The Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics are starting off their American League Division series on Friday night for Game 1 and the first matchup will put Max Scherzer on the mound up against Bartolo Colon, a past Cy Young winner likely facing a future one at 9:37 pm at O.co Coliseum on TBS in the Bay Area.
The Tigers are coming into the playoffs after winning the American League central division for the third straight season and with the Red Sox taking home field advantage, Detroit will travel to the Bay Area to play the Oakland Athletics for game 1. The series will be broadcast on TBS and the MLB network depending on how many games this series and the other ALDS series goes and the second game of the series will be on Saturday night at 9 pm.
Check here for the live stream for the American League Division Series coverage of the Tigers and the Athletics or for more from Sports World Report.
The Tigers will bring the series back to Detroit for game three and that game is set for Monday October 7 on TBS or the MLB Network and then if Game 4 is necessary, that will go down on Tuesday, the same day as a possible game 4 for the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays series. The final game of the series will shift back to Oakland for the final game of the series if it gets that far and if it does, it will be a repeat of the series the two teams had last season.
Check here for the game radio stream.
The Tigers are coming into the series after having one of the most consistent offenses in the league, ranking second in the league in runs scored and first in batting average. The team is ranked second in the league in on base and slugging percentage and the first game could be one of the most entertaining of the series, as Scherzer has been excellent this season and now he will get the chance to make the first start for the Tigers in the 2013 playoffs.
The Tigers were no-hit in the final game of the season and after getting swept last season by the San Francisco Giants, the team will be looking to make another run through the American League. The Athletics have put together a great team under GM Billy Beane and once again they come in with one of the lowest payrolls of any team in the postseason. The Tigers will have shortstop Jhonny Peralta on the roster after he served his suspension for Biogenesis and while he won't be in the starting lineup, he could end up playing.
The Tigers traded for Jose Iglesias from the Boston Red Sox in the Jake Peavy deal and he will be in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the series against the A's. The Athletics come into the series after winning the AL West and the team has a solid offense as well, ranking fourth in the league in runs scored and in the top 10 in both on base and slugging percentage.
