Tigers vs. Giants: Bold Predictions for Fantastic World Series Matchup

The amazing San Francisco Giants are going to be 2012 World Series champions. This team is on a roll with a clutch factor that is off the charts, and they will take care of business by beating the Detroit Tigers. 

It will be an exciting series, and it will not be quick. Here is how I see it playing out. 

Justin Verlander Will Dominate

Verlander has been so amazing in this postseason that I'm not sure this really qualifies as a bold prediction. Nonetheless, I am calling for 15-plus innings over two games of shutout baseball. 

So far in this postseason, Verlander has a 3-0 record in 24.1 innings pitched with a 0.74 ERA and 0.62 WHIP. To go with those numbers, he has struck out 25 batters to just five walks.

The reigning MVP is set to start in Game 1 and will likely hit the hill again in Game 5. Should the series go seven, it is safe to expect Verlander to be ready in the pen, and he will mow down the Giants every chance he gets. 

The Giants will take on the Tigers' ace with next to no experience against him. Verlander has never faced the Giants in his career, so many of San Francisco's hitters will be seeing him for the first time, and that is clearly a daunting task.

The few Giants who have faced Verlander—like Marco Scutaro, who is batting .200 (5-for-25) against him—have had little success. This is not counting Pablo Sandoval's triple in the All-Star game, which is a big part of the reason why the Giants have home-field advantage. It is safe to say Sandoval will see a far more accurate Verlander this time around.  

Tigers' Pen Will Cost Them

Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde has forgotten how to pitch. Just ask his 27.00 ERA in this postseason. 

Phil Coke performed fantastically while filling the closer void to help finish off the Yankees, but this depletes the depth of the Detroit pen, and who knows how long Coke can keep that hot hand rolling.  

That didn't hurt them in the ALCS as the starters were incredible. However, the Yankees' offensive struggles made life easy on them, and the Giants lineup, in contrast, has caught fire. 

Detroit will need more from its pen, but it is not going to get it. 

Jim Leyland now has the choice of trusting Valverde and throwing him to the wolves, or give the rest of his pen an increased role, and that is a bullpen which was already having issues even when Valverde was mowing down batters to earn 35 saves in 40 attempts in the regular season. 

In other words, there is no attractive option for Leyland and it will cost his team everything in this series. 

Giants Win in 6

Baseball players are creatures of habit. These guys play night in and night out. Position players rarely have more than two days off in a row, and pitchers typically perform in clearly defined roles.

The Tigers routine has been shattered. 

By virtue of their sweep of the Yankees, the Tigers enter this series with the luxury of rest, giving them the ability to set up their staff exactly how they want.

However, is that really an advantage? The Tigers had a similar amount of rest in their 2006 World Series against the Cardinals. They played sloppy baseball and they were watching the Cardinals celebrate as champions just five games later.

Also, check out this stat brought to us by the Associated Press' Ben Walker: Three other World Series have featured a matchup with a team that swept their LCS vs. a team that needed seven games to advance. All three times, the team that went seven took the series. 

And the Giants will do so in this one. They will ride their hot bats and clutch play to a victory over a Tigers team that is trying to get their groove back.