The 106th World Series

File photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

For the Giants to beat the Rangers, Tim Lincecum will have to get the better of Cliff Lee.

This may not be the Fall Classic everyone envisioned on April 1 -- or even on October 1 -- but it's the Fall Classic we've got. And it's the right Fall Classic, because these two teams clearly played the best baseball this month and earned their shot at a World Series title.

The Giants have got deep starting pitching and a deep roster of contributors. The Rangers have the best pitcher on the planet right now, one of the best all-around players and plenty of support. Each team has the likely rookie of the year in its respective league. Each club is trying to win its first championship in its current city. What more could you want?

Before the 106th Fall Classic commences this evening, let's break down the matchup and pick a winner...

TEXAS RANGERS (AL champions)

vs

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (NL champions) 

  

SCHEDULE (all games on Fox)

Game 1: Tonight, 7:57 p.m. at San Francisco
(Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum)

Game 2: Tomorrow, 7:57 p.m. at San Francisco
(C.J. Wilson vs. Matt Cain)
Game 3: Saturday, 6:57 p.m. at Arlington, Texas
(Colby Lewis vs. Jonathan Sanchez)

Game 4: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. at Arlington, Texas
(Tommy Hunter vs. Madison Bumgarner)

*Game 5: Monday, 7:57 p.m. at Arlington, Texas
*Game 6: Wednesday, Nov. 3, 7:57 p.m. at San Francisco
*Game 7: Thursday, Nov. 4, 7:57 p.m. at San Francisco

*-if necessary

KEYS TO THE SERIES

1. Can Tim Lincecum match or surpass Cliff Lee in either Game 1 or Game 5? Yes, the Giants could win this series without beating Lee. But to do that, they'd have to win four of the other five games. That's a tall order. Their best shot is to somehow become the first team in two years to beat Lee in the postseason. While that figures to be a daunting challenge, San Francisco does have a pretty good ace of its own in Lincecum. If "The Freak" can hold his own against Lee, especially at home in Game 1, the Giants can steal one off the planet's hottest pitcher, and that could change the entire complexion of the series.

2. How well does Bengie Molina know the Giants' hitters, and will that matter? In perhaps the most-bizarre twist to this most-bizarre matchup, the man calling the pitches for the Rangers spent 3 1/2 seasons (including the first four months of THIS season) playing for the opposition. Nobody knows the Giants' strengths and weaknesses like Molina, and you can bet he's feeding as much information as he can to Texas' pitching staff. But what's the likely impact of that? It's one thing to know a hitter's tendencies. It's quite another to actually exploit them. It requires not only a catcher who knows what pitches to call, but a pitcher who can execute those pitches.

3. Can Bruce Bochy continue to mix and match his position players and get the most out of them? The Giants manager used five different lineups in six games in the NLCS, shuttling guys like Andres Torres, Aaron Rowand, Mike Fontenot, Juan Uribe, Edgar Renteria and Pablo Sandoval in and out. It worked like a charm, but can Bochy continue to strike gold with every move he makes? He'll have plenty of options in this series, especially when the series shifts to Texas and the DH is added to the mix. Managers don't always have a huge say in the outcomes of games, but the way San Francisco's roster is assembled, Bochy has a significant say.

4. Which bullpen steps up? On paper, San Francisco's relief corps looks better, with Brian Wilson closing, Javier Lopez getting tough lefties out and Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla bridging the gap after the starters depart. Texas' bullpen, though, is pretty good itself, led by rookie closer Neftali Feliz and unheralded left-hander Derek Holland. Each group had some shaky moments in the LCS, something neither team can afford now. The relief corps that holds up better in this series is going to be the one celebrating at the end.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Just about everyone seems to be picking the Rangers, based on the manner in which they dismantled the Yankees in the ALCS. Nothing wrong with that, but people may be selling the Giants short. Yes, they score precious few runs and have to win every game by the skin of their teeth, but that's the way they were built. Texas may have Cliff Lee, but San Francisco has a deeper rotation -- who doesn't like Madison Bumgarner over Tommy Hunter in Game 4? -- and more options off the bench for Bruce Bochy to take advantage of matchups. In a month full of nip-and-tuck baseball, I think we're in for another epic, low-scoring series that comes down to a winner-take-all Game 7 at AT&T Park next Thursday. There have been eight World Series Game 7's in the last 30 years. The home team is 8-0 in those games. PREDICTION: Giants in 7.