Nightengale: Detroit won't waste time in winning Series

Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Detroit Tigers sat back in Motown this past week and watched the cute little story unfold in the National League.

They saw the San Francisco Giants pull off their Lazarus act time and time again, winning a record six consecutive elimination games, and become overnight media darlings.

They're starting to wonder if these guy dress in a clubhouse or a TV studio, where they can rehearse their zany skits and goofy pregame antics.

The Tigers are sorry to ruin the ending to this charming show, but the Giants' season is over.

Detroit will win the World Series in five games.

WORLD SERIES: Who has the edge?

There may be more suspense watching the Giants grab a razor this winter and shaving those black beards, thick enough to hold wildlife, than viewing this public thrashing.

The Giants haven't seen a team this powerful all year, and by this time next week, they won't know what hit them. The Tigers, like a caged boxer, know they are about to deliver an ugly whuppin', but will refrain from providing clubhouse fodder.

You see, they don't talk a lot. There don't bother with the cute quotes or sound bites. They have no silly rally speeches or rituals.

They are silent killers.

They will come out and coldheartedly bludgeon the Giants. They simply have too much power. Too much starting pitching. Too much sheer talent.

Do we really need to go into the specifics? It's like performing an autopsy while the body is still breathing.

Ok, do you want to talk about starting pitching? This will be a mismatch. The New York Yankees were absolutely clueless against the Tigers' rotation, so can you imagine how the Tigers will destroy the Giants' pea shooters. This rotation went 5-1 with a 1.02 ERA this postseason, yielding a .162 batting average. Now, they will be facing the weakest lineup they've seen all year, with not a single left-handed slugger available to counteract the Tigers' right-handed staff.

Everyone knows that well-rested ace Justin Verlander is the best pitcher on the planet, winning his last seven starts with a 0.69 ERA. Once Verlander pitches his shutout in Game 1, there's a deadly arsenal right behind him in Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer. The Giants, meanwhile, won't even have ace Matt Cain available until Game 4.

You want to talk about power? Really, do you want to go there? The Tigers have the most lethal 1-2 punch since Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. The two combined for 74 homers during the year. The Giants had just one player, Buster Posey (24), who hit more than 12 homers. Take away drug-induced Melky Cabrera, and they had only two players who hit more than seven homers the entire season. We're not making this up.

Who has a better chance at winning the World Series? Ryan Yamamoto from KXTV and Drew Sharp from Detroit Free Press debate the upcoming World Series and who has a better chance of winning.

Ok, sure there's no denying the Tigers' bullpen stinks, and this will what prevents them from completing a sweep. No matter how strong that aroma is at AT&T Park from those funny looking cigarettes, no one is delusional enough to believe that Tigers relievers Jose Valverde or Joaquin Benoit will magically morph into Mariano Rivera this next week,

Yes, the defense can be shaky, and the Giants plan to test it, bunting like demons if they must.

And no one can deny the Giants have a whole lot of mojo going on. The Giants should have never recovered when the Cincinnati Reds had them down 0-2 with the next three games in Cincinnati. They never should have gotten out of St. Louis alive, down 3-1, and having Barry Zito on the mound.

If they try those same rope-a-dope tactics against the Tigers, they'll be knocked out cold, and sprawled out on the field. The Tigers don't play. They go for the jugular. That's the way of the streets in blue-collar Detroit. You sense a weakness, you exploit it.

Just ask the Yankees about that killer instinct.

The Giants' glorious wine-and-cheese party, with Tony Bennett crooning in the background, is over.

Within a week, they'll be listening to old Motown hits and dancin' in the streets.

The Giants have gone only 24 months without a World Series title.

The Tigers have gone 28 years.

The World Series trophy is coming to the D.