's in Game 5, and the Tigers win 1-0. I celebrate with helado.
Rob: Tigers 3-2
Tigers in five. Both teams are more talented than last season, but Detroit shored up bigger holes in their lineup and bullpen. Their starters -- Max and JV in particular -- have had success against the A's in the past, and the Tigers shouldn't be as fazed by the raucous atmosphere in Oakland as they were last season.
John: Tigers 3-2
Tigers in five. Both teams are more talented than last season, but Detroit shored up bigger holes in their lineup and bullpen. Their starters -- Max and JV in particular -- have had success against the A's in the past, and the Tigers shouldn't be as fazed by the raucous atmosphere in Oakland as they were last season.
Jon: Tigers 3-0
Tigers in three. The Tigers have the superior starting pitcher in every game. Bartolo Colon is good but I foresee the Tigers making him pay for throwing 80%+ fastballs. Scherzer, Verlander, and Sanchez will show their mettle. Sonny Gray will be an interesting guy to watch for the A's, he could give the Tigers some fits.
The A's are making a mistake, in my opinion, by not shoehorning a lefty starter into their rotation. The Tigers just don't hit the southpaws. Maybe Tommy Milone or Brett Anderson aren't great options, but I'd roll the dice with one. I do believe Anderson could be a big factor for Oakland out of their bullpen in holding the Tigers down after Detroit knocks around an Athletic's starter.
Extra-base hits, defense, and starting pitching. Those are the three keys to post-season success. Detroit has improved enough defensively that Oakland's advantage isn't as huge. Oakland hits a lot of homers...but the Tigers staff has limited them overall. I think the Tigers score enough to win each night. Sweep.
Patrick: Tigers 3-2
Tigers in five. I like the Tiger rotation and lineup better than Oakland's. The more Peralta plays, the better for Detroit. Oakland's edge is in the bullpen, but we hope to see Tiger starters going deep enough to avoid the soft underbelly of the middle relief corps.
HookSlide: Tigers 3-2
Tigers in five. Scherzer will dominate in Game 1, and the offense will scratch across a couple of runs. Verlander will pitch better-than-average in Game 2, but the offense won't score enough runs, and Crisp and Cespedes will mess up JV's otherwise great night, thus fueling the various JV narratives. Sanchez will hold the A's to one run in Game 3, and the offense will come alive at Comerica, scoring at least six runs. Fister will get his lanky arse handed to him in a blowout in Game 4, and even though the offense will once again post five or six runs, the A's will still win by three or four runs. Scherzer will come back in Game 5, get in trouble early, but ultimately pitch a three-run game, while the offense will stage a later-innings comeback and score the two or three runs they need to win the series.
Phil Coke's Brain: A's 3-2
A's in five. I know I'm usually the resident sunshiner, but I have serious concerns about the Tigers. Not to go all "hustle and heart" guy on you, but this team looks worse for wear. This is not a high energy crew. Guys have been beat up or are simply not very athletic. I think that is highlighted after 162 baseball games. And because the Tigers base running is poor we really need to slug our way to runs and slugging is streaky. Streakiness is not your friend in a short series. The end of the season was not kind to the Tigers. I don't buy into a hot streak or cold streak for psychological reasons, but I do buy into it if a fundamental changes (nagging injuries in this case) has led to that poor performance.
Al: Tigers 3-2
Tigers in five. There's a old and much repeated baseball quote which holds a great deal of truth - Good pitching beats good hitting (though Casey Stengel supposedly added, "and vice-versa."). When it comes to their starting rotation, the Tigers have more than just good pitching. They have great pitching. It doesn't get any better than a top three of likely Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, a former Cy Young and MVP in Justin Verlander and AL ERA king Anibal Sanchez. Tigers' number four starter Doug Fister isn't exactly chopped liver, either.
Jim Leyland has said all season long the recipe for a Tigers' victory is "We hit the ball in the gap and over the fence and we pitch good." That won't change in the playoffs. The Tigers will hit more than well enough, but they will be carried to a series win on the arms of their formidable rotation.
Kurt: Tigers 3-2
The offense is worrisome, and if Miguel Cabrera were healthy I'd feel optimistic about this series being over in relatively stress-free fashion. But with Cabrera a big question mark and his teammates not picking up the slack as of late, I don't think this is going to be a real "fun" series. I'll say Tigers in five stressful games.
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