Tigers, Twins to decide AL Central title in Game 163
As if the MLB season wasn’t long enough already, the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins will see their schedules increased to a 163rd game to decide the 2009 AL Central Champions.
As soon as Bret Favre and the Vikings are finished with the Packers on Monday Night Football, we can all get back to baseball and find out just who the fourth and final team in the AL postseason will be.
For the second-straight season the Minnesota Twins face a one-game playoff to decide the division title when they host the Detroit Tigers at the Metrodome on Tuesday afternoon. Two games behind Detroit when the season’s final weekend got underway, Minnesota swept Kansas City while Detroit managed only to take one of three from the ChiSox to force the one-game, winner take all contest.
The Twins have the momentum heading into Tuesday’s game, slated to be aired on TBS starting at 5:00 p.m. (ET). Detroit held a 4½-game lead over Minnesota midway through September before dropping 11 of their final 18 games while the Twins were winning 13 of their last 17. Four of those 13 Minnesota wins came at the expense of the Tigers.
The line for Tuesday’s playoff opened with the Twins heavily favored in the -160 to -170 range, depending where you shop. That moneyline price is holding pretty steady with most shops listing the current total at 8½.
Sunday was to have been the final baseball game in the Metrodome with the Twins moving into their new stadium next season. The Tigers no doubt wish they were done playing in the park where they were 2-7 this season and 5-13 the last two years. Minnesota’s 11-7 overall record against the Tigers this year gave them home field for this contest.
Oddly enough, the pitcher Ron Gardenhire will send to the mound for Tuesday’s game didn’t enjoy the same kind of personal success at the Metrodome this season as the Twins team did. Scott Baker was 6-5 with a 4.55 ERA at home this season (Min 10-6 in his 16 starts) compared to a 9-4 personal record and 4.17 ERA on the road.
Baker made four starts in 2009 against the Tigers, with the Twins 2-2 in those games and the righthander owning a 6.75 ERA in the 20 innings of work. Not one of the four starts was a quality effort by Baker, though he did toss five innings in the 8-3 win last Thursday at Detroit, allowing just one unearned run.
Baker’s opposite on Tuesday will be Detroit rookie Rick Porcello. The 20-year old righthander faced the Twins four times among his 30 starts this season with the Tigers dropping three of the games despite his 3.08 ERA in the 23.1 innings. In 10 innings at the Metrodome, Porcello was charged with seven earned.
One interesting sidebar to this game is Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera who is battling a season-ending slump that saw him go 0-for-14 at the plate. Cabrera was also involved in a “family trouble” incident according to the Detroit News and repeated on the team’s MLB.com site.
Cabrera batted .323 on the season with 33 homers and 101 RBI, all three marks good enough to lead Detroit. The 26-year old first baseman hit six of those home runs off Twins pitching, the most he had against any team in the 2009 season, but just one at the Metrodome where he batted .244 with a .669 OPS compared to a .348 average and 1.019 OPS at home.
In a one-game playoff like this, everyone should be available for action though it’s doubtful we would see either of the team’s Sunday starters, Justin Verlander for Detroit and Minnesota’s Carl Pavano. Call me crazy – Just don't call me CrazyLou – but I like the Tigers and also lean to the Over 8½.
STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday, Oct 6, 5:07 p.m. (ET): Rick Porcello (18-12, 4.04) vs. Scott Baker (19-13, 4.36)
WEATHER
Loud, with intermittent gusts of wind caused by the waving of Homer Hankies.
As if the MLB season wasn’t long enough already, the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins will see their schedules increased to a 163rd game to decide the 2009 AL Central Champions.
As soon as Bret Favre and the Vikings are finished with the Packers on Monday Night Football, we can all get back to baseball and find out just who the fourth and final team in the AL postseason will be.
For the second-straight season the Minnesota Twins face a one-game playoff to decide the division title when they host the Detroit Tigers at the Metrodome on Tuesday afternoon. Two games behind Detroit when the season’s final weekend got underway, Minnesota swept Kansas City while Detroit managed only to take one of three from the ChiSox to force the one-game, winner take all contest.
The Twins have the momentum heading into Tuesday’s game, slated to be aired on TBS starting at 5:00 p.m. (ET). Detroit held a 4½-game lead over Minnesota midway through September before dropping 11 of their final 18 games while the Twins were winning 13 of their last 17. Four of those 13 Minnesota wins came at the expense of the Tigers.
The line for Tuesday’s playoff opened with the Twins heavily favored in the -160 to -170 range, depending where you shop. That moneyline price is holding pretty steady with most shops listing the current total at 8½.
Sunday was to have been the final baseball game in the Metrodome with the Twins moving into their new stadium next season. The Tigers no doubt wish they were done playing in the park where they were 2-7 this season and 5-13 the last two years. Minnesota’s 11-7 overall record against the Tigers this year gave them home field for this contest.
Oddly enough, the pitcher Ron Gardenhire will send to the mound for Tuesday’s game didn’t enjoy the same kind of personal success at the Metrodome this season as the Twins team did. Scott Baker was 6-5 with a 4.55 ERA at home this season (Min 10-6 in his 16 starts) compared to a 9-4 personal record and 4.17 ERA on the road.
Baker made four starts in 2009 against the Tigers, with the Twins 2-2 in those games and the righthander owning a 6.75 ERA in the 20 innings of work. Not one of the four starts was a quality effort by Baker, though he did toss five innings in the 8-3 win last Thursday at Detroit, allowing just one unearned run.
Baker’s opposite on Tuesday will be Detroit rookie Rick Porcello. The 20-year old righthander faced the Twins four times among his 30 starts this season with the Tigers dropping three of the games despite his 3.08 ERA in the 23.1 innings. In 10 innings at the Metrodome, Porcello was charged with seven earned.
One interesting sidebar to this game is Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera who is battling a season-ending slump that saw him go 0-for-14 at the plate. Cabrera was also involved in a “family trouble” incident according to the Detroit News and repeated on the team’s MLB.com site.
Cabrera batted .323 on the season with 33 homers and 101 RBI, all three marks good enough to lead Detroit. The 26-year old first baseman hit six of those home runs off Twins pitching, the most he had against any team in the 2009 season, but just one at the Metrodome where he batted .244 with a .669 OPS compared to a .348 average and 1.019 OPS at home.
In a one-game playoff like this, everyone should be available for action though it’s doubtful we would see either of the team’s Sunday starters, Justin Verlander for Detroit and Minnesota’s Carl Pavano. Call me crazy – Just don't call me CrazyLou – but I like the Tigers and also lean to the Over 8½.
STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday, Oct 6, 5:07 p.m. (ET): Rick Porcello (18-12, 4.04) vs. Scott Baker (19-13, 4.36)
WEATHER
Loud, with intermittent gusts of wind caused by the waving of Homer Hankies.
minny takes this one
