ALDS Schedule 2011: Preview and Prediction for Yankees-Tigers Do or Die Game 5

This is it.

Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series between the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees is almost here. There is nothing quite like a do-or-die game of baseball (remember last Wednesday) and here is everything you need to know about Thursday night’s potential classic:

When: Thursday, 8:07 P.M. EST on TBS

Where: Yankees Stadium

Pitching Matchup: Doug Fister (DET) 0-1, 11.57 ERA vs. Ivan Nova (NYY) 1-0, 2.84 ERA

How We Got Here: The Yanks were able to stave off elimination in Detroit behind an offensive explosion by essentially the entire lineup. Alex Rodriguez finally got his first hit of the series and Derek Jeter continued to show why he might be the best postseason hitter of all-time.

The Tigers offense has scored 14 total runs in the series and need to piece together more big innings if they expect to go any further.

Who Has The Pitching Advantage?

Nobody could have predicted their respective teams season would come down to Nova-Fister.

Just three months ago, one had been demoted to the minor leagues and the other was getting shelled with a 3-12 record for last-place Seattle.

After being forced to start A.J Burnett in Game 4, the Yankee pitching well is going to be full.

As ESPN New York MLB insider Andrew Marchand points out, if Nova struggles, they will have plenty of pitchers available at their disposal including starter C.C. Sabathia:

"

The Yankees will have their entire bullpen ready to be used. CC Sabathia, who started on Monday, told ESPNNewYork.com that he will be available out of the bullpen on what would normally be his throw day.

"I'm definitely available," Sabathia said.

With a day off, all of the Yankees' vital relievers will be rested. Setup man David Robertson has only pitched one inning in the series, while Mariano Rivera has thrown three pitches. Rafael Soriano pitched for a second consecutive day on Tuesday. Soriano has thrown three innings, but should be ready for Friday. 

"

The Tigers have announced that Justin Verlander will not be available in case of an emergency. The bullpen has pitched four innings in the last three days so expect them to have everybody available as well.

Both starters are looking for their first postseason win and the difference lies in the superior Yankees bullpen.

Advantage: Yankees

Final Thoughts:

This game will come down to the Tigers ability to put runs on the board. The top of the lineup has really struggled, especially leadoff hitter Austin Jackson that is currently sporting a .083 average in the series. Miguel Cabrera has cooled off and Wilson Betemit has yet to get a hit in the series.

The Tigers must get Nova into trouble and force the rookie to succumb to the intense pressure of the situation. It only takes a few mistakes.

The Yankees need to focus on grabbing a lead early and letting Nova work without much pressure on his shoulders.

It’s gut check time and I think the experience of the Yankees offense combined with a fully rested bullpen and home crowd end up being the difference.

Prediction: Yankees 5 Tigers 3