This is essentially a must-sweep series. This is the last time the Indians will get the Tigers at home, and the two teams won't play again until the last series of the season.

The Tigers come into this series hot, having swept the White Sox in convincing fashion, including a devastating 18-2 rout on Sunday. Their pitching has been hit-or-miss (aside from Verlander of course), but their offense has been clicking on all cylinders; they've scored at least 5 runs in eight of their 10 games. They came back to win from an 8-1 deficit on Saturday, and from a 4-1 deficit last Wednesday.

The pitching match ups are essentially the Tribe's top three against Detroit's top three. Justin Verlander has just about locked up the AL Cy Young, leading the league in just about every meaningful pitching category. The Tigers would love to finish off the Indians here, though, because Verlander has already thrown 223 innings with four weeks to go.

Who's Hot (Last 14 days)

Needless to say, the Indians will be pitching around Cabrera whenever practicable; he currently is second in AL Offensive WAR (Wins Above Replacement), behind Jose Bautista.

Compare and Contrast

Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Alex Avila, Austin Jackson, and Jhonny Peralta have all appeared in over 120 games for Detroit. Only Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera have appeared in 120 or more games for the Indians.

Position players currently on the Disabled List or Injured:

The Indians haven't played the Athletics since early May, and the team they'll be facing will look a bit different. Their starting rotation is largely the same, but a third of their starting lineup has changed.

The New Guys

1B Brandon Allen. The A's acquired him from Arizona at the July trade deadline for Brad Ziegler. The 25-year-old was originally in the Chicago White Sox organization, and was dealt to the Diamondbacks in 2009 for Tony Pena. He had some success in his short stints with Arizona, but lost playing time to Paul Goldschimdt, and was deemed expendable. Since arriving in Oakland, he's been hot, hitting .327/.367/.655 in 60 plate appearances.First base has been a black hole for Oakland, with Daric Barton (68 OPS+) and Conor Jackson (84 OPS+) getting most of the playing time at the position.

2B Jermile Weeks. Oakland dealt Mark Ellis to Colorado at the end of June, and Weeks has been playing second base since. Oakland drafted Jermile was Oakland's first round pick in the 2008 draft, and was tearing it up in AAA before his callup to the majors. He's the brother of Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks.

3B Scott Sizemore. We've seen him playing for the Tigers, but mainly as a second baseman. But after going to Oakland for David Purcey, the A's moved him to third base (replacing LGFT Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andy LaRoche, both of whom were having terrible seasons). He's hit well since coming to Oakland (117 OPS+).

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So Oakland's been able to fill three of their gaping offensive holes on the fly, and the lineup that the Indians will face this week will be a lot better than the one they faced in early May. Oakland's been hitting .276/.344/.449 since the All-Star Break, quite an improvement over the first half of the season (.233/.299/.337). Josh Willingham, who was a trade possibility for the Indians in July, has been Oakland's best offensive player, hitting .249/.331/.482 with 23 home runs. LGFT Coco Crisp has 37 stolen bases, which ties the league lead.

2007 At-A-Glance

For the first time in four seasons, the Royals did not lose 100 games, and for the first time since their unexpected success in 2003 Kansas City didn't look that far from becoming competitive once again. The starting staff showed the greatest improvement; in 2006, only three pitchers made 20 or more starts, and all three sported ERAs over 5.00. In 2007, two starters posted ERA+s over 120 (Gil Meche and Brian Bannister), and both were acquired during the winter before.

In the bullpen, Joakim Soria, a Rule 5 draft pick, was successful as the closer almost from the beginning of the season. Jimmy Gobble, in his first full season in the bullpen, found his niche as a matchup leftie. David Riske again pitched well in  a setup role.

The offense wasn't very good, scoring only 706 runs, but there were some key pieces in place by the end of the season. Alex Gordon made his major-league debut on Opening Day and acquitted himself very well, playing better as the season went on. 21-year-old Billy Butler supplanted Mike Sweeney as the team's full-time DH, hitting from the get-go. Ross Gload, acquired for the overhyped Andrew Sisco, gave the Royals cheap production at first base.

