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The Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers are neck and neck in the American League playoff chase. With the teams facing off this weekend, beat writers Eddie Matz (Os) and Katie Strang (Tigers) debate which one has the edge.Read their conversation -- then vote below.Matz: The Orioles are like the evil villain in a B horror movie. Just when you think theyre toast, they rise from the ashes to wreak havoc on a group of unsuspecting teenagers with a habit of hanging out in abnormally dark places where cellphone range is oddly limited.Substitute the Tigers for the stupid teens, and voila -- youve got your 2016 Os. They limped out of August having lost 10 of 16, not to mention their grip on the second AL wild-card spot. But since the calendar flipped to September, theyve won four of six and suddenly have the look of a dangerous squad. Heck, the way their rotation is rounding into form (better late than never!), a division title isnt out of the question.Thats more than Los Tigres can say.Strang: Funny you should employ such imagery, Eddie. Normally, I think any team would be quick to take offense to any surly teen comparisons, but the Tigers influx of youth has actually been a big reason Detroit remains in the thick of the playoff race.Michael Fulmer has been a revelation for the Tigers -- at this point, the 23-year-old righty is the front-runner for the AL Rookie of the Year award -- but young lefties such as?Matt Boyd and Daniel Norris have also stepped up to stabilize what has at times been an erratic and injury-ravaged rotation. Combine that youthful exuberance with the steady presence of resident ace Justin Verlander?--?who could pitch himself into the AL Cy Young conversation with a strong September -- and the heavy lumber of proven veterans such as?Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and a suddenly resurgent Justin Upton, and you have a well-rounded, experienced team in Detroit still smarting from the sting of missing out on last seasons playoffs.This is a club playing with confidence and swagger, and it is not even close to full strength. Once they get third baseman Nick Castellanos, who was hitting .286 with 18 homers when he went down with a hand injury last month, and No. 2 starter Jordan Zimmermann, who had a phenomenal first half of the season, back, we might see a Tigers team reminiscent of the ones that dominated the AL Central from 2011 to 14.Matz: No matter how filthy Verlander is in September, theres no way he wins the Cy Young because (exaggeration alert) Ubaldo Jimenez already has it locked up.After being baseballs worst starter in the first half, he was banished to the bullpen. But when ace Chris Tillman hit the shelf with a bum shoulder, skipper Buck Showalter broke the in-case-of-emergency glass and summoned Jimenez to take Tillmans spot. Since then, the 32-year-old righty is partying like its 2010: He has a 2.91 ERA in three starts and, in his last outing, tossed the Os first complete game in two years. Combine that with Dylan Bundys arrival, Kevin Gausmans maturity, and Tillmans return this Sunday (versus Verlander in a huge game thats not the ESPN Sunday Nighter because ... why exactly?), and suddenly the Birds biggest weakness is -- dare I say it -- a strength (-ish).Strang: OK, were going to have to table the whole Ubaldo Jimenez debate for another day, since that is a weird and unpredictable saga that deserves discussion in its own right -- consider me skeptical he can sustain his recent success -- but I feel I should at least point this out about youngster Dylan Bundy. Like Tigers rookie (and fellow Oklahoma native) Michael Fulmer, it has been great for the Orioles to get such contributions from the former fourth overall draft pick.However, workload has to be an area of concern for the organization; the 23-year-old is already at 94.1 innings -- more than any of his previous three seasons combined. For a promising young arm just three years removed from Tommy John surgery, Bundys long-term health would trump the teams short-term needs, one would think. It will be interesting to see how the Orioles manage his innings while trying to make a playoff push, but I digress ...Lets get down to brass tacks here and state an obvious advantage for the Tigers: strength of schedule (or lack thereof). The Tigers, with 23 games remaining in the season, have the easiest path of any of the top five teams in the American League wild-card race, with an average opponents winning percentage of .479. The toughest test will be the final two series of the season against the division-leading Cleveland Indians, against whom they are a putrid 1-11 in 2016. But you have to figure that, eventually, the law of averages might win out and the Tigers could make up some critical ground against the Tribe.Beyond that, Detroit has a few cupcakes on the remaining schedule, including a pair of sets against the Minnesota Twins and a season-ending three-game series against the bottom-dwelling Braves.Hows that for a favorable few weeks?Matz: I see what you did there, Katie. Kicked it off with an astute observation about how Fulmer and Bundy are practically twins, then bookended it with more Twins talk. You cant teach that.But you can teach hitting. And the way the Birds are starting to swing the bats, it doesnt matter who they play. Well, it kinda does. But the truth is, the speed bumps in Detroits road to the postseason (seven games versus Cleveland, three versus K.C.) arent all that different from the bumps in Baltimores (seven versus Boston, three versus Toronto).But back to those bats: After