Following is a look at the match-ups.
 

In a battle between two teams both looking for their first World Series title, the Rays may use their speed on the basepaths to unsettle the improved pitching of the Rangers.

Tampa Bay, fueled by Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton, led Major League Baseball in steals with 172, while Texas catchers threw out less than 20 percent of would-be base stealers.

The Rays thrived for most of the season on their strong, young pitching in posting the league’s best record but only hard-throwing lefty David Price, a Cy Young candidate with a 19-6 mark, maintained his form through the end of the season.

Texas, traditionally long on hitting and short on pitching, added ace left-hander Cliff Lee (12-9) in a trade to go with other rotation newcomers in C.J. Wilson (15-8) and Colby Lewis (12-13) to make their first post-season in 11 years.

Key sluggers for both teams pose question marks.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria (22 homers, 104 RBIs, .294 batting average) missed the last two weeks of the season with a strained leg muscle.

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton (32 homers, 100 RBIs, .359) missed a month due to fractured ribs before returning in the final weekend.

Tampa Bay, World Series finalists two years ago, has home-field advantage against a Texas team that has a losing road record (39-42). But the Rays have not enjoyed strong support at home, drawing an paltry 12,000 fans to a potential playoff clincher at home.
 

The Minnesota Twins have been a model franchise for staying competitive and finding on-field success in a relatively small market despite losing high-cost players to free agency, but they have had trouble advancing in the playoffs.

Reaching the post-season in six of the last nine years, the Twins have advanced past the Division Series just once (2002). They were swept last year 3-0 by the Yankees, who went on to extend their MLB record to 27 World Series championships.

New York, led by Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez , slugged 201 home runs this season compared to 142 by the Twins and outscored them by nearly 80 runs. But Minnesota’s spacious and new outdoor ballpark works against power hitters and the Twins are experts at manufacturing runs.

The Twins played the second-half of the season without power-hitting first baseman Justin Morneau , shut down for the season due to a concussion, and number three hitter Joe Mauer is only recently coming back from a sore knee.

Minnesota will need to out-pitch the Yankees to stir hopes of recapturing their World Series title years of 1987 and 1991 and pin their hopes on a rotation topped by lefty Francisco Liriano (14-10) and former Yankee Carl Pavano (17-11).

CC Sabathia (21-7), last year’s $161 million acquisition by the Yanks, tops a group of New York starters, including A.J. Burnett and an injury-slowed Andy Pettitte , that have struggled toward the end of the season.