The Tigers are one win away from advancing to the ALCS.
The Tigers are one win away from advancing to the ALCS. Reuters

The Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics are set to play Game Three of their 2012 MLB playoff series.

The American League Division Series matchup will get underway at the Oakland Coliseum at 9:07 p.m. ET. It will air nationally on TBS. If you can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream online at mlb.com for $4.99. The package allows you to watch all the ALDS, NLDS and ALCS games online.

After ending the regular season as the hottest team in baseball, the A’s are on the verge of getting swept in the ALDS. They won six straight games to beat out the Rangers for the AL West title, but lost the first two games of the series in Detroit.

Both contests were close, as the Athletics lost each game by an average of 1.5 runs per game. Oakland came back at the end of Game Two, but gave up the winning run in the ninth inning.

Anibal Sanchez starts for the Tigers in the potential clincher. He finished the season strong, throwing a quality start in seven of his last eight appearances. He didn’t get a lot of run support throughout the year, however, going 9-13 with a 3.86 ERA.

Brett Anderson becomes the first non-rookie to make a postseason start for the Athletics in 2012. He was out for most of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but returned to the team in August. The 24-year old went 4-2 with a 2.57 ERA in limited action.

Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera has hit the ball well this series, but Oakland has limited the damage that he’s done. He doesn’t have a home run or RBI, despite his .375 batting average.

Betting Line: Oakland -132, Detroit -122

Prediction: The Athletics may have lost the first two games of the series, but they’ve been very competitive. Returning home, with the better starting pitcher, Oakland should be able to win at least one game and keep the series going.

Predicted Score: Oakland 4, Detroit 3

Major league baseball