a deep midsummer slumber, the Os artillery, led by MVP candidate Manny Machado and a recently resurgent Chris Davis, is heating up at just the right time. Since the beginning of August, the Birds have bashed 65 bombs, which is 10 more than the next closest American League squad. Hows that for a favorable few weeks?Strang: Touché, Eddie, touché. But while the Orioles bats are admittedly crushing the ball, leading the league with a whopping 219 home runs, Im more comfortable with Detroits total offensive production over the course of the entire season.Entering Fridays game, the Tigers rank third overall in the majors and second in the American League (second only to the high-octane Boston Red Sox) with an impressive .267 batting average. And while their bullpen has regressed from the first half of the season, their rotation is still holding its own and being stingy when it counts. Since Aug. 20, Detroits starting pitchers have allowed three earned runs or fewer in 16 of 17 games, tops in the American League.Combine the returns of Castellanos and Zimmermann with the fact that the teams big boppers Cabrera, Upton and J.D. Martinez?are swinging their bats well, and I like this teams chances.Matz: I also like the Tigers chances ... of watching the postseason from the comfort of their respective homes.Kyrie Irving Shoes Free Shipping . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Kyrie Irving Shoes From China . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. https://www.cheapshoeskyrieirving.com/ . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Kyrie Irving Shoes Deals . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. Cheap Kyrie Irving ShoesORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The New England Patriots arent tipping their hand on whether Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett or someone else will start at quarterback Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, so Rex Ryan took matters into his own hands Wednesday.As Patriots receiver Julian Edelman wrapped up a conference call with Buffalo reporters, Ryan -- who just entered the room for his news conference -- leaned over into the speakerphone and asked Edelman a question.Julian, this is, uh, Walt Patulski from The Buffalo News, Ryan said. Are you playing quarterback this week?Huh? Edelman responded.Are you playing quarterback this week? Ryan repeated.Im gonna do whatever the coaches ask me to do, Edelman said, so if they ask me to go out and get a glass a water to someone on the sideline, Im gonna do that with a smile on my face if it helps our team win. So you can ask Coach that one.All right, Julian, I will, buddy, Rex said, as he laughed and walked to the lectern.Patulski was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1972 draft who played four seasons, 1972 to 1975, for the Bills.The Patriots have not indicated who will start Sundays game at quarterback, which will be the final game that Tom Brady will miss because of his four-game Deflategate suspension.Garoppolo (shoulder) and Brissett (thumb) have both practiced this week, but Ryan said Monday he does not expect to know the Patriots starter until kickoff. The Bills coach is prepared for the possibility of Edelman, a college quarterback at Kent State, starting for New England.I know how difficult it is to defend against a running quarterback, Ryan said following Sundays win over the Arizona Cardinals. Thats what we have to be ready [for] in case Edelman quarterbacks, right? I have a funny feeling he isnt going to be Brady back there.Although Ryan is getting ready for any potential Patriots starter, he said Wednesday he thinks he knows who New England will start -- but wont let reporters in on his hunch.If Im wrong, Ryan said, itll be like, Oh, he wasnt right.dddddddddddd. What a shock!Ryan, who on Sunday mentioned longtime Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan as New Englands potential starter this week, reached deeper into Patriots history for another option Wednesday.My sources tell me that Babe Parilli is gonna be the quarterback, Ryan said, referring to the Boston Patriots quarterback of the 1960s, who is now 86. He is definitely ... he doesnt move the way he used to, and Id be very confident. So well see what happens there.Ryans surprise question to Edelman was the third made-for-TV moment the Bills coach has offered as anticipation builds for the Bills and Patriots first meeting of the season.Ryan declared after Sundays win over Arizona that even if Patriots coach Bill Belichick started at quarterback, the Bills are coming after him. Then, on Monday, Ryan began his news conference with an impression of Belichick, mumbling to reporters that they would need to wait until Wednesday to get the teams injury report.Ryan stood by his loose demeanor Wednesday.Obviously, [Belichicks] style works a hell of a lot better than my style, so Ill give him that, Ryan said. But I learned a time ago: You got to be yourself in this league. That wouldnt work. If I tried to be like Bill Belichick, that would never work for me. Just like -- not that he ever would -- hes gonna try to be like someone else, that would never work for him.I think its hilarious when hes on [stage] there [at his news conferences] because its who he is, but its great. He does it better than anybody else. Some guys that try to copy that style, theyre phonies.Belichick didnt bite when asked earlier Wednesday about Ryan.Im just focused on getting ready for the Bills, he said. Im not really that in tune to all of that. Im sure its important to you guys, but its not really anything I spend much time with. ' ' '