MLB Network Comes Through In The Clutch

While the folks in Motown may not appreciate the rest of the nation watching as their Tigers stumble down the stretch, the rest of us can thank MLB Network for the windows into some of the most competitive post-season chases ever.

MLB Network, picking up the feeds from Fox regional sports networks and providing its own voiceovers from Matt Vasgersian and Joe Magrane, has provided extensive coverage of the Minnesota Twins late-season run at Detroit, which has held first place in the A.L. Central since May 10.

The network, which bowed to a record 50 million cable and satellite homes on Jan.1, televised three of their four-game set this past week and then aired the Tigers’ 5-1 loss to the Chisox on Saturday night. Roughing up AL Cy Young favorite Zack Greinke, Minnesota was able to edge past KC 5-4, when Michael Cuddyer homered in the bottom of the eighth on Fox yesterday afternoon, to square matters after 161 games.

That could have been the case in the NL West to boot, but the Dodgers finally put away the Colorado Rockies last night, as Vin Scully, from his Prime Ticket perch, described the 5-0 action to MLB Network viewers. That sets up the Dodgers-St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies-Rockies in the NLDS round.

Today, MLB Network will televise the Chisox-Tigers at 1:05 (ET), as Detroit, behind Justin Verlander, looks to hold off the Twins, playing their final regular-season game at the Metrodome, for the right to play the New York Yankess in American League Division Series. Like Tigers-White Sox, Twins-Royals is on MLB.TV.

If both contenders win or lose — the Twins were on the wrong end of a 1-0 tie-breaking loss to the Chisox at new Comiskey last season– TBS will cover the  play-in game for the playoffs at The Baggie Tuesday at 5 p.m., following Brett Favre and the Vikings hosting the old gunslingers friends from Green Bay on ESPN’s MNF.

That’s baseball coverage as it oughta be.