Tigers turn to Anibal Sanchez in Game 3 vs. Giants

DETROIT - Justin Verlander already lost. Doug Fister pitched gamely, but his fine effort wasn't good enough either.

Now, with their World Series hopes slipping away, the Detroit Tigers turn to Anibal Sanchez - the least physically imposing member of their postseason rotation.

"We need to start over," Sanchez said. "We need to forget what happened in San Francisco. I know we've got the talent. That's why we're here. We've got a pretty good team, so we're going to fight it to the end."

Sanchez was acquired to help the Tigers make the playoffs - they were in the middle of a tough AL Central race with the Chicago White Sox when he arrived in a deal shortly before the trade deadline. The righthander held up his end of the bargain, but now Detroit is playing for even higher stakes, and Saturday night's start in Game 3 of the World Series, facing a two-games-to-none deficit against San Francisco, may be his most important test yet.

Although he went only 4-6 as a Tiger in the regular season, Sanchez began to pitch better down the stretch. That carried over into the postseason, where he is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA.

The last time Sanchez pitched, he shut out the New York Yankees for seven innings in Game 2 of the AL Championship Series. That's the type of performance the Tigers were hoping for when they traded top pitching prospect Jacob Turner to Miami and acquired Sanchez and second baseman Omar Infante.

"I had seen him pitch on TV and stuff, but I didn't really know the young man," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "Once he got in his comfort zone, I think he's done absolutely very, very well. He's a very, very good pitcher."

The 6-foot Sanchez is five inches shorter than Verlander and eight inches shorter than Fister. He was shaky after first joining the Tigers, but he posted a 2.43 ERA in his final six regular-season starts.

The trade for Sanchez was Detroit's last big move of the season. The Tigers were willing to trade a potential star to acquire two players who could help them compete for a World Series title this year.

Detroit's starting rotation was marvelous against Oakland in the division series and the Yankees in the ALCS. But the Tigers were stung in the World Series opener by the Giants, losing by 8-3 when Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs in a game Verlander started.

In Game 2, Fister took a line drive off his head but still managed to pitch into the seventh inning. San Francisco won, 2-0.

Righthander Max Scherzer looked like Detroit's best pitcher at times during the second half of the season, but his throwing shoulder acted up in September, so he's been slotted for Game 4 during the postseason, starting once per series.

So Sanchez is in line to pitch Saturday, with the season seemingly on the line and the prospect of a short series hanging over the proceedings.

"Sanchez has really gotten acclimated here in Detroit," Leyland said. "I expect him to pitch a good game."

Beating victim at Game 2. Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan brutally beaten at Dodger Stadium on opening day 2011, attended Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night as a guest of the team.

Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter said Stow's family requested privacy. The team did not announce where Stow was watching the game at AT&T Park.

Low ratings. The Giants' shutout of the Tigers drew a record-low television rating for Game 2 of the World Series.

Fox earned a 7.8 fast national rating and 12 share, down 12 percent from last year's St. Louis Cardinals-Texas Rangers matchup. The previous low was an 8.1 for the 2008 Phillies-Tampa Bay Rays Series.