The Detroit Tigers completed their four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics Saturday and get a week off waiting for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets to decide their seven-game NLCS. If my team has won seven in a row, a week off seems like a momentum killer and a chance to lose the edge it takes to win in the postseason. Doesn't playing games regularly keep a team sharp? That's not how the Tigers are looking at it, as Detroit closer Todd Jones has noted that several players get a chance to rebound from recent physical ailments. But what about keeping momentum on your side? According to AP writer Ronald Blum, the last six teams that started the World Series with five or more days of rest all went on to win. He reports that the 1991 Minnesota Twins, 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2002 Anaheim Angels and 2005 Chicago White Sox all entered the World Series with five days off and won. The 1995 Atlanta Braves and 1996 New York Yankees had six-day breaks -- matching what Detroit has -- and celebrated the last out with a World Series title. Among the nine teams in history to have five or more days off before the World Series, Blum notes, the only losers are the 1988 Oakland Athletics (to the Los Angeles Dodgers) and the 1990 A's (to Cincinnati). That has to be good news for the Tigers, but there's still something about resting for a week with a seven-game winning streak. The only club among the other six just mentioned with more than a four-game winning streak was the 1995 Braves, who won five straight before taking a six-game Series from the Cleveland Indians.