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We all remember musical chairs. It was a simple numbers game—there was no other way to look at it, unless you grew up spittin‘ game like me and always lined up behind the cute girl in class so that as soon as the music stopped you swooped right underneath her so her backside conveniently landed right in your lap—but that’s neither here nor there. There weren’t enough chairs to go around.

A baseball roster has only 25 spots on it, and the Detroit Tigers have a problem similar to the level of suaveness of Arthur Fonzarelli: something we call a surplus.

The Tigers just re-signed RHP Anibal Sanchez to a reported five-year, $80 million contract. There’s a lot to like in Anibal’s game, but shelling out $80 million on a guy without a “stellar” year to his credit is a lot like handing the role of Superman to Brandon Routh. Let’s hope this was more of a Dave Dombrowski move than a Mike Illitch move.

The problem with the Sanchez signing may not lie in the numbers—since Illitch literally has as much care for his finances as Charles Montgomery Burns—but it does create a riddle of space and volume within the Tigers organization.

As mentioned, we have 25 spots, and more than 25 names with which to fill them. Let’s look at the numbers, and see how this Sanchez signing may affect the overall landscape of the Tigers’ Opening Day Roster.

What the Team Looks Like Today

If we drew up the 25-man roster today, here’s what we would have:

The batting order: 1. Austin Jackson, 2. Torii Hunter, 3. Miguel Cabrera, 4. Prince Fielder, 5. Victor Martinez, 6. Andy Dirks, 7. Jhonny Peralta,  8. Alex Avila, 9. Omar Infante.

The starting rotation: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello.

The bullpen: Bruce Rondon, Joaquin Benoit, Octavio Dotel, Bryan Villareal, Al Alberquerque, Phil Coke, Drew Smyly.

The reserves: Ramon Cabrera (backup catcher), Quintin Berry (utility OF).

Here is where it gets tricky. We’re already at 23 players are there a few names you already know are missing.

Don’t forget that the Tigers just drafted two players from the Rule 5 draft: Kyle Lobstein and Jeff Kobernus. If you’re not familiar with the rules regarding this draft, it’s very simple: any player you draft must remain on your 25-man roster for the following year or he is forfeited. Basically, you can’t send anyone you draft down the minors. 

Another detail is that you actually do not have to draft, if you so choose. So, by following simple logic, the Tigers did draft these players and, therefore, must like them. They will be on the roster this season.  And, what a coincidence, they round out the 25 men.

If you aren’t familiar with either of these players, don’t be ashamed. Lobstein is a LHP who will come out of the bullpen, and Kobernus is an infield version of Quintin Berry (speed for days, decent bat and good defense).

Now, let’s see how this roster affects all those little rumors swirling around out there.

Rick Porcello Will be Traded

According to media reports, there are as many names about to replace Porcello‘s in the fifth rotation spot as there are actors who have portrayed Dr. Who (personally, I find it a shame Christopher Eccleston doesn’t hurl the pill, but the Brits never did like “the baseball”). The question still begs: Is it worth it to trade Porcello? Let’s watch the dominoes fall if that in fact were the case:

Consequence 1: Drew Smyly fills his spot.

Consequence 2: Tigers have to trade Porcello for a LH relief pitcher.

Consequence 3: Tigers farm system is even more depleted.

Alternative? Roll out the all-righty rotation with Porcello at No. 5. Smyly returns to the bullpen where he shined in the playoffs, and the Tigers have protection in terms of depth in case one of their aces (here’s lookin‘ at you, Fister) succumbs to injury.

Let’s also not forget the dreaded 2014 offseason. Both Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer become free agents at that time, and it’s hard to believe that even Illitch (likely exiled to a full-bodied respirator a la Arthur Digby Sellers, Lebowski-style) will have the pockets to retain both of their services. 

In the likely instance the Tigers lose one (most likely Scherzer to the Yankees), they will be counting on Sanchez and Fister filling the holes while Porcello and Smyly represent a bright future. Without one of them, I don’t see another pitcher in the system ready to handle a role like that.

The Tigers Will Acquire an Established Closer

Herman Boone once handed the reins to the offense of the T.C. Williams football squad to a quarterback who had never played a down (at least in the movie), and look what happened? Sunshine rode them golden locks to the state title. It can happen. Youth can be a lighting rod.

Look around the league. Atlanta, the Yankees, Boston with Papelbon, Texas and Neftali Feliz. What do they have in common? Homegrown bullpens. If there is one subdivision of a baseball team that needs to be homegrown, it’s a bullpen. Why do think teams are so quick to flip successful middle relievers for young prospects? Because they’re a dime a dozen. 

