The Tigers could be struggling at the wrong time!
Somehow the Tigers have found themselves in a tie atop the AL Central after a mild implosion coupled with a red hot Twins team. This marks the third straight year that we will have a pre-playoff playoff game. This will be the Twins second consecutive year that they are playing in a tiebreaker game as they lost last season to the White Sox. The game will be held Tuesday in the Metrodome in it’s second farewell to the regular season. As today was supposed to be the last game played there, and 51,000 showed up to show their support of a great longtime stadium. Now they have one more game with the winner advancing to the ALDS ti face the Yankees. The Twins own the regular season head to head tie breaker between the two clubs, and have the right to home field advantage. The starters for the game will be rookie Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.04) for the Tigers, and Scott Baker (15-9 4.36) will be tossing for the Twins. I think this is the first time I’ve been even mildly excited about the MLB playoffs so far, mainly because whoever comes out of this game as the winner, I’ll likely be forced into rooting for them take the AL Championship.
It’s been quite an amazing run for the Twins since former MVP, Justin Morneau, went down for the season. They’ve picked up their game and have gone 16-4 in their last twenty games to give themselves one final chance to get in.
Home hankies will be in full effect Tuesday!
They’ve been getting contributions from everyone including decent pitching (not the middle relief) but overall effective, and some very timely hitting. Delmon Young hasn’t been a stranger to receiving standing ovations at the Metrodome lately. He has been coming up with clutch RBI’s in a lot of games, which is very reminiscent of the way BJ Upton heated up for Tampa Bay in their playoff run last season. Joe Mauer has been quiet for his standards, but it’s mainly due to getting pitched around and walked more often. With this type of playoff push I hope this convinces MVP voters that Mauer is the obvious choice over Derek (I get way too much media hype) Jeter. When you look at the playoff matchups on paper, I think the Tigers would have a better chance of taking down the Yankees lineup wise, but the Twins are white label hot right now so it seems like you can never count a team on a roll out. As Billy Beane once said “It’s a crapshoot once you get in the playoffs, you just have to get there first!”
I’m predicting the Twins to win 5-4, and advance to play the Yankees.
By
cali4dre
chappy81
dyslecix
mceezy
October 4th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Baseballbriefs.com tracking back Sometimes you have to play 163!…
Baseballbriefs.com tracking back Sometimes you have to play 163!…
October 5th, 2009 at 9:03 am
chappy 81
Are the Dodgers happy that they also avoided the same drama that now awaits the Twins and Tigers ?
Dropped this piece on the failed US Olympic bid.
http://tophatal.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/its-rio-or-bust-baby/
Alan Parkins
October 5th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Yeah, it’s pretty funny how relieved they looked. I saw some of thier celebration, and most of their players seemed like they’d been waiting for that day for a long time especially Torre! I think Kershaw is underestimated when people look at their rotation. Billingsly has been good lately if they somehow make it past the Cardinals, they’ve got a chance to stumble into the WS albeit not a great one…
October 5th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
chappy 81
Relieved ? Any more hair loss for Joe Torre and he’d have been a paid up member for ‘ Hair Club For Men ‘ . That’s how treacherous it’d become for the Dodgers .
The pitching rotation while good , still has its
flaws and may well just be the weakest overall of the four NL playoff contenders.
If at all interested here’s my op-ed piece on Obama’s sojourn to Copenhagen, Denmark for the IOC vote on the 2016 Olympics.
It’s Rio Or Bust Baby …. !
Alan Parkins
October 5th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Yeah, they might be the weakest rotation, but their bullpen could be the strongest! Any team finding themselves trailing in the 7th against them will have a hard time mounting a comeback. As I said in the post it’s pretty much a crapshoot after you get in, so I personally think they have as good a chance as anyone unless Manny keeps up his current .100 hitting that would sink them quick!
October 6th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
chappy 81
I think it’s very much like you said a ‘crapshoot’ . That’s why I believe that if team hits a rich vein of form down the closing stretch of the season . Then it’s hard to bet against them. And that’s certainly not been the case with the Dodgers .
Check out this USA Today piece on the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp and Andrew Ethier .
Dodgers’ dazzling outfield duo of Kemp and Ethier hitting stride ………….
It makes for some insightful reading as to their mindset.
Alan Parkins
October 6th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Either way, after watching the last few innings of the game tonight I’m pretty excited for the playoffs to start! I hope the Dodgers get it together and can string a few games together… Nice link, I’ve always liked Ethier and Kemp has grown on me. They’re a solid part of their future.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:01 am
chappy
Ethier , Kemp and Loney are very solid players and finally the Dodgers’ fans have something to really feel proud of . Especially after the years of aimlessly going nowhere .
Alan Parkins
October 5th, 2009 at 9:05 am
chappy
Let me know what you think as to the merits of the following ? In particular when it comes to the NFL .
http://tophatal.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/clueless-in-sports-what-does-it-say-about-those-who-run-it/
Alan Parkins
October 7th, 2009 at 7:59 am
chappy81
How bad do you think that Tigers’ owner Mike Illitch must be feeling this morning ? Is anything going right for any of the major professional sports’ franchises in ‘The Motor City’ at present ? Other than the Red Wings that is . The Lions continue to suck and the Pistons are getting old and decrepit and now the Tigers let go of a 7 game lead in the AL Central and then lose to the Twins in a one game playoff scenario when they literally could’ve won the game in regulation and also in the 10 th inning . When it rains it pours but in the case of Detroit it just continues to bring about constant and absymal deluge of flooding and sporting misfortune within their midst.
Alan Parkins
October 7th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
He can’t feel good. It’s rough in Detroit these days, they’ll just have to hope that the Pistons can play well. They’ll need Stucky to be a lot better for that to happen though.