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ALCS Preview

For those of you counting at home I was 1 for 4 on my Division Series picks so I was pretty much wrong everywhere so I'm not going to pick the ALCS series, eh maybe I will, but I'm going to break it down position by position first.

Catcher - Jason Kendall vs. Ivan Rodriguez

Kendall is a nice player but he's a slap bitch singles guy who has no power at all while Irod is the leader of the clubhouse a hall of famer and had better numbers all around than Kendall this season. Advantage: Tigers

First Base - Nick Swisher vs. Sean Casey

Different types of hitters as Casey has pretty much lost his power and Swisher had 35 home runs this season but hit for no average. This one is a close call but I'm leaning towards Swisher having a slightly better series. Advantage: A's

Second Base - D'Angelo Jimenez vs. Placido Polanco

The breaking of Ellis finger is a big deal for the A's as this is a major downgrade for the gang in green and yellow. Polanco is not a great player but he's certainly better than Jimenez who has bounced around in the past two years more than Anna Nicole's uterus. Advantage: Tigers

Third Base - Eric Chavez vs. Brandon Inge

Both are stellar with the glove both have had piss poor seasons with their batting averages, but Chavez has been in this spot before and he's probably one of the most motivated players in all of the playoffs right now. Advantage: A's

Shortstop - Marco Scutaro vs. Carlos Guillen

Carlos Guillen right now is one of the top 4 shortstops in the major leagues. While Marco Scutaro has one of the top 4 names in all of baseball. Another not so tough call. Advantage: Tigers

Left Field - Jay Payton vs. Craig Monroe

Jay Payton has zero patience at the plate and has never been a very good player while Craig Monroe was one of the most important players in the Tigers beatdown of the Yanks. Advantage: Tigers

Center Field - Mark Kotsay vs. Curtis Granderson

The rookie Granderson has had a good season showing some power and some speed however there is something about Kotsay that makes me feel he will come through in the clutch he just seems gritty an in your face go all out guy. Advantage: A's

Right Field: Milton Bradley vs. Magglio Ordonez

Milton beats everyone in baseball as having the sweetest names and the easiest home run calls. But Magglio has been an all star several times over, got some big hits in the Yanks series and actually made some big plays in the field. Advantage: Tigers

Designated Hitter: Frank Thomas vs. Marcus Thames

No debate, sorry River Thames its the Big Hurt who carried the A's this season. Advantage: A's

Game 1 & 5 Starter: Barry Zito vs. Nate Robertson

Barry Zito is one of the biggest playoff pitchers this decade, look at his stats he has been solid in every start if not spectacular. Advantage: A's

Game 2 & 6 Starter: Esteban Loiaza vs. Justin Verlander

Verlander pitched out of a ton of jams against the Yankees a combination of his heat and the Yanks poor clutch hitting. But can he work that same magic yet again? Loaiza pitched big against the Twins and down the stretch and I expect another strong outing from him. Advantage: A's

Game 3 & 7 Starter: Dan Haren vs. Kenny Rogers

Danny is one of the best unknown pitchers in baseball, he pitched well in game 3 against the Twins, pitched lights out against the Yanks this season and has excellent stuff. Can Kenny Rogers be magical for two consecutive postseason starts? Advantage: A's

Game 4 Starter: Rich Harden vs. Jeremy Bonderman

On normal health I think Rich Harden has the edge over Bonderman, but Harden's health and arm endurance still has some questionmarks, and Bonderman is more likely to go deep into the game than Rich. Advantage: Tigers

Bullpen

The Tigers have two guns with Zumaya and Jones as opposed to the A's with Street and Duschereerererererer. The A's don't have much confidence in the rest of their bullpen while the Tigers used Jamie Walker and others to perfection against the Yanks. Advantage: Tigers

Bench

The A's bench has been severely depleted by injuries to their starters in the middle infield and are left with basically Bobby Kielty and Dan Johnson as somewhat viable bench players. However, the Tigers have really nothing Omar Infante and Neifi Perez strike the fear in no one. Advantage: A's

Head Coach - Ken Macha vs. Jim Leiland

Every move Leiland made against the Yanks worked out in his favor. Macha really didn't have to make any decisions other than bringing in Duschererer and Street in the late innings. If it comes down to a battle of the minds Leiland has the edge. Advantage: Tigers

Conclusion

So for still scoring at home, I scored it 8-8. Good job me of being decisive. Overall the Tigers have a better lineup but the A's have better starting pitching and as we saw in the Yanks Tigers series if you pitch well you neutralize a good line up. In the end I think the Tigers have karma on their side, but I'm going to go with the A's in 6 primarily because I see Zito winning both of his starts.

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