High-octane arms with a two pitches are not hard to come by for those who look for them in the draft. 

Closers? Difference story. But you know what? It’s time for the Tigers to sack up and roll the dice.  Bruce Rondon needs to be the closer this year. Come out and say it, Dave. Make no doubt about it.  Either that, or you send $15 million for a one-year deal for Rafael Soriano? C’mon. 

Rondon is going to get his chance sooner or later. Might as well be now. If he blows it, that’s why MLB invented a trade deadline. Make a move then. This is one of those rare occasions where the right move and the thrifty move are one and the same.

The Tigers Need an Upgrade at Shortstop

This one goes back to Rick Porcello. Dave Cameron wrote a very interesting piece on Kid Rick (found here) where he astutely outlines that if Porcello had a decent defense behind he would actually be a very valuable pitcher. Sorry, Jhonny Peralta, but that means you gotta go. Stephen Drew rumors have been swirling around forever, but nothing’s happened. 

Time to change that, Dave. Grab the defensive whiz and start saving some runs for Porcello—who could become the best fifth starter in baseball.

So, say Drew is added. Where does Peralta go? Send on the prospects! Where do the Tigers need the most prospects? In the infield. Hitting machine Nick Castellanos and Avisail “the Tool Man” Garcia are waiting in the wings in the outfield, and, with Austin Jackson, pretty much have the Tigers covered pole-to-pole for the foreseeable future. A project at 2B or 1B would be ideal since either FIelder or Cabrera will switch to DH once Martinez’s contract is up after 2014.

Where in the World Will Brennan Boesch Land?

Boesch was likely the most notable name left off the 25-man roster above. Once a fan favorite for this ability to hit, he has now slipped into afterthought status due to a string of mediocre performances. The man is on his way out, it’s just a matter of when or for what price. Personally, I can’t say these words enough: MORE PROSPECTS!

There are rumors of Boesch to the Mariners for a LHP (Charlie Furbush doing his best Darth-Vader-return-to-the-light-side impersonation, anyone?), which I’m personally fine with. It may be best to trade him for Brendan Ryan and have Ryan he a platoon guy with both Drew and Infante in the middle. Ryan hit .234 against LHP last season and is considered the best defensive SS in the game. Any upgrade to the defensive side of the baseball should be a welcomed one.

Who Gets the Scraps

Unfortunately, a fan favorite of mine, Ramon Santiago, is another odd man out. He, along with Danny Worth, do not have a job come the beginning of April and need new homes. Ship them for prospects and hope we get lucky is all I can say. Poor Ramon.   

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The Tigers go into Sunday night with their season on the line and everyone knows who should be getting the ball for Detroit.

Justin Verlander.

Somewhere between tonight and tomorrow morning, Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland has to be thinking about making the switch.

It would be short rest for the Tigers ace right-handed pitcher, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Down 3 games to none after the 2-0 loss Saturday, Detroit is a team in desperate need of a spark, anything to hold on to.

Either Verlander pitches on three days rest or he pitches on 155 days rest on Opening Day next season.

This is nothing against the Tigers’ scheduled starter Max Scherzer. Scherzer is going to have to win a game for you in this series, but it shouldn’t be Game 4. This is simply looking at the series realistically.

Pitching hasn’t been the problem for the Tigers in the series. Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez have done their jobs against the Giants.

Now it is up to Verlander to extend the season for the Tigers.

The Tigers had their chances in Game 3 and continued to struggle with men on base. Prince Fielder came to the plate with two runners on and hit into a double play. Detroit had the bases loaded in the fifth inning and Quintin Berry struck out—then Miguel Cabrera popped out against Giants’ starter Ryan Vogelsong.

If Verlander takes the mound Sunday night, you can imagine the fans being excited knowing their ace is coming back on short rest to save the season. The combination of Verlander stepping up and the Detroit crowd facing elimination might be enough to bring some energy into the lifeless Tigers lineup.

Before this World Series started, everything looked to be set up in the Tigers’ favor.

The pitching matchups favored the Tigers in the first two games. Detroit was rested and ready. The Giants, coming off of an emotional comeback Monday night, were having to start the series less than 48 hours after advancing into the Series, scrambling to find a Game 2 starter.

Since Pablo Sandoval’s first-inning home run in Game 1 off of Verlander, the Tigers have seemed to play tentatively and the Giants have seemed to play with an air of confidence.

Can Detroit win four straight games? Certainly. If that means handing the ball to the best pitcher in baseball for Games 4 and 7, even better.

Justin Verlander has to save the Detroit Tigers’ season.

