Games one and two of this series were about one thing, pitching.  The Tigers won game one because Bartolo Colon had a hiccup in the first inning that led to three runs for the Tigers before shutting down the offense. Meanwhile, Max Scherzer didn’t have a hiccup till the 7th, but it wasn’t enough for the A’s.  Game two was more of the same, but even better.  Former MVP Justin Verlander returned to form and continued to dominate the A’s in the postseason over seven shutout innings, but rookie Sonny Gray was just as good and this game went into the ninth inning as a 0-0 stalemate.  The A’s won game two thanks to the heroics of another rookie, catcher Stephen Vogt, and evened up the series for game three back in Detroit where pitching will again take center stage.

For the road team, they will turn to their most consistent pitcher of the year in second year man Jarrod Parker.  Parker pitched games one and five of the 2012 division series, and he pitched very well, but he went head to head with Verlander and lost both times.  With another year under his belt and Colon available to pitch game one, the A’s turn to Parker who has a lower ERA on the road this season even though he’s given up 18 home runs on the road compared to only seven at home.  If Parker can do what both Gray and Colon did before him, though, and keep the Tigers in the ballpark, you can expect more of the same on the A’s side in this pitching matchup.

The AL leader in ERA takes the mound in game three at home for the Tigers.  Anibal Sanchez resigned with the Tigers after being traded there at the deadline in 2012, and he has shown why the Tigers felt it was so important to bring him back.  Much like Parker, Sanchez pitched in the ALDS against these very A’s last season and pitched well, only to take the loss as the A’s starter, Brett Anderson, pitched a shutout over seven innings.  This year won't be any easier for Sanchez as he goes head-to-head with Parker, and will have to overcome the fact that he has a higher ERA at home in Detroit.  Sanchez has one other thing he’ll have to overcome in this start, and it is something both Scherzer and Verlander overcame in games one and two, and that is to forget his last start against Oakland.

As much as this game is about pitching, it is going to come down to who can score.  So far in this series each team has scored a total of three runs.  If either of these teams can put three on the board in this game, they can take a 2-1 lead in the series.  It won’t be easy, these are two of the best pitching staffs in the league, but it is going to have to be done, and they might have to do it by manufacturing runs.  Neither team has a successful stolen base and there has been only one successful sacrifice in this series.  With the pitching being as lights out as it has been so far, it is going to be the team that can do the little things on offense that will break through and win the game.

With both teams throwing out right handed pitchers for the third game in a row, you can expect the lineups to stay relatively the same.  The players to watch in both line ups will be Miguel Cabrera and how healthy he looks on the field and whoever is hitting in front of Yoenis Cespedes.  Cespedes is batting .500 in the series and has only come up to the plate twice with a runner on base.  Both times it was Brandon Moss, and one of those times he drove in the only runs of game one with a two run homer.  Game three will air on MLB Network at 1PM EST, don’t miss it.