ALDS Burning Questions

NEW YORK YANKEES (97-65) vs. DETROIT TIGERS (95-67)

(TIGERS WON SEASON SERIES 4-3)

1 . What will decide this series, pitching or hitting?

Definitely the pitching, and with that the Tigers have the first advantage.

Justin Verlander had one of the best seasons in recent memory and is looking to erase the memory of going 0-2 in the 2006 World Series against the Cardinals. He was by and far the most dominant starter of 2011.

* Watch Game 1 live on Sportsnet Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET

He’ll be followed by the most successful pitcher to change teams during the regular season, Doug Fister, who won eight times in his 11 appearances after coming over from Seattle in a deadline deal. Then it’s Max Scherzer, a 15-game winner including two in two starts against the Yankees this season. Then it’s 14-game winner Rick Porcello, finally living up to his vast promise.

The Yankees will counter with a three-man rotation in the series, starting with post-season tested ace CC Sabathia, who will be making his 14th career playoff start.

Rookie Ivan Nova gets the start in Game 2 after coming out of nowhere to win 16 games. In a slightly surprising move, Freddy Garcia completes the trio. This allows A.J. Burnett, Bartolo Colon and Phil Hughes to come out of the pen early in games should things start getting out of hand.

The bullpen edge goes to New York, with David Robertson setting up Mariano Rivera. Nothing against the back of the Tigers’ pen, but Rivera is as automatic as any post-season reliever ever.

2. Which lineup is the toughest to navigate through?

One through nine, it’s no contest: the Yankees. They led the world in home runs this summer and are especially lethal at Yankee Stadium, where they’ll hold home field advantage in the series.

Four Yankees hitters slammed at least 20 home runs while three drove in 100 runs or more, and that doesn’t include Alex Rodriguez, who only played a career-low 99 games due to right knee problems.

The Tigers some lethal offensive weapons too. Miguel Cabrera is still the best young power hitter in the game, having hit at least 30 home runs and driven in last least 100 for the eighth straight year. He has plenty of support in the lineup from Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila, who turned into the game’s top offensive catcher in just his second full Major League season.

3. Will age finally hold the Yankees back?

With an everyday lineup averaging 32 years old and deep in post-season experience, this may well be the year where they’ll need younger players to step up, specifically Canadian Russell Martin, who’ll be making his first post-season appearance with the Yankees.

And if one of the regulars gets slowed by injury, much weight will fall on the shoulders of the likes of Eduardo Nunez and Jesus Montero, the latter their much-hyped prospect.

This team must stay healthy if they have any chance of playing deep into October.

4. Any advantage in the dugouts?

None of any significance.

Joe Girardi runs a tight ship and isn’t afraid to make tough or unpopular decisions, witness the way he handled the phasing out of Jorge Posada.

How he keeps the starters banished who have been banished to the bullpen involved, could have a lot of impact on his team’s success.

Tigers’ skipper Jim Leyland puts the "old" in old school and, for the most part, stays out of his team’s way. The middle of his lineup does the heavy lifting and he’s not one to give away outs. How he gets the ball to super closer Jose Valverde will be a key in this series.

5. Will this be Derek Jeter’s last chance to be a champion?

This could be a deciding factor in the series.

The Yankees’ captain will be making his 15th quest to capture baseball’s Holy Grail.

Baseball’s all-time post-season hits leader enters this post-season at the advanced age of 37, and the rest of the roster will need to pick him up after the rigours of a regular season that saw him join the 3,000 hit club causes him to wear down as the series goes along.

It says here that for the Yankees to advance, Jeter will need to make a major contribution. Anything less and what could be his final playoff appearance will last just one round.

PREDICTION: TIGERS IN FIVE.

The Tigers starting pitching will shutdown the Yankees high octane offence.

(RANGERS WON SEASON SERIES 5-4)

1 . Are the Rays a team of destiny?

It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?

They were nine games back in the wild card race during the first week of September, and down seven runs to the Yankees with six outs to go in the final game of the season, yet the Rays continue to find a way. Many would say they backed into the playoffs thanks to the Red Sox doing the greatest ‘el foldo’ in baseball history, but they won their final five games to get to the October dance.

* Watch Game 1 live on Sportsnet Friday at 5 p.m. ET

And what should trouble the other teams left is how this team never thinks it’s out of a game. If they gave a split-season MVP, the second half award would go to Evan Longoria.

Over the final 90 games of the season, his 80 RBI led the majors. His two home run performance in the clincher is the stuff of legend.

2. Does the Rangers rested rotation give them the edge?

Most definitely.

The Rangers clinched the A.L. West with a week to go in the regular season, allowing them to get all their starting ducks in a row, setting them up very well. Ace left-hander C.J. Wilson is well rested, having pitched just two innings since September 21st.

After his ineffective start in the final game of the year, the Rays won’t have ace David Price available until Game 3. By then, it might be, too little, too late.

The series deciding game is likely the second game young Texas lefty Derek Holland takes on A.L. complete-game leader James Shields.

The winner of that game likely wins this series.

3. What secondary offensive producers will step up?

For Tampa Bay, leadoff man Desmond Jennings has given the lineup a different dynamic since he joined the club for good after the All-Star break, and the club responded, going 39-24.

He added a speed element to the top of the order that was lacking following Carl Crawford’s free agent defection to Boston.

While Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz get all the ink for their majestic home runs, Ian Kinsler went about his business and put up the quietest 30/30 season in MLB history.

He is the table-setter for a powerful Rangers offence that boasted players with 25 home runs.

4 . Joe Maddon: Zen Master or Jedi?

The fact that I’ve never witnessed Maddon pull any Jedi mind tricks on anyone leads me to believe it’s the latter.

Watching him manage 18 times this season has allowed me to conclude he’s the game’s most forward thinker, well outside the box if you will.

Whether it’s loading up his lineup with left-handed hitters against a southpaw, or batting a sub-200 catcher leadoff, Maddon stays away from "The Book," preferring to play "The Hunch." Pinch-hitting with Dan Johnson – batting .108 at the time – and getting a home run to tie the wild card clinching game was almost otherworldly.

5. Will the Rangers become the first team in recent memory not named the Yankees to repeat as A.L champs?

They have everything in place to pull it off.

Their starting pitchers go deep into games, saving wear and tear on the bullpen, and their powerful lineup matches up well against a Rays rotation susceptible to the long ball. If the Rangers are able to swing from their heels, this could be a high-scoring, but short, series.

The fact that they were blown out of a one-sided World Series last fall by the Giants left this team hungry to complete with some unfinished business.

Rarely does a franchise take on the personality of its’ president, but the Rangers are definitely Nolan Ryan’s team. They play the game hard, and the right way.

PREDICTION: RANGERS IN FIVE.

Chasing down the Red Sox took a lot out of the Rays. The Rangers are just too deep and have too many weapons.

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 19th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts.