Giants Complete World Series Sweep With Team Effort

San Francisco Giants closer Sergio Romo struck out Miguel Cabrera to win the World Series. (Ezra Shaw)

Seemingly everyone I talked to prior to the World Series wanted to talk about how amazing the Detroit Tigers were. They had the best pitcher in the world, the best one-two punch in their middle of the lineup and were coming off a sweep of the New York Yankees. I had more people tell me that the Tigers were going to sweep the San Francisco Giants and waltz their way to the World Series trophy and rings.

On paper, it certainly did seem that way. However, if I have learned anything from my almost 22 years of being a baseball fan, there's a reason they play the game. The unlikely becomes the likely. The Cinderella wins at the buzzer. The Hail Mary is somehow caught in a crowd in the endzone. You get the picture.

After he had only pitched two games this season, the Giants lost All-Star closer and fan favorite Brian Wilson to Tommy John surgery. On August 15, Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, who lead the National League in hits and was second in batting average, was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for testosterone. Their two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum struggled badly during the entire regular season, finishing with an ERA of 5.18. As the postseason approached, it was their rival Los Angeles Dodgers who pulled blockbuster trade after blockbuster trade in an attempt to win the NL West.

The Giants could have given up at any of these junctures. They seemed to have too big of obstacles to overcome. But they hung tough and won the division. Their reward was hosting the Cincinnati Reds to start the NLDS. In a best-of-five series, the Giants lost the first two games to the Reds.

They now knew that they had to win three straight in Cincinnati to rally and advance past the Reds. That is just way they did. When catcher Buster Posey hit his grand slam in Game 5, it felt like it was all over. He truly showed why he is one of the favorites to win the NL MVP.

In the NLCS, the St. Louis Cardinals came out strong and took a three games to one lead over the Giants. The Giants knew they would need to win three in a row to stay alive and advance once again. In Game 5, they were forced to give the ball to much maligned veteran pitcher Barry Zito. Zito though was lights out and propelled his team to pull off three straight wins. In Game 7, the Giants offense exploded for nine runs in their shutout win to advance to the World Series.

In Game 1 of the World Series, few people gave the Giants a chance against Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Verlander had been dominant all postseason, but the Giants got five earned runs off of him and chased him after only four innings of work. The Giants never looked back, winning the game 9-3.

In Game 2, the Giants gave the ball to a struggling Madison Bumgarner. In his first two starts of the postseason, he had an ERA of 11.52. But in the World Series, he throws seven scoreless innings, giving up just two hits, while striking out 8. The Giants won the game 2-0.

The series now shifted to Detroit. The Giants' Game 3 starter was 35-year-old journeyman Ryan Vogelsong. Vogelsong and Lincecum combined for eight scoreless innings. Closer Sergio Romo came in and closed out his second game in a row.

Looking to complete the sweep in style, the Giants took the Game 4 lead 3-2 on a Posey solo home run in the top of the sixth inning. But the Tigers designated hitter Delmon Young tied up the score again in the bottom half of the inning with a solo homer of his own. The score remained 3-3 heading into extra innings.

To lead off the top of the 10th inning, designated hitter Ryan Theriot hit a bloop single to right field for a base hit. Shortstop Brandon Crawford sacrificed Theriot over to second. The next batter, center fielder Angel Pagan, struck out for the second out. This brought second baseman Marco Scutaro to the plate with a man on second and two outs. On a 3-1 pitch, Scutaro singled to center and Theriot slide into home for the leading run.

Looking to protect a 4-3 lead, Romo came into to close out his third save in as many games. Romo dominated the Tigers first two batters, center fielder Austin Jackson and pinch hitter Don Kelly, and struck them both out on his lethal slider. This brought AL Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to the plate with the World Series on the line. With the count 2-2, Cabrera fouled off a slider. He had to be waiting on another one with the next pitch because Romo's 89 mph fastball right down the middle froze Cabrera for a called strike three.

