Tigers not making World Series plans, just yet

• The Tigers have a 3-0 lead over the Yankees in the ALCS
• Starters: Tigers' Max Scherzer vs. Yankees' CC Sabathia
• The Yankees season rests on Sabathia's shoulders

DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers have every reason to feel in complete control of the American League Championship Series.

They have a 3-0 lead over the New York Yankees in the best-of-seven series. The only team ever to overcome that large of a deficit in the postseason was the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who won four straight to beat the Yankees in the ALCS that year on the way to their first World Series title in 86 years.

The Tigers will go for a sweep tonight, 8:07 p.m. ET when they send Max Scherzer to the mound against left-hander CC Sabathia. Yet the Tigers insist they aren't making World Series plans yet.

"It's great to be up 3-0 but against this lineup, against this team, you never know," said Game 3 winner Justin Verlander of the Yankees, who were second in the major leagues in runs scored in the regular season behind the Texas Rangers but have scored just 21 runs in eight postseason games.

"I think the rest of the team takes the mentality that I took being up 2-0. People asked me if I was comfortable and I said no because you have to treat this as a must-win game. Every game in the postseason is a must-win. You have to keep momentum on your on your side."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland has been saying throughout the series that he thinks the Yankees are due to start hitting. He still believes that can happen, even though the Yankees have scored in just two of 30 innings in the series.

They are going to be tough to beat," Leyland said. "They are the New York Yankees. They are a great team. All teams at this time of year are hard to beat. They are hard to beat during the regular season. They are really hard to beat during the postseason.

"So we're fortunate, certainly. We put ourselves in a decent position but that's all we've done."

The Yankees, meanwhile, have to win four in a row to continue a season that saw them lead the AL with 97 victories.

"What has happened had happened and you have to find a way to score runs," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You have your ace on the mound (in Sabathia) and you see what happens. Win a game and then let's see what happens.

"We have to outpitch them. We have to outhit them. It's pretty simple."

Scherzer was 16-7 with a 3.74 ERA in the regular season. He had a no-decision in Game 4 of the AL Division Series against the Oakland Athletics, allowing one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings in a game the Tigers lost 4-3.

Scherzer is 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA in five career postseason games, including four starts.

Scherezer has pitched just 16 1/3 innings in the last month while slowed by shoulder and ankle injuries but is not expected to be on a pitch limit tonight.

"It's kind of spring training for me, so I'm building back up," he said. "I think I will be better this time than I was last time. I'm looking forward to getting back out there and having the full workload."

Sabathia will have a heavy load to carry as the Yankees' season rides with him.

Sabathia was 15-6 with a 3.38 ERA in 28 regular-season starts and won both his starts against the Baltimore Orioles in the AL Division Series. He allowed three runs in 17 1/3 innings in the ALDS for 1.53 ERA.

Sabathia has a 9-4 career postseason record with a 4.25 ERA in 18 games, 17 starts.

While pitching for a team down 3-0 in a best-of-seven is stressful enough, Sabathia insists he feels no added pressure about pitching for a team that is averaging just 2.63 runs a game in the postseason.

"As cold as we are, we can get just as hot, especially with our lineup and the veterans we have and the great players we have," Sabathia said. "We always have faith as a pitching staff that if you go out there and do your job, we are going to score runs and we have all year really."