2012 MLB ALDS Picks and Odds: Oakland Athletics vs Detroit Tigers Predictions – Free ALDS Picks

2012 MLB Playoffs Picks: Oakland Athletics vs Detroit Tigers Odds and Predictions – Free MLB ALDS Picks: After acquiring Prince Fielder in the offseason, the Detroit Tigers were expected to reach the postseason. Despite some ups and downs, they delivered, winning the AL Central and earning a spot in the ALDS. The team they will face in the series, on the other hand, was an afterthought when the season began and still an afterthought through the month of June. However, the Oakland Athletics got scorching hot in the second half of the year, finishing with a 57-27 stretch to erase a 13-game deficit in the AL West and win the division on the final day of the regular season. Regardless of how each side got here, each team is just three wins away from a trip to American League Championship Series.

The makeup of these two teams is as different as the preseason expectations for both. The Tigers rotation is anchored by the defending Cy Young winner and defending MVP Justin Verlander. Meanwhile, the lineup is led by Fielder and Miguel Cabrera, who could become the team’s next MVP after winning baseball’s first Triple Crown since 1967. Oakland, on the other hand, starts a bunch of young players and castoffs that few knew about prior to the team’s hot streak that propelled them into the playoffs. In many ways, this series will boil down to a battle of the chemistry of the Athletics versus the star power of the Tigers.

The Athletics Win If:

Oakland’s bats caught fire after the All-Star break, and the Athletics belted the second-most home runs in the majors. However, Rookie Yoenis Cespedes was the only everyday player in the Oakland lineup to hit .260 or better this season, and the Athletics were shut out 16 times. The Athletics have been on such a roll because every player in the lineup has been dangerous over the past couple of months. If Oakland continues to get production from more than just one or two, even the stout pitching of Detroit will have trouble limiting the damage. On the mound, the Athletics need Jarrod Parker and Tommy Milone to deliver quality starts every time they take the mound. If the young pitchers thrive in their postseason debuts, there is no reason Oakland can keep the momentum from the regular season rolling right into the ALDS.

The Tigers Win If:

Fielder and Cabrera make or break a lineup that can be potent when its two stars are rolling. Plain and simple, the Tigers can beat anyone, including Oakland, in a series when their dynamic duo is dialed in. Detroit ranked in the top 10 in batting average, home runs and on-base percentage during the regular season, and a big series from either player will make it hard for the boom or bust Oakland lineup to keep pace. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ starting rotation features the top two strikeout pitchers in the AL, and they are going up against an Oakland lineup that set an America League record for the most strikeouts in a year and hit just .238 as a team. As hot as the Athletics have been, they have been had a tendency to swing and miss. If Verlander and company have their stuff working, they should quickly cool the hot Oakland bats and control the series for the Tigers.

Bottom Line:

Detroit is at its best when Cabrera is on a tear at the plate, and he smashed Oakland pitching during the regular season to the tune of three home runs. As good as Oakland has been in the second half of the year, the Tigers haven’t been far behind. Verlander, Max Scherzer and Dough Fister have all posted an ERA below 3.00 in the past couple of months, and all three can pile up strikeouts. The Athletics have struck out more times than any other team in American League history, and that isn’t going to stop against Detorit’s trio of flame throwers. Oakland’s run to the playoffs was something special and there is something to be said about chemistry. However, Detroit’s red hot starting pitching will be the story in this series, while Cabrera provides the run support.

Prediction: Detroit Tigers Win in 4 Games

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