Battle for the Pennant; Oakland vs. Detroit, New York vs. St. Louis, games begin Tuesday

With the first round of Major League Baseball’s playoffs complete four teams head into Tuesday’s divisional championship series aiming to reach the World Series.

In the American League the Oakland A’s made short work of the Minnesota Twins, sweeping them in three games. The Twins could only manage seven runs against the A’s pitching while timely hitting and the resurgence of Frank Thomas brought enough offensive support for Oakland to win their first playoff series since 1990. Oakland will put Barry Zito on the hill to face a Detroit Tigers team that won three straight against the New York Yankees.

Those Tigers benefited from the adage that good pitching beats good hitting. In an offensive collapse that still baffles many who called the Yankees lineup the greatest collection of hitters ever assembled, the Tigers advanced on superior pitching and timely hitting. After scoring 8 runs in the opening game, the Yankees were held scoreless for 20 straight innings, including an inspired game three performance from Kenny Rogers who held the Yankess to five hits over 7 2/3 innings. The Tigers finished the Yankees off in four games as Jeremy Bonderman threw 8 2/3 innings and shut down the Yankee offense.

Game one of the ALCS will have Oakland’s Barry Zito facing off against Detroit’s Nate Robertson on Tuesday.

In the NLDS the New York Mets completed their sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers and advance to the NLCS to face the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets used strong hitting performances from Carlos Delgado, Paul Lo Duca and David Wright to beat the Dodgers in three. There may be some questions concerning the Mets pitching as only starter to make it through six innings was Tom Glavine. Glavine is scheduled to start the first game against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

St. Louis wrapped up their series against San Diego on Sunday night with a 6-2 victory over the Padres. Chris Carpenter pitched seven strong innings and picked up his second win of the series to help the Cardinals eliminate the Padres. Game two winner Jeff Weaver is scheduled to face off against Glavine in game one of the NLCS. The Cardinals offense will have to step it up against Mets pitchers if they have a chance to advance. While Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Ronnie Belliard had strong performances, David Eckstein and Scott Rolen will have to play up to their abilities.