The question is, will Jim Leyland give him the chance?

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This looks, well it looks far too easy. Justin Verlander was dominant again this postseason, going the 8 1/3 innings of three hit ball for his third victory in these playoffs, as the Detroit Tigers defeated the New York Yankees 2-1.

With the win, the Tigers moved to within one game of a stunning sweep and their second World Series berth since 2006.

Delmon Young’s second solo-blast of the series, making it 1-0 off Phil Hughes in the fourth inning, gave Verlander all he would need for eight innings. 

Hughes would depart shortly thereafter with a back injury. And while the Yankee bullpen was solid the rest of the night (5 IP, 4 hits, 2 walks, one unearned run), it ultimately did not matter because Verlander stymied New York’s offense.

As a matter of fact, the only hitter to reach base until the ninth inning was Ichiro Suzuki, who went 2 for 3 with a pair of harmless singles.  Eduardo Nunez hit a solo home-run to left field in the top of the ninth to cut the deficit to one.

Verlander only struck out three, but in many ways was more dominant against a more balanced Yankees lineup than the one he overpowered in Oakland six nights ago. Mixing his fastball with a change-up all night, the Yankee hitters simply could not square up the ball for the first eight innings. 

The insurance for Detroit came by way of MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera, whose double in the fifth plated Quintin Berry.

Berry reached to start the inning on an error by third baseman Eric Chavez, who was playing for the benched Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Nick Swisher were benched by New York manager Joe Girardi in an obvious move to get some production out of those spots in the order.

It obviously did not work.

Having extended Detroit’s starting pitchers scoreless innings streak to an incredible 30 1/3 innings before letting up a home-run to Nunez, Verlander managed to retire Brett Gardner on a tapper back towards the mound to get out number one. 

Detroit manager Jim Leyland then removed him after his 132nd and final pitch.  Phil Coke then retired Suzuki and gave up a pair of singles to Mark Teixiera and Robinson Cano (snapping his 0 for 29 slump in the postseason).

But with the tying run in scoring position, Coke bounced back and struck out Raul Ibanez on a 3-2 slider to end the game.

Ho-hum.

With the win, Detroit is in position to sweep its way into the World Series for the second time in seven years.To do so, they will have to beat Yankees ace CC Sabathia.

The Tigers will counter with Max Scherzer as they attempt to win the American League pennant.

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Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander is going to face the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series in Comerica Park.

The Yankees have not been able to score a single run off of any Tigers pitcher not named Jose Valverde. In fact, their offense has been non existent in the postseason against any Baltimore or Detroit pitcher other than the closers.

What chance do the sputtering bats have against the league’s best pitcher, Justin Verlander? Game 3 is as much of a lock for the Tigers as a team could get. There is no way Verlander could lose.

Or maybe he could.

There have been several instances where a pitcher even more dominant than Verlander faced an easy foe in the postseason. And in each of these five instances, the unbeatable pitcher was beaten.

Do not get cocky, Tigers fans. There are precedents for even bigger upsets in October.

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October is always unpredictable. Several events happen every fall that completely defy what the statistics predict, proving that nothing is ever guaranteed and that the baseball playoffs can provide some heart-racing entertainment.

We’ve witnessed some great series and moments in the first round before: the Angels finally beating the Red Sox in 2009; road teams winning every game in the Texas-Tampa series in 2010; St. Louis shocking the Phillies in Philadelphia, and Nyjer Morgan’s walk off in Game 5 for the Brewers in Milwaukee.

This year, however, has been special.

So many improbable things have happened in the past week, it is almost impossible to believe. Here’s a list of these unbelievable moments which made this year’s group of division series the best in history.

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It’s difficult to believe that there could be much criticism for a pitcher who won the AL MVP and Cy Young Award last season. 

But Justin Verlander carried a question over whether or not he could win a big game—more specifically, a playoff game—coming into the postseason.

Those concerns quickly arose in Game 1 of the ALDS between the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics, when Verlander served up a home run on his fourth pitch to A’s leadoff hitter Coco Crisp. Before fans at Comerica Park and those watching around the country on TV could settle in, the Tigers were down 1-0. 

Verlander quickly made those “Uh-oh!” feelings and “Here we go again!” sentiments go away, however. He allowed only two more hits while pitching seven innings and striking out 11 batters as the Tigers beat the A’s, 3-1, to take a 1-0 series lead. 

It wasn’t a smooth cruise for Verlander after giving up the leadoff home run to Crisp. Oakland batters made him work. Verlander threw 26 pitches in the first inning, leading to 78 pitches thrown after four innings. This looked to be a potentially short night for Verlander, and the A’s were likely rubbing their hands together in anticipation of facing Detroit’s weaker middle relievers. 