The Giants were World Series champions for the second time in three years. They did as a team and with some of the unlikeliest of heroes. Theriot, who scored the game-winning run, made his first start of the postseason in Game 4. Scutaro, who had the game-winning RBI, was an under-the-radar mid-season acquisition. Romo, who closed out the Giants last three wins of the World Series, was the team's third pitcher to assume the role of closer the team this season.

The Giants weren't the likeliest of World Series champions at any point this season. However, in the end, they played team baseball and stepped up when they needed to. As legendary baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, "The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination." The Giants showed their determination throughout the season and now are World Series champions as a result.

Sandoval's Historic Performance Gives Giants Momentum

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval's historic three-homer performance could be the crucial series changer. (Doug Pensinger)

Very few people gave the San Francisco Giants much of a chance in the World Series prior to it's beginning. Even fewer gave them any hope of winning Game 1 with Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander on the mound.

"A Tigers sweep is likely," a knowledgeable baseball source told me this afternoon. I shook my head. These Giants never lay down and give up. They fought back and beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. Why couldn't they at least battle in the World Series?

As it turns out, there was one Giants player who particularly believed in his team and wanted to show it right away. Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs in his first three at-bats of Game 1, including two off of Verlander.

Sandoval became just the fourth player in MLB history to hit three home runs in a World Series game, joining legends Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols. The fact that two of the homers came off Verlander make the performance even more incredible.

In the first inning, Sandoval got an 0-2 fastball that was elevated from Verlander. However, he managed to get his bat up to it and cranked out a line drive 421 feet to center. How unlikely was this home run? According to ESPN, Verlander had not given up a 0-2 home run all season and only four in his entire career.

Sandoval's second plate appearance came in the third inning. After giving up a second run, Verlander threw two changeups in the dirt to Sandoval. This brought Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones out for a quick mound visit. Verlander's next pitch was a fastball on the outside corner. Sandoval connected and drove it just into the left field bleachers. His opposite-field power was on full display.

In the fifth inning, Sandoval now faced Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque. The 1-1 slider was almost in the dirt, but Sandoval decided to swing. He golfed into a beautiful arching homer into the center field crowd. Later on, Sandoval did add a single to finish the Giants 8-3 win 4-for-4 with three homers and four RBIs.

One of the amazing things about Sandoval's performance is none of the pitches his home runs came off were bad pitches. In fact, two of the three pitchers were out of the strike zone. The homers were simply pure strokes of genius by the man they call Kung Fu Panda.

With a performance like this and the fact that Giants are still at home, momentum is fully with the hosts. Their rolling offense will look to keep their strong play going against the Tigers' Doug Fister. The Giants will look to get starter Madison Bumgarner going. The lefty has struggled this postseason, but claims to be ready to turn things around when it matters most.

If the Giants go on to win the World Series, we will know that Sandoval's performance played a significant role in the outcome. What is certain is that folks will be talking about Kung Fu Panda's incredible night of work for a very long time.

World Series Game 1 Preview and Prediction

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander has waited eight days to make his World Series Game 1 start. (Danny Moloshok)

World Series Game 1 - Detroit Tigers @ San Francisco Giants
Wednesday October 24 - 8:00 PM EST, FOX

Starting Pitchers

Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers - Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball. I don't care what anyone else has to say. He is capable of getting it done in different ways. In his two playoff starts against the Oakland Athletics, he struck out 11 batters in both games. However, when he faced the New York Yankees in the ALCS, he only stuck out three. Verlander rarely has a bad outing and seems to always last deep into ball games to help out his far from rock solid bullpen.

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants - Zito has been around baseball for a long time. His tumultuous ups-and-downs are well known among baseball fans and experts alike. Zito is ten years removed from his Cy Young campaign, but he is pitching like his vintage self as of late. In a must-win Game 5 of the NLCS, Zito came out and threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings, shutting down a previously red hot St. Louis Cardinals offense. If he is able to pitch anything like that in Game 1, we could be in for a very low scoring ball game.

