Tigers, Twins Clinch

So it's crunch time in Major League Baseball these days. The American League is pretty much decided while the National League is just in shambles. Everyone but the Mets still needs to clinch a playoff spot. But I'm gonna stick to the AL in this post because I have a feeling I will be attending a bunch of AL playoff games (yeah Greg). With Liriano, the Twins had the best chance of getting to the World Series. The Yankees lineup is terrific, but with two nearly unhittable aces, the Twins would have been extremely tough to beat. That said, Liriano isn't going to pitch in the playoffs so they become a one pitcher team. And even though the Twins and Tigers have both clinched, there is still a lot to play for. Because whoever wins the AL central gets to face the A's (or maybe the Angels) rather than the Yankees. I've got my money on the A's pulling out the West (I've just got this hunch). And yes, the A's pitching staff is pretty formidable with Zito, Harden and Haren, I would much rather face them than the Yankees. That Yankee lineup is ridiculous. The Tigers NEED to win the central because there is zero chance they beat the Yankees in a series. Maybe they would take one game, but that's it. The Twins have been on such a tear that I really can't count them out aganist anyone, even if I think they don't have the pitching. The Tigers definitely have a shot against the A's considering Oakland always fizzles out come playoff time. But I just don't think the Tigers are going to be able to hold onto the division. As of today they were only up by one game, but they haven't played good baseball since the end of July. The Twins on the other hand have been by far the best team in baseball since the end of May. So, come October I think the matchups will look like this:


Twins v A's
Yanks vs Tigers