Can AJ be OK?

You get the feeling the Athletics now feel like they will come all the way back against the Detroit Tigers and win this American League Division Series after falling down 0-2 and fumbling away what should have been a Game 2 win. But you know deep down despite all the chatter: "Hey, we've won three do or die home games against a quality opponent just a week ago" mumbo jumbo, even the brash, too young to feel any pressure Athletics understood how difficult sweeping Games 3, 4 and 5 against Detroit remained. It carries the kind of degree of difficulty that would make Olympic diving champions cringe on the platform.

What I see in the task still confronting the A's starts with the idea that so far, both Miguel Cabrera's and Prince Fielder's balls in play have not left -thanks in part to Coco Crisp's wall climbing- either Comerica Park or O.Co Coliseum; nor do either have an RBI  yet covering three games and a combined 24 at-bats. Moreover, as pointed out by Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp, just one of the Tigers' eight total runs scored in the series came via a base hit (Alex Avila's solo home run in Game 1). That's a testament to how solid Oakland has pitched in this series, particularly starters Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone and Brett Anderson, who combined have thrown 18 2/3 innings and allowed just three earned runs. But it begs the question: Can A.J. Griffin keep up this pace and stymie Detroit's bats a little more?

I don't know the answer to that question. Nor do I hearken to even take a guess about it. I do know Cabrera and Fielder will frighten every one of what expects to be another full house of screaming A's fans. And Griffin will have to keep the Detroit offense at bay again while the Athletics' lineup, which isn't exactly teeing off on the Tigers' pitching staff either, must deal with the equally enigmatic Max Scherzer given the hard-throwing right-hander's injury concerns and relative lack of work down the stretch (though that hardly bothered Brett Anderson in Game 3).

There is some added pressure on the Tigers to finish off the A's tonight. But the Tigers still have their Get Out of Oakland Free Card -Justin Verlander in a Game 5- in manager Jim Leyland's back pocket to play should the A's even the series tonight. As the final regular-season game against Texas showed, the A's can win tonight even if A.J. Griffin gets knocked out early and his team falls behind, but the Tigers' offense has nowhere to go but improve what has been a sickly attack so far. Either way, the Coliseum will be at a frenzy again at first pitch tonight, and that alone gives Griffin and the Athletics a shot to get even and create a winner-take-all deciding game. That would be a hoot, wouldn't it?