RUNDOWN
A look at the best-of-seven World Series between the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants:
Schedule: (All times PDT) Game 1, Wednesday, at San Francisco (5:07 p.m.); Game 2, Thursday, at San Francisco (5:07 p.m.); Game 3, Saturday, Oct. 27, at Detroit (5:07 p.m.); Game 4, Sunday, Oct. 28, at Detroit (5:15 p.m.); x-Game 5, Monday, Oct. 29, at Detroit (5:07 p.m.); x-Game 6, Wednesday, Oct. 31, at San Francisco (5:07 p.m.); x-Game 7, Thursday, Nov. 1, at San Francisco (5:07 p.m.). (All games on FOX).
x-if necessary.
Projected Lineups:
Tigers: CF Austin Jackson (.300, 16 HRs, 66 RBIs, 10 triples), RF Andy Dirks (.322, 8, 35) or Quintin Berry (.258, 2, 29, 21/21 SBs), 3B Miguel Cabrera (.330, 44, 139 for baseball's first Triple Crown since 1967), 1B Prince Fielder (.313, 30, 108), LF Delmon Young (.267, 18, 74), SS Jhonny Peralta (.239, 13, 63), C Alex Avila (.243, 9, 48), 2B Omar Infante (.274, 12, 53 with Marlins and Tigers).
Giants: CF Angel Pagan (.288, 8, 56, 29 SBs, 15 3Bs), 2B Marco Scutaro (.306, 7, 74 for Rockies and Giants), 3B Pablo Sandoval (.283, 12, 63), C Buster Posey (.336, 24, 103, 39 2Bs), RF Hunter Pence (.253, 24, 104 for Giants and Phillies), 1B Brandon Belt (.275, 7, 56), LF Gregor Blanco (.244, 5, 34, 26 SBs), SS Brandon Crawford (.248, 4, 45).
Watch For:
— Odd Man Out. A major strength for the Giants is the depth in their rotation. All five members made at least one start during the NL playoffs, but Bumgarner or Lincecum will likely be sent to the bullpen for the World Series. Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, pitched well in relief during the playoffs after a subpar season, then was shaky in his NLCS start. Bumgarner has struggled badly in October after a strong regular season. Picking the right guy to start against Detroit could make a big difference, and Bochy's choice will probably be scrutinized.
— Closing Time. Valverde blew a four-run lead in the ALCS opener and did not pitch again in the series. Benoit also has been a lot shakier than a year ago, and that's a concern for the Tigers. Does Valverde return to his closer role, or will Leyland keep turning to Coke in save situations? Normally a left-handed specialist, he had one save during the regular season and then two in the AL playoffs while racking up 7 1-3 scoreless innings. Even with a reliable bullpen, closing out World Series games is no simple chore.
— Triples Town. The Giants hit only 31 homers at their waterfront ballpark this year — six fewer than Barry Bonds had by himself during his record-setting 2001 season. They made up for the lack of long balls with a major league-leading 57 triples, including 29 at home with all that space in right-center field.
