MLB ALDS: Tigers vs Athletics Game 5 Preview

There are two important things worthy of discussion in the AL Playoffs.  First, the Boston Red Sox moved on to the AL Championship series with their win over the Tampa Bay Rays last night.  The second is they still do not know who they are to face as the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics are locked in a back and fourth series.  It is currently tied at 2-2.

The Red Sox were able to dispatch the Rays with a 3-1 victory in Game Four of the ALDS.   The Rays looked as though they were going to keep their World Series hopes alive.  They led by 1-0 until the seventh inning.  The Red Sox put up two runs and then one more in the ninth for good measure while holding the Rays at one run.

The Red Sox now await the winners of the series between the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics.  The series is currently tied at 2-2 with neither team having a clear edge on the surface.  It will all come down to this decisive game and as we all know the most important factor of the game is pitching.

The Tigers will be starting a well-rested Justin Verlander.  The start originally belonged to Max Scherzer, who started Game 1 and was penciled in for Game 5, but the Tigers used the right-hander in relief in Game 4, which almost seemed like a piece of strategy. Verlander knows how to pitch in high-pressure situations.  Last year, the Tigers took on the A’s in Oakland in Game 5.  Verlander held Oakland to no runs to send the Tigers into the World Series, where they swept the Yankees.

Who will be starting for the A’s is still a bit of a mystery.  What is known is that it will either be veteran Bartolo Colon or rookie Sonny Gray.

If it is Gray then it will be a rematch between Gray and Verlander.  The young and talented pitcher Gray was able to out pitch Verlander in an earlier confrontation holding the Tigers to zero runs, while Verlander allowed one.  If it is Colon then the Athletics World Series hopes will be put into the hands of a capable veteran.

The Tigers are the slight favorites to win this game with a monyline set at -125 compared to the Athletics’ EVEN at Bovada. A trip to the ALCS is on the line.  The game starts at 8:05 p.m. ET.  Watch it on TBS.