ALDS Preview: Detroit Tigers vs Baltimore Orioles

3 Players to Watch on Detroit:

1. Joe Nathan. Nathan has 35 saves this year and a 4.81 ERA. Besides a hiccup on September 16th vs the Twins, he's has a solid month. The last three outs of the game are the most important, especially with this Orioles lineup that can score anywhere in the lineup. Good sign for Tigers fans: The current O's are 9 for 51 vs Nathan, a batting average of .176. Also, the O's heavily rely on the home run, and Nathan hasn't allowed a homer since June. In the May series vs Baltimore, Nathan pitched 3 scoreless innings, recording 3 saves and helping the Tigers sweep.
2. Torii Hunter. Hunter has a higher batting average (.389) vs Baltimore this year than any other team in the American League. Along with that impressive batting average comes 3 home runs and 7 RBIs. Getting on forces opposing pitchers to pitch to Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Also of note: This season, Hunter has homered vs Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, and Bud Norris, 3 of the 4 probable Baltimore starters this series.
3. Justin Verlander. This one is obvious, but not as obvious as it was last year or two years ago. Verlander has struggled this year, but his velocity is up this past month, and his final two regular season starts combined for 15.1 IP and only 2 ER. He pitched an 8-inning, 2 ER gem vs Baltimore in April (although he did take the loss). If Verlander can perform at the high level we've seen in past postseason games, the Tigers easily can become the American League Pennant favorites.

3 Players to Watch on Baltimore:

1. Steve Pearce. The argument could made be that Pearce is the MVP of the Orioles season. His .293 was a career high (min. 100 PAs) and his 21 homers this season were more than his first 6 seasons in the majors combined. His emergence has played a big role in helping plug the hole in the Orioles lineup that was once Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Matt Wieters. Pearce only played in two games vs the Tigers this year, both before he started heating up at the plate, but is a career .333 hitter vs Scherzer and Price combined. 
2. Delmon Young. Young off the bench has been a huge part of the Orioles success this year, hitting .302 with 7 homers in a very limited role. He also brings postseason experience to a team that lacks it, having won the 2012 ALCS MVP award as a member of the Tigers. If this series gets to game 4, expect Young to have started the two games vs Price and Porcello, who he has hit .325 off of in his career.
3. Zach Britton. I was going to choose the entire Orioles bullpen for this last spot, but I'll talk about them a little bit later. Britton has anchored the Orioles bullpen since Tommy Hunter lost his closer role in May. He's been lights outs, collecting 37 saves with a stellar 1.65 ERA. In order for the O's to pull out close games, Britton may need to get guys like Miguel Cabrera out, who, in 9 PAs, has 4 hits and 3 walks (an OBP of .778). Britton has yet to face the Tigers this year, but in his career he has 3 starts vs them and has gone 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA.

3 Matchups to Watch:

1. Jones and Cruz vs the Tigers Starting Rotation. Games 1 and 2 pose favorable match-ups for the Orioles 3-4 tandem. Take a look at their splits vs Max Scherzer:That's pretty scary. And vs Price they are a combined .292 with 3 homers and 8 RBIs. However, once we get to Game 3 and possibly Game 4, the stats change. Jones and Cruz are combined 13 for 64 (.203) vs Verlander with 18 Ks. And they are even worse vs Porcello, going 8 for 50 (.160) with 13 Ks. If this series comes down to Games 3 and 4, look for other guys such as Nick Markakis and Delmon Young, who both have solid numbers vs Verlander and Porcello, to step up for the O's.
2. Miguel Cabrera vs the Orioles Bullpen. It's no secret that Miguel Cabrera is one of the best hitters in the game, if not the best hitter in the game. It's also well known that Orioles starters don't always last in the game long, and the bullpen is usually involved by the 7th inning. The Orioles dream 7th-8th-9th inning scenario is Andrew Miller-Darren O'Day-Zach Britton. Miggy hits .600 vs those three combined. Getting Cabrera out in late inning situations will be huge for Baltimore success. 
3. Ian Kinsler vs Orioles Starting Rotation. Kinsler was 5th in the AL this year with 100 runs scored. When he gets on base, he forces pitchers to pitch to the big bats of Cabrera and the Martinez duo behind him. If Kinsler can consistently get on vs the O's starters of Tillman, Chen, Gonzalez, and Norris, who he hits for a combined average of .289, there could potentially be some long innings for the Orioles pitching staff.

Prediction:

Both these teams are capable of winning a World Series this year. They have their weaknesses at certain positions (Tigers bullpen and Orioles at 3B), but strengths to overcome them. I'm biased being an O's fan, but I think the Orioles will take both home games before heading to Detroit, and ultimately win the series in 4.

All stats via Baseball Reference.