As the (only?) A's fan here, I must say that the Tigers are a formidable opponent. Here's
link which points out the A's difficulties:
It is certainly true that the A's are vulnerable to the strikeout, setting a league record for that number. At the same time, however, they have been scoring the second-most runs and have 100+ HRs since the All Star break.
Assuming Verlander starts, his stats against the A's are small. He did win his only game against them, on May 13. That was a two-hitter v. an early non-competitive A's team. It was against A's rookie Jarrod Parker who pitched pretty well himself and has now blossomed (13-8).
In fact, when it comes down to pitching staffs, the A's all-rookie starting staff is also quite formidable. The team ERA is 3.50, second best in the league. There are, depending on how you count, five of them: Milone, Parker, Griffin, Strailey and Blackley. (Or even six, if you throw in Scribner.) These are led by Brett Anderson who may appear for the Detroit series (held out for two weeks due to an oblique strain). Anderson is 4-2 with a 2.57 ERA in six starts since returning from Tommy John surgery. The entire staff has a collective ERA of about 3.50. When the A's get a lead, the bullpen is even better, at about 2.50, with Doolittle, Cook and Balfour. If you saw the Texas series, you'd know that they gave up no runs over those three games, each pitching an inning. All use gas and have terrific control. And all have other effective pitches. As a whole, the staff has the second best ERA in the league.
The starters generally only go 100 pitches or six innings, so their W-L records do not stand out. But don't be fooled, they are really good.
So, will the Triple Crown winner, Miguel Cabrera, have success against them? Josh Hamilton, Cabrera's closest competitor, did not.
Will the A's hitting find a breakthrough? Verlander is a big hurdle to clear. Fister is pretty good, too.
This series is very tough to predict. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.
Add: There is a rumor (reported by SF Chron writer Susan Slusser) that ace Brandon McCarthy might return later in the post-season. He suffered a serious head injury on September 5 when a line drive hit him near the temple. The injury required cranial surgery. If he does return it would be remarkable, but I see no reason to believe the rumor. He's been walking around the dugout sporting a long, winding scar. I can't imagine the doctors would allow him to throw, yet.