Why Each Team Will Win

Tigers - They are well-rested and focused coming into the game and know the task set before them. They have the best pitcher in baseball starting the game. Their lineup is loaded and features one of the best one-two punches in baseball in Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. They also benefit from being fresher and healthier.

Giants - They have been playing everyday and their offense showed it's ready after beating the Cardinals 9-0 in Game 7. They have a long stretch of winning games with Zito on the mound, so that only has to help their confidence. They also benefit from the fact that the Tigers bullpen has been very shaky, especially closer Jose Valverde.

Prediction

Tigers 3 Giants 2 - It's just too hard to pick against Verlander here. He has been so dominant this postseason. I believe that Cabrera or Fielder will come up with a decisive hit late. My only concern is that if Verlander doesn't throw a complete game, I am not nearly as confident that Valverde or whoever else can close out the win.

Giants and Athletics Win to Live Another Day

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Brett Anderson threw six scoreless innings of two-hit ball. (Ezra Shaw)

October baseball is in the air folks. When it's the playoff, it ain't over until the fat lady sings. Neither the San Francisco Giants or Oakland have heard any singing as of yet. Both trailing 2-0 in a best of five series, they both won a must-win Game 3 to force at least one more game. My blog post recaps both teams' Game 3 performances.

Giants 2 Reds 1 (Final in 10)

The Reds had no problems scoring runs in the first two games in San Francico. However, at home, they found themselves in a pitcher's duel in Game 3. The Reds did get on the board first in the opening inning. Right fielder singled to right to allow shortstop Zack Cozart to score, making it 1-0. The Giants got the run back in the third inning. Center fielder Angel Pagan hit a fly ball deep enough in center to plate left fielder Gregor Blanco.

Those were the only runs surrended by the starting pitchers on the mound.  Giants veteran right-hander Ryan Vogelsong allowed only three hits in five innings of work, before being lifted for a pinch hitter. The Reds countered with Homer Bailey, who was absolutely superb. In seven innings of work, he allowed just one hit, while striking out 10 Giants batters. Both bullpens pitched excellently as well. This meant we were headed to extra innings tied 1-1.

In the top of the 10th inning, the Giants had men on second and third with two outs. Up to bat for the second time was backup shortstop Joaquin Arias. He hit a slow ground ball down the third base line. The home crowd to see what would happen at first base. As it turned out, that didn't matter because Reds veteran third baseman Scott Rolen bobbled the ball, giving Arias enough time to beat the throw to first base.

In the bottom half of the frame, Giants reliever Sergio Romo shut the door on the game with a 1-2-3 inning. Game 4 will be tomorrow afternoon at 4:07 pm EST.

Athletics 2 Tigers 0

Trailing the Tigers two games to none, the Athletics wasted no time getting their offense on the board early. In the bottom of the first, Coco Crisp lead off with a single. He was followed by shortstop Stephen Dew, who walked to bring rookie left fielder Yoenis Cespedes to the plate in a dangerous situation. Cespedes singled to center, but it was only enough to score one run.

On the mound for the Athletics, starting pitcher Brett Anderson was dominating the Tigers lineup. He worked six strong innings, allowing just two hits on only 80 pitches thrown. The home side added an insurance run in the fifth inning when designated hitter Seth Scott hit a solo shot to deep center to make the lead 2-0.

Unlike in Game 2, the A's bullpen was back to it's masterful ways. Ryan Cook threw a scoreless seventh inning. Sean Doolittle struck out the side in the eighth. Closer Grant Balfour wasted little time in the ninth. He induced Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder to ground in to a game-ending double play.

The Athletics got the job done when they needed to. Game 4 will be tomorrow night at 9:37 pm EST.

