Tigers Win, photo by Rudy Malmquist

The Detroit Tigers kick off their fourth straight postseason appearance today vs the Baltimore Orioles at 5:30 PM at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. While the Tigers were almost everyone’s pick for the playoffs in 2014, the Orioles were definitely not. View the series preview right here.

Here’s some interesting post-season storylines that may be of interest to only me!

• Tigers’ superstar Miguel Cabrera declined his post-season bonus saying “I just want the ring.” While he has a massive contract, I think that the focus he displays is a good sign! Another great sign for Miggy is being named the American League Player of the Month for September. It’s the 4th time he’s received this honor and it’s great to have him hot as we head into October.
• Speaking of hot, the man who bats behind Cabrera has had a wonderful year at the plate, finishing second in the AL Batting Title with a .335 batting average!
• From the same mLive article, David Price finished 1st in the AL in strikeouts with 271 and tonight’s starter Max Scherzer finished third with 252. Max was also tied for the AL lead in victories with 18 and 9th in ERA at 3.15, and Tiger closer Joe Nathan finished 5th in saves.
• Is it all about the pitching? In Scherzer, Justin Verlander and David Price, the Tigers have the last three AL Cy Young winners. Will that experience and talent be reflected in their performances?
• Max to the max? There’s no question that with his second straight postseason game 1 start, Scherzer is the Tigers top ace. Mitch Albom has a nice column exploring Scherzer’s shot at crafting a legacy and what might happen in free agency.
• Whether or not Rajai Davis will be on the roster for the Orioles series. Davis was added in the offseason in art for speed, and he led the Tigers in stolen bases and helped to triple their stolen base count from 2013.
• At 6-1, the Tigers are among the favorites to win the World Series in one of the most balanced fields in recent memory. Here’s hoping they can keep their focus in 2014 and bring the ring!
• They have to get the the Orioles first – check out Know Your Foe: The Baltimore Orioles from Walkoff Woodward.
• Tickets are on sale now!

View Rudy’s photo bigger and click for more of his baseball pics.

Lots more Detroit Tigers on Michigan in Pictures!

PS: Take a moment to appreciate what a great job Rudy did of capturing the Detroit skyline in this shot and LET’S GO TIGERS!!