Verlander prepares to lead Detroit Tigers in ALDS opener

Unlike last season, when rain muddled the Tigers’ pitching rotation for the ALDS, the weather — cold, but not rainy — looks as if it will hold out to get Game 1 in. Justin Verlander (17-8), last year’s Cy Young winner and American League MVP, seems to be overmatched against A’s starter Jarrod Parker (13-8).
With the revamped series schedule — the Tigers, who have the lower record, host the first two games, with the rest in Oakland — Detroit can take an early advantage with probable starters Verlander and Doug Fister before handing things over to Anibal Sanchez for Game 3.
Facing Parker, a right-hander, the Tigers can use their lefty-lineup, meaning Quintin Berry, Andy Dirks and Alex Avila will get the start. On paper, this seems to be a mismatch in the Tigers’ favor, but the last week already has brought the early demise of the Texas Rangers — overtaken by the A’s in the final series of the regular season — and the Rangers ouster Friday in the wild-card game.
One of the key questions to be answered is if the Tigers can cool down the red-hot A’s, who made up a huge deficit on Texas in the last few days of the season. Logically, one would think that the A’s youth could also be a strength, as they won’t know any better than to be loose and not be affected by the pressure situation of being in the playoffs.