But 100-pitch limits don’t apply to Verlander. He averaged 114 pitches per appearance this season. Only once this year did he throw fewer than 100 pitches, with 97 in a Sept. 8 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. 

Besides, this is the playoffs. Verlander wasn’t going to come out without throwing at least 120 pitches—not with six days of rest since his last regular-season start. The only question was how deep into the game that would take him.

Verlander got some wiggle room when Alex Avila’s home run in the fifth inning gave Detroit a 3-1 lead. With a two-run cushion, perhaps he didn’t have to be as fine with his pitches. (Though a generous strike zone from home plate umpire Jim Reynolds didn’t squeeze Verlander very much.) Verlander followed up in the top of the sixth by striking out the side.

For the game, the Tigers ace threw 121 pitches. Detroit needed Verlander to come out strong and establish himself over the A’s from the beginning. He did exactly that on Saturday. Yes, it’s only one game, but starting off his 2012 postseason with an effort that should quiet all questions about his performance in big games is extremely promising.

In eight previous postseason starts, Verlander had a 3-3 record and 5.57 ERA. During last year’s playoff run with the Detroit Tigers, Verlander compiled a 5.36 ERA in four starts.

To be fair, his first playoff start in Game 1 of the 2011 ALDS versus the New York Yankees was shortened by rain, and he lasted only one inning and allowed one run. Maybe Verlander would have gone on to pitch five or six scoreless innings from that point, but the weather took care of that. 

The rain got Verlander again in the opening game of the ALCS, causing a delay of more than two hours that ended his night after four innings. 

Though the weather in Detroit Saturday night was typically chilly for an October evening, there was no rain. That already made Game 1 of this year’s ALDS better for Verlander—he knew he would be able to pitch without Mother Nature batting against him in addition to Oakland hitters. 

As Tigers manager Jim Leyland said after the game, the six-day rest probably took Verlander out of his routine. Nearly all athletes are typically creatures of habit, but a regular regimen is especially important for a starting pitcher, because that’s what he follows through a 162-game schedule and 33 starts.

So perhaps Verlander wasn’t at his sharpest to begin the game and that allowed the A’s to work up his pitch counts in the early innings. But then Avila hit his fifth-inning home run. You could see on TV how pumped up Verlander was when Avila came back to the dugout. That may have given him the extra juice he needed to finish off his night strongly.

With that, Verlander and the Tigers have gotten their 2012 postseason off to a better start than last year when they lost to the Yankees, 9-3. Detroit doesn’t have to play catch-up early in the series and it’s the A’s who are back on their heels going into Game 2. 

Those who picked the Tigers to advance in the playoffs and/or win the AL pennant likely did so for one reason: Verlander. He’s the kind of ace, the stud arm that can win two to three games and carry a team to success. 

He now has one of those wins in this ALDS. This postseason is already looking better for Verlander. The A’s and the rest of the MLB playoff field should be afraid.

Follow @iancass on Twitter

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The bottom line of Game One in Detroit: Justin Verlander continued his dominance of the A’s offense.

The Tigers won 3-1, largely on Verlander’s powerful right arm. But in a series that could very well be a matter of Oakland needing to win the three games he doesn’t start, there was a positive to take away—the poise of rookie starter Jarrod Parker.

The overall line won’t blow you away: 6 1/3 innings, seven hits, three runs (two earned) with a walk and five strikeouts. But it was not the numbers as much as how well Parker managed to limit Detroit that gives Oakland hope for tomorrow’s matinee.

Early on, the Tigers had a chance at a big inning. First and third with no one out and the Triple Crown winning Miguel Cabrera at the plate. Yet Parker promptly induced a double play to limit the damage. Though he rarely had a clean inning (only going 1-2-3 in the second and sixth innings), Parker made high quality pitches time and time again. 

And with a big assist from the inspirational Pat Neshek, the A’s very nearly kept themselves in the game long enough. In the bottom of the eighth, Brandon Moss hit a moonshot that off his bat seemed like it may have tied the game. Instead, the ball died at the base of the right field wall and the A’s best chance was gone.

So give credit where credit is due. The Tigers held their home field, powered by their ace, a potential back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. And yet, the A’s where close to tying the game late.

Now the onus shifts to Tom Milone, who has not performed well on the road this season. His last start in Detroit was a poor outing, taking the loss while allowing three runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

For the A’s, the hope is that Milone can look more like the guy who kept Texas at bay in his last road start (September 25th). Better yet, the pitcher who beat Detroit on May 11th, going seven strong innings.

