2012 World Series: Rested Tigers and Tested Giants Meet in Game 1

Date/Time: Wed, Oct 24 / 08:00:00 PM ET, AT&T Park, San Francisco, California

Here we go again. We had an unpredictable MLB season, and now it’s time to crown a champion. Baseball fans are longing for action.  Teams have everything at stake.  A highly dramatic postseason is about to culminate, and the best two squads in the Major League are set to battle in the biggest series of the season.

Today, the World Series makes its return to the Bay Area for Game 1; two years after the Giants won their first championship since relocating to San Francisco in 1958.

The 108th edition of the Fall Classic kicks off this Wednesday at AT&T Park, and despite having a combined total of 30 World Series appearances, this is the first time the Detroit Lions and San Francisco Giants meet in the Fall Classic. Now, the National League Champion, the San Francisco Giants, eye their second World Series title in three years, while the AL Champs, the Detroit Tigers, try to clinch their first Major League title since 1984.

Speaking about San Francisco, the Giants enter the series following one of the most intense Divisional and Championship series in the history of the MLB. The team became the first franchise in NL history to rally back from a 0-2 deficit to win the Division Series with a five-game win over the Cincinnati Reds. Then, San Francisco was able to put together what many thought was an improbable comeback.  After a long and excruciating championship series against the 2011 World Series Champs, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Giants won the NL Title thanks to a 3 game rally that closed with a 9-0 victory in Game 7.

Detroit has been idle since completing a four-game sweep over the New York Yankees in the ALCS last Thursday. But while the time off could be interpreted as beneficial for the team, The Tigers know that having some free days between rounds of the playoffs isn’t always a good thing. In 2006 Detroit swept the A's in the American League Championship League, had six days off before playing the Cardinals in the World Series.  The result wasn’t positive for the Tigers, who had home-field advantage in the Series due to the AL's 3–2 win over the NL in the All-Star Game. The Cardinals won the championship four games to one and outscored Detroit 22-11, making this the first five-game series since the Yankees–Mets Series in 2000.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Justin Verlander (3-0, 0.74 ERA) vs. Giants LH Barry Zito (1-0, 1.74)

Tigers’ opener, JustinVerlander will try to remain perfect this postseason. In his first three starts, Verlander allowed 10 hits and two runs over 24 1/3 innings with five walks and 25 strikeouts. The 29-year-old right hander was less than impressive in his first World Series, going 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts against St. Louis in 2006. Verlander's lone career outing against the Giants came on June 16, 2008, when he yielded three runs - two earned - and five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts in a no-decision.

San Francisco will send veteran Barry Zito to the mound. Zito became a vital piece for San Francisco on Game 5 of the NLCS, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings against St. Louis, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out six and delivering an RBI bunt single. Zito, who was kept off San Francisco's postseason roster during its run to the 2010 world championship, is 8-6 with a 2.91 ERA in 16 career starts against the Tigers.

2012 World Series Game 1 Odds:
Detroit Tigers: -1.5-110, ML -166
San Francisco Giants: +1.5-110, ML +156
Game Total: 6.5, o/-120, u/EV

Current odds on MLB show the Tigers listed as favorite to win Game 1 at -1.5 runs. The Tigers and Giants haven’t played since an inter-league series in July, 2011. The Giants won two of the three games. While Verlander didn’t pitch, Zito did and blanked Detroit over six innings in getting the victory.

Here's the official 2012 World Series schedule (All Eastern Standard Times):

Game 1: Detroit at San Francisco – Wed. Oct. 24 – AT&T Park – 8:00 p.m.
Game 2: Detroit at San Francisco – Thu. Oct. 25 – AT&T Park – 8:00 p.m.
Game 3: San Francisco at Detroit – Sat. Oct. 27 – Comerica Park – 8:00 p.m.
Game 4: San Francisco at Detroit – Sun. Oct. 28 – Comerica Park – 8:00 p.m.
Game 5: San Francisco at Detroit – Mon. Oct. 29 – Comerica Park – 8:00 p.m.
Game 6: Detroit at San Francisco – Wed. Oct. 31 – AT&T Park – 8:00 p.m.
Game 7: Detroit at San Francisco – Thu. Nov. 1 – AT&T Park – 8:00 p.m.

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