But even with several shrewd moves moving the Royals away from laughingstock territory, there was still work to be done for GM Dayton Moore:

Important Offseason Transactions

11-28-07: Signed RHP Yashuhiko Yabuta to a two-year contract

12-6-07: Signed OF Jose Guillen to a three-year contract

12-14-07: Traded RHP Billy Buckner to Arizona for IF Alberto Callaspo

12-20-07: Signed LHP Ron Mahay to a two-year contract

12-27-07: Signed C Miguel Olivo to a one-year contract (TO)

1-3-08: Signed RHP Hideo Nomo to a minor-league contract

1-21-08: Signed RHP Brett Tomko to a one-year contract

3-26-08: Traded a PTBNL to Colorado for RHP Ramon Ramirez

Among others, Mike Sweeney left via free agency. Emil Brown was non-tendered in December.

The Guillen signing stands out among the other moves. The Royals really need power, and if Jose can stay in the lineup, he'll be good for 50 extra-base hits. Callaspo looks like a good pickup considering their lack of middle infield depth. Otherwise, there isn't that much to get excited about. I had no idea that Hideo Nomo was still looking to play in the big leagues, let alone still good enough to pitch there, although he didn't last long (DFAd yesterday). 

Strengths and Weaknesses

The bullpen, anchored by Soria, may be the best the Royals have had in years. The front end of the rotation looks pretty good, especially if Zach Greinke can complete his comeback. 

As with many rebuilding teams, depth is an issue, especially in the rotation -  how top prospect Luke Hochevar pitches will be a big key. Tony Pena isn't the long-term answer at short, and second baseman Mark Gruzielanek isn't getting any younger.

2008 Outlook

The Royals won't be a serious contender in the AL Central, but they are a vastly improved team. Gordon and Butler are only going to get better, and if their older core (Teahen, DeJesus) can stay healthy, the offense should be a lot more potent.

2007 At-A-Glance:

A year after winning the AL Central, the Twins fell back to a 79-83 record mainly because of the offense, or lack thereof. There were significant dropoffs from both Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, as well as down years from Michael Cuddyer and Jason Bartlett. Nick Punto, who was surprisingly good as an everyday player in 2006, hit a horrendous .210/.291/.271 in 472 at-bats at third base. On the positive side, Torii Hunter had one of his better offensive seasons, hitting 45 doubles and 28 home runs. Jason Kubel also finally began to hit at the major-league level.

The loss of Francisco Liriano to Tommy John surgery before the season was a pretty big blow, even though the Twins didn't lack for starting pitching. Even if the offense wasn't going to be of much help, a rotation of Santana, Liriano, Scott Baker, Carlos Silva, and a random pitching prospect would have kept the Twins in the race. Instead, the Twins were just among the best in the pitching, not enough to carry the offense to a winning record.

So faced with the loss of Torii Hunter to free agency, Twins GM Bill Smith decided to make some massive changes.

Important Offseason Transactions:

11-13-07: Traded a PTBNL to Chicago (NL) for OF Craig Monroe

11-28-07: Traded RHP Matt Garza, SS Jason Bartlett, and RHP Eduardo Moran to Tampa Bay for OF Delmon Young, IF Brendan Harris, and OF Jason Pridie

12-13-07: Signed SS Adam Everett to a one-year contract

12-14-07: Signed 3B Mike Lamb to a two-year contract (2010 TO)

2-2-08: Traded LHP Johan Santana to New York (NL) for OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Phillip Humber, et al.

2-12-08: Signed RHP Livan Hernandez to a one-year contract

Among others, Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva left via free agency.

The big move was obviously the Santana trade, which took quite a while to execute. All the usual big market clubs were in the running, and for a time the Yankees seemed to be the front runners. The centerpiece of the deal was Carlos Gomez, a toolsy 22-year-old center fielder.

The Twins got a much better player earlier that winter in Delmon Young. This deal, made with the Rays, involved young core players changing sides. Minnesota parted with Matt Garza, perhaps the best of their current pitching crop, but the offense absolutely needed an upgrade, and Young looks for all the world like a perennial All-Star corner outfielder.

With Jason Bartlett heading to Tampa in the Garza-Young deal, the Twins needed a stopgap shortstop, so they signed Adam Everett to a one-year deal. Everett can't hit, but he's the best defensive shortstop in the majors. To fill the yawning offensive hole at third, Mike Lamb was brought in. Livan Hernandez will eat innings at the back of an otherwise-young rotation.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Amid all the movement in the rotation and the lineup, the entire bullpen was brought back. The Twins also signed Joe Nathan, who would have been a free agent at the end of the season, to a long-term extension. Setting up Nathan is Pat Neshek, a right-hander with a funky but effective delivery; he allowed just 44 hits in 70.1 innings pitched last season.

