How much don't they want it?

So a day has passed, and with it two of the most important games of the season for the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins. Two games packed with five games worth of excitement. And now that the infield dust has settled, guess what? We're exactly where we were the day before, with Detroit hanging onto a two-game lead in the AL Central.

If you just read the box scores, it would look like nothing more than a simple split of a day/night double-header. What you don't see in all those numbers is the non-stop drama of two teams winning despite their best efforts to give the games away.



Take nothing away from the poise and perserverence of pitcher Justin Verlander [see my pic], who has thrown more pitches than any other major league pitcher and added 129 more tonight in his 18th win of 2009. Was it really just a year ago when he had 17 games in the loss column? Or the six-plus innings of one-run ball thrown by rookie starter Rick Porcello. Or even the clutch hitting of center-fielder and lead-off spark plug Curtis Granderson, whose four Tuesday hits included eighth- and tenth-inning right-field bombs--the latter by day and the former by night.

The heroes wore both white and gray to be sure, as each team played with the fire of opportunity burning brightly in the crisp September air. But for the most part, what 65,000 fans saw on the field was anything but heroic. No home team slamming the door, no visiting team making a statement to their hosts. Instead they witnessed an array of brain-dizzying performances that made the crisp air feel more like that of late February Grapefruit-League Florida:

1. Normally flawless second baseman Placido Polanco--who owns the longest errorless streak for a major league second baseman and currently leads the AL in fielding percentage at .998--flat-out booted a routine grounder in the first game, putting a Twins runner in scoring position.

2. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire called for a suicide squeeze with one out and the score tied in the ninth inning of the early game (the batter, Nick Punto, needed only to put the ball in play for the winning run to score). Instead Punto popped his bunt attempt to pitcher Brandon Lyon, who tossed to Brandon Inge doubling up the runner on third.

3. Not to be outdone, Lyon threw consecutive wild pitches in the tenth inning that allowed Denard Span to move from first to third. (He had thrown just one all season.) Span ultimately scored on an Orlando Cabrera hit to break the 1-1 tie and key the Twins' 3-2 win.

4. In the second game Tiger skipper Jim Leyland brought in the speedy Wilkin Ramirez to pinch-run for Marcus Thames. A drifting Ramirez was picked off of first base without even intending to steal second on the play.

5. Granderson misjudged an outfield pop-up that would have been the final out of the nightcap. The ball sailed over his head for an RBI double, putting the tying run on second base.

6. And Fernando Rodney did what he does best, saving the second game after letting the tying run reach second and in so doing, inducing another 30,000 cases of acquired arrhythmia.

While both games were riveting, down-to-the-wire contests, they won't be remembered for their high caliber of play. Two circus geeks may make for an evenly matched forensic competition, but that doesn't mean they'll be debating neo-Marxism.

Nonetheless, the Tigers now sit at 84-73 with three games to go, the magic number for clinching their first-ever Central Division title (and first division tile of any kind since 1987) down to four. Their worst case scenario at this point would be losing three of four to the Twins and entering the final weekend series in a first-place tie. (Detroit hosts the Chicago White Sox, while Minnesota hosts Kansas City.) And their best-case scenario? Winning the final two games against Minnesota of cours, since the second of those wins would clinch the division Thursday afternoon.

The more likely scenario is that the teams split their final two games, and the four-game series. Minnesota has the pitching advantage (Twins veteran Carl Povano faces rookie Eddie Bonine on Wednesday, while Scott Baker goes for win #15 against the Tigers' Nate Robertson Thursday afternoon). But Leyland has the edge in the bullpen with more fresh arms, having used a total of three relievers in the first two games after Verlander and Porcello threw 14 1/3 of the 19 innings.

Minnesota will score early, Detroit will score late. If the Tigers can force the Twins starters to throw 20-pitch innings, or if Leyland can effectively maneuver his well-rested relievers, their chances for a sweep increase dramatically. If the Twins can jump to a sizable lead and ride their starters through seven strong innings, they can put their fate in the hands of stopper Joe Nathan to shut the door as he has all season.

A split would leave the Tigers two up on the Twins, putting their magic number at two. So with three games to go, a single Detroit win (or Minnesota loss) would lock up no worse than a tie and one-game playoff on Monday in the Twin Cities. Two Detroit wins, however--or two Minnesota losses, or one Detroit win and one Minnesota loss--and corks will be popping all over as the Motor City braces for another World Series run. Got riot gear?