THE JOURNEY
Both teams entered the season with high expectations. The
Giants had won the World Series just two years prior. The team had the same stellar
pitching staff that it had since 2010. It had All-Star catcher Buster Posey
back from injury. It had a lock down defense in the field. Batting…left
something to be desired from a power standpoint but much more disciplined and
effective compared to 2011. Besides, great pitching is what wins championships.
The Tigers were already good. With the acquisitions of
All-Star Prince Fielder (.313, 30 HR, 108 RBI) to augment the threat of
eventual Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera (.330, 44 HR, 139 RBI), Gerald
Laird (.282, 2 HR, 11 RBI) to help replace the injured Victor Martinez behind
the plate, lock down middle reliever Octavio Dotel (5-3, 3.57 ERA, 62 Ks, 58
IP), and mid-season acquisition Anibal Sanchez (9-13, 3.86 ERA, 167 Ks) from
the Miami Marlins to fortify the starting rotation, the Tigers expectations
soared. This season became a pennant or bust season.
The conditions of the roads traveled were very different for
these two teams. The Giants engaged in a near season long slugfest with the Los
Angeles Dodgers, with the Arizona Diamondbacks giving close chase, before
pulling away in September. The Tigers sleepwalked through the first half of the
season before igniting, much later than expected, in the second half of the
season. The Tigers wrestled the division away from the upstart Chicago White
Sox in the final week of the regular season. Regardless, the presence of both
of these teams in the World Series would not have been a shock to anyone
looking into an MLB crystal ball this past April.
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| Fielder and the Tigers woke up following the Midsummer Classic. 1 |
TALE OF THE TAPE
Pitching
The Tigers are going to start Justin Verlander (17-8, 2.64
ERA, 239 Ks), Doug Fister (10-10, 3.45 ERA), and Sanchez, in that order in
Games 1 through 3 and will continue to rotate that order through the series. No
surprises…clear choice for Tigers manager Jim Leyland. The Giants have an
embarrassment of riches at starting pitcher, but that actually makes Giants
manager Bruce Bochy’s next moves, following Game 1, more challenging in his
chess match with Leyland .
Barry Zito (15-8, 4.15 ERA) will start Game 1. Without
question, the Game 3 starter would have to be Matt Cain (16-5, 2.79 ERA, 193
Ks) against Sanchez, though it has not been officially announced yet. The third
start could be either Madison Bumgarner (16-11, 3.37 ERA, 191 Ks) or Ryan
Vogelsong (14-9, 3.37 ERA), with a compelling case to be made for either
(Bumgarner was better in the regular season; Vogelsong has been better in the
playoffs). Bochy also has the option of tossing in a fourth starter in Tim
Lincecum (10-15, 5.18 ERA, 190 Ks), though he may be hesitant to do so after
losing 8-3 in Game 4 of the NLCS when starting the inconsistent former two-time
Cy Young winner.
Advantage, Pitching: Tigers
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| Verlander: "Have a seat." Get used to it, Giants Fan. 2 |
The Tigers are loaded with star power as well as batting
power. The Giants are very disciplined at the plate. Both can be problems for
pitchers, but in different ways.
The Tigers have no easy outs among their first five hitters
in the batting order (Autsin Jackson, Omar Infante, Cabrera, Fielder, and
Delmon Young). The dropoff is substantial at the bottom of the order, but the
fact of the matter is that every time the Tigers bat around, they pose a
serious threat to score multiple runs against even the best pitching
staffs.
The Giants are a team of singles hitters and players who can
coax out a walk. This is a big improvement over the 2010 World Series winning
team that hit a paltry .235. However the power is lacking. The Giants are a
true, traditional National League team that needs to manufacture runs to win.
They did so in bunches against the Cardinals. I don’t know how easily those
runs will come against a Tigers pitching staff whose strength is mowing down
and striking out opponents, and forcing double plays. Expect a classic
cat-and-mouse game when the Giants are up to bat.
Advantage: Tigers
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| Cabrera made Joba Chamberlain look more like Jabba the Hut. 3 |
Fielding
Both teams are good, but not spectacular with the leather. Do
not expect many if any unforced, careless errors by either team. Do not expect
too many web gems, either. The Tigers are very hefty at the corners with Prince
Fielder and Miguel Cabrera. The Giants have their own heft at third base with
Pablo “Panda” Sandoval.
Both teams have quality middle infielders. The Tigers may be
at a slight disadvantage because the Giants style of hitting is more likely to
put the ball on the ground in the infield, particularly when Verlander and
Fister are pitching. This may give the Giants a chance to pick up some freebie
bases on an error or two during the series.
Advantage: Giants
Intangibles
The Giants have some significant advantages in this
category. First, most of the players on the 2010 World Series championship team
are on this team. They have championship experience. The Tigers have not been
to the World Series since losing to the Cardinals in 2006. All of the
significant contributors to that Tigers team are gone, except for Verlander.
The Giants have home field advantage. In addition, they are
accustomed to playing under pressure, facing elimination. Should the series
come down to a sixth and seventh game, those game would be played at AT&T
Park in San Francisco, where the Giants would not have to travel, be in their
own time zone, and get to bat last.
Advantage: Giants
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| The Giants should bring back Metallica's James Hetfield for pre-game entertainment for good luck. 4 |
In the end, I think Detroit Detroit
Advantages – Game 1: Tigers, Series: Tigers
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| Party Like It's 1984? From left to right: Alan Trammell, 1984 American League MVP Willie Hernandez, and Darrell Evans after the Tigers swept the Kansas City Royals, 3-0, in the 1984 ALCS. The Tigers would go on to win its last World Series over the San Diego Padres. 5 |
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