The lineup still looks like the main weakness. Mauer and Morneau will be better, and Delmon Young is a big addition, but there still isn't a lot of power, at least not yet. Carlos Gomez is a big unknown in center; he projects to be a nice all-around outfielder but hasn't really had that breakout season yet.

2008 Outlook

This a sifting season for the Twins; they've turned over their roster, acquiring some promising talent in the process. Now it just remains to see what exactly they have. If all goes well, the Twins will improve over the course of 2008, setting up a competitive 2009.

2007 At-A-Glance

As you can see, there wasn't much the Red Sox didn't do right. The offense wasn't as prolific as in past seasons, but that was made up for by excellent pitching and defense. Manny Ramirez had a down year by his standards, but Mike Lowell had one of the best seasons of his career. Free agents JD Drew and Julio Lugo underperformed, but Dustin Pedroia posted a 112 OPS+ in his rookie year.

The strength of the 2007 Red Sox was, however, the pitching staff. Josh Beckett rebounded from a horrible first season in Boston, striking out 194, walking 40, and more than halved his home runs allowed. Curt Schilling, in what probably was his last full season, gave Boston 151 122 ERA+ innings. Daisuke Matsuzaka wasn't as dominating as promised, but he was pretty solid behind Beckett and Schilling. And Tim Wakefield continued to eat innings, making his customary 31 starts.

In the bullpen, Jonathan Papebon and HIdeki Okajima headlined a dominant back-end group of relievers. Papelbon allowed just 45 base runners in 58.1 innings pitched, and Okajima was actually more effective against right-handers than against lefties. The depth was very good as well, including young flamethrowers (Manny Delcarmen), free talent (Kyle Snyder), and old standbys (Mike Timlin). Aside from Eric Gagne and perhaps Joel Pineiro, everyone in the bullpen met or exceeded expectations.

Important Offseason Transactions

11-2-07: Exercised 2008 Options of RHP Tim Wakefield and RHP Julian Tavarez

11-6-07: Re-signed RHP Curt Schilling to a 1-year contract

11-20-07: Re-signed 3B Mike Lowell to a 3-year contract

12-7-07: Re-signed RHP Mike Timlin to a 1-year contract

1-28-08: Traded RHP Willy Mota, et al, to Chicago (AL) for RHP David Aardsma

2-5-08: Signed 1B Sean Casey to a 1-year contract

2-25-08: Signed RHP Bartolo Colon to a 1-year contract

The Red Sox were relatively quiet this off-season, content mainly to re-sign their own free agents. The biggest retention was Mike Lowell, who was coming off perhaps his best season as a pro. Curt Schilling was brought back, but he probably won't pitch much this season thanks to a shoulder injury. Casey will be a role player, and Colon a rehab project.

Strengths and Weaknesses

As mentioned above, Boston doesn't have many weaknesses. Julio Lugo, at least in his first season, wasn't much of an upgrade from Alex Gonzalez. With Schilling's injury, Boston's experienced pitching depth took a hit, though they have several young and talented alternatives waiting in the wings.

In addition to their major-league talent, Boston has several young players ready to fill everyday roles. John Lester and Clay Buchholz both should hold down rotation spots this season, and it's only a matter of time before Jacoby Ellsbury supplants Coco Crisp in center field.

2008 Outlook

Boston will be contenders yet again, and have a great shot to repeat as division champs over the Yankees, though the AL East perennial also-rans (especially Toronto and Tampa Bay) are much tougher than in years past.

2007 At-A-Glance

The Angels welded an improved offense to their already solid pitching staff to win the AL West. Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchman had breakout seasons, lightening Vladimir Guerrero's load. Free agent signing Gary Matthews hit just .252/.323/.419, certainly not the type of performance the Angels were paying for. Orlando Cabrera had one of his best offensive seasons, and Chone Figgins, now the everyday third baseman, had his best year as a pro, upping his OBP to .393.

