GIANT PLAY AT THE PLATE: Giants catcher Buster Posey tags out Prince Fielder at home plate in the second inning of last night’s 2-0 victory over the Tigers in Game 2 of the World Series. Detroit starter Doug Fister (inset), who allowed one run in six innings, remains in the game after being struck in the head by a line drive in the second inning. (AP (2))
SAN FRANCISCO — The anti-hitting virus that killed the Yankees’ season is alive and thriving inside the Tigers’ bat rack.
And if the Tigers can’t find a way to arrest the powerful germs, they are headed to the same fate in the World Series that Yankees succumbed to in the ALCS when their bats were allergic to the Tigers’ pitches.
Last night’s Game 2 at AT&T Park evolved into a splendid pitching duel between Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner and Tiger righty Doug Fister, who survived taking a wicked liner off his head in the second inning.
The Giants’ 2-0 victory in front of 42,982 was decided on a bases-loaded ground-ball double play in the seventh and was aided by Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont’s unwise decision to try and score the slow-footed Prince Fielder from first with no outs on Delmon Young’s second-inning double.
“Bumgarner executed pitches, if he threw it down the middle of the plate we would have hit it,’’ Young said of a lineup that was held to two hits by three Giant pitchers.
So, the 108th World Series shifts to Detroit and Comerica Park tomorrow night for Game 3 with the Giants leading, 2-0. Anibal Sanchez starts for the Tigers and Ryan Vogelsong, the Giants’ hottest pitcher, goes for the visitors.
Last night, Bumgarner shut down the heart of the Tigers’ order as Miguel Cabrera, Fielder and Young, the Tigers’ three, four and five hitters, went 1-for-7.
“I am not going to rip my offense because I thought [Wednesday night] we had some pretty good swings,’’ Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of his hitters who have scored three runs in two of the 18 World Series innings and two of them came on a garbage-time homer by Jhonny Peralta in the ninth inning of Game 1. “Cabrera hit a bullet tonight. We had an unfortunate play at the plate early. I think our offense is fine. I tip my hat to them a little bit and we have to do a little bit better offensively, but our offense is fine.’”
As for Lamont, he second-guessed himself.
“If I had to do it over again I can’t say I would have sent him,’’ Lamont said. “I got over aggressive, I guess. They made a perfect relay and I was wrong.’’
Fielder, who took two small miss-steps rounding third, initially believed he was safe but changed his mind later.
“I didn’t feel the tag. I was out,’’ Fielder said.
Second baseman Marco Scutaro hustled across the infield and took left fielder Gregor Blanco’s and fired a strike to catcher Buster Posey.
Bumgarner, whose postseason had consisted of two subpar outings, blanked the Tigers through seven innings, allowing the only two hits the Giants got.
“I think the only difference was being able to make pitches,’’Bumgarner said. “I hadn’t been able to do that.’’
Fister, who took a Blanco liner off the right side of his head in the second, allowed a run and four hits in six-plus innings.
“It was a tough night,obviously a couple of balls didn’t go our way,’’ said Fister, who took a ball off the wrist in the ALCS and didn’t leave the game.
Santiago Casilla worked a perfect eighth and Sergio Romo recorded the final three outs.
With the bases loaded, no outs and the game scoreless in the seventh, Leyland opted to play the infield for the double play. He got that but Hunter Pence scored from third.
“We felt like we couldn’t give them two runs,” Leyland said. “We were absolutely thrilled to come out of that inning with one run.’’
Pence added an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
“We play to win every day, we are going home, win three and come back [to AT&T Park],’’ Fister said. The only way that happens if the Tigers can stem the wood-eating virus attacking their bats.