The Orioles v/s the Rangers: Saunders (9-13, 4.07) v/s Darvish (16-9, 3.90).

This is one game Ron Washington really wishes he wasn't playing. After watching his Rangers just implode and give up not just the AL West, but best record in the AL. Hmmm... The Rangers are 50-31 at home while the Orioles are 46-35 on the road. The edge would appear to be with the Rangers, but not by much. So home field may not play that big of a deal tonight. Now throw in the Orioles Magic ingredient: Buck Showalter. This guy knows how to manage a team. Think about it? Who in their right mind would name Joe Saunders (9-13 with an ERA over 9.00 at Texas Stadium) the starting pitcher? Buck knows something we don't - again.

If this one comes down to late innings or even extra innings, the Birds could walk away with a win. It wold be hard to bet against them at that point (16 straight extra inning wins so far).

Who wins?

The two most likely outcomes will be an O's win by 1-2 runs, or a Rangers blowout win. The O's have a habit for letting Texas run the bases at will sometimes...

Screw the Head Pick, this one's all heart:

ORIOLES MAGIC, FEEL IT HAPPEN!

The Junior circuit is moving right along. The Tigers pitching has been impressive enough to put the A's on the ropes. The 2-3 format has not been kind to the A's. 2nd best record in the AL and they go on a road trip for their first playoff games. Let's not do that again MLB.

The Yanks wok up (albeit late) to take Game #1. CC could have pitched a complete game they way he was tossing the rock. Tonight, we'll see if Old Man Pettitte's playoff magic is stronger than Buck Showalter's. The O's need to win tonight to give themselves a fighting chance. Lose tonight and it's almost a lock that the Birds won't take 3 straight at Yankee Stadium. Come on Orioles! Keep the magic going!!

Orioles v/s Tigers in the AL Championship??? Hmmm... How many people saw this coming at Spring Training?