The Tigers were hoping some time off would help Jose Valverde regain his form. While he showed positive signs in the World Series opener, the results were not there.

Tigers rookie Drew Smyly could not find his usual control when he stepped onto the mound Thursday for his World Series debut. He also wasn’t helped by a Gregor Blanco bunt that hugged the third-base line and stayed fair.

When the second of Pablo Sandoval’s three home runs took flight Wednesday evening at AT&T Park, Justin Verlander watched it soar with confidence, assuming left fielder Delmon Young would snag it at the warning track.

We are a long, long way from knowing how the 108th World Series shakes out. But what we do know, for sure, is that the Giants didn’t win six straight elimination games in the National League Division Series and NL Championship Series without a few beneficial bounces.

Justin Verlander had trouble locating in Game 1 of the World Series, and the Giants took advantage, cruising to an 8-3 win at AT&T Park on Wednesday night.

They should stop this World Series right now. Sure, there’s a long way to go, but for the Tigers to win, they must not only stall the rampaging Giants but also a hidden force from above that seems to be guiding the NL champs.

It seems that everyone who had anything to do with the peripheral events surrounding the first two games of the World Series in San Francisco somehow had a Barry Zito connection. First-pitch throwers. Celebrities hanging out during batting practice. And, most recently, anthem singers.

The Tigers were so good in a sweep of the Yankees in the ALCS that their loss in Game 1 of the World Series seemed so unusual.

The city of San Francisco, despite the exceedingly accurate picture postcards that display its amazing natural beauty and cultural landmarks, is no soft touch. It will put up a fight, and the Giants have worn that emblem with pride this postseason.

Justin Verlander lasted just four innings on Wednesday night and surrendered two of the three home runs hit by Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval in an 8-3 Tigers loss that opened the World Series in San Francisco.

Major League Baseball will honor veterans and military families on Thursday prior to Game 2 of the World Series.

What makes baseball the “greatest game played on dirt?” Actor Jeff Daniels believes that it’s the passion of the True Fans, which is out in full force in the World Series.

Detroit’s Fall Classic roster became official Wednesday, ahead of Game 1 against the Giants at AT&T Park (7:30 p.m. ET pregame/8:07 p.m. first pitch on FOX), and it’s the same the Tigers have used throughout the playoffs.

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp is about to step up the rehab program on his surgically repaired shoulder that will be longer than he originally hoped. He won’t be able to start swinging a bat until January.

The Dodgers could open the 2014 season with a three-game series in Australia, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Pablo Sandoval was the headline attraction, but it was the entire top third of the Giants’ order that battered Justin Verlander and the Tigers around in an 8-3 Game 1 victory at AT&T Park.

The 2012 Barry Zito Redemption Tour kept rocking and rolling on Wednesday, drawing rave reviews from an appreciative audience and, perhaps the greatest compliment of all, a lot of silence from a few of the loudest bats in the game.