Major League Baseball has finally reached the pinnacle as the World Series Game 1 begins tonight. The World Series Game 1 start time is set for an 8:00 pm start time and it will be televised nationally on FOX. Currently the odds for the game have the Tigers favored.
Nearly every online and Las Vegas sportsbook has the Detroit Tigers favored to win the World Series. In what should be a very good series between great clubs, the team from the Motor City has been tabbed as the team to beat in baseball's final seven games. Prior to the beginning of the season the Tigers were the sexy pick to win the World Series after a great off-season. Now, after having played the entire season and motoring through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Tigers and Giants face off in a battle of cross-country teams.
Detroit ace Justin Verlander gets the ball for the club tonight. He's arguably the best pitcher in baseball but has never had a start in San Fransisco. Barry Zito gets the start for the Giants in this one. He's had a resurgence in his career this season, winning 15 games for the Giants. He has to be the Game 1 starter because San Fransisco had to push it to the limit in the National League Championship Series, which just ended on Monday night.
While Detroit had five days off after clinching the American League Championship Series, the Giants have basically only a single day off. Tigers' players have some mixed emotions about having the days off, but overall the team doesn't seem to care too much. In Detroit's last trip to the World Series in 2006, the Tigers also had quite a few days off but many felt that beating the Yankees took too much out of the Motor City Cats. This time around, it seems as if the team has a different frame of mind and is taking this series as all business.
The Giants have had an interesting post season, coming back from an 0-2 hole in the divisional series over the Reds and a 1-3 series hole in the NLCS to the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. That's five must-win games in only a couple of weeks. Three times the World Series has matched a team that went to Game 7 in the LCS against an American League team that swept its series. In all three instances, the team coming off a Game 7 won the World Series.
Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are poised to pick up at least one win in San Fran, pushing the series back to Detroit with a chance for the Tigers to clinch. Fielder is just 3 for 18 against Zito while Cabrera is 2 of 8. Current Tigers hitters have just a .234 average against Zito. Verlander has held current Giants hitters to a .213 average in 75 plate appearances.
These two teams have never met in the postseason, they've played only 12 times in interleague play. This is only the 4th World Series Game 1 to feature two pitchers who had previously won a Cy Young Award in their career with Zito wining in 2002 and Verlander winning last season.
Verlander is a dominant pitcher, probably the most dominant in baseball today. We think that the off time for the Tigers is actually going to help the squad. The benefit for the Giants is obviously not having to travel after winning Game 7 at home on Monday night, but we think Verlander is going to overpower them tonight. We expect big things from the Detroit offense tonight as well.
Free Pick: Detroit 6, Giants 1
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