They Might Be Giants

I was talking to my dad on Sunday about who we would rather face the Tigers in the World Series. Of course, you have to be careful what you wish for, but I wanted the Giants to win, because I thought the Cardinals were one of those teams that were really tough to kill. How wrong that was, as they went out Yankee-like, scoring only one run over the final three games. The Giants are now the team that are a tough out.

The Tigers and Giants, both original-16 franchises, have never faced each other in the post-season. Somehow the John McGraw Giants missed them from 1907-1909, when Detroit lost three World Series in a row (to the Cubs and Pirates). In a way, this race is 25 years too late--many thought that this would be the Series in 1987, but both teams were upset, by the Twins and Cards.

Jack Morris and Jeffrey Leonard are gone, replaced by new stars. The name most bandied about is Justin Verlander--those that pick the Tigers cite him as the biggest reason. But the Tigers face a similar problem to one they had in 2006: a long layoff. Teams that sweep in the League Championship have a hard time with teams that go seven, and I don't know if intra-squad games can make up for it.

But the Tigers have their pitching set up. The Giants will probably go with Barry Zito in game 1, and though Zito had a game for the ages in game 5, he's no Justin Verlander. I've heard a lot of the Giants' home field advantage, but they did lose twice to Cincinnati and once to St. Louis at home.

I'm also worried about the guy pictured, Marco Scutaro, who was an on-base machine. Conversely, the Giants have very little power, especially against right-handed pitching. The Tigers have four top right-handed starters.

The Tigers have the better starting pitching, the Giants the better bullpen (a potentially huge problem for Detroit), and the lineups are about a wash, with the Tigers having more power and the Giants the better singles hitters. I don't dare make a prediction, but I feel confident. Game 1 is huge, because if Verlander loses, that could be confidence sapper.