The rotation remained strong, with John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar both having career-best seasons. These two strong performances covered for a regression from Ervin Santana and Bartolo Colon's injuries. The bullpen was again solid, anchored by typical seasons from Francisco Rodriguez and Scot Shields.

Important Offseason Transactions

11-19-07: Traded SS Orlando Cabrera to Chicago (AL) for RHP Jon Garland

11-21-07: Signed CF Torii Hunter to a five-year contract ($90M)

Bartolo Colon left via free agency.

The Hunter signing allowed the Angels to move one of their other three outfielders to DH, filling a hole and improving the defense at the same time. Garrett Anderson would seem to be the logical choice to move off the field, but he hasn't embraced the idea. So the Angels have moved Gary Matthews there by default. Juan Rivera seems to be the odd man out in the outfield - he'd be a nice fit for the Indians if  the Dellucci/Michaels platoon doesn't work out.

Dealing for Garland now looks prescient, as the Angels have already lost Kelvim Escobar for am extended period of time, not to mention losing John Lackey to start the season. The Angels replaced Orlando Cabrera internally, opting to go with former Indian Maicer Izturis, who hit well (.289/.349/.405) last season.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The Angels have always been a very aggressive running team, relying on speed rather than power to score runs. Their bullpen has been a strength for several years.

The Angels' main weakness is power; they hit only 123 home runs last season, and only one player (Guerrero) had more than 20 homers.

2008 Outlook

Even with the injuries to Escobar and Lackey, the Angels still are the class of the division. They could still use another power bat, and dumping Matthews would be a bonus, but the Angels' main goal should be keeping everyone (especially Vladimir Guerrero and Howie Kendrick) healthy.

2007 At-A-Glance

The Oakland A's last year were again hampered by major injuries, including Rich Harden, Milton Bradley, Eric Chavez, and most of their key relievers.  Oakland finished the season at 79-83, but GM Billy Beane decided to blow the team up and rebuild. Essentially, that meant anyone with more than 3-4 years of service time was traded or not re-signed, with a couple exceptions.

Important Offseason Transactions

11-1-07: Traded IF Marco Scutaro to Toronto for RHP Kristian Bell and RHP Graham Godfrey

12-14-07: Traded RHP Dan Haren and RHP Connor Robertson to Arizona for OF Carlos Gonzalez, et al.

1-3-08: Traded OF Nick Swisher to Chicago for LHP Gio Gonzalez, et al.

1-11-08: Signed OF Emil Brown to a one-year contract ($1.45M)

1-14-08: Traded OF Mark Kotsay to Atlanta for RHP Joey Devine and RHP Jamie Richmond

2-8-08: Signed RHP Keith Foulke to a one-year contract ($700K)

2-11-08: Signed 1B Mike Sweeney to a minor-league contract

Mike Piazza and Shannon Stewart also left via free agency.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The Oakland bullpen was left mostly intact, though Justin Duchscherer has been moved to the rotation. If everyone stays healthy, the leads Oakland do take into the late innings should stay intact.

The rest of the team is a big question mark. The rotation beyond Joe Blanton is pretty shaky; Rich Harden is healthy but the last time he made more than 20 starts in a season was 2005. There's a couple of gaping holes in the lineup as well - Bobby Crosby was awful at the plate in 2006 and 2007, and left and center field are being manned (for now) by Emil Brown and Ryan Sweeney, respectively.

2008 Outlook

The A's, thanks to all the trades, have brought in a lot of young talent, but most of that young talent isn't going to help this season. There are however, a couple of young players who grew up in Oakland's farm system ready to contribute. Daric Barton, who came over from St. Louis in the Mark Mulder deal, is Oakland's starting first baseman. And Kurt Suzuki, who took over for Jason Kendall mid-way through last season, is entering his first full season as starting catcher.

In many ways, this season looks similar to what the Indians went through in 2003: some youngsters, but also a lot of stopgaps to hold things down until the next wave of prospects are ready. Bobby Crosby, though he was once a key player for Oakland, has to been considered a stopgap, at least until Oakland can unload the rest of his contract. Emil Brown shouldn't be Oakland's starting left fielder for long. Mark Ellis, who's been a very valuable player for several years now, will be a free agent after the season, so he may be dealt in July. So even with all the trades last winter, there's still more turnover to go.