Sim Series: Giants edge Tigers in 14, one win from title

DETROIT -- Despite freezing temperatures, the bats were sizzling late into the night as the San Francisco Giants outlasted the Detroit Tigers 12-11 in 14 innings to take a commanding 3-0 lead in USA TODAY's Simulated World Series.

The teams combined for 40 hits, 16 of them for extra bases, in a game played in 31-degree weather at Comerica Park.

Hunter Pence's two-run homer off embattled Tigers ex-closer Jose Valverde provided the eventual winning margin, but the outcome was still in doubt until Sergio Romo struck out Avisail Garcia and Miguel Cabrera with the potential tying run on third base in the bottom of the 14th.

The cold temperatures played a role in the final outcome as Garcia misplayed Marco Scutaro's one-out fly ball with a runner on in the top of the 14th and Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta booted Pablo Sandoval's grounder to allow the go-ahead run to score. A sacrifice fly by Buster Posey set the stage for Pence's two-run blast off Valverde, who was in the game only because the Tigers had already used six other pitchers.

Still, Detroit mounted a rally in the home half of the inning. Omar Infante hit a two-run triple (one of three in the game) and Austin Jackson drove him home with yet another triple to make it 12-11. That's when Romo buckled down and struck out Garcia and AL Triple Crown winner Cabrera to secure the win.

The Tiger bats finally came alive for the first time in the series when they knocked out Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong with a five-run fifth inning to take a 7-3 lead. But San Francisco rallied against the shaky Tigers bullpen to score five times in the top of the seventh.

With two outs and runners on the corners, Tigers manager Jim Leyland brought in lefty Phil Coke to face lefty-swinging Brandon Belt, who responded with a two-run triple to right center. After an intentional walk to DH Hector Sanchez, Gregor Blanco hit another two-run triple to tie the game. Yet another left-handed batter, shortstop Brandon Crawford, defied the platoon advantage with an RBI single to give the Giants an 8-7 lead. However, the Tigers got an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh against Tim Lincecum to set the stage for extra innings.

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This is the fourth season that USA TODAY has teamed up with Dynasty League Baseball to pre-play the World Series using the simulation game's online engine. While the simulated game isn't meant to be a prediction of the actual outcome, it can help reveal some of the strategies and important things to watch in the actual World Series. For example in Game 3:

-- The Tigers were much more comfortable facing a right-handed starting pitcher in San Francisco's Ryan Vogelsong. They scored only two runs in losing each of the first two games of the series, but got that many in the bottom of the first thanks to an error and an RBI single from outfielder Andy Dirks, who was on the bench for both of the first two games in San Francisco with left-handers on the mound.

-- Dirks' bat has been key to the Detroit offense. He had four hits in Game 3 and is batting .600 for the series. That's been important since big boppers Miguel Cabrera (.250) and Prince Fielder (.214) have yet to get on track. Without them, as USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale wrote, the Tigers have no shot at coming back.

-- The cold weather in Detroit is definitely a factor. Three of the Tigers' 11 runs and all four of the Giants' runs in the decisive 14th inning were unearned.

-- Comerica Park's spacious outfield gaps are extremely inviting to extra-base hits. The Giants hit four triples (two by Blanco) and the Tigers had two. There were also seven doubles in the game, including two each by San Francisco's Brandon Belt and Detroit's Quentin Berry.

-- Lost in the flurry of runs is the fact that the Tigers starting pitcher in Game 3, Anibal Sanchez, is better against left-handed hitters than he is against righties. That could have come into play had he not been knocked out of the game in the fifth inning.

-- The Giants continue to win the battle of the bullpens. All three of their wins in the Sim Series have been by their relievers. After Vogelsong exited in the fifth, George Kontos, Jose Mijares, Tim Lincecum, Santiago Casilla and Jeremy Affeldt pitched a total of eight innings without allowing an earned run.

Dynasty League Baseball, from the designer of Pursue the Pennant, is available in both the original Board version and a new Online version featuring "Series," Greatest Team bracket tournaments and continuous draft leagues.

This season, you can have your own 2012 World Series pre-play by signing up at Dynasty League Baseball.com and selecting "Series."

Special thanks to Baseball Info Solutions for their statistical analysis