MLB Playoffs

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.

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.

The Detroit Tigers gutted out a crucial 3-1 victory in Game 1 over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night in a tight matchup that went down to the wire.

Justin Verlander opened his 2012 playoff run with a bang and proved his reigning AL MVP status with a dominating performance on the mound, giving up just three hits and one earned run on a first-inning home run from Coco Crisp.

That home run would end up being the only scoring play for the A's on the day.

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.

The San Francisco Giants stand a very solid chance to win against the Cincinnati Reds tonight, and for the entire series, assuming the bullpen is ready to play.

Without question, the Giants will miss closer Brian Wilson in the later innings. But closing the game is not the most important scenario.

The 2012 MLB Playoffs are shaping up to be among the best ever.

The road to the World Series isn't easy for any team, especially since the MLB playoffs is set up so only five teams are allowed in. But these teams will have an increasingly difficult time when they look ahead and see who they'll be facing.

Let's take a look at the teams who will have the toughest roads to the World Series.

Baltimore Orioles

The National League Division Series kicks off tonight as the Cincinnati Reds visit the San Francisco Giants for Game 1.

Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce hit homers to put Reds on top. Buster Posey responds in the sixth to put the Giants on the scoreboard.

The Reds are the No. 2 seed in the National League and the Central Division champions, while the Giants are the No. 3 seed and the Western Division champions.

Pitching:

Detroit: A-

How fitting that the the battle between the two teams in the A.L. East would carry over into the postseason.

The Baltimore Orioles disposed of the Texas Rangers 5-1 in the one-game wild card Friday night, which will allow them to advance to the American League Division Series and take on the New York Yankees.

The tone of this article would've taken on a whole new meaning had one of the umpires at the Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals game been injured because of the controversial infield fly rule. Look, I get that the call was an emotional one for Braves fans. But if something flying out of the stands had seriously injured one of the umps, America's Favorite Pastime would have suffered another black eye.