Matchups favor the Tigers
DETROIT -- The 102d World Series favors the Detroit Tigers, but the 83-win St. Louis Cardinals have defied logic with playoff wins over San Diego and the New York Mets to land in the Fall Classic for the second time in three years.
The rematch of the 1968 World Series, in which the Tigers roared back from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the favored Cardinals, will pit arguably baseball's top two managers in Detroit's Jim Leyland and St. Louis's Tony La Russa. The skippers have lived up to their hype to get here, and should provide a tactically pleasing series.
The Tigers swept the Cardinals in a three-game interleague series in June, but that was then. Here's a look at how the teams match up now:
Starting lineups
1B: Carlos Guillen, Detroit vs. Albert Pujols (left), St. Louis
Pujols is the best player on the field so he's the hands-down winner here, but Guillen is a clutch hitter and a tough out. If Sean Casey can play first, Guillen will move back to shortstop. The Tigers probably won't give Pujols (6 for 12, 1 HR in their interleague series this season) much to hit, but the power arms in the bullpen could challenge him. It wouldn't be a shock to see Pujols held in check.
Edge: Cardinals
2B: Placido Polanco (left), Detroit vs. Ronnie Belliard, St. Louis
ALCS MVP Polanco (hitting .471 with a .514 OBP this postseason) is the trigger man for the Detroit offense. One of the toughest outs around. If he gets on base the Tigers, who were 13-21 when Polanco was out with a separated shoulder in late August and September, will be tough to beat. Belliard's a pretty good hitter who has underperformed, but is capable of hitting the long ball. The former Indian is only a career .205 hitter vs. the Tigers (and .252 at
Edge: Tigers
SS: Ramon Santiago, Detroit vs. David Eckstein (left), St. Louis
Defensively, Eckstein is steady as can be, but Santiago can be spectacular. Carlos Guillen will eventually move back to shortstop when Sean Casey is ready to play first base, but if the defensive alignment stays as is, the Tigers have a more pronounced advantage. Eckstein, banged up with bruised fingers and an ailing shoulder, takes a lot of pitches and makes starters go deep into the count. He can make things happen atop the St. Louis lineup.
Edge: Cardinals
3B: Brandon Inge, Detroit vs. Scott Rolen (left), St. Louis
If Rolen were healthy he'd be the hands-down winner because of his bat and Gold Glove defense. His shoulder woes have seemingly hampered both areas of his game, though his stroke showed signs of emerging late in the NLCS. Inge strikes out a lot (nine times in 27 postseason ABs) but you're not going to find a more dangerous No. 9 hitter. He also brings great energy and toughness.
Edge: Cardinals
C: Ivan Rodriguez (left), Detroit vs. Yadier Molina, St. Louis
Approaching 35, Rodriguez is still the best defensive catcher in the game. The work he's done with a young Tiger staff is off the charts, and he's a team leader. Although Molina, the hero of Game 7, is having a better postseason at the plate, Rodriguez is still the better offensive player. The cream should rise to the top. The Tigers might not take too many chances on the base paths with Molina's arm.
Edge: Tigers
LF: Craig Monroe (left), Detroit vs. Preston Wilson, St. Louis
Monroe is emerging as Detroit's biggest power threat with three homers and three doubles in the playoffs, after hitting 28 homers in the regular season. The Cardinals better be careful. As the season went on, Monroe became more selective and he isn't fooled by off-speed stuff as often as he was. Wilson, a late-season pickup by the Cardinals, is a proven veteran who plays his position well while providing some speed and power.
Edge: Tigers
CF: Curtis Granderson, Detroit vs. Jim Edmonds, St. Louis
Edmonds can still make the spectacular catch and be a force at the plate. It'll be interesting to see how the Tigers pitch to him because he can be overpowered with high fastballs. Granderson, who has three homers and seven RBIs in the postseason, is a dangerous hitter at the top of the order, but he did strike out 174 times in the regular season. He has excellent speed but isn't much of a base stealer.
