Tigers, Twins - Pick Your Poison

While the Yankees get their regulars some rest this week, they'll also be keeping an eye on the Detroit Tigers-Minnesota Twins series that could determine the AL Central winner and the Yankees first round opponent in this year's post-season.

The Tigers entered the four game series with a two game lead. After a rain out on Monday, the two teams are meeting in a day-night doubleheader today, followed by single games on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.

While the Twins have been red hot down the stretch, they are still the team the Yankees should want to play in the division series. And the reasons are pretty obvious.

1. The Yankees have dominated the Twins in recent years, including this season, winning all seven games between the two teams.

2. The Twins have no clear cut ace. While they have solid, dependable pitchers, none of them stands out as does the Tigers' Justin Verlander does.

3. The Twins have likely MVP Joe Mauer in their lineup as well as the hot hitting Michael Cuddyer. But there will be no Justin Morneau. Though the Twins scored more runs than the Tigers during the season, the Tigers have a more threatening lineup.

4. While Tigers' closer Fernando Rodney has converted 35 of 36 save opportunities, he's not an intimidating presence. The same can be said for Twins' closer Joe Nathan, whom the Yankees have had success against in previous post-seasons.

5. Some people are concerned about the Twins running game, but Minnesota had only 83 stolen bases entering today's play (the Tigers have 72). Really nothing to worry about.

So there you have it, the main reasons the Yankees should want to play the Twins. The top reason is the top reason for a reason. Okay, that sentence made me dizzy. The bottom line is that the Yankees beat up on the Twins and should want to play them over Detroit.

But what do you think? Take the new poll and let me know.