Tigers a Lock as World Series Champions
Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE
The Detroit Tigers look so unbeatable, they made the overpaid New York Yankees look like a Triple-A team reeling from season-long injuries. And they’re not done.
Buoyed by Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers boast one of the team’s best offenses in the game. And it sure looks like it’s going to carry them to a World Series championship.
In the playoffs thus far, the team has a combined .254 batting average, the best out of the remaining three teams in the playoffs. They are currently led by Jhonny Peralta, who leads the team in hitting (.333) and has a very respectable .375 on-base percentage. Then comes Cabrera, who, by all respects, is one of the scariest bats in the league. While his postseason numbers might not indicate it just yet (.290/.389/.387), he was near the top of the league in almost every offensive category and will remain the biggest threat in the World Series.
Delmon Young has also been a surprise for the ball club. The 26-year-old outfielder has blasted two home runs and knocked in seven runs in the eight games they’ve played in the postseason so far. His ability to put up clutch hits in the most dire of circumstances led the Tigers pass the upstart Oakland Athletics in the first round of the playoffs.
The Tigers bats are backed with their pitching, which is not to be taken lightly. In fact, the team has compiled a majestic 1.83 ERA in eight games with a post-season-best .189 batting average against mark and a 0.99 WHIP. Detroit’s ace Justin Verlander has been the hot commodity in these playoffs, posting an almost un-hittable 0.74 ERA in three starts. His batting average against percentage is at an astounding .122 with 25 strikeouts.
Just behind Verlander are Doug Fisher and Anibal Sanchez, who have both earned an impressive 1.35 ERA in 13 and 1/3 innings. They simply have the best three starters in the postseason between all three teams.
It still remains to be seen whether the Tigers will face the San Francisco Giants or the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, but it won’t matter. The Tigers have the all-around production that no flare for the dramatics can withstand (both teams came from behind in their division series).
The Giants pitching staff has been rattled with Barry Zito and Madison Bumgarner struggling in their latest starts, while their offense is even worse. In the eight games so far, they are hitting an ugly post-season worst .224 batting average and a .198 with runners in scoring position. It makes you think how they got this far in the first place.
The Cardinals are not much better. Their pitching remains susceptible to big games (i.e. Chris Carpenter’s ghastly Game 2 performance vs. the Giants). They’ve accumulated a pedestrian 2.89 average as a team, but have mustered a more than respectable .408 slugging percentage, which has carried them throughout the playoffs.
Still, the Tigers look unbeatable on paper. Two starts from Verlander and a Triple Crown winner in that same lineup gives all the more reason to side with Detroit in the World Series. But for the sake of baseball, let’s hope the National League team can put up a fight.
