World Series preview

Here we go!  This has the makings of a classic World Series.  The LDS series was the best round of baseball I’ve ever seen!  All 4 series going the distance, and it was capped off by that amazing comeback by the Cards against the Nationals.  We were spoiled in that round, and it got made up for in the LCS.  Yes, even the NLCS despite the fact that it went 7 games.  I’ve never seen a 7 game series with that many blowouts!  It was like winning the lottery but only winning 5000 bucks.  Sure its sweet to win, but that’s it?  5000 bucks?  However this matchup will make up for the LCS….

I can’t believe one of my 2 LCS winners actually made it as I didn’t get much else right in these playoffs!  The Tigers look dominant heading into game 1.  You can’t touch Verlander, he is just on another level right now.  Like Josh Beckett in 07, Curt Schilling in 2001, Jack Morris in 91, Orel Hershiser in 88, every time he takes the mound he will win and you will be lucky to get 4-5 hits off him.

The Giants don’t have that guy, but they have a staff of guys that are capable of giving them that game.  Of course Matt Cain is the most likely candidate, but Cain hasn’t looked that dominant this postseason.  Sure he won game 7, but he lost game 3, lost game 1 vs the Reds, and escaped game 5 vs the Reds.  He’s been good don’t get me wrong, but the Giants will need him to be even better in the World Series.

I don’t think however the Giants could ask for anything more than what they’ve got out of Ryan Vogelsong.  “Voggy” has been incredible for them.  Same goes for Barry Zito, as he turned back the clock in game 5 against the Cards and looked like Barry Zito circa 2002 carving up steroid users left and right and riding on the back of Scott Hatteberg and the leadership of David Justice because as we all know THEY were the big reason the 2002 A’s were so good.  Not because of the best pitching staff in the league, not because they had AL MVP Miguel Tejada….Someday I will get over that, it just won’t be anytime soon!

Finally the Giants still have Madison Baumgarner if he is healthy, and they still have 2 time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum.  I know he has had a nightmare of a season, I know his velocity is way down, I know all the negatives with him….actually that’s about it but those are some big negatives.  But I’m never going to throw in the towel on a guy who has a track record like Lincecum.

The Giants will really need the guys they throw 2-4 to out pitch Fister, Scherzer, and Sanchez.  But then even if they do that, you still have the Tigers great lineup to deal with.  Not too often you have a triple crown winner to deal with in the World Series.  Actually, not since 67 has a team had to do that (Cards beat Yaz and the Sox that year by the way).  And if he’s not enough, you got Prince Fielder hitting behind him.  Prince hasn’t been hitting well this postseason, but that could be a bad sign for the Giants as you would think he will bust out.  He is familiar with the Giants pitching and familiar with that ball park.

The dirty little secret heading into this series however is that the Giants have the better lineup.  Marco Scutaro literally doesn’t miss a ball.  He swings, he makes some sort of contact.  1-8 that lineup is smokin’ hot right now, and while the Tigers have the more star studded lineup, the Giants have the better lineup as we head into game 1.

Where the Giants can get to the Tigers is the bullpen, so I have to think they will be looking to work the Tigers starters every game and get into that pen.  If they can make 3 or 4 games a battle of the bullpens then they will have a great shot to win it.  Jose Velverde is a circus out on the mound, and Phil Coke didn’t look much better when he was given his shot in game 3 against the Yankees.

It really is a great matchup.  On paper the Tigers have the better team but the Giants have the home field, they have most of the 2010 roster still intact, and they won’t die as they’re now 6-0 when facing elimination this postseason.  I’m expecting this one to go 6 or 7.  As for who would win, it would be ridiculous of me to sit on the fence.  I’m not a guy that likes to sit on the fence.  But man….this is one sweet fence!  Ok screw it, Giants in 7.

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