Sharp: 'Crazy' Tigers still believe they can win

• It really isn't that crazy thinking that the Tigers still could hold a parade in Detroit
• The Tigers are back home, where they're most comfortable, with the designated hitter rule
• The Giants are up two games in a playoff series instead of trailing by the customary two games

The doubts that took a short pennant-winning sabbatical have returned, along with the nitpicking that the Tigers reached the World Series in spite of their self-imposed strategic limitations.

In those hearts, the Tigers are finished, down two games to none to San Francisco.

Every game at Comerica Park this weekend is a must-win.

"But you know what?" Justin Verlander said in the immediate aftermath of the Tigers' Game 2 loss. "We've been playing must-win games for pretty much the last two months, especially against Chicago. We've won when we've had to. That's why you won't see anyone with their heads down around here. I can guarantee you that.

"We've responded to every challenge that's been thrown at us. So why shouldn't we approach this with some confidence."

They're crazy enough to still believe they can win this thing.

They haven't hit…once again. Every imaginable break has gone against them through two games.

Baseballs have ricocheted off bases and pitcher's beans. Those balls that the Tigers have hit hard found their way into San Francisco gloves. The second-guessers happily feasted off third-base coach Gene Lamont's ill-fated sending home of Prince Fielder with nobody out in the second inning and Jim Leyland surrendering a late run for a bases-loaded double play when he opted against pulling in the infield.

But it precisely has been these perilous predicaments that stiffened the Tigers' spines and tightly focused their will.

It really isn't that crazy thinking that Detroit still could hold a world championship parade down Woodward Avenue in another week or so.

"It would be storybook," Verlander added. "Could there be a more fitting way for this particular team win it but to win it after losing the first two?"

But it's a story still seeking its first World Series chapter.

They're back home. Back where they're more comfortable. Back where Delmon Young can return to designated hitter and the Tigers pitchers can send their lumber back to Louisville for the weekend.

And it could be argued that the Giants are sitting where they're least comfortable. They're up two games in a playoff series instead of trailing by the customary two games. It could become difficult for them playing without the desperation that fueled their amazing six straight elimination-game victories in these playoffs. They found an emotional strength they weren't sure existed when they were clearly the underdogs with nobody believing in their resilience.

They're now destiny's darlings.

"It would be nice to reverse the roles," Verlander said. "They don't know what to do with (a two-game lead). Be sure when you write that to say that it was said jokingly."

The Tigers remain surprisingly loose considering the snake bites they're walking around with. Perhaps it's because they know they haven't played terrible baseball in two games. But rather they fell victim to PabloSandoval, with a career total of 76 home runs entering this series, channeling his inner Babe Ruth in Game 1 with three bombs.

"This is a different experience for us," said Giants catcher Buster Posey. "We're used to being down to our last chance and pulling together. But now we've got the lead but we still have to have the attitude and take the approach that we're still behind.

"We're playing well but we know this series could still change quickly."

There remains reason for Tigers hope. It matters less that the Tigers only scored three runs in the Series' first 18 innings than it does that they finally will face right-handers tonight and Sunday. Even though Game 3 starter Ryan Vogelsong and staff ace Matt Cain are the Giants' best pitchers, the Tigers are better offensively when they utilize their predominantly left-handed lineup.

"At some point, something has to drop for us, doesn't it?" centerfielder Austin Jackson said.

The Tigers certainly aren't pleased with the hole in which they find themselves approaching Game 3, but only a team with more than its share of experience in submersion knows how much it takes to get itself back above water.

"What we've gone through this season has made us a tougher team," reliever Octavio Dotel said. "If we hadn't gone through the struggles that we did, we wouldn't know how to respond when faced with it again."

Cracking a devilish grin, Dotel suggested that coming back to win a championship might be more fun than doing it the conventional way, such as leading more innings than not.

They might pull this off and stun their skeptics once again, but they've got a peculiar definition of what's fun.