MLB Postseason Preview & Predictions

In Friday's AL Wild Card Game, the Orioles will rely on newly acquired starting pitcher Joe Saunders. (Ben Margot)

For each of the ten playoff teams, 162 games are in the books. Two of the teams will only play one more game. Others wait to find out where they will play their next game. Regardless, I am going to go ahead and predict what I think is going to happen for the entire postseason. Call me crazy if you wish, but what do I have to lose.

AL Wild Card Game - Baltimore Orioles @ Texas Rangers - Friday, 8:37 PM EST, TBS

This is a very difficult pick because you don't know what you will get with either team. The Orioles are a young, inexperienced team that must go on the road to play in a high intensity atmosphere. They will turn newly acquired Joe Saunders on the mound. He has pitched well as of late, but has struggled badly against the Rangers in his career. Speaking of the Rangers, they lost nine of their last thirteen games to put themselves in this situation. They will give the ball to rookie Yu Darvish. He been very good lately as well, but will be making his postseason debut.

Prediction: Rangers 3 Orioles 1

NL Wild Card Game - St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves - Friday, 5:07 PM EST, TBS

For much of the season, people wondered if the Cardinals would have a chance to defend their status as reigning World Series Champions. They turned it on at the right time in the season to earn the NL's second wild card spot. They will turn to Kyle Lohse to the decisive game. If you told me before the season that Lohse would finish the regular season with a 16-3 record and an ERA of 2.86, I would have told you that you were absolutely crazy, but that is exactly he has accomplished. The Braves successfully avoided the meltdown they experienced last year when they missed the playoffs. They will have Kris Medlen on the mound. While this may seem like an interesing choice, the Braves haven't lost one of his starts in over two years.

Prediction: Braves 5 Cardinals 2

AL Divisional Series - New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers - Begins October 7

Since I have already talked about the Rangers, I will focus on the Yankees here. With the Orioles in hot pursuit, the Yankees had to be superb baseball to remain in first. Second baseman Robinson Cano is one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Raul Ibanez has added some clutch hits. The Yankees pitching has improved lately as well.

Prediction: Yankees 3-1

AL Divisional Series - Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers - Begins October 6

How about them Athletics? In the stretch of three months, they have gone from 13 games out to winning the AL West. Without any real superstars and the lowest AL payroll. The Tigers held off the Chicago White Sox to win the AL Central. They must now look for a way to slow done the Athletics for one game.

Prediction: Tigers 3-2

NL Divisional Series - Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves - Begins October 7

Since the Braves have already been discussed, the focal point is here to look at the Nationals. Their magical season has earned their team home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. A balanced offense is pushed by a talented pitching staff, lead by Gio Gonzalez.

Prediction: Nationals 3-2

NL Divisional Series - Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants - Begins October 6

The Reds have simply played balanced baseball this season. A mostly consistent pitching staff and reliable lineup allow them to easily win the NL Central. The Giants have had their share of ups and downs this season. While certain players have struggled and are no longer available, others have stepped up to fill their holes.

Prediction: Giants 3-2

AL Conference Series - New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers - Begins October 13

While the Tigers may have better individual players, such as Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, I believe that the Yankees are the better team from top to bottom.

Prediction: Yankees 4-2

NL Conference Series - Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants - Begins October 14

The main difference in this matchup is experience. How much of factor does it play? With a matchup this close, I've decided to use that as my deciding factor.

Prediction: Giants 4-2

World Series - New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants - Begins October 24

This would be an excellent matchup in all aspects of the game. When it comes down to separating the two sides, I believe that the Yankees have more depth in their lineup and pitching staff.

Prediction: Yankees 4-1

Bottomline: I am predicting the New York Yankees to win the World Series.

