The defending American League champion Detroit Tigers venture into Cleveland's Jacobs Field for a pivotal three-game series beginning tonight when 2006 playoff hero Kenny Rogers takes the mound against Indians right-hander Paul Byrd.
Both pitchers are coming off solid outings, with Rogers going 6 1/3 innings and allowing two earned runs in a no-decision vs. Toronto, and Byrd beating the White Sox after allowing three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings last week. Cleveland is -123 on WagerWeb.com's money line for tonight's game.
Detroit's playoff fate for this year could very well be decided in this series. The Tigers trail the Tribe by 4.5 games in the American League Central and the Yankees by 2.5 in the wild-card chase. A three-game sweep by the Indians would reduce their magic number to clinch the Central to three, almost assuring the Tribe of their first division crown since 2001.
However, the Tigers come in hot, having won five in a row after sweeping the Twins in Minnesota and are closer to the Indians than at any time since Aug. 30. Detroit has scored at least four runs in 10 straight games, going 8-2 in that span. And the Tigers' final series after this one are all winnable against Minnesota, Kansas City and the White Sox.
"Every game you play right now is important," president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "That's what a race is all about: Every pitch, every play, you never know which is the most important of the game."
Byrd is 2-0 in three starts against the Tigers this year despite a lofty 5.30 ERA, and will be facing Detroit at Jacobs Field for the first time in 2007.
"This is what it's all about," Byrd said of tonight's game. "Last year in September, none of the games counted. Everybody was making plans. I love the fact the games count."
Rogers, meanwhile, has alternated wins and losses in his last six starts in Cleveland, and is 6-8 with a 6.51 ERA in 18 career starts there.
In the series' final two games, Detroit's Justin Verlander opposes Cleveland's Jake Westbrook, and then the Tigers' Nate Robertson goes against Indians ace C.C. Sabathia.
"It's a big series and everyone knows the importance of it," Indians manager Eric Wedge said.
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