The Detroit News
SAN FRANCISCO -- As rude awakenings go, this was as rude as it gets. The World Series wasn't even an inning old when the Tigers found trouble, and then more trouble, and then even more.
It was supposed to be Justin Verlander's show, but he was reduced to a prop for the Giants and their big-popping star, Pablo Sandoval. The Giant they call Kung Fu Panda put the Tigers in a bear hug and kept squeezing, clubbing three home runs as the Giants rolled to an 8-3 victory.
These were the Tigers' worst fears wrapped in an orange-swaddled bundle. Verlander was hit harder than ever, and the Giants hit everything, even the third-base bag for a wacky, game-altering double. Just about everybody took a shot at Verlander, who didn't make it past the fourth inning after giving up an RBI single to, gasp, opposing pitcher Barry Zito.
So now what? The series is just getting under way and a lot can change in a hurry, but this was alarming, the Giants in all their gory glory. Jim Leyland sends another tough starter, Doug Fister, to the mound tonight against Madison Bumgarner, and that should be a pitching edge for Detroit. Then again, this should've been a significant pitching edge, but the left-hander Zito was at his baffling best, turning Tigers hitters into their flailing worst.
The Tigers entered Game 1 fully armed, their ace on the mound, and exited with Panda tracks all over their backs. When they were installed as solid
Time to update the conversation, and recognize the Giants have some crazy good times rolling. They're scrappy, they're pesky and they'll beat you any which way.
Here it was in the first inning, with baseball America just settling in, with Verlander primed to show off his postseason power. And there it went, the first home run by Sandoval that sent the crowd into absolute delirium.
The party was on in the ballpark by the bay and the Tigers weren't stopping anything. This is the one thing that couldn't happen -- or wasn't supposed to happen. The Giants were last in the majors in home runs, but Sandoval walloped a fat mistake, the first homer allowed by Verlander on an 0-2 pitch all year. Sandoval launched his second blast two innings later and suddenly the Tigers were looking very dispirited.
Sandoval missed 53 games in the regular season with an assortment of injuries, but his three-homer show was only the fifth in World Series history. He's been an absolute bear in these playoffs, and not the cuddly Panda type. So has Marco Scutaro, scruffy symbol of the Giants' comeback surge, and he slapped an RBI single. That came in the third inning, moments after Angel Pagan's slow grounder caromed off the third-base bag and bounced away from Miguel Cabrera for a two-out double.
It was a break, no doubt, but it only became a huge break because the Giants kept hitting. It was astonishing how soundly they rocked Verlander, who gave up six hits and five runs, and threw a taxing 98 pitches in four innings. Not counting rain-delayed games, it matched his shortest outing since 2009.
And oh did the crowd enjoy it. Just below the open-air press box, a heavy guy in a loud shirt yelled, "Ooooohhh, I thought Verlander was unstoppable!"
He pretty much was, until now. Again and again, the orange-towel-waving fans leaped to their feet, and again and again, the Giants made spectacular plays. After Cabrera knocked in a run in the sixth with a single, a rally seemed to be brewing. Then Prince Fielder sliced a liner to left and Gregor Blanco made his second diving, sliding catch of the game.
It kept getting worse for the Tigers. Erstwhile closer Jose Valverde finally made an appearance, entering in the seventh facing a 6-1 deficit. He gave up four hits and two runs in one-third of an inning, and it's hard to see a situation where Leyland can use him again.
If this opponent looks vaguely familiar to Tigers fans, it's understandable. The Giants play like the team across San Francisco Bay, the Oakland A's, who battled the Tigers to the bitter end in the ALDS, before Verlander finally finished them off.
This Giants group will be tougher, with its terrific bullpen and its disciplined hitters. If you're looking for a bizarre possible omen, Verlander began the Oakland series by surrendering a first-inning home run to Coco Crisp, then followed with 23 straight scoreless innings.
The setup for this series was a bit strange. The Tigers opened on the road primarily because Verlander was rocked in the first inning of the All-Star Game, giving the NL home-field advantage. If Giants fans only saw Verlander in first innings, they probably wondered what all the fuss was about.
It's as if the Giants and Tigers switched city identities. The Tigers came in as the glamour team -- like the glamorous San Francisco -- packed with stars, none bigger than Verlander. The Giants were branded the blue-collar team -- like the city of Detroit -- with aging players such as Zito and Scutaro reliving past glory and launching a comeback revival.
The Tigers need the comeback now, desperate to put a stop to a Giants team that rolls once it gets started. Verlander and the Tigers never got started in Game 1, and the Panda finished them early. Troubling signs everywhere, and if the Tigers plan to put the big bear down, they'll have to bear down much, much better than this.
Copyright 2012 San Jose Mercury News. All rights reserved.
