The Detroit Tigers (90-72) will face off against the Baltimore Orioles (99-66) in Game 1 of the American League Division Series Thursday at 5:37 PM ET. The Tigers will send out Max Scherzer (18-5) to take the mound against Chris Tillman (13-6).
Scherzer picked up his 18th win in his final start of the regular season on Thursday when he allowed two runs over six innings against the Twins. The reigning AL Cy Young will be pitching on two extra days of rest in Game 1. Scherzer has led the team in WHIP with 1.18, along with his 3.15 ERA this season.
As far as pitching goes, the Tigers' main concern is the bullpen. Joe Nathan has led the team in saves with 35, but have been very inconsistent at different segments of the season. Joba Chamberlain and Joakim Soria will need to be effective in the seventh and eighth innings leading up to the ninth. With Anibal Sanchez being designated to the bullpen after recovering from injury, he will be able to provide long relief if needed for Detroit.
The Tigers have been at the top when it comes down to hitting. They placed second in runs (757), first in batting average (.277), second in on base percentage (.331) and second in slugging percentage (.426).
They are led by the the dynamic duo of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Cabrera has led the team in runs (101), and RBI's (109). The real story has came with the veteran Martinez. He has hit 32 long balls and has had a .974 on base plus slugging percentage.
J.D. Martinez has stepped in for the second half of the season and has provided for the Tigers. The other Martinez has 23 home runs and 76 RBI's in 123 games though the season. He hit .315.
Tillman will go to the mound for the Orioles. He has obtained a 3.34 ERA over the regular season and has pitched well against the Tigers. He is 3-0 with a 3.58 ERA against Detroit.
They may not have the star power that the Tigers' front four have, but are solid from top to bottom. Chris Tillman leads the rotation and will be the Game 1 starter, but the order from there is anyone's guess. The expected order for Game 2, 3, and 4 is Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez, and Bud Norris. Kevin Gausman is another option, and Showalter has already said that he is not on an innings limit this season. Or both Norris and Gausman could start, if Chen takes a seat against a right handed heavy Tigers lineup. Ubaldo Jimenez is also on the roster, but it's unlikely that he will be in the rotation.
The weakness in the rotation will give the Tigers flexibility with their bats. The Orioles walk rate was the fourth highest in the American League and the struck out only 6.93 hitters per nine innings. That is the fifth worst rate in the American League.
The offense will center around the bats of Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones. Jones led the team with a .281 batting average during the regular season and he also scored the most runs, 88.
After coming over from the Texas Rangers, Cruz has proved that he is still a threat to pitchers. He has cranked 40 long balls and has ripped 108 RBI's. He also leads the team with a .859 on base plus slugging percentage this season.
It will be tough for the Orioles to play with success without Manny Machado, Matt Wieters and Chris Davis. Davis received a 25-game suspension for violating the MLB drug policy. He tested positive for amphetamines which seems to be the result of the sluggers use of Adderall. Some players are allowed to use the drug, Davis is not one of them. He missed the final three weeks of the season and will also have to sit out eight possible playoff games.
After his suspension, Davis said, "I apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Orioles organization and especially the fans. I made a mistake by taking Adderall. I had permission to use it in the past, but do not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) this year. I accept my punishment and will begin serving my suspension immediately."