The offseason for the A's was a busy one. They got outfielders, pitchers, more pitchers, and a Manny Ramirez. But one of the bigger moves was a trade for Seth Smith, a left-handed outfielder/DH who was a popular target for a lot of teams this winter. He was supposed to be a middle-of-the-order presence, at least by A's standards.

He didn't do a whole heck of a lot during the regular season, though, and the middle-of-the-order slots went to surprises like Josh Reddick and Brandon Moss.

But in the playoffs, all it takes are a few well-timed hits to justify your existence, and Smith boomed a solo homer to center against Anibal Sanchez:

The shot put the A's up 2-0, and on the other side, Brett Anderson hasn't allowed anything to the Tigers, getting through the sixth inning in his return from an oblique tweak that sidelined him for the end of the regular season.