Athletics vs. Tigers 2012 ALDS: Oakland has to find a way to slow down Miguel Cabrera

When the Detroit Tigers and Oakland A's open their AL Division Series at 6 p.m. Saturday, Miguel Cabrera will be trying to continue his dominance of Oakland pitching.

Cabrera, who won the American League Triple Crown after leading the league in home runs, batting average and RBIs this season, fared even better in seven games against Oakland. He his .483 with two doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs against the A's.

Justin Verlander (17-8, 2.64 ERA) starts for the Tigers. He has also been great against the A's this season, going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings. Starting Verlander in game one would allow the Tigers to also use him in a game five if necessary.

Oakland has yet to announce who will start game one, but options include Jarrod Parker (13-8, 3.47 ERA), Tommy Milone (13-10, 3.74 ERA), Brett Anderson (4-2, 2.57 ERA) and A.J. Griffin (7-1, 3.06 ERA).

The A's have won primarily because of strong pitching and defense, but Josh Redick (32 home runs), Yoenis Cespedes (23 home runs) and Brandon Moss (21 home runs) have provided power in the lineup.

The Tigers were 4-3 against Oakland this season.