Teagarden's Walk-Off Home Run Lifts Orioles Over Tigers

Taylor Teagarden's first hit as a Baltimore Oriole was a walk-off home run that propelled the Orioles 8-6 over the Tigers. (AP Photo)

It seemed to be just another Saturday afternoon at Camden Yards. The Baltimore Orioles were hosting to the Detroit Tigers in the second of three-game set. However, from the first pitch on, it became abundantly clear that neither of these teams wanted to lose.

Scoring started right away in the first inning. In the top of the frame, first baseman Prince Fielder doubled home center fielder Austin Jackson to give the Tigers the 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, the Orioles leveled the score when designated hitter Jim Thome doubled home Nick Markakis.

The Orioles offense took the lead in the second inning when second baseman Robert Andino connected on a two-run home run off Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer. The O's added another run in the third inning. Scherzer lasted only five innings, giving up four runs on on nine hits. His counterpart, Wei-Yin Chen, gave up just the one run in six innings of work for the Orioles.

The Orioles took their 4-1 lead into the ninth inning. They gave the ball to their All-Star closer Jim Johnson. Third baseman Miguel Cabrera started off the inning with a single for the Tigers. Johnson induced a fly ball out of Fielder. The next batter was the designated hitter Delmon Young who hit a ground ball to Orioles third baseman Ryan Flaherty. A costly error by Flaherty allowed both runners to be safe.

Next, Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta singled home Cabrera to trim the Orioles lead to 4-2. A double by right fielder Brandon Boesch scored Young to make it a 4-3 game. Johnson struck out pinch-hitter Alex Avila  to make it two outs. Left fielder Quintin Berry singled to left field. Pinch runner Danny Worth scored to tie the game, but Boesch was thrown out at home by Endy Chavez.

The Orioles failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, which meant we were headed to extra innings. In the top of the 11th, Avila singled home Young to give the Tigers the 5-4 lead. The Orioles had an answer when center fielder Adam Jones singled to score Markakis to level the score once again.

In the top of the 13th, the Tigers took the lead again on a RBI single by Berry. The Orioles responded again in the bottom half of the frame. Shortstop J.J. Hardy crushed a solo shot off Tigers reliever Joaquin Benoit to tie the score 6-6. With two outs in the inning, Jones was hit by a pitch. Backup catcher Taylor Teagarden was up to bat next. Teagarden got a hold of a pitch from Benoit, and it went out for a two-run, walk-off home run.

Teagarden was the unlikeliest of heroes. He had just been activated from the 60-day disabled list Saturday morning. In his first game as a Baltimore Oriole, Teagarden didn't even expect to play. He only came in the game as a defensive replacement after star catcher Matt Weiters was pinch run for in the 10th inning. Teagarden's first hit as an Oriole turned out to be a walk-off.

The Orioles seem to love extra innings. They have now won ten straight games that have gone to extras. In fact, their 31 extra-inning wins since 2010 are the most of an team in the majors. For Teagarden, it was a dramatic debut. It doesn't get much better than having your first hit with a new ball club be a walk-off home run.

Indians and Reds Complete Home Sweeps

Indians closer Chris Perez celebrates another save. (David Richard)

The Cleveland Indians don't care how many people come to watch them play. Right now, they are too busy winning. This afternoon the Indians completed a sweep of their division rival Detroit Tigers. Today's game featured a pitchers duel between Tigers ace Justin Verlander and Indians young stud Justin Masterson. Verlander only gave up a solo home run to Shin-Soo Choo and a RBI single to Jose Lopez in eight innings of work, but he only got limited support from a floundering Tigers offense. Masterson didn't dominant the Tigers (gave up five hits and had five walks), but he limited the damage, only allowing one run. He gave the 2-1 lead to setup man Vinnie Pestano, who earned his 12th hold of the season. Closer Chris Perez shut the door in the ninth, picking up his 16th save of the season. After criticizing the Indians' fans, Perez backed up his talk with a perfect save in each of the three games in the series. Winners of eight of their last ten, the first-place Indians (26-18) now have a 3 1/2-game lead over the White Sox and a 6-game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central.