Edge: Even
RF: Magglio Ordonez (left), Detroit vs. Juan Encarnacion, St. Louis
If Ordonez, the hero of the ALCS clincher, continues to be a potent and clutch hitter, the Tigers won't be beat. Ordonez, who has eight RBIs in the postseason, has to be Priority A for Cardinal pitchers. Encarnacion is an enigma. He should be better but is a solid outfielder who will do something above average once in a while.
Edge: Tigers
DH: Sean Casey (left), Detroit vs. Scott Spiezio, St. Louis
Leyland thinks Casey, a very good first baseman, might have to DH for the first two games as he recovers from his calf injury, but the Tigers manager also might use others in this spot, including Marcus Thames and Alexis Gomez. The Cardinals might also rotate DHs. Rookie Chris Duncan is a very good fastball hitter. Both teams have players well-suited for this spot.
Edge: Tigers
Starting pitchers
Detroit: RH Justin Verlander, LH Kenny Rogers, LH Nate Robertson, RH Jeremy Bonderman
St. Louis: RH Anthony Reyes, RH Jeff Weaver, RH Chris Carpenter, RH Jeff Suppan
Leyland has said a few times these playoffs that you "can't pull Sandy Koufax out of your back pocket." But Rogers (15 scoreless innings) has been Koufax-like. Rest might come into play here with the 41-year-old Rogers and the rookie Verlander, who is closing in on 200 innings this season. Carpenter is an ace anywhere, any time, and Suppan, the NLCS MVP, has been excellent this postseason. Everyone's waiting for Weaver to come back to earth and facing an AL lineup might do it. The Tigers' rotation is simply deeper and more rested.
Edge: Tigers
Bullpens
Detroit: LH Jamie Walker, LH Wilfredo Ledezma, RH Jason Grilli, RH Zach Miner, RH Fernando Rodney, RH Joel Zumaya (above), RH Todd Jones
St. Louis: LH Randy Flores, LH Tyler Johnson, RH Josh Hancock, RH Josh Kinney, RH Braden Looper, RH Brad Thompson, RH Adam Wainwright
The greatest benefit of the Tigers' rest was being able to nurse Zumaya's sore right wrist back to health. There's nobody else who throws 103 miles per hour. The Tigers are one of the few teams that don't get worse when their bullpen comes in. Veteran closer Jones has the experience over the 25-year-old Wainwright, but Tiger hitters could have problems with the rookie's curveball. The Tigers also have a nice combination of finesse and power in lefthanders Walker and Ledezma, and when you can bring in Rodney ahead of Zumaya and Jones, that's unmatched depth.
Edge: Tigers
Benches
Detroit: OF Alexis Gomez, INF Omar Infante, INF Neifi Perez, C Vance Wilson, OF Marcus Thames
St. Louis: C Gary Bennett, OF Chris Duncan, INF Aaron Miles, OF John Rodriguez, OF So Taguchi
NL teams are built to have better benches because they have to use them more often late in games. The Cardinals could use Spiezio, Duncan, or Taguchi (4 for 4 with 2 HRs 4 RBIs as a pinch hitter in the postseason) at DH. They appear to have a better chance of making an impact off the bench. The Tigers have less pop off the bench, but Gomez and Thames are capable of going deep.
Edge: Cardinals
Managers
Jim Leyland, Detroit vs. Tony La Russa, St. Louis
Two of the shrewdest managers in the game are best of friends to boot. Leyland has managed a masterful postseason and his game plans have been executed perfectly (his hunch of playing Alexis Gomez in Game 2 of the ALCS proved brilliant as Gomez homered and drove in four runs). La Russa has also pressed the right buttons, including moving Yadier Molina from eighth to seventh in the lineup for Game 7 of the NLCS. Leyland has won a world championship with Florida, La Russa with Oakland, so both have a chance to win another ring in a different league. Leyland has better pitching, and that could be the determining factor.
Edge: Tigers
Prediction: Tigers in six.
