World Series
Game 1: 5 p.m. today
Where: Comerica Park, Detroit.
TV: Fox 28. Radio: 700-AM
Regular season: Cardinals, 83-79, won National League Central. Tigers, 95-67, finished second in American League Central, claimed wild card.
How they got here: Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres in four games in the division series and defeated the New York Mets in seven games in the N.L. Championship Series. Tigers ousted the New York Yankees in four games in the division series and swept the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS.
Last World Series title: Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games to win the 1982 Series; they lost to the Kansas City Royals in ‘85, the Minnesota Twins in ‘87 and the Boston Red Sox in 2004. Tigers beat the Padres in five games in the ‘84 series. Until this season, they hadn’t made the playoffs since ‘87 when the Twins beat them in the ALCS.
Top hitters: Cardinals – 1B Albert Pujols (.331, 49 home runs, 137 RBIs), 3B Scott Rolen (.296-22-95), RF Juan Encarnacion (.278-19-79). Tigers – RF Magglio Ordonez (.298-24-104), 1B/SS Carlos Guillen (.320-19-85), C Ivan Rodriguez (.300-13-69).
Top starting pitchers: Cardinals – RHP Chris Carpenter (15-8, 3.09 ERA), RHP Jeff Suppan (12-7, 4.12 ERA). Tigers – LHP Kenny Rogers (17-8, 3.84 ERA), RHP Justin Verlander (17-9, 3.63 ERA).
Closer: Cardinals – RHP Adam Wainwright (2-1, 3.12 ERA, 3 saves). Tigers – RHP Todd Jones (2-6, 3.94 ERA, 37 saves).
Top playoff performers: Cardinals – Pujols (.324-2-4), C Yadier Molina (.333-2-7), CF Jim Edmonds (.257-2-6), RHP Jeff Weaver (2-1, 2.16 ERA), Wainwright (0.00 ERA, 3 saves). Tigers – 2B Placido Polanco (.471), CF Curtis Granderson (.313-3-7), Ordonez (.250-3-8), Rogers (2-0, 0.00 ERA), Jones (5 games, 3 saves).
Top questions: Cardinals – Who will help out Pujols in the lineup? How will Wainwright, an inexperienced closer who took over after Jason Isringhausen was injured, fare? Will Weaver, 8-14 in the regular season but excellent in the postseason, continue his solid pitching? Tigers – How will a weeklong layoff affect them? Will their power (13 homers in eight playoff games) continue to be on? Will Rodriguez (.172 postseason average) wake up?
The buzz: The Tigers swept the Cardinals in a three-game series at Detroit in June. … The Tigers had endured 12 consecutive losing seasons before this year, including dropping an A.L.-record 119 games in 2003. … The Cardinals endured two eight-game losing streaks in midseason and a seven-game slide in September that almost caused them to blow an 81/2-game lead in the final two weeks. … Weaver pitched for the Tigers from 1999-2002.
Prediction: Tigers in five.