Nightengale: Tigers sluggers more like slugs

• Cabrera and Fielder are one the most powerful 3-4 combinations in baseball
• Fielder and Cabrera combined for just six plate appearances in Game 2
• Fielder is hitting .167 and Cabrera .200 in the Series

SAN FRANCISCO -- We know the airlines charge a fee for overweight luggage, but couldn't the Detroit Tigers afford to pay the penalty?

Just because Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder tip the scales, it's no excuse for the Tigers to have left them behind in Detroit.

We don't know who's playing third base and first base for the Tigers in the World Series, but they can't be Cabrera and Fielder.

These guys are imposters.

Fielder and Cabrera are tough dudes, representing the brute strength and power of their blue-collar town, but these guys have turned as soft as Brie cheese on a sunny California day.

The Tigers got beat again, this time 2-0, by the San Francisco Giants, and now trail the best-of-seven series 2-0.

The Tigers' offense has disappeared, and Fielder and Cabrera haven't come to the rescue. The Tigers collected two hits, the last coming on Omar Infante's leadoff single in the fourth inning.

The offense looks so abysmal that Tigers ace Justin Verlander says the baseball gods must have something magical in store for them, because their season can't go out this ugly.

"It's lined up to be storybook," Verlander said. "We've just got to make it happen. These guys have been storybook so far. It would be nice to reverse the roles.

"They're up 2-0, they don't know what to do with that."

Verlander laughed when he uttered the words, but it was the only humor in a somber clubhouse.

"We need to pick it up. Be more aggressive," Triple Crown winner Cabrera said. "And get more confidence."

Said Fielder: "I'm not that surprised. It's the playoffs. It's the World Series. They wouldn't be here (if they couldn't pitch)."

Cabrera and Fielder, the most powerful 3-4 combination in baseball, played pepper against the bleachers during the regular season, combining for 74 home runs and 252 RBI.

This postseason, they have managed just two homers in 85 at-bats.

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval produced that in just two swings Wednesday night.

This is an offense that relies on Cabrera and Fielder.

This is a team that relies on Cabrera and Fielder.

And they are going nowhere in this World Series without Cabrera and Fielder.

They better show up Saturday for Game 3 at Comerica Park or this series will be the biggest flop in Detroit since the Edsel.

Cabrera and Fielder were hitless Thursday and were actually looking for moral victories. Oh, there was the time Cabrera hit a screaming liner that was caught by Sandoval in the fourth inning. Fielder followed with a long fly ball to left field.

"What are you going to do about it?" Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I don't have any perspective. We got two hits tonight. I'm certainly not going to sit up here and rip my offense."

You know you've got problems when the Tigers have to rely on Fielder's speed, and that didn't work out too well, either.

Fielder got hit by a pitch to lead of the second inning. Delmon Young followed with a line drive into the left field corner that took a crazy bounce and got past Gregor Blanco.

Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont kept waving his right arm, and Fielder kept chugging.

Blanco picked it up, hit cutoff man Marco Scutaro, who threw a strike to catcher Buster Posey, who tagged out Fielder on a bang-bang play.

"It could have been a big inning," Verlander said.

Instead, it ended the rally, the game and perhaps the series.

Teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in the World Series have won 41 of 52 times (78.8%).

If nothing else, the Tigers are coming home for the next three games (they hope). The temperatures are expected to be in the low 40s. Maybe that will wake up the big boys.