It’s the biggest start of the year, but today’s effort showed it won’t be about the A’s youth as much as their ability to simply execute. 

Tomorrow is another gut check for the Oakland A’s. Something tells me they will respond once again.

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Coco Crisp boosted the Oakland A’s early on, giving them a lead four pitches into the game. Then, the A’s couldn’t do anything right on offense.

Despite struggling to keep his pitch count to a minimum, Justin Verlander struck out 11 through seven strong innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the A’s 3-1 in Game 1 of the ALDS. Verlander picked up the win, while Jarrod Parker, who allowed three runs (two earned) in over six innings, took the loss.

Parker made an error that brought home a run for the Tigers, and he allowed a home run to Alex Avila. Despite having decent stats for the game, he didn’t pitch well. A lot of good contact was made, and his defense made some nice plays behind him. Yoenis Cespedes couldn’t make a great play on the ball that Avila hit, though. Parker made one of many mistakes, and Avila pounced.

He threw a high fastball, and Avila hit it the opposite way. It was a first-pitch meatball, right in Avila’s wheelhouse (it was right over the plate, too). The ball went over the left field fence for a home run, doubling Detroit’s lead.

Parker allowed two early hits to Austin Jackson and Quintin Berry to start the game, before inducing a double play to Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. However, it brought home the tying run and negated Crisp’s home run.

Verlander woke up after his mistakes, although it took him a lot of pitches. He made some mistakes early, but he took advantage of a large strike zone, got ahead of counts and finished off hitters. He settled in during the middle innings, striking out five batters total in the sixth and seventh innings. More than half of the outs he got were by way of the strikeout, which isn’t rare for Verlander.

Joaquin Benoit came in during the eighth, and he struggled. Cespedes singled and Brandon Moss hit the first pitch he saw to deep right field. However, Andy Dirks caught it at the warning track, as Moss just got under the pitch.

Jose Valverde, who is known as an exciting but erratic closer, located his pitches and struck out two batters while jamming George Kottaras on a pop-up to finish off the game.

In the third, Berry hit a slow grounder to the right side, and Parker fielded it. He flipped the ball to first base only to realize no one was there.

Omar Infante rushed home with the go-ahead run, although a spectacular running catch by Cliff Pennington allowed Parker to escape further damage. Parker got a lot of help from his defense, as they made three great plays behind him.

It wasn’t enough for the A’s to win, though. There weren’t many bright spots aside from the defense in this game, but Pat Neshek was one of them. His son lived less than 24 hours and died suddenly Wednesday night, which deeply saddened Neshek, his family, the A’s, MLB and the baseball world. However, he bounced back and was able to pitch.

He did well, too, which was great for the team. Unfortunately for the A’s, it wasn’t enough. They failed to figure out Verlander, who was able to throw heat in the later innings and stop the A’s while keeping his bullpen fresh. They couldn’t capitalize on a chance against Benoit, and they couldn’t start a rally against Valverde, who isn’t known for 1-2-3 innings.

They’ve been doing it all year, but they couldn’t do it against the Tigers. Will it matter? Will they learn from their mistakes? What’s next for the A’s?

Those are all reasonable questions, and they will probably be answered in Game 2. However, if the A’s can’t start capitalizing on chances, if they can’t stop striking out (they went down 14 times by way of the strikeout) and if they can’t figure out Verlander (who will start Game 5 if there is one), this magical season may come to an end.

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

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Of the four Division Series matchups, this one probably featured the most different teams.

The Athletics exceeded almost everyone’s expectations with rookies and other youngsters, while the Tigers were on the outside looking in for most of the season despite their high expectations with superstars like Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder on the roster.

In Game 1, pitching ruled the day. Justin Verlander bounced back from a shaky beginning to strike out 11 in seven innings and Jarrod Parker gave up three runs in six and a third in his first career postseason start.

Both bullpens were effective and the Tigers earned a nail-biting 3-1 victory in the first game of the best-of-five Division Series. Here are Game 1 grades for each team.

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Now that Major League Baseball’s regular season has come to a close, the time has come to hand out awards for the best—and worst—performances of the year.

Baseball is inherently ambiguous which naturally leads to discussion and argument. No matter what you are trying to prove in the realm of baseball, it is possible to back it up with an obscure statistic or a quote from an old player’s memoir.

The uncertainty of the sport is what keeps many people invested.

With that in mind, the following are my picks for various awards and honors.

Feel free to respond in the comment section with your own thoughts and opinions.

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