Rookie Devin Mesoraco hits first career grand slam. (Al Behrman)

The Cincinnati Reds powered their way to a sweep of the Atlanta Braves. In their series opener, the Reds hit four solo home runs, including three in a row, to win 4-1. During Tuesday night's 4-3 win, Brandon Phillips went yard twice and had three RBIs. Last night, Todd Frazier hit a walk-off solo shot to propel the Reds to the 2-1 win. Tonight's finale saw rookie catcher Devin Mesoraco cap the series sweep off in style. The Reds were down 2-1 in the sixth, but had the bases loaded. That's when Mesoraco connected for his first career grand slam. The Reds pitching definitely deserves credit as well. They held the Braves to only eight runs in the four-game series. The Reds closer-by-committee worked to perfection. Sean Marshall, Arolids Chapman, and Logan Ondrusek each picked by a hold and a save during the sweep. The Reds (25-19) now have won six games in a row, which puts them in first place in the NL Central following a loss by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Two Ohio teams completed home sweeps tonight. Both are unexpectedly in first place in their respective divisions, but absolutely deserve it. They are playing complete team baseball. It will be interesting to see if they can keep it going the rest of the season.

Cabrera and Fielder Show Why They are a Dangerous Duo

When the Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder, everyone knew that this catastrophically changed their lineup. They not only gave Miguel Cabrera lineup protection, but paired him one of the best power hitters in baseball. Teams are going to be stressing about how to get through these two monsters all season. One player that clearly hasn't figured out how yet is Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett.

Beckett was on the mound for the Red Sox against the Tigers. Cabrera greeted him with a 426 foot, two run bomb. Fielder showed he could hit home runs too when he hit his first of the season in the 4th inning. In the 5th inning, Cabrera and Fielder decided to light up Beckett again with back-to-back solo shots. Also, in case you were wondering, catcher Alex Avila blasted another two-run bomb in the 4th. Beckett left after just 4 and 2/3 innings, having given up seven earned runs on five home runs.

As an opposing team, that kind of power threat is scary. You can't really intentionally walk both of them, without getting burned somehow. I guess you just have to try and limit the damage the best you can. For the Tigers, this is the kind of breakout performance they expected from their stars to begin the season. Having both Cabrera and Fielder at the heart of their lineup, makes the Tigers' offense very formidable. It is going to be a challenge for any pitchers who dare to try and tame these wild Tigers who are hungry for power.

The Fresh Prince of Detroit

Last season, the AL Central Division Champion Detroit Tigers made it all the way to the American League Championship. This was mainly behind consistent hitting and phenomenal pitching by AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. The Tigers seemed poise to make another run again this season, until a week ago when they got some tough news. Victor Martinez, the team's second best hitter, had torn his left ACL during offseason training and would likely miss the entire season. Many thought the Tigers would try to find a solution internally, but clearly team ownership decided this team had a chance to win now. So they spent money, a lot of it, on the best free agent hitter available, Prince Fielder. Fielder signed a nine-year, $214 million deal to join the Tigers.

The signing was a very unexpected one because Fielder plays first base and the Tigers all ready have one of the best hitters in the game at first base in Miguel Cabrera. However, Cabrera has already announced that he will be the team's third baseman, which was his original position when he came to the majors. The combination of Fielder and Cabrera give the Tigers what is considered to be, in most eyes, the best 3-4 hitting duo in baseball. While playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Fielder hit for a .299 average with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs last season. Cabrera had a .344 average with 30 home runs and 105 RBIs.

Did the Tigers overpay for Fielder? Yes, they did, but they got the best hitter available, and he is a very good one at that. The Tigers obviously think they have a shot at the World Series this season. Do they? I would say yes, but this doesn't necessarily make them the favorites. Remember what happened to the Boston Red Sox last year. Enough said. This is a nice move for the Tigers, but we are going have to see how this plays out because nine years is a long time.