The Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles will kick off their American League division series at the Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Orioles earned home-field advantage after finishing with an impressive 96-66 record in the AL East standings, but they will be considered as underdogs against the Tigers in their division series.
The Tigers are installed as favorites in their best-of-five series mainly because of their formidable starting rotation in the first three meetings composed of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and David Price, who are all AL Cy Young winners.
Price, who was acquired by the Tigers in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays before the MLB trade deadline, is confident that they will get the job done and lead Detroit to their fourth straight trip to the AL Championship series.
"Pitching, that's what wins ballgames," Price, who went 15-12 during the regular season with 3.26 ERA, said via ESPN. "If we put up zeroes early, that kind of gives our offense a chance to kind of settle into the game. They know they don't have to put up a three- or four-spot because we're down."
But while the Tigers obviously have the advantage when it comes to starting rotation, Orioles closer Zach Britton is confident that they have a good chance to pull of surprises, especially if they will be within striking distance heading into the final innings of the match.
"We've got a good bullpen, we have a good starting staff," Britton said. "Anytime there's a close game, we're confident we can pull it out, and we've done that a lot this year."
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Angels and the Kansas City Royals will also open their series - a showdown featuring two teams, who are making their return to the playoffs.
The Royals will play in the postseason for the first time since 1985, while the Angels advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
All eyes will be on Angels star Mike Trout, who batted .287 with 36 homeruns and 11 RBIs during the regular season, but veteran David Freese is confident that the 23-year-old will be ready to take the spotlight.
"I don't think I need to say anything to Mike Trout," Freese said. "He's been in the spotlight since Day One, and he's going to be in it again. The game is better with Mike Trout in the postseason. I think we all understand that, and it's exciting to get him in there."
The Tigers-Orioles match will start at 5:37 PM EST, followed by the Angels-Royals at 9:07 PM EST. Both games will be shown live on TBS and will also be available through online live streaming via TBS.com and WatchESPN.
