Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told reporters today in Detroit that he's sending Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, David Price and Rick Porcello to the mound for the Division Series. Mickey Lolich must not be available. Scherzer (18-5, 3.15 ERA in 33 starts) is 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA in six career starts against the Orioles, with nine walks and 45 strikeouts in 39 innings, and 1-0 with a 4.95 ERA in three starts at Camden Yards. Scherzer is 11-1 with a 2.68 ERA in 14 starts at home and 7-4 with a 3.49...

Chris Davis is making another start at third base today in the instructional league. He's scheduled to play five innings and receive a minimum of four at-bats in a game against the Red Sox in Sarasota. Davis also started at third base yesterday against the Rays in Port Charlotte. He flied out to right field, lifted a sacrifice fly to right-center, grounded a single into right and struck out. Davis made his instructional league debut on Friday in Sarasota, collecting an infield hit and a walk...

Teams can win games any number of ways during the regular season. You can have a high-powered offense, one that lives by the home run. You can be aggressive on the basepaths, putting pressure on the opposing defense by taking extra bases. You can have a strong defensive club, one that makes all the routine plays and has a way of stealing a few outs, as well. The Nationals have shown that they have the ability to win games in any of those ways. But in the postseason, pitching is paramount. You...

From the "Did you know?" department ... Nelson Cruz pretty much single-handedly destroyed the Detroit Tigers while with Texas in the 2011 American League Championship Series. As the Rangers won that series in six games, Cruz went 8-for-22 with two doubles, six homers, 13 RBIs, a 1.273 slugging percentage and 1.713 OPS. He hit the first postseason walk-off grand slam in Game 2 of that series. His six homers and 13 RBIs are the most by one player in one postseason series in baseball...

The Orioles will conduct the first of their two workouts today at Camden Yards, which is closed to the media. Reporters will have access to the team on Wednesday. Manager Buck Showalter indicated that he may finalize his Division Series roster today rather than wait until the 10 a.m. deadline on Thursday. No sense dragging it out. Showalter doesn't want to leave players in limbo, especially the ones who have been with the club all season but may not be included on the roster. Yesterday, I...

The Detroit Tigers will be in Camden Yards on Thursday to play the Orioles in the American League Division Series. Here are 10 things to know about the Tigers: * The Tigers have a rookie manager in Brad Ausmus, a former catcher known for communication. General manager Dave Dombrowski went with a rookie after the experience of Jim Leyland couldn't bring Detroit a World Series title in the first three years of the Tigers' postseason run. Dombrowski said that when Leyland retired, he had a...

Major League Baseball has announced the starting times of the Division Series games through Sunday. Game 1 between the Orioles and Tigers at Camden Yards will start at 5:37 p.m. if the Royals win the American League wild card game, and 6:07 p.m. if the Athletics are victorious. Game 2 on Friday at Camden Yards will begin at 3:07 p.m. if the Pirates win the National League wild card game, and 12:07 p.m. if the Giants are victorious. Game 3 on Sunday in Detroit is slated for 3:45 p.m. That time...

Major League Baseball has announced start times for the early Division Series games, and while we don't know exactly when the Nationals will play their first postseason game, we now have a better idea. If the Pirates win the National League wild card Game on Wednesday, Game 1 of the NLDS at Nationals Park will start at 12:07 p.m. on Friday. If the Giants win the wild card game, then they will take on the Nats in Game 1 starting at 3:07 p.m. Saturday's Game 2 between the Nats and the wild card...

The word on the street is that Major League Baseball won't announce the starting times for the American League Division Series until Tuesday. I don't know what time they're going to announce it. I don't even now what time it is as I'm typing this entry. I do know that MAVTV, a channel I've never heard of until today, is currently showing "Brian's Song." I will not cry. I will not cry. I will ... Nelson Cruz has been named as one of 30 finalists for the 2014 Hank Aaron Award. Each club...

One day after throwing the first no-hitter in Washington Nationals history, right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was named the National League Player of the Week. Major League Baseball made the announcement this afternoon on MLB Network. Zimmermann allowed one walk and struck out 10 Miami Marlins in a masterful performance to close the regular season with the first no-hitter thrown by a D.C. pitcher since Bobby Burke on Aug. 8, 1